The Misericordia men's basketball team finished as runners up at the 17th annual Ramada/Laurel Line Tournament at the Anderson Center Saturday night after suffering a 61-58 loss to Marywood.
This marks the second time that Marywood has won the Laurel Line. When the Pacers beat Baptist Bible in the 2004 finals, Prince Blacknall was still in high school. He was named tournament MVP Saturday after a 28-point game.
His 28 points may not match the tournament record, but it stands as the highest mark in the 2008 contests.
Vinny Baumunk led the Cougar offense with 19 points, including a 3-pointer in the final minutes of the game to bring the Cougars within a point of tying it up. The Pacers had led by as much as 10 in the second half.
Baumunk was named to the All-Tournament team, alongside fellow captain Dom Del Prete. Del Prete had 10 points and five rebounds on the night.
Ethan Eichhorst racked up 11 points and four steals in his first Laurel Line Tournament.
For the Pacers, Sidney Tharpe sank 15 points, and Matthew Medici led with six rebounds. Tharpe was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The true damage was done in the first half, when the Pacers shot over 58 percent from beyond the arc. Neither team finished particularly strong in field goal percentage. The Cougars' 45.1 percent mark fell short of the 55 percent they shot against Baptist Bible in the opening round.
The Cougars host Scranton Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the Anderson Center. They head to Marywood for a rematch of the tournament finals Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
