Two Friday the 13th games saw two of the top East Coast Conference clubs earn wins in hard-fought, high-scoring affairs. We begin with the region’s third overtime game in the past two nights:
BRIDGEPORT 92 ROBERTS WESLEYAN 88 (OT)
Devon Elliott registered 22 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer 13 seconds into overtime to spark an 8-1 spurt as Bridgeport averted an upset at the hands of Roberts Wesleyan on the Connecticut coast, reclaiming a share of first place with idle St. Thomas Aquinas. Elliott banged four of five triple tries and pulled down seven rebounds for the Purple Knights, who enjoyed the only double-figure lead of the contest at 67-57 with 8:51 to play before the Redhawks responded with a 20-8 charge to jump in front 77-75 late. Marcus Gooding, Jr. – who totaled a career-high 29 points and matched a program record with nine threes – scored from deep to the tie the game with 1:59 left, then hit the go-ahead foul shots at the 1:21 mark. Elliott delivered the tying lay-up nine seconds later and Roberts had two 3-point shots to win in its last possession but could not find the bottom of the net, necessitating overtime. After falling behind by seven early in the extra period, the Redhawks closed within a deuce on two occasions, the last time at 90-88 following a lay-up by Tyrel Dixon (19 points, 8-13 FG, six rebounds, six assists) with three seconds remaining. Elliott then closed out the scoring with two free throws in the final second, putting Bridgeport in the free and clear. Willie Williams III added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners, who also placed Jesse Jones (16 points off the bench) and Eddie Asamoah (11 points, eight boards, four assists) in double figures. Isaac Medeiros generated 27 points and seven rebounds for Roberts Wesleyan, which missed a chance to tie Dowling for the final ECC playoff position. The stats were all close as both teams shot at a 48% clip and nearly matched each other from beyond the arc (UB 11-21, RWC 12-21) as well as on the backboards (37-35 UB) and in the assist-turnover department (UB 15/11, RWC 19/13). Free-throw shooting was the deciding factor (UB 23-30, RWC 14-21).
DAEMEN 103 DOWLNG 98
Across the Long Island Sound in Oakdale, Gerald Beverly led six players in double figures with 27 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots as Daemen withstood a late rally to edge Dowling in a battle of “DC” clubs. Torrance Dyck chimed in with 19 points and six caroms for the Wildcats, who led the entirety of the ballgame, bolting out to a 19-5 lead and then using a 10-0 flourish over the final 1:24 of the half, capped by a Jesse Lalka tip-in before the buzzer, to forge a 52-35 upper hand. The bulge peaked at 21 (70-49) on a Lalka trifecta with 13:12 to go and was still a robust 92-72 inside of the last five minutes when the Golden Lions roared back in a big way, embarking on a frenzied 26-10 spree to close within 102-98 after a 3-pointer by Evan Maxwell (25 points, nine rebounds, three swats) with 15 seconds on the clock. That’s as close as they would get, however, as Jordan Greene closed out the scoring with a foul shot at the 12-second mark, capping his 18-point night (5-8 from deep). Supreme Hannah (12 points), Lalka (career-best 11 off the bench, 3-4 from 3) and Kyle Clifford (10 points, seven boards, personal-best eight assists) all played well for Daemen, which moved within a half-game of first-place leaders Bridgeport and St. Thomas Aquinas. Tristan Brown logged 23 points (9-13 FG) and five steals for Dowling, which landed five of its own in double figures. That list included Donte Adams (18 points, 4-8 from distance, eight rebounds), MiKing Richardson (10 points, four assists in a reserve role) and Armand Correa (10 points off the bench). Both teams were formidable from the floor (Daemen 49%, Dowling 48%) but the Wildcats made more noise from behind the 3-point line (14-25 to 9-28). The Golden Lions – who slip to seventh place with the setback – feasted on the fast-break, 18-0. Both clubs boasted strong assist-turnover lines (Daemen 23/14, Dowling 17/10). The game was to have been a match-up of the ECC’s pre-season Co-Players of the Year but only Beverly lived up to the hype as Dowling’s Darien Davis missed his seventh consecutive game due to injury.