SUNY Orange Colts Edge PGCC 80-78, Advance in NJCAA Tournament

Anthony Pacciarelli stepped to the free-throw line with four seconds left and the 2026 NJCAA Division II national tournament on the line, draining both shots to seal an 80-78 win for SUNY Orange over Prince George's Community College at the Mary Miller Center in Danville, Illinois.

Pacciarelli finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, single-handedly outscoring Prince George's top performer by 11 points and carrying the No. 15 seeded Colts past the No. 18 seeded Owls in the fourth and final play-in game of the opening round on Monday, March 16. The victory improved SUNY Orange to 24-8 and advanced the program into the second round of the national postseason.

The Colts had a decisive edge where it mattered most: the free-throw line. SUNY Orange converted 27 of 36 foul shots while Prince George's made 23 of 33, and Pacciarelli's late pair provided the margin of victory in a game neither team led by more than a handful of possessions down the stretch. Prince George's actually owned the glass, pulling down 52 rebounds to SUNY Orange's 43, yet the Owls couldn't convert that edge into enough points to overcome the Colts' efficiency from the stripe.

Gavin Williams gave SUNY Orange a second engine alongside Pacciarelli, posting 14 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Darren McFarlane, a forward from the Bronx, added 10 points and seven boards. Giovani Rupert and Keishawn Morris each chipped in eight points off a bench that contributed just seven total, compared to 21 for Prince George's.

For the Owls, Willie Rivera Jr. led all scorers not named Pacciarelli with 22 points. Paul Vance III added 12 and Brazil Hutchinson contributed 10, but Prince George's shot just 29.9 percent from the field on 77 attempts, a clip that ultimately doomed a team making its first-ever appearance in the NJCAA Division II tournament. The Colts shot 36 percent themselves, going 7-for-27 from three, but their free-throw volume papered over the cold shooting night.

The win capped a resilient stretch for SUNY Orange, which had to absorb six forfeit losses during the regular season but had not dropped an on-court game since January 10, when Monroe Community College beat them.

Danville Area Community College hosted the championship for the 33rd consecutive year at the Mary Miller Center, with SUNY Orange's victory setting up a second-round matchup against No. 2 Palm Beach State College at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 17. A win would have placed the Colts in a Wednesday quarterfinal against either No. 7 Danville or No. 10 Mid Michigan; a loss would have sent them to a Thursday consolation game at 3 p.m. against the loser of that same pairing.