Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – Sophomore Byron Reaves sank a shot from half-court as time expired to lift Albertus Magnus (23-6) to a stunning 57-55 upset of No. 7 William Paterson (25-3) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament March 5 at the Pioneers' Rec Center.

The Falcons advance to the second round Saturday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. at WPU and will face DeSales, a 72-64 overtime winner against MIT in the night's other first-round game.

Trailing by one at 54-53 with 17.3 seconds left after AMC's Ray Askew knocked in a jumper in the paint, William Paterson's Gabriel Paul (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) drained a jump shot from the right short-corner, a bucket that handed the host Pioneers a 55-54 edge with 1.6 seconds remaining. However, the Falcons were able to get the ball inbounded and into the hands of Reaves, who took one dribble and elevated to get the shot off between two defenders from just inside the mid-court line. His shot fell through the net as time expired, lifting the Falcons to the upset victory in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year, Askew led Albertus Magnus with 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Reaves finished with 14 tallies, making all four of his three-point attempts.

After playing a lackluster first half and entering the locker room with a 24-17 deficit, William Paterson came out in the second half and promptly scored eight unanswered points thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by seniors Joseph Ellis (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) and Tim Lucas (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge), and a steal and fast-break bucket by Lucas, surging ahead 25-24 less than two minutes into the period. However, Reaves answered with a three (27-25, 17:57), and the two teams traded baskets for the next three minutes until Albertus Magnus put together a mini 5-0 run to create a 37-32 edge with 13:43 on the clock.

Senior Eric Moore (Dover, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) converted a pair of free throws, classmate Manny Perrotte (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) scored in transition and Paul added a layup, making it a 38-37 Pioneer advantage (10:58). Five lead changes and five ties eventually led to a Moore fast-break layup for a 49-49 score with 3:16 left.

After the Falcons failed to make a jumper, Lucas was fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving AMC the ball with 2:38 to play. A foul put Askew at the line and he made one of two (50-49, 2:19), but Moore snatched back the lead for William Paterson with an 18-footer on the right wing (51-50, 1:58). After an Albertus Magnus timeout, Reaves found Walden St. Juste on an inbounds play for an easy basket, again giving the visitors a one-point advantage (52-51, 1:44). Moore once again countered for William Paterson, this one a two-pointer with his foot on the line, for a 53-52 score at the 1:16 mark. An Askew turnover gave WP a chance to pad its lead, but the Pioneers could not track down the rebound of Bobby Dunn's (Garwood, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson Regional) miss with 31 seconds left.

Moore was 7-for-11 (.636) for a game-high 20 points. Lucas had 14 tallies, nine rebounds and four assists for the Pioneers, Paul added 13 points, and senior Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, N.J./Newark Science) collected 11 rebounds. 

DeSales 72, MIT 64 (ot)
Box Score 
WAYNE, N.J. – Senior guard Darnell Braswell scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds as DeSales (23-5) started off the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament with a 72-64 overtime victory against No. 21 MIT (22-5) in the first round March 5 at the William Paterson University Rec Center.

The Bulldogs will advance to the second round Saturday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rec Center and will face Albertus Magnus, a 57-55 upset winner against No. 7 William Paterson in the night's late contest.

DeSales led by as many as 10 during the second half, including a 54-44 edge with 9:22 on the clock, before MIT mounted a comeback, started by a three-point play by NEWMAC Player of the Year Noel Hollingsworth. Four straight buckets by freshman forward Will Tashman during the next four minutes, and a 0-for-2 shooting effort and three turnovers by the Bulldogs, cut the DeSales lead to one (54-53, 5:47). A later 1-for-2 trip to the free-throw line by freshman Mitchell Kates knotted the score at 54-54 with 5:04 to play.

The Bulldogs saw a three-point edge (58-55, 3:54) evaporate after four straight points from the Engineers, the last a pair of Kates free throws, to nudge MIT ahead, 59-58 (2:47). Braswell knocked down a jumper for DeSales, but Tashman responded by burying a three-pointer from the top of the key, handing the Engineers a 62-60 lead with 1:55 remaining in regulation.

Sophomore center Jamey Bercier's layup tied the game at 62-62 with 1:22 on the clock, and a block of Billy Johnson's three-point attempt gave DeSales the ball back with less than a minute left. MIT fouled Braswell, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one. Kates could not convert for MIT and Braswell missed the potential game winner during the final seconds of regulation, forcing overtime.

The Bulldogs controlled the opening minutes of the extra session, scoring six of the first seven points via a Brian Hunter fast-break layup and a Braswell free throw and trey, building a 68-63 edge midway through the period. Tashman's 1-for-2 trip to the charity stripe briefly got the Engineers within four (68-64, 1:34), but those would be the last points for MIT as DeSales forced the Engineers into 0-for-4 shooting from the field down the stretch.

Hunter added 16 tallies and five assists for DeSales, while Tashman paced MIT with 21 points and nine rebounds. Hollinsworth scored 18 and Kates had 16 for the Engineers.

In a half marked by eight lead changes and four ties, DeSales used an 8-0 run to open up a 27-20 advantage (4:45), and entered the locker room with a 33-30 lead.

“I'm so proud of our guys and the effort they gave not only tonight but all year,” said MIT head coach Larry Anderson. “You can't ask for any more than what this young basketball team has come to accomplish, not to mention the great leadership of our two seniors, Pat [Sissman] and Bill [Johnson]. Because of their leadership and the foundation they have laid, it gives us a better chance to take MIT basketball to the next level.”