loss in Florida, starts off RSC play undefeated

Men’s basketball falls to IUK in RSC Quarterfinals Postseason loss follows dominant 80-46 win hosting OCU on Senior Day

By Mason Strawn Staff Writer

The men’s basketball team’s season came to an end after being defeated by No. 22-ranked Indiana University Kokomo in Indiana in the first round of the playoffs, 97-63.

Before the playoff game, the Pioneers claimed the third seed in the River States Conference (RSC) East Division, finishing the regular season with a .500 record of 15-15.

They finished with an RSC record of 7-8 after a loss on the road against Indiana University East and a win at home on Senior Day against Ohio Christian University (OCU).

In their penultimate game of the year, the Pioneers were defeated by the No. 23-ranked IU East Red Wolves 79-69 in Richmond, Ind. on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

The first half was a back and forth battle, with 14- lead changes throughout, but the Red Wolves held onto a nine-point lead heading into the second half.

IU East held onto that lead for the rest of the game, with Point Park coming within two but never overcoming the Red Wolves.

Junior guard Sherron Schifino led the way for the Pioneers on the scoring sheet, dropping a teamhigh 20 points and second in rebounds with eight. Juniors Adam Scott and Juwan Willis also dropped

double-digit points with ten each in the defeat.

On Point Park’s Senior Day, the Pioneers bulldozed the OCU Trailblazers 80-46 at CCAC-Allegheny on Saturday, Feb. 22.

The Pioneers dominated the second half as the team went on a run scoring 20-straight points without giving up a single basket.

Not a single Trailblazer came away with double-digit points, while four different Pioneers, juniors Kam Shockley, Garret McHenry, Kyle Carrington and Scott, scored ten or more points. Scott led the way with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds.

“At the time that’s what we really wanted,” Willis said. “Especially for [Deandre Brown] being his last time with him at home.”

Brown was the only senior on the Pioneers’ roster and will graduate from Point Park at the end of this semester.

In the quarterfinal of the RSC playoffs last Wednesday, the Pioneers fell to the hands of the IU Kokomo Cougars in Kokomo 97-63.

It was a rare game where Point Park was beat on the boards, and it would ultimately be their downfall, being out-rebounded 43 to 25. The Pioneers also gave up 23 turnovers to IU Kokomo’s 16. Schifino once again led the team in points with 14.

The Cougars advanced all the way to the RSC finals and are facing against the IU East Red Wolves.

With the season now over, the men look to focus on improvement for next season, and bring in yet another recruiting class for next semester.

“[My plan is to] just get a lot stronger physically and try and do things others aren’t,” Willis said. “Maybe going to talk to a sports psychiatrist and stuff like that. Just trying to take that next step psychically and mentally.”

All five starters and most of the Pioneers’ bench will be returning for action for the fall 2020 semester.

Mason Strawn mtstraw@pointpark.edu

Dance team takes home NAIA Southeast Regional victory

By Zoey Angelucci Staff Writer

This weekend, the competitive cheer and dance teams traveled to Montgomery, Ala. for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Southeast Regional competition.

“This season the cheer and dance teams haven’t had the chance to travel together to many competitions, so regionals was a memorable experience to share because both teams traveled together, ate together and really just came together more than ever,” senior cheer captain Keera Frye said.

The Pioneer cheer team placed 7th at the competition with an overall score of 77.87. The event featured eight teams from four different conferences and six different states throughout the southeast United States.

After this regional competition, the cheer team’s average score is 79.93.

The Pioneer dance team won the competition overall and will automatically move on to the NAIA National Championship.

On Friday, the Pioneers came in first place to automatically qualify for nationals for the first time in team history. This competition was comprised of five different teams. Point Park had a final score of 81.71. This will be the Pioneers’ third straight appearance at the NAIA Competitive Dance National Championship finals.

“It was really fun experiencing traveling so far with both the cheer and dance team, and such a great feeling winning with my team and all of our hard work paying off,” freshman dancer Katlyn Busch said.

The Point Park dance team will be one of 12 teams competing March 13-14 at the NAIA National finals in Davenport, Iowa.

The men’s basketball team traveled to Kokomo, Ind. for the River States Conference Tournament Quarterfinals last Wednesday. Junior Sherron Schifino (top left) led the Pioneers in scoring with 14 points. Point Park shot 43-percent overall and 38-percent from beyond the arc.

Junior Adam Scott (bottom right) finished the season at 200 total rebounds, the highest on the team at 6.7 rebounds per game. Schifino had a team-high 405 total points and 13.5 points per game. Point Park as a team ranks No. 16 in the country in offensive rebounds per game (12.6).