A trio of East Coast Conference contests and one Central Atlantic match-up comprised the Thursday schedule, and we kick off the recap with some intriguing playoff scenarios in the former league:
DOWLING 75 QUEENS 73
Vincent Abbandola came off the bench to deliver 21 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 from 3-point range), including a put-back “And-1” with 1:04 to play that proved the decisive play in Dowling’s critical win over Queens in Flushing. In a match-up pitting two clubs that were one game out of the final playoff spot, there was very little separation all night, as evidenced by 13 ties, 14 lead changes and only one lead greater than two possessions. That came with 5:21 left after a 3-pointer by Ryan Hickey (13 points, six rebounds, four assists). The Knights responded with 10 of the next 11 points, punctuated by a 3-pointer and long jumper by Kyheim Chaplin (12 points) that put the hosts in front, 73-72 at the 1:24 mark. Evan Maxwell’s go-ahead shot on the next possession was off the mark, but Abbandola gathered the offensive board and banked in the follow while being fouled, converting the 3-point play to cap the game’s scoring. Still, the final minute was full of drama as Maxwell blocked Tyree White’s shot in the lane and Hickey was fouled moments later. The junior guard missed the front end of his one-and-one, however, leaving the door ajar for Queens. After a timeout, White caught a pass on the left blocks, backed into the lane and flipped up a five-footer that bounced off the back rim and was batted down as time expired. Maxwell finished with 19 points for the Golden Lions, who also saw Chris Millender compile 10 points, 13 rebounds and five of his team’s 10 fouls. Malcolm Moore came off the bench to lead the Knights with 16 points (4-8 from deep) and six rebounds, while Diego Maldonado (12 points, 4-6 from 3, all in the first half) and White (six points, six boards, 10 assists, three steals) also played well in a losing effort. Queens – which is now two games out of the final playoff spot with three to play and no tiebreaker in hand – shot an impressive 13-26 from long range (DC was 7-16) and handed out more assists (20-13) but was non-existent at the foul line, missing the only attempt while Dowling was 10-18. The Golden Lions – who beat the Knights by 45 in their prior meeting – remain a game behind Mercy for the last playoff berth and host the Mavericks next Wednesday.
MERCY 87 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 84
Mercy remains a game up in the race for the last playoff spot after rallying to nip third-place District of Columbia in White Plains for a season sweep. Shaquille Stokes was a force off the bench for the Mavericks, totaling 15 of his 22 points over the final 8:29, including a straight-on three that triggered a key 10-2 run in the waning minutes. Gerald McLease – who totaled 17 of his 19 points after intermission while pulling down seven rebounds – topped off the surge with two foul shots at the 53-second juncture, then had a chance to seal the deal with nine seconds remaining but missed the second of two foul shots, keeping it a one-possession contest. The Mavs refused to allow a tying three in three straight UDC possessions before Reggie Sidbury’s half-court heave at the buzzer fell short, ending his team’s four-game winning streak. UDC was without the services of starting point guard Kasim Chandler, but Joseph Nickerson more than picked up the slack, exploding for 24 of his career-high 31 points (12-19 FG) after intermission (half of those coming during the last five minutes) while snagging nine rebounds for the Firebirds, who led the majority of the game, including three 11-point advantages during the opening frame. Jayone Troutman recorded 14 points (7-9 FG) for UDC, which also landed Sidbury (11 points in a reserve role, 3-4 from distance) and Virgil Fleming (10) in double figures. Tyseem Lyles dropped a dozen for Mercy, which won all three of its games at the Westchester County Center this winter, the last two by a combined five points. The Firebirds were the more accurate shooting club (52%-43%) but were outworked at the stripe (30-39 to 19-29) in a whistle-fest that resulted in 53 fouls.
MOLLOY 80 BRIDGEPORT 74
Jaylen Morris notched 18 points and six rebounds to help Molloy oust Bridgeport at Quealy Gym to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. A 10-2 burst early in the second stanza lengthened a 48-40 lead to 58-42, and it was still 76-62 after a Morris lay-up with 2:49 to go when the Purple Knights made a late push, reeling off seven straight, culminating in an Ernest Rouse triple with 90 seconds to play. Another 3-ball by Devon Elliott (19 points) made it a two-possession contest at 78-72 but the P-Knights ran out of time with 10 seconds on the clock, and Brandon Williams (16 points, seven assists) put the final nails in the coffin at the foul line four seconds later. Charlie Marquardt pitched in with 17 points for the Lions, who flexed their muscle in the paint (46-28) and scored nearly twice as often off turnovers (19-10) in remaining three games out with three to play. Rouse managed 19 points and Muhammed Ahmed 14 with nine rebounds for Bridgeport, which was better from beyond the arc (10-28 to 4-19) but dropped its fourth straight and slipped into fifth place, just a half-game ahead of Mercy, with the two squads set to play twice in the next three games.
PHILADELPHIA 65 GEORGIAN COURT 43
History was made in Lakewood during Philadelphia’s romp over Georgian Court to solidify second place in the CACC South. Peter Alexis racked up 15 points and 12 rebounds, becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Quite amazingly, two of the other three were present at the Wellness Center to witness the feat: head coach Herb Magee and his assistant, Randy Stover, who – along with Alexis – are the only players to achieve the distinction while also amassing 1,000 rebounds. The night didn’t start out in prosperous fashion for the visitors, who missed their first 12 shot attempts in falling behind 11-3 over seven minutes in. It was a 15-12 shortfall before the injury-ravaged Rams received a big jolt off the bench from Rider transfer Gemil Holbrook, who buried three straight trifectas during a 23-4 blitz over the final 7:11 of the half to seize control at 35-19. A 7-0 spurt upon the restart fattened the advantage to 42-19 and the gap bounced between 15 and 23 the remainder of the ballgame. Holbrook enjoyed his greatest night on the court with 19 points (6-9 from deep), with support coming from T.J, Huggins (13 points, career-high eight assists) and Brandon Kilpatrick (12 points, four helpers) as Philly U. was the lesser of two evils in the shooting department (39%-30%) and benefited from far more trips to the free-throw line (12-21 to 3-4) as they were only whistled for five of the game’s 19 fouls. Juwuan Carter mustered 10 points for the Lions, who were outscored 15-5 off turnovers in suffering their sixth consecutive setback. Alexis is the second player in the region to join the elite 2,000-point club, joining Merrimack's Gelvis Solano. A third is likely to follow suit on Saturday as Bentley's Tyler McFarland is 12 points away.