For the first time since 2010, Pennsylvania College of Technology will have its men’s and women’s basketball teams in playoff action during the same season when they take to the court on Saturday as the United East Conference Volt Divisions playoffs begin.

Seeded fourth, coach Geoff Hensley’s men will host fifth-seed Penn State Berks at 1 p.m. at Bardo Gymnasium. Coach Britni Mahoney’s women are seeded sixth and will travel to No. 3 seeded Penn State Abington for a 2 p.m. game.

Saturday’s winners will advance to the division semifinals next Monday, and those winners will square off in the division final next Wednesday. Volt and Skye Division winners will clash on Saturday, Feb. 24, for the UE Championship, with that winner advancing to the NCAA Division III tournament.

MEN

Since a seven-game loss string ended on Jan. 16, the Wildcats go into the playoffs having won five of their last eight games, including Wednesday night’s regular-season finale 80-61 win at Gallaudet University that evened their UE record at 6-6 and pushed their overall mark to 9-15. It also evened the lifetime series between the two teams at 8-8.

“As we head into the postseason, we are committed to staying focused on the things that got us here. We’ve had a fantastic second half of the season in conference play with some great team basketball. Our defense has dramatically improved, which has really kept us in all our games, and we continue to play unselfish offensive basketball,” Hensley said. 

“Gavin Barrett has continued to be one of the best players in our conference, and Livingston Cross has really stepped up this season to give us a big boost offensively. Then on any given night, Alec Cooper, Ronn Flood, David Brown and Landon Reeder are able to step up to help the team,” Hensley said.

Cross of Union, New Jersey, who has had 14 double-doubles, leads the team with 486 points and 252 rebounds; Barrett of Roselle, New Jersey, has 402 points and 118 rebounds. He has scored 1,120 career points. Cooper of Huntingdon has scored 130 points and has 75 rebounds; Flood of Union, New Jersey, has scored 157 points and has 101 rebounds; Brown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has scored 128 points and has 45 rebounds; and Reeder of Montoursville has scored 165 points and has 85 rebounds;

“Berks is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the conference. We will have to make sure Berks is taking tough contested shots to limit their 3-point percentage. (The) matchup will be a tough contest with two good teams going at it to keep their seasons alive. The winner will have to face Penn State Harrisburg, which secured the No. 1 seed in the tournament,” Hensley said.

During the regular season against Berks, Penn College took the first encounter 89-74 on Dec. 2 at home and won the second meeting 92-91 on Jan. 30 at Berks.

“I’m super proud of this team and how far they have come. The season is extremely long, with lots of ups and downs. This collective group has really stuck together and pulled out some great wins along the way,” Hensley said as his team prepared for its first playoff game since the 2019-20 season. 

“We hit a tough stretch in the middle of the season when we were going through some adversity, losing Max Jackowsky of Garnet Valley to a season-ending injury and others to academics, but the team found its stride and came together to be the first Penn College men’s basketball team to host a conference playoff game in the NCAA Division III era (that began in 2014-15),” the fifth-year coach said.

“This is the best time of the year with college basketball heading into the conference tournaments and March Madness, and we are more than excited to be a part of it!” Hensley added.

By the numbers

On offense against conference foes, Penn College is averaging 79 points per game.

On defense against conference foes, Penn College is allowing 85.3 points per game.

In the UE, Penn College is averaging 38.3 rebounds and its opponents 36.8.

In the UE, Penn College is averaging 15.3 turnovers and its opponents 11.2.

In the Volt Division, No. 1 seed Penn State Harrisburg and second seed Lancaster Bible College received first-round byes. Third seed St. Mary’s (Md.) College will host sixth-seed Gallaudet University in Saturday’s other first-round contest.

In the Skye Division, Wilson College is seeded at the top and Bryn Athyn is second as both received first-round byes. In Saturday’s games, third-seed St. Elizabeth University will host No. 6 Valley Forge and fourth-seed Keystone College will host fifth-seed Cairn University.

Lancaster Bible College is the defending UE champion and Wilson College is the defending Colonial States Athletic Conference champion.

Final UE Volt Division regular-season standings: Penn State Harrisburg (11-1 UE/21-4 overall), Lancaster Bible College (10-2/16-9), St. Mary’s (Md.) College (9-3/14-11), Penn College (6-6/9-15), Penn State Berks (3-9/4-18), Gallaudet University (2-10/3-22), Penn State Abington (1-11/8-17).

