Belmont Abbey Repeats as Conference Carolinas Tournament Champions
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The 2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship Final saw four ties and 11 lead changes between the eighth-ranked and top seeded UNC Pembroke Braves and the third-seeded Crusaders of Belmont Abbey and for the second straight season, the Crusaders cut down the nets at the final buzzer.
It was a back-and-forth first half featuring numerous runs by both teams that resulted in a 37-36 halftime lead for the Crusaders. Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, Spencer Levi, got the scoring started with a dunk for the Braves and LJ McCoy followed with a 3-pointer for The Abbey. UNCP’s 9-4 run gave them an 11-7 lead before BAC went on a 14-5 run over 5:37 to take a 21-16 lead with 9:49 left in the opening half. After a Sean Halloran 3-pointer put the Crusaders ahead 26-22, UNCP went on a 10-1 run, capped by a pair of Nate Dunlop 3-pointers for a 32-27 advantage. Not to be outdone, Belmont Abbey closed the half on a 10-4 run over the final 3:19 for the one-point halftime lead.
The Braves took the lead quickly as they scored the first five points of the final 20 minutes and used a 10-5 run to take a 46-42 lead. Belmont Abbey scored 12 of the next 14 points for a 54-48 lead with 12:28 to play. The Crusaders maintained the advantage until an 8-0 UNCP run gave the Braves a 61-58 advantage. A Jordan Ratliffe layup pushed the lead to five, 66-61, but the Crusaders responded with an 11-1 run to take a 72-67 lead with 1:24 to play. Ratliffe hit a three to cut the deficit to two, but Mario Lacy, Jr. followed with a put-back layup for a 74-70 lead with 38 seconds left. Quest Aldridge, who was named Conference Carolinas Tournament Most Outstanding player, went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to secure the 79-73 win and a trip to the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Pembroke finished the contest 29-for-66 (43.9 percent) from the field, 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from the 3-point arc and 11-of-22 (50 percent) from the free throw line while the Crusaders shot 35.4 percent (23-of-65) from the field, 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from long range and 82.4 percent (28-of-34).
Aldridge finished with a game-high 23 points while Halloran added 14 and Garrett finished with 13. Levi paced the Braves with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds to go with five blocks while Javonte Waverly added 13 points and Ratliffe tallied 10.
The qualifiers for the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship will be announced during the selection show at 10:30 p.m. tonight at NCAA.com. The Crusaders earned Conference Carolinas’ automatic bid and will find out their opponent and seed in the Southeast Regional during the show. UNC Pembroke, who was ranked fourth in the final NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings will also find out if it has secured a spot in the field of 64.
2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team
Quest Aldrige, Belmont Abbey - Most Outstanding Player
Chandler Baker, Belmont Abbey
Sean Halloran, Belmont Abbey
Spencer Levi, UNC Pembroke
Deon Berrien, UNC Pembroke
KJ Jones II, Emmanuel
Demarcus Addie, Southern Wesleyan
2022 Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Lees-McRae def. #10 Chowan at Barton, 80-73
#9 Francis Marion def. #8 King at Mount Olive, 90-83
Second Round – Monday, February 28
#6 Barton def. #7 Lees-McRae, 94-75
#5 Mount Olive def. #9 Francis Marion, 95-83
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Southern Wesleyan def. #5 Mount Olive, 72-55
#3 Belmont Abbey def. #6 Barton, 108-73
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#1 UNC Pembroke def. #4 Southern Wesleyan, 67-66
#3 Belmont Abbey def. #2 Emmanuel, 93-70
Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#3 Belmont Abbey def. #1 UNC Pembroke, 79-73