Elizabethtown College MensBasketball News 
Back to top 11/28/2007 Mike Schatzmann nets 23 second-half ponts as Blue Jays rally for 73-71 win ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Blue Jays Rally from 11-Point Deficit to Knock Off Scranton, 73-71 as Schatzmann Scores 23 Points ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) scored all of his game-high 23 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation while playing with four fouls as Elizabethtown College rallied from a 12-point deficit to stun the University of Scranton 73-71 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Schatzmann, who played just four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, hit a career-high six three-pointers in seven attempts as the Blue Jays (5-0 overall) continued their best start since the 1996-97 season and handed the Royals (4-1 overall) their first loss of the year. Senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) hit the go-ahead jumper with 19 seconds left for the Blue Jays, who trailed 45-33 with 15:34 remaining and 64-53 with 6:56 left before storming back behind the long-range shooting of Schatzmann, who canned back-to-back three-pointers to give Elizabethtown a 70-68 lead with 58 seconds to play. However, Scranton's Randy Arnold answered with a three-pointer of his own to give the Royals a 71-70 lead with 44 seconds left. Piersol then nailed a jumper from the foul line to push Etown back ahead 72-71 with 19 seconds left, and an offensive foul gave the Jays the ball back with 4.2 seconds remaining. Schatzmann made a foul shot with 3.5 seconds left to extend the Blue Jay lead to 73-71, and after missing the second shot stole the outlet pass as time expired to seal the victory. Elizabethtown overcame 30.6 percent shooting in the first half by hitting 68.2 percent (15-for-22) in the second half, including 6-for-10 from three-point range, to finish at 44.8 percent for the contest. Piersol added 19 points for the Blue Jays while senior Bryce Rodgers (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) came off the bench to add 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds. Scranton was led by Zach Ashworth, who came off the bench with hot shooting of his own as he went 4-for-6 from three-point range and finished with 16 points. Tom Bicknell added 14 points and eight rebounds while Arnold chipped in with 13 points and five steals. The Royals led 31-28 at halftime thanks to a late 9-2 run, and burst out to a 45-33 lead on a jumper by Arnold with 15:34 left. Schatzmann, who picked up his fourth foul with 16:13 left, then nailed three straight three-pointers as part of a 12-4 run that brought the Blue Jays within 47-44 with 13:29 to go. However, Ashworth answered with four consecutive three-pointers, the latter coming with 8:00 left to give the Royals a 62-51 advantage. From there, it was all Schatzmann and Piersol as the duo combined for the Blue Jays' final 18 points over the last 6:30 of the contest. Junior Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) dished out a career-best 10 assists for the Blue Jays while adding four points and four rebounds. At Elizabethtown, PA (Thompson Gymnasium) Back to top 11/25/2007 Mike Church scores career-high 19 points in 55-50 win at Neumann ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Elizabethtown Boosts Record to 4-0 With 55-50 Win at Neumann ASTON, Pa. --- Sophomore Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored a career-high 19 points while senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) added 18 points and eight rebounds as Elizabethtown College extended its best start since 1996-97 to 4-0 with a 55-50 victory at Neumann College in non-conference men's basketball action on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Jay defense held the Knights (2-1 overall) to 32.6 percent shooting (15-for-46) from the field in the contest in opening the season with four straight wins for the first time since posting six consecutive victories to open the 1996-97 season. Derahn Patrick led Neumann with 13 points while DJ Fritz added 12 points and Eli Hitchens chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds. Elizabethtown led just 24-23 at halftime and took its largest lead of the contest at 30-23 on two foul shots by Schatzmann with 14:55 to play. However, Neumann fought back to knot the score at 43-43 on two free throws by Patrick with 6:09 remaining. Elizabethtown regained the lead for good at 47-45 on a basket by senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) and held off a last-ditch Knight rally to claim the victory. Schatzmann finished 8-for-9 from the foul line for the Blue Jays, who went 16-for-21 at the stripe as a team, while also dishing out a game-high five assists. ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 55, NEUMANN COLLEGE 50 Back to top 11/20/2007 Blue Jays move to 3-0 with 76-73 victory at Marymount ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Elizabethtown Moves to 3-0 With 76-73 Win at Marymount ARLINGTON, Va. --- Senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) scored a team-high 17 points as Elizabethtown College improved to 3-0 for the first time in 11 years with a 76-73 win at Marymount University in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night. Senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) added 15 points and six rebounds as the Blue Jays recovered after squandering an 11-point second-half lead to open the season with three straight victories for the first time since winning six consecutive games to open the 1996-97 season. Mike Gray led the Saints (2-1 overall) with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds while Fred Stanback added 16 points and a game-high 12 boards, but Marymount committed 23 turnovers and shot 41.5 percent (27-for-65) from the field as a team. Elizabethtown led 56-45 with 11:52 remaining following a three-pointer by Schatzmann, but the Saints went on an 18-5 run to go ahead 63-61 on a layup by Gray with 6:43 left. The Blue Jays took the lead for good at 68-66 on a three-pointer by Piersol with 4:40 left, and used a key three-point play by sophomore Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) to go ahead 75-71 with 1:39 left. A foul shot by sophomore Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) gave the Blue Jays a 76-73 lead with eight seconds left, and a game-tying three-point attempt by Stanback was off the mark as time ran out. Houseal finished with 13 points and five rebounds for the Blue Jays, while junior Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) also scored in double figures with 10 points along with five rebounds and four assists. The Blue Jays led 37-30 at halftime behind 10 points from Schatzmann, while Gray paced the Saints with 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of action. ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 76, MARYMOUNT UNIV. 73 Back to top 11/19/2007 Chad Piersol named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chad Piersol Named Commonwealth Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior forward Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) has been named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball for the week ending Nov. 18, the conference office announced Monday. Piersol scored a career-high 23 points in each game to earn Most Valuable Player honors as Elizabethtown won the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic with victories over Penn State Berks (88-54) and Methodist University (86-76). Piersol also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals for the Blue Jays, who won the Classic title for the first time since 2004. The Blue Jays (2-0 overall) play at Marymount University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Back to top 11/17/2007 Chad Piersol named tournament MVP as Etown defeats Methodist 86-76 ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Elizabethtown Wins Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic Title With 86-76 Win over Methodist Rutgers-Camden/Penn State Berks box score ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) scored 23 points for the second consecutive day to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors as Elizabethtown College defeated Methodist University 86-76 in the championship game of the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. Senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) also scored 23 points and pulled a team-high nine rebounds for the Blue Jays (2-0 overall), who nailed nine three-pointers as a team and never trailed to capture the tournament title for the first time since 2004. Billy McDade led the Monarchs (1-1 overall) with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds, but Methodist was unable to pull any closer than nine points in the second half after trailing 47-37 at intermission. Piersol was named Most Valuable Player for his efforts in the tournament, while Schatzmann was joined on the All-Tournament team by sophomore Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco), McDade and AB Lehmann of Methodist, and Bill Banks of Rutgers-Camden. Elizabethtown dashed out to an early 9-2 lead and built their margin to double figures at 27-17 with 8:16 left in the first half, past of a 10-0 run that was capped by consecutive three-pointers by Schatzmann and senior Ben Schlosser (Elizabethtown, PA/Lancaster Catholic), the latter giving the Jays a 33-17 lead with 7:24 left in the half. In the second half, Elizabethtown took its largest lead of the game at 54-37 on a layup by Schatzmann iw th 16:47 to play. Methodist cut the deficit to 79-70 on a basket by McDade with 3:37 to play, but the Blue Jays salted the game away by making five free throws in the final two minutes. Church finished wih 14 points and five rebounds for Elizabethtown, while sophomore Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) tallied nine points and six rebounds. Junior Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) chalked up a game-high six assists while first-year student Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) came off the bench to add seven points and five assists in 18 minutes of action. Antwin Shuford posted 15 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Monarchs, while Travis McBryde added 14 points, four boards and three blocks off the Methodist bench. The Monarchs shot 42.6 percent (26-for-61) from the field but canned 21-of-22 from the free-throw line. In the consolation game, Rutgers-Camden rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat Penn State Berks 64-59, behind a game-high 22 points from Banks including the go-ahead three-pointer with 58 seconds left in the regulation. Adam Fusco led Penn State Berks with 19 points, but the Lions committed 29 turnovers. At Elizabethtown, PA (Thompson Gymnasium) Consolation game All-tournament team: Mike Schatzmann (Etown), Mike Church (Etown), AB Lehmann
