The Lancaster Bible College men's basketball team, fresh off its third conference championship in program history, will face New York University in the opening round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament on Friday evening in Alliance, Ohio. The game, slated for a 5:10 p.m. tip-off, is the first-ever matchup for the two programs, and is the first of two games Friday evening in Alliance, Ohio, as host Mount Union will take on Anderson (Ind.) at 7:40 p.m.
 
NYU is making its first appearance in the NCAA postseason since the 2015-16 season, while the Chargers are back in the NCAA bracket for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. The Violets are making their eighth all-time appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament (the program has eight other NCAA National Tournament appearances prior to the creation of NCAA Division III), while the Chargers advanced to the tournament for the third time.
 
Team Records
Lancaster Bible: 20-7 overall, 15-1 United East
New York Univ.: 18-7 overall, 7-7 University Athletic Association
 
How They Got Here
Lancaster Bible: The Chargers won their first United East Conference Championship since the 2017-18 season, as Lancaster Bible defeated Wells, 89-59 in the semifinals, before taking down Penn St. Abington, 87-76 in the United East Final.
 
New York Univ.: The Violets received one of the 20 at-large bids handed out to the NCAA Division III National Tournament…NYU won its final five regular season games in a tough UAA conference to secure the bid.
 
All-Time Series
This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools in men's basketball…The only meeting between the two schools came in men's volleyball…Lancaster Bible hosted NYU on April 6, 2019 and earned a 3-0 victory.
 
Key Games of 2022-23
Lancaster Bible
Nov. 30, 2022: vs. Neumann, W, 63-59…After two straight losses, the Chargers got back into the win column with a four-point win over the Knights…The Chargers trailed by two with three minutes to play, but six straight points from Grant Sareyka helped Lancaster Bible down the stretch, as he finished with a team-high 21 points.
 
Dec. 29, 2022: at No. 3 Randolph-Macon, L, 82-60…Lancaster Bible lost to Fink's Jewelers Coaches Tournament host Randolph-Macon, but the Chargers led at halftime and realized what it would take to compete with the nation's best teams…Jordan Shewbridge posted a team-high 15 points, while Adam Stoltzfus had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Jan. 11, 2023: at Penn St. Abington, W, 80-73 (OT)…After suffering an overtime loss over Christmas Break against Rowan, and a few other close losses in the first semester, the Chargers overcame a six-point halftime deficit and earned an overtime victory over the Lions…Shewbridge finished with 25 points, while Andrew Zentner had 14 points and 16 boards.
 
Jan. 20, 2023: vs. SUNY Morrisville, W, 92-60…After a close loss at Penn St. Harrisburg on Jan. 17, Lancaster Bible stormed out of the gate and breezed to a 32-point win over SUNY Morrisville, beginning what is now a 13-game winning streak…Shewbridge posted 23 points, while Zentner added 15.
 
Feb. 4, 2023: at Wells, W, 87-65…While the score is deceiving, the Chargers actually trailed by six at halftime, before outscoring the Express, 53-25 in the second half…Sareyka led all scorers with 26 points, while three other Lancaster Bible players also scored in double figures.
 
New York Univ.
Nov. 28, 2022: vs. Old Westbury, W, 91-77…NYU trailed by two at the half, but outscored Old Westbury, 52-36 in the second half to secure the win…Michael Savarino scored a game-high 24 points, while Spencer Freedman added 23 points and 13 assists.
 
Dec. 10, 2022: vs. Hunter, W, 138-92…The Violets set the program record for points scored in a game, as they scored 64 points in the first half, and 74 more in the second half…Cinque Stephens had a game-high 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting, as six players scored in double figures.
 
Dec. 30, 2022: at Roanoke, W, 81-59…NYU captured the Cregger Invitational Championship, as they defeated host Roanoke in the championship game and improved to 11-0 to begin the season…Freedman had 26 points to lead the Violets.
 
Feb. 5, 2023: at Case Western Reserve, L, 96-92…NYU lost for the sixth time in seven games, putting their postseason hopes on life support, as the Violets dropped to 2-7 in UAA play…Zay Freeney led NYU with 19 points, as six players scored in double figures.
 
Feb. 12, 2023: vs. No. 16 Washington Univ. in St. Louis, W, 65-52…After snapping their losing streak the game prior, NYU took down 16^th-ranked Washington Univ. in St. Louis in Brooklyn, N.Y…Freedman and Savarino each had 16 points to pace NYU.
 
Information Hodge Podge
Lancaster Bible: The Chargers have never won a game at the NCAA Division III National Tournament, as Lancaster Bible has lost in the first round in its previous two trips…The Chargers lost to Wooster, 96-83 in the 2016 tournament, and lost a heartbreaker on a last-second shot against Christopher Newport, 68-65 in 2018…Current Lancaster Bible Assistant Coach Jalen Archer was a senior on the 2018 team, while current graduate assistant coach Hunter Gerber was on the 2018 team, but suffered a season-ending injury and served as a student assistant coach…Lancaster Bible has won 13 straight games, and is 16-2 since turning the calendar to 2023…The Chargers are 8-6 in games away from Horst Athletic Center this season, including 1-1 in neutral site contests.
 
New York Univ.: The Violets have a storied history of success at the NCAA National Tournament, both at the NCAA Division I level prior to 1983-84 and at the NCAA Division III level since the mid-80s…NYU's last appearance came during the 2015-16 season where they defeated Brooklyn, 86-67, before falling in the second round to Christopher Newport, 67-64…NYU lost in the NCAA Division III National Championship to Lebanon Valley during the 1993-94 season…The Violets are 8-4 away from home this season, including 1-0 in neutral site games.
 
Team Statistics
Lancaster Bible
New York Univ.
 
2022-23 Team Schedules
Lancaster Bible
New York Univ.
 
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