University of the District of Columbia Men’s Basketball Team Wins Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament Defeating Florida Tech 82-75, Brandon Herbert Named Tournament MVP and Nigel Munson Named to the All-Tournament Team
Melbourne, FL – The University of the District of Columbia Men's Basketball Team capped off an impressive road trip winning the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament by defeating Florida Tech 82-75 on their home court at the Clemente Center. Senior guard Brandon Herbert (Baltimore, MD – McDonogh School) was named tournament MVP after scoring 48 points and gathering 17 rebounds on the weekend. Senior guard Nigel Munson (Washington, DC – Dematha HS) was named to the All-Tournament Team tallying 34 points and 15 assists over two games. With the win, the Firebirds advance to 5-1 on the year while Florida Tech drops to 4-1.
UDC took command of the game quickly and held a big lead headed into halftime 53-35. The Firebirds shot 57.6% from the field in the first half, including 8-12 (66.7%) from three point range. The Panthers mounted a comeback in the second half, but could not overcome the defense and persistence of UDC. Florida Tech attempted 24 foul shots in the second half, connecting on 18 of the 24 (75%). Defense was again a strong point for the Firebirds as they held Florida Tech to only 33% from the field on the day. Despite the Panthers second half effort, UDC closed out the game 82-75.
Senior leadership continues to be a theme for the Firebirds this season. Brandon Herbert led all scorers on the day with 28 points on 8-15 shooting. He was 8-8 from the free throw line and corralled 12 rebounds. Nigel Munson scored 20 points to go along with 8 assists. Senior guard Dishawn Bradshaw (Baltimore, MD – St. Frances Academy) continued his productive 2011-2012 campaign scoring 14 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Junior forward Dyrek Jones (Brooklyn, NY – Bedford Academy HS) had a big day on the boards picking up 11 rebounds.
Head Coach Jeff Ruland said this about winning the tournament, "This tournament was a tremendous experience for us as a team. Our guys hung in there and pulled it out. It was great that Brandon [Herbert] was named tournament MVP and Nigel [Munson] was selected to the All-Tournament Team. They both played very well for us, as they have all year. An unsung hero of this tournament for us, though, was Dishawn Bradshaw. Dishawn played extremely hard all weekend. He has been battling an injury, and for him to play the way he did under the circumstances was huge for us. I am proud of our guys as a group."
The Firebirds return to action Wednesday, November 30th at 7:00 pm at home against Queens College. The game against Queens is the first East Coast Conference (ECC) matchup for the Firebirds in their inaugural season in the conference.