(Methodist), Billy McDade (Methodist), Bill Banks (Rutgers-Camden) Back to top 11/16/2007 Chad Piersol scores 23 points, leads Blue Jays to 88-54 Penn State ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Elizabethtown Advances to Days Inn Blue Jay Classic Finals With 88-54 Win Over Penn State Berks Rutgers-Camden/Methodist box score ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Senior Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) scored a career-high 23 points to lead five Elizabethtown College players in double figures as the Blue Jays opened the 2007-08 men's basketball season with an 88-54 victory over Penn State Berks in the opening round of the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic at Thompson Gymnasium on Friday night. Piersol scored 15 points in the opening half as the Blue Jays (1-0 overall) led 45-23 at intermission and built their advantage over the Lions (0-1 overall) to as many as 35 points in the second half. Elizabethtown will host Methodist University in the championship game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. after the Monarchs defeated Rutgers-Camden 64-50 in Friday's opening contest. Senior Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) added 15 points and sophomore Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Elizabethtown, which never trailed in the contest. Elizabethtown took an early 20-5 lead as Piersol scored 13 points in the opening 5 minutes, 23 seconds of the game. Penn State Berks rallied to within 20-16 thanks to consecutive three-point plays by Steven Fulton, but the Blue Jays went on a 19-3 run to end the half and take a 45-23 lead to the locker room. In the second half, the Jays used a 14-3 run to build a 67-33 bulge with 12:46 to go, and the Lions would get no closer than 26 points the rest of the way. A pair of first-year players also reached double figures for the Blue Jays in the collegiate debuts, as Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) tallied 10 points apiece off the Etown bench. Adam Fusco led Penn State Berks with 11 points, six rebounds and four steals, but the Lions committed 30 turnovers and shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the field in the game. Elizabethtown connected on 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the floor and finished with a 43-40 edge in rebounds. At Elizabethtown, PA (Thompson Gymnasium) METHODIST UNIVERSITY 64, RUTGERS-CAMDEN 50 Back to top 11/15/2007 Elizabethtown to host Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Elizabethtown College to Host Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic on Friday and Saturday ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team will host the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic beginning Friday night and concluding Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium. Tournament play begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. as Methodist University faces Rutgers-Camden, with the host Blue Jays taking on Penn State Berks at 8:00 p.m. The consolation game will be played at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the championship at 3:00 p.m. This is the seventh straight year that the Blue Jay Classic has served as Elizabethtown's season opener, and the 16th edition of the tournament overall. The Blue Jays have claimed six Classic titles, with the last coming in 2004. Each of the other three schools will be making its first appearance in the tournament. Elizabethtown (9-15) returns three starters from last year's squad, led by senior guard Mike Schatzmann who was the team's leading scorer last season at 11.0 points per game, while connecting on 33 three-pointers and sharing the team lead with 3.9 rebounds per contest. After opening last season with 11 consecutive losses, Penn State Berks (8-17) bounced back to compile an 8-6 record over their final 14 contests and earn a berth in the North Eastern Athletic Conference postseason tournament. Three starters are back from last year’s squad, including sophomore guard Adam Fusco who averaged 10.5 points per game and connected on a team-best 49 three-pointers. Rutgers-Camden (6-19) returns three starters from last year’s team, led by junior forward Antoine Miller and sophomore guard Joshua Askew who averaged 7.7 points per game apiece. Askew also led the squad with 59 steals and 50 assists, while Miller is the top returning rebounder at 4.5 boards per contest. Methodist (11-14) played an exhibition at Division I Western Carolina on Wednesday night and lost 87-76, with senior Billy McDade leading the team with 17 points and five rebounds. In all, the Monarchs placed four players in double figures, as senior guard Brian Lane added 15 points. Methodist shot 46.4 percent from the field and went 10-for-24 from three-point range. Admission to all games is free of charge, and live stats will be available on the Etown SportsNet web site at www.etown.edu/sports. DAYS INN EAST BLUE JAY CLASSIC Back to top 11/14/2007 Blue Jays picked sixth in Commonwealth Conference preseason poll FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Men's Basketball Picked Sixth in Commonwealth Conference Preseason Coaches Poll ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Conference during the upcoming season, as voted upon by the league's head coaches and released Thursday. The Blue Jays, who