Moraine Valley stuns Monroe at nationals

DANVILLE, Illinois - Moraine Valley Community College rallied from a late 10-point deficit to shock Monroe Community College 78-74 in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Thursday.

The Tribunes led 67-57 with 4:25 remaining before the Cyclones put together a game-changing run.  Gerald Dorsey followed up a miss with a tip-in to give Moraine a 75-74 lead with under a minute remaining. It was Moraine's first lead since the 15-minute mark of the first half.

MCC had a chance at a lay-up on the next possession, but Karington Ward came up with one of his eight blocks on the night.  The Tribunes were forced to foul, and Moraine hit 1-of-2 to make it 76-74.

Monroe then turned the ball over, and Ward nailed two free throws with 9.1 seconds to make it a two-possession game and effectively end it.

The Tribunes (30-4) now move to the consolation bracket, where they will take on MCC-Penn Valley at 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday.  Moraine Valley will play Brown Mackie in the semifinals.

The Cyclones jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead to open the game, but Monroe went on a 15-2 run to take an 18-12 lead. Dallas Gary (Buffalo, NY/East) scored eight points during the run as MCC took control.

The Tribunes continued to handle Moraine's pressure, and Greg Williams (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) hit a 3 and a layup to help give MCC a 38-29 lead at the break.

The Cyclones went on a run of their own to start the second half and closed to 45-44 with 14:30 left. But Williams hit a 3-pointer, Gary converted a three-point play, and Jahvari Josiah (Brooklyn, NY/Beach Channel) had two straight layups to help restore a seven-point lead.

MCC again pushed its lead to 11, but the Cyclones took advantage of some sloppy play and continully got to the rim to cut into the deficit.

Gary finished with a game-high 25 points for Monroe, finishing 8-for-12 form the field while pulling down nine rebounds. Williams also hit double figures with 10, while Arnold Fripp (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Collegiate) and Malcolm McNair (Jacksonville, FL/Samuel L. Wolfson) added nine apiece.