Random Notes on a D2 Hoops Season
By Chris Granozio
Four more postponements since Tuesday’s column… and so it goes. As of now, there are games scheduled for every day on the calendar until Friday, February 4, and there are only six "free" days prior to the first scheduled playoffs date, as things stand right now (Feb 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 21).
Despite so few games having been played to date, the NABC Top 25 Coaches’ Poll continues on, and we have two East Region clubs representing! Dominican slips from #14 to #20, while Bentley enters at #25.
Speaking of the Falcons, Jay Lawson’s team rallied from 18 down in the first half to shade New Haven at the Dana Center. Notable performers for the winners included Isaac Martin, whose three first-half 3-pointers helped spark his team when the Chargers were threatening to run away and hide. Also, Colton Lawrence – who missed the past two years and eight recent contests after playing a total of 63 minutes across three early-season games – added 19 points and 10 rebounds. Mason Webb hit the clutch, top-of-the-key three with 43 seconds left that put Bentley ahead to stay – the final scoring play of the night, as it turned out, as New Haven missed three potential go-ahead triples in its final possession. The other notable performance belonged to NE10 Player of the Year candidate Jordan Mello-Klein, who despite struggling from the field (5-for-21 including one make in his first 14 attempts), compiled 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two key steals during the comeback. The fifth-year senior – who never sat down – also became the 55th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark, achieving the feat with a key 3-pointer that brought his team to within 64-63 at the 8:34 mark.
One of the other contenders for the conference’s top honor is Adelphi guard Ronnie Silva, who’s got his eyes set on a second straight Player of the Week award, torching Stonehill for a career-high and individual region-best 42 points in 33 minutes (11-19 FG, 8-11 from 3). The native of Nashua, NH outscored all his teammates by nine and was remarkably symmetrical on the night, netting 20 and two assists in the first half, then 22 and two, respectively, after intermission. Thanks largely to Silva’s efforts, the Panthers have now won four straight since the calendar flipped and are making a strong case for their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years.
If you haven’t seen AIC’s Tyrae Washington dunk against New Haven last week on ESPN’s Top 10 Plays, check it out here: https://twitter.com/aic_mbb
For those who were wondering if Pace would recover from its devastating loss at St. Anselm last weekend, the Setters emphatically erased all doubt on Tuesday, shellacking Assumption in Pleasantville, constructing leads as high as 26 before all was said and done. All five starters scored in double figures and two (nearly three) recorded double-doubles in the blowout. That same night, St. A’s – which was gifted the win vs. Pace as a result of two egregious calls in the final 1.3 seconds – assured everyone that its troops was perfectly capable of handling matters without any “official” help by whacking American International, with red-hot Miles Tention picking up right where he left off, canning 6-of-10 from downtown en route to a game-high 22-point outing. He and his Hawks teammates dominated the glass (53-33) and limited the Yellow Jackets to a paltry 28% shooting, including 4-of-20 from beyond the arc.
AIC remained cold two days later, dropping an 82-79 decision at Bridgeport in a crossover game (perhaps the last of the regular season?) as Shyheim Hicks’ halfcourt heave for the tie rattled out at the buzzer. The win was #400 in the career of Mike Ruane (left), who is one of only 40 active coaches in D2 with that many victories, six of whom grace our region. Ruane’s record is an impressive 400-215 over his 21 seasons – surpassed only by his predecessor, Bruce Webster, who racked up 549 between 1965-99, leading the program to its greatest heights: back-to-back appearances in the national championship game (1991 & 1992). Bridgeport – which was paced by former NYIT guard Tim Dawson’s 25 points (23 after halftime) – is playing its best ball of the season, having won four straight.
The region's winningest active coaches (overall career totals):
- Herb Magee - Jefferson 1,131
- Keith Dickson - St. Anselm - 671
- Mark Corino - Caldwell - 604
- Jay Lawson - Bentley - 570
- Joe Clinton - Dominican - 473
- Mike MacDonald - Daemen - 406
- Mike Ruane - Bridgeport - 400
Tobin Anderson has 377 career victories to date, and it didn’t take long for his St. Thomas Aquinas team to shake off the cobwebs in its first game since December 19, drubbing District of Columbia in the nation’s capital Wednesday, 103-71. The Spartans – who have scored at least 90 points in their last six games (all victories) since a 53-49 outlier at Stonehill on December 1 (also a win) – spotted the Firebirds a 10-2 lead before putting on a 49-19 clinic the balance of the period to terminate any suspense. Six scored between 12 and 17 points, 10 players saw double-digit minutes and 30 of the 41 baskets were assisted in the balanced STAC attack.
Freshman forward Messiah Mallory erupted for personal bests of 32 points and 16 rebounds in leading Staten Island past Mercy, 78-53 on Wednesday. The 16 boards are the most in the Dolphins’ still-young D2 era.
And Trevonn Pitts’ put-back with 12 seconds remaining in overtime lifted Chestnut Hill past Georgian Court in Lakewood Tuesday. The clutch basket overshadowed a stellar game from the Lions’ Clint Wright, Jr. who came within one point of his career high with 27, including the tying trey with 14 seconds to go in regulation, sending the game to OT.
Playing without leading scorer Devonte McCall, Post ascended into first place atop the CACC North after crushing Caldwell in Waterbury to remain undefeated in league action. DJ Frechette returned to action and matched his career best with 20 points in a reserve role.
And Jefferson built off its Saturday dominance over Dominican with a 101-67 massacre of crosstown rival University of the Sciences at Morgan Arena. Erik Timko (27 points, 8-11 FG, 4-6 from 3), Antonin Kemkeng (24 points, 13 rebounds) and Deondre Bourne (19 points, nine assists) shined brightest for the Rams, the CACC South leaders who sport an unblemished conference mark.
And Saint Rose earned its first win since December 10 by dropping St. Michael’s – the team it last defeated – this time in Vermont and this time in an official NE10 game. Rookie forward Shane O’Dell was the star of this show, recording a personal-best 36 points (15-25 FG, 6-7 FT), 14 rebounds and four assists while playing all 40 minutes. The point total was the highest for a Golden Knight since Tyler Sayre erupted for 38 vs. Le Moyne in an overtime thriller on November 23, 2013. Like Sayre that night, all of O’Dell’s points came without an attempt from 3-point range, becoming the second regional player this season to score at least 30 without shooting a three. He joins Nyack’s Isayas Aris, who converted 18 of 26 buckets and split his four free throws Saturday at Wilmington.
That’s it until Tuesday, when we’ll once again keep you up to speed on all the newsworthy items Around The Rim. Until then, stay safe and Happy Hooping to All!