The Stevens basketball program has had an impressive season, with both the women’s and men’s teams putting up amazing performances throughout the season and especially in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championships.
On Wednesday, February 25, the women’s team traveled to Glenside, PA to play the No. 2 conference seed, Arcadia University, in the MAC Freedom Semifinals, winning the game 76-44. Of these 76 points, senior guard Leyla Castro tallied a career-high 31 points, senior guard Olivia Schubiger added another 20, and senior guard/forward Dorothy Loffredo added another 10. This game marked Castro’s seventh consecutive game scoring at least 16 points. The Ducks maintained a high intensity throughout the game and especially during the third quarter, scoring 26 points while only allowing eight to be scored against them.
Following their Semifinals victory, the Ducks faced off against No. 1 MAC seed, DeSales University, on Saturday, February 28 in Center Valley, PA. The Ducks fell to the Bulldogs as the championship game ended 51-59, but they were still able to put up impressive performances throughout the game. Castro scored seven of the first eight points of the game, putting the Ducks in the lead early in the game at 8-6. The team put up the most points during the third quarter, where Schubiger, Loffredo, and sophomore forward Fiona O’Boyle each contributed multiple baskets toward the 16 points scored in this quarter. The women’s season ends with an impressive 20-7 overall record and 10-4 conference record. Additionally, Castro was named to the All-MAC Freedom First Team for the second time in a row, and Schubiger was named to the All-MAC Freedom Second Team.
The men’s team hosted DeSales at Canavan Arena in the MAC Freedom Semifinals on Wednesday, February 25, where they put up an 81-60 point victory against the Bulldogs. This win advanced them to their sixth conference championship since the 2019-20 season. Junior guard Anthony Loscalzo put up a career-high 17 points, including four three-pointers, and junior guard Tommy Scholl put up a game-high 23 points, marking the 11th time that he scored at least 20 points in a game this season.
Following the Ducks’ MAC Semifinal win, they hosted Misericordia University at Canavan Arena on Saturday, February 28 for the MAC Championship game, where they secured the championship title with a score of 68-59. The Ducks kept offensive pressure throughout both halves of the game, scoring 38 points in the first half and 30 in the second. Scholl put up 19 points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Harmehar Chhabra tallied 15 points and seven rebounds, and Loscalzo added another 10 points. Following the conference tournament, Scholl was named the MAC Freedom Tournament Most Valuable Player. This championship win brought the men’s overall record to 18-9 and conference record to 10-4.
The men’s team will be competing in the NCAA Division III Championship, travelling to Newport News, VA, to play against Christopher Newport University in the first round of the tournament on Friday, March 6.