Final UE Skye Division regular-season standings: Wilson College (13-3/15-10), Bryn Athyn (12-4/17-8), St. Elizabeth University (12-4/15-10), Keystone College (10-6/10-14), Cairn University (8-8/14-11), Valley Forge (5-11/5-18), Rosemont (5-11/6-19), Clarks Summit University (4-12/6-19), Notre Dame (Md.) (3-13/3-19).

Schedule/Results/Series History

Overall record: 9-15

UE record: 6-6

Wednesday, Feb. 14 — at Gallaudet University (UE), W, 80-61

Saturday, Feb. 17 — UE Volt Division First Round, host Penn State Berks, 1 p.m. (Penn College leads series 12-6)

Monday, Feb. 19 — UE Volt Division Semifinals, TBA

Wednesday, Feb. 21 — UE Volt Division Final, TBA

Saturday, Feb. 24 — United East Championship, TBA

WOMEN

Closing out the regular season on Wednesday at Gallaudet University, Penn College fell 69-47 to go to 2-10 in the conference and 6-19 overall as it heads into the playoffs for the second year in a row.

During the regular season, the Wildcats lost 68-57 at home on Jan. 16 against Abington and fell 91-54 on the road Feb. 10.

“We are grateful and excited that the program has made playoffs for the second year in a row. I don’t think we’ve hit our potential yet this season, and entering postseason it is anyone’s game, and it is our opportunity to leave our mark,” Mohney said.

“We have offensive threats across the board in Rachel Teats, Emily Pardee, Lexi Troup and Mia Patterson. If we can play a consistent ballgame for four periods, we can compete against any team in our conference,” Mohney said.

Teats of Middleburg leads the team with 299 points and 134 rebounds. She has 836 career points. Pardee of Williamsport has 192 points and 122 rebounds, Troup of Huntingdon has 171 points and 89 rebounds, and Patterson of Loyalsock Township has 128 points and 131 rebounds.

“Going up against Abington in the first round means we have to focus on rebounding and controlling our possessions. They play a quick, up-tempo ballgame that pressures opponents to make rushed decisions. If we play poised, we will give ourselves a fighting chance,” Mohney said.

“I look forward to seeing Rachel perform in postseason play. She has been playing her best ball this season, in and out of conference across the boards. Our energy and our momentum thrive through her play and leadership. She gets everyone involved because of her play-making abilities,” the coach added. 

By the numbers

On offense against conference foes, Penn College is averaging 52.2 points per game.

On defense against conference foes, Penn College is allowing 61.1 points per game.

In the UE, Penn College is averaging 35 rebounds and its opponents 39.

In the UE, Penn College is averaging 20.4 turnovers and its opponents 14.7.

In the Volt Division, top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg and second-seeded Gallaudet University received first-round byes. Fourth seed St. Mary’s (Md.) College will host fifth-seed Lancaster Bible College in the other first-round game.

In the Skye Division, Notre Dame (Md.) and St. Elizabeth University are seeded at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, and received first-round byes. In Saturday’s games, No. 3 Bryn Athyn will host No. 6 Cedar Crest and No. 4 Wilson College will host No. 5 Cairn University.

Since-departed SUNY Morrisville won last season’s UE championship and Notre Dame (Md.) captured the CSAC crown.

Final UE Volt Division regular-season standings: Penn State Harrisburg (11-1 UE/14-11 overall), Gallaudet University (10-2/17-8), Penn State Abington (7-5/11-14), St. Mary’s (Md.) College (6-6/13-11), Lancaster Bible College (6-6/8-16), Penn College (2-10/6-19), Penn State Berks (0-12/1-21).

Final UE Skye Division regular-season standings: Notre Dame (Md.) (16-2/19-6), St. Elizabeth University (15-3/20-5), Bryn Athyn (13-5/16-7), Wilson College (12-6/13-12), Cairn University (10-8/15-10), Cedar Crest College (9-9/10-11), Keystone College (9-9/11-14), Clarks Summit University (2-16/3-21), Rosemont (2-16/3-22), Valley Forge (2-16/2-22).

Schedule/Results/Series History

Overall record: 6-19

UE record: 2-10

Wednesday, Feb. 14 — at Gallaudet University (UE), L, 65-47

Saturday, Feb. 17 — UE Volt Division First Round, Penn College at Penn State Abington, 2 p.m. (Abington leads 12-4)

Monday, Feb. 19 — UE Volt Division Semifinals, TBA

Wednesday, Feb. 21 — UE Volt Division Final, TBA

Saturday, Feb. 24 — United East Championship, TBA

For more about the United East, visit the conference website.

For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.