MEDIA, PA – No other way would be fitting. A dramatic final-minute comeback secured a 69-66 win for the #11 Villa Maria College Vikings over #3 Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, and in the process, gave storied head coach Don Silveri his 600th career victory.
The Vikings (9-7, 4-1 USCAA) trailed by as many as seven, multiple times in the second half, but found themselves behind by five with 1:38 left when freshman Gerald Bibbs (Buffalo, NY/Oracle) corralled an offensive rebound and put-home two of his game-high 23 points to cut the deficit to three. After the Mechanics (15-3) hit one of two free throws on their next offensive possession, sophomore guard DeJaun Owens (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry) buried a three from the right corner off a beautiful pass from freshman Eric Waters (Buffalo, NY/Oracle) with 50 seconds left.
With the deficit one, 66-65, Villa was able to force the much needed turnover 20 seconds later, and Waters made Williamson pay by finishing an old-fashioned three-point-play to put Villa ahead 68-66 for the first time since the score was 30-28 at halftime. The Vikings forced a miss on the ensuing possession and sophomore Jayson Moore (Buffalo, NY/Sweet Home) iced the game with a free throw. Villa has now won six of its last seven games and three straight.
Coach Silveri, who has been coaching for more than 38 years, was able to achieve yet another milestone in his Hall of Fame career. He has built the Villa Maria athletic program from the ground up in less than two years, serving also as the school’s athletic director. His first coaching job came at Villa nearly 40 years ago making the 600th win happening as the Vikings’ bench boss, that much sweeter.
“It’s not about 600, it’s about these kids and them believing they could come back and win this game even when things weren’t going our way,” Silveri said after the game. “This game was so important coming in. Our kids knew it, and they responded. I’m so proud of them. This win can hopefully propel us to bigger things season.”
Prior to his second stint at Villa, Silveri served as head coach for men’s basketball at Daemen College for 25 years, while spending 12 of those years as Director of Athletics. Under his guidance, Daemen’s athletic department expanded from two sports to a full 14-sport program, and the men’s basketball team collected over 400 wins including five conference championships and five national tournament appearances under his tutelage.
Prior to his time at Daemen, Silveri was the head men’s basketball coach at Erie Community College, leading the Kats to NJCAA national tournament three times in his four year tenure. He spent 1980 to 1982 working under local coaching legend Dick Bihr at Buffalo State College, and was head coach of Villa’s men’s basketball team from 1976 to 1980. Silveri is Western New York’s winningest coach and has received six NAIA Division II conference “Coach of the Year” awards. In October of 2016, Silveri was elected to the New York State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Villa shot 52.9 percent from the floor for the game, nearly 20 percent higher than what Williamson came into the game holding opponents to. On the defensive side, Villa held the Mechanics to just 39.4 percent shooting. Bibbs’ 23 points led a pack of four Vikings that scored in double-figures. Owens and Waters each scored 13 and 12 points respectively while junior Justin Stokes (Buffalo, NY/Middle Early College) netted 10. Senior Darale Young (Buffalo, NY/NYIT) came off the bench and added four points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal while sparking the offense in the first half, leading Villa to a 16-7 to close the half. The Vikings held the edge on the boards (36-34) and also blocked 10 shots.
Williamson came into the game with a 15-2 overall record, and ranked third in the latest United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Coaches Poll while the Vikings were ranked 11th.
The Vikings return home for three days before hitting the road once again to play two more games against ranked competition. They will take on #10 College of St. Joseph (VT) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. before finishing the trip against #6 New Hampshire Technological Institute on Thursday at 8 p.m.
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