GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- GMercyU begins their quest for their fifth conference championship under head coach John Baron Wednesday evening. The Griffins have held the upper hand this season defeating the Knights twice, 79-68 at the Griffin Complex and a week ago in a thrilling 81-79 victory in Aston. This match-up also marks the third straight season that the teams will meet in the playoffs. Neumann who won the CSAC in 2017 returns to Gwynedd Valley where the Griffins bested them in the 2016 conference finals.

For GMercyU, Will Davis was chosen a first-team selection while Rip Engel was named to the second team. Davis leads the team in scoring (19.2 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), and blocked shots (22). He is shooting over 59% from the floor including an impressive 21-of-50 from downtown. He is also among the leaders in the CSAC, as he is currently ranked tied for first in field goal percentage, second in scoring, eighth in rebounding. He has surpassed 20 points in a game on 12 occasions and has collected five double-doubles. Engel is currently tied for the league-lead in assists (131), while averaging 5.2 dimes per contest.  His 55 three-pointers made lead the squad as the senior averages 13.4 points and 2.6 rebounds a game.  In the home win over Neumann on January 9th, Engel put up a career-best 32 points to put himself in the top 5 program history for points in a game.

For the Knights, Aaron Johnson-Chavis, was named the CSAC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year, announced on Monday. Johnson-Chavis is second on the team in points per game with 14.7. He averages just under ten rebounds a game (9.9) and has a team and conference-best 68 blocks on the season.  Tyaire Hudson was also recognized by the CSAC being named a first team all-conference selection. Hudson leads the team, averaging 16.9 points per game this season.

Top seed Cabrini will host Rosemont in the other semifinal match-up. The Cavaliers defeated the Ravens twice in the regular season, 92-81 on the road and 88-83 at the Nerney Field House.

Tonight's winners will meet on Saturday at the highest remaining seed.