Box score
CLINTON, NY -- For the fourth time in five seasons, the Union College men's basketball team will be playing in a conference championship game. The Dutchmen will be in Saturday's 3 p.m. Liberty League title game after a 73-70 triumph over St. Lawrence in a semifinal game at Hamilton College's Scott Field House Friday night.
The Dutchmen, the #3 seed in the tourney, improved to 17-9 while the #2 seed Saints fell to 13-12. Union will face top seed Hamilton (21-4) in Saturday's 3 p.m. championship game. Union was a four seed and won the title game and NCAA automatic bid last season. Hamilton defeated Rensselaer in the other semifinal game, 75-63.
Senior guard Brian Scordato (Mt, Kisco, NY/Horace Greeley) scored a season high 27 points, his sixth game of 20 or more points this season. He made 10 of 16 shots from the floor and six of nine from three-point range. Scordato also posted six rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes. John Cagianello (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) scored nine points and became Union's all-time leading career point scorer when he hit a three-pointer for the first points of the game. He now has 1,958 points, passing Aaron Galletta (1999-01). Scordato moved into seventh all-time, as he now has recorded 1,301 career points. Joseph Mackey (Flushing, NY/Archbishop Molloy) scored nine points and had a team high eight assists off the Dutchmen bench.
Four Saints hit in double figures, led by Bela Vonnak's 16. Jimmy White had 12 points and a team best seven assists while Tom Wopperer and Matt Blue added 11 points each.
St. Lawrence took a 38-30 lead into the half but was outscored by 11 points in the second stanza. St. Lawrence outrebounded Union, 36-23, and shot 53% for the game. But the Dutchmen shot 48% from three-point territory (6-11), and had an impressive six turnovers, just one more then the season best five turnovers in the home win over St. Lawrence on February 10. Union had just 23 turnovers in three games against the Saints, while forcing 53 turnovers. The Dutchmen shot 49% from the floor.
