The Philadelphia University men's basketball team was eliminated from the 2008 NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon, falling in quadruple overtime to third-seeded College of Saint Rose, 85-75, in Waltham, Mass.  The four overtimes marks just the third time in NCAA Division II Tournament history that a game has gone that far and is the first since 1983 when Sacred Heart defeated Assumption College, 113-108.

The sixth-seeded Rams, making their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, jumped out to a quick 11-7 lead on a three-pointer from sophomore point guard Russell Frederick and held a 23-19 margin with 5:42 remaining in the opening half.  However, the Golden Knights tied the score at 26-26 with 56 seconds remaining and after a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Marcus Lemon handed the lead back to Philadelphia University, senior guard Steve Dagostino converted a four-point play with 1.5 seconds left as Saint Rose took a 30-28 lead into the half.

In the second half, Head Coach Herb Magee's team started quickly once again, opening with an 11-1 run that was fueled by sophomore forward Malcolm Ingram (pictured), who scored six straight points to give the Rams a 39-31 lead with 15:10 left.  Saint Rose cut the lead to 39-38 just three minutes later, but Frederick connected on one of his three three-point field goals to make the score 42-38.   Ultimately, the Rams held a 51-43 advantage with just over five minutes remaining, but the Golden Knights would close regulation with a 9-1 run to send the game to overtime.

Dagostino, who poured in a game-high 37 points for Saint Rose, opened the first extra frame with a three-point field goal, but a jumper by sophomore center Mike Yocum and a layup from junior guard Mike Dunn on back-to-back possessions gave Philadelphia University a 56-55 lead.  After Dagostino made two free throws with 2:36 left, Ingram scored the lone point of the remaining time, tying the score at 57-57 with a free throw at the 1:56 mark.  The Rams endured a potential game-winning three point attempt at the buzzer from Golden Knights' sophomore guard Jermaine Clark, who was defended well by Dunn as the game went to a second overtime period.

Yocum opened the scoring with a layup, but Saint Rose came right back with a pair of clutch free throws just 15 seconds later.  The Rams eventually took a 64-61 lead on a pair of Ingram free throws with 2:09 remaining, but Golden Knights' junior forward Evan Lane connected on four consecutive free throws to tie the game to two straight possessions and Ingram's jumper as time wound down was long, forcing a third overtime with the score tied 65-65.

The third extra session started with another Dagostino three-point field goal, but the Rams scored the next four points, a jumper and a pair of free throws from Lemon, for a 69-68 lead.  After a layup from junior guard/forward Josh Pelletier staked Saint Rose to a 70-69 lead with 2:09 left, Ingram scored on a layup of his own to put the Rams back on top.  Dagostino then was fouled on a three-point attempt with 1:02 remaining and converted all three free throws for a 73-71 Saint Rose lead.  However, the Rams refused to die as Ingram found his way to the basket for a layup with 40 seconds left to tie the score.  The Rams then had a chance to win the game, but Frederick's three-point attempt as time expired was partially blocked by freshman guard Ben Johnson.

For the third time in four overtimes, the Golden Knights kicked off overtime with a three-point field goal, this time from Clark at the 3:57 mark.  Johnson then connected on one of two free throw attempts with 3:11 to play, extending the lead to 77-73, but Frederick trimmed the lead to two with a layup with 2:47 remaining.  However, that would be the final field goal of the contest for the Rams as Frederick fouled out less than a minute later on a charge and Saint Rose closed the game by making six straight free throw attempts -- all by Dagostino -- to account for the final 85-75 margin.  With the loss, the Rams end the season with a 22-12 overall record and see their season-high ten game winning-streak come to an end.

Ingram, who played all 60 minutes, paced the Rams with 26 points in the setback while Lemon came off the bench to add 12 points.  Dunn, Frederick and Yocum added 11 points apiece with Yocum collecting a career-high 21 rebounds as well.  In addition to Dagostino, the Golden Knights got 14 points apiece from Clark and Lane as they advance to the regional semifinals to meet the winner of #2 Assumption College and #7 Holy Family University on Sunday, March 16th, in Waltham.