Red Devils Earn #3 Seed in Centennial Conference Tournament

The Red Devils sure like to give the fans their money’s worth.  The men’s basketball team won two nail-biters this week to capture their fifth win in a row and propel them into the playoffs.  Led by senior duo Brandon Angradi  ‘16 and Ted Hinnenkamp ‘16, Dickinson defeated Johns Hopkins 74-73 on Wednesday before beating conference-leading  Franklin & Marshall on Saturday 88-86 in overtime.  Both games were played in the opponents’ gymnasiums, which will only continue as the Red Devils travel to F&M this weekend for the Centennial Conference playoffs.

At Hopkins, the Red Devils led throughout the game and by about ten late in the second half.  However, the Blue Jays would not go down without a fight.  After a technical foul by Hopkins, the Red Devils held a 68-57 lead with just over six minutes to go.  But, the Blue Jays managed to pull within four with just three minutes to go.  The teams swapped a few possessions as the defenses held strong.  With 18 seconds remaining, Hopkins hit a three to bring Dickinson’s lead to only one.  Mike Hinckley ‘19 hit two big free throws which were countered by a Hopkins jumper with just five seconds remaining.  The Red Devils missed their final two free throws, but the Blue Jays’ last second chance was off the mark. Hinnenkamp led all scorers with 19 while Angradi added 17. Elijah Wright ‘19 added 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead those categories for the Red Devils.

Against F&M, the Red Devils again held the lead the majority of the first half going into the locker room leading 35-28.  The second half was back and forth as neither team could pull away.  It was characterized by numerous lead changes and ties while the teams answered three-pointers  with three-pointers and traded buckets. With little time on the clock, the Red Devils found themselves down 76-74.  Yet Dickinson executed perfectly in crunch time as Hinnenkamp found Wright for a lay-up to tie the game and send it into OT.  Hinnenkamp continued to dominate as he opened the extra period with consecutive threes.  It proved to be the difference as Angradi and Moses Romocki ‘18 went 4-6 from the line to seal the win. Hinnenkamp finished with 25 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists.  Angradi finished with 29 points and his performance in the two wins earned him Centennial Conference player of the week.

The Red Devils’ superb late-season play earned them the third seed in the playoffs.  They face off against #2 seeded Swarthmore on Friday at F&M.  Last time out against the Garnet the Red Devils were victorious, with a 75-66 win. The winner plays Saturday in the Centennial Conference championship. Dickinson will need a win if they want to repeat as Centennial Conference champions and advance to the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year.