SALEM, Va. - The Shenandoah University men's basketball team will play for a championship tomorrow afternoon thanks to an 81-77 victory over Swarthmore College Monday afternoon.
Shenandoah (2-9) snapped a five-game losing streak with the four-point victory over the Garnet (1-8).
SU faces Kenyon (Ohio) in Tuesday's Morris Creggers New Year's Classic championship game.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00.
The Lords defeated host Roanoke in Monday's second contest.
The Hornets advanced to the championship as sophomore Avery Green hit his 11th and final field goal with 18 seconds remaining to give Shenandoah a 78-77 advantage.
The running layup represented the 10th lead change of the contest. Shenandoah led by as many as seven points while the Garnet had a 10-point lead 6:33 into the second half.
SU answered that 10-point deficit by scoring the next eight points of the game and from this point on, the two teams were within five points of each other the rest of the way.
Swarthmore had its last lead, 77-76, thanks to three Jay Kober free throws with 38 seconds left.
Green scored on the ensuing possession for the Hornets and Shenandoah iced the game by hitting three of four from the line and coming up with a steal in the backcourt to prevent the Garnet from getting a potential game-tying shot.
One possession prior to that steal, Swarthmore turned the ball over on a missed pass five feet from its own bucket.
Green led the victors with 29 points while Dominic Chappell and George Williams both added 12.
Will Gates had 27 for the Garnet, including 21 via seven three-pointers.
Shenandoah shot an even 50 percent (31 of 62) for the game.
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