MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Conference-leading Morrisville State swagged into the Capital Union Building (CUB) on Super Bowl Sunday 2013 riding a wave of confidence and an impressive 12-game win-streak. But not even Ray Lewis could stop Penn State Harrisburg's Will Doyle (Franklin, Va. / Tidewater Academy) on this afternoon.
We kick off the top three portion of Penn State Harrisburg's list of the ten most memorable moments of the 2012-13 Winter/Spring sports seasons by looking back on Doyle's career day. The junior did his best Clark Kent impersonation on Feb. 3, scoring a career-high 25 points and knocking down seven three-pointers. The only thing he didn't do in the Lions' 70-58 win over the Mustangs was rip his #34 jersey from the collar down to reveal a red "S" on his chest.
After suffering a heartbreaking four-point loss to Morrisville State in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship game 11 months earlier, Penn State Harrisburg was out to exact revenge. Leading the charge? Mr. Doyle at his finest.
The Virginia native had the hot hand all game long, going 8-9 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line. The Lions used a methodically paced offense to control the time of possession and slow down Morrisville's up-tempo, fast break attack. It seemed like every time the shot clock ticked below ten seconds and the Mustangs' defense appeared to have stopped the Blue & White, Doyle banged another clutch three-ball. And another. And another. And another.
He hit one in the early going to give the Lions a 10-3 advantage. When Morrisville tied the game at 25 late in the first half, Doyle netted two more from beyond the arc to end the visitors' run and swing the momentum back in Penn State Harrisburg's favor. After halftime, he picked up right where he left off, hitting two more threes in a four-minute span.
The rest of the squad also played well and limited defending NEAC Player of the Year Mickey Davis to just three points and five rebounds. Penn State Harrisburg's win exorcised some demons from the year prior and stood out as even more impressive with the benefit of hindsight when the Mustangs not only won the league title for a second-straight season, but also reached the NCAA Division III championship tournament's sweet 16 round.
From Dec. 8, 2012 to March 16, 2013, Morrisville State went an incredible 21-2. One of those losses came to NCAA tourney elite eight participant, St. Mary's, and ended the Mustangs' season. The other? Yep, that's right. Penn State Harrisburg.
Check back tomorrow as we reveal the runner-up moment on Penn State Harrisburg's Winter/Spring sports top ten list. I know what you're asking yourself. What individual performance could possibly top Will Doyle's taming of the Mustangs? Well…it would have to be perfect, wouldn't it?