went 9-15 overall and 4-10 in the conference last season, return three starters for 18th-year head coach Bob Schlosser and tip off the 2007-08 season on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. against Penn State Berks in the opening round of the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic at Thompson Gymnasium. Senior guard Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) was the Blue Jays' top scorer last season at 11.0 points per game, with senior swingman Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) averaging 9.6 points per contest. Voting on the preseason poll was extremely close, as four of the six teams received at least one first-place vote and the spread from top to bottom was just nine points. Widener University, which won the postseason title last season, earned 19 points and one first-place vote to capture the top spot in the poll, followed by Albright College (17 points, 3 firsts) and Lebanon Valley College (17 points, 1 first), Messiah College (15 points), Lycoming College (12 points) and Elizabethtown (10 points, 1 first). The Commonwealth Conference was realigned following the conclusion of last season, with the departure of Juniata College, Moravian College and Susquehanna University to the newly-formed Landmark Conference and the addition of Lycoming from the Freedom Conference. Back to top 11/13/2007 2007-08 schedule now available 2008-09 Elizabethtown College Overall: 0-0; Commonwealth Conference: 0-0
Note: Home games in ALL CAPS
Back to top 11/13/2007 2007-08 season preview available 2007-08 Men's Basketball Preview After an uncharacteristic 9-15 season in 2006-07, the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team is fully prepared to return to its usual spot near the top of the Commonwealth Conference standings in 2007-08. The Blue Jays return two full-time starters and a part-time starter from last year's squad, but intend to rely on a core of senior leadership combined with several up-and-coming prospects to challenge for one of four postseason berths in the six-team league. Head coach Bob Schlosser begins his 18th season on the Elizabethtown bench with 264 career victories, and has a total of eight letterwinners among the 13 players who will suit up when the Blue Jays host Penn State Berks in the season-opening Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic on Friday, Nov. 16 at Thompson Gymnasium. Offensively, senior guard Mike Schatzmann (Paradise, PA/Pequea Valley) was the team's leading scorer last season at 11.0 points per game, while connecting on 33 three-pointers and sharing the team lead with 3.9 rebounds per contest. Senior swingman Chad Piersol (Elverson, PA/Owen J. Roberts) started 15 games last season and averaged 9.6 points per contest while hitting 24 three-pointers, and senior forward Bryce Rodgers (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro) added 4.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while starting exactly half of the Blue Jays' 24 contests. Sophomore post player Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) is expected to be a factor in the paint for Elizabethtown, after averaging 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 21 games as a reserve last season. Junior guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) will step into the starting point guard spot after averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 assists per game last year. Off the bench, sophomore forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) will play a regular role after scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds in limited action last season. Senior guard Ben Schlosser (Elizabethtown, PA/Lancaster Catholic) and senior forward Nick Kennedy (Wyomissing, PA/Wyomissing) will also see increased minutes this year off the Blue Jay bench. Also providing depth off the bench are senior forward Jordan Dirago (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill) and a pair of newcomers at guard in junior Matt Stein (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) and first-year student Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg). Fogel scored 1,572 points during his scholastic career and was a three-time All-Conference selection. Sophomore guard Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) and first-year guard Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) will also compete for minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays.Back to top 11/13/2007 Live stats of Elizabethtown home basketball game to be available on website FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Elizabethtown College to Offer Live Stats of Home Men's and Women's Basketball Games ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Fans of Elizabethtown College's men's and women's basketball teams will be able to follow the Blue Jays on the Internet throughout the 2007-08 season, as in-game statistics for all home games will be available in real time via the Etown SportsNet web site at www.etown.edu/sports. Similar to services provided by major sports Web sites, the live stats software enables viewers to follow along via text play-by-play while the game statistics are continually updated as the game progresses. The men's basketball team opens its 2007-08 season on Friday, Nov. 16 by hosting Penn State Berks at 8:00 p.m. as part of the Days Inn East Blue Jay Classic at Thompson Gymnasium. |
Back to News Index
