Box Score Defense, depth and dunks.

Those were the ingredients to Lancaster Bible's 89-60 victory over Penn St. Berks in the North Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinals on Saturday at Horst Athletic Center. The win gives the Chargers a chance to win their first-ever NEAC championship as they will face two-time defending champion Morrisville State in the final. The Mustangs defeated Penn St. Abington, 91-72 in the other NEAC Semifinal.

Defensively, the Chargers shutdown the Nittany Lions as Berks shot just 37.7 percent from the floor, including 4-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Chargers' depth was also on display as nine plays scored four or more points, led by sophomore CJ Dunston who had a game-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Junior Naheer Mirza added 12 points and eight assists as well, while sophomore Jordan Mellinger had 11 points.

"Another good defensive outing," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Marshall Tague said. "I felt like the transition game was important and we limited their running game and were able to get some easy baskets early on."

And finally, there were the dunks, four of them to be exact. Dunston served up the appetizer with his two, while fellow sophomore Dondre Perry prepared the main course. With 4:11 to play, Perry took a pass on the wing and drove to the basket. He elevated over two Berks players and threw the ball down with his right hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy and his teammates running for help on the bench. Not to mention, he got fouled and made the free throw for the three point play. The free throw made it 82-57 Chargers and was the icing on the cake of a great team win.



"It was good to not overlook today," Tague said. "I thought we were focused on Berks today and not looking ahead."

Penn St. Berks was led by Darren Major who had 19 points, while senior Tom Smith had 15 points and five rebounds in his final collegiate game.

The win sets up a NEAC Final that will feature the best teams in the NEAC throughout the regular season. Lancaster Bible and Morrisville State split the season series as each won on their home floor. The Chargers won in Lancaster on December 7, 59-57, while the Mustangs (18-8) won, 94-86 in Morrisville on February 7. The loss on February 7 was the last time Lancaster Bible lost as they have rattled off eight straight victories.

"We now have given ourselves an opportunity to play for a championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament," Tague said. "That's pretty special and we know we are going up against a well-rounded team with depth, senior leadership and championship experience. We will have our hands full and it should be a great matchup, one that we have looked forward to since we lost at Morrisville a few weeks ago."

The Mustangs won last season's NEAC title by defeating Wells, 74-72 in Morrisville, N.Y. Morrisville State is led by Jordan Prior who had a game-high 26 points in their semifinal victory over Penn St. Abington.