A pair of East Coast Conference games comprised the Wednesday regional schedule; one providing drama, and the other not so much:
DOWLING 76 MERCY 73
Ali Mableton’s turnaround banker from the right blocks with 14 seconds to play proved the game winner as Dowling overcame a 17-point second-half deficit and stunned Mercy in Oakdale to tie its guests for the sixth and final playoff berth with one game left. The Golden Lions – who were powered by Chris Millender’s 26 points (11-12 FG) and 13 rebounds – looked lifeless after a 13-2 Mavericks surge stretched a 41-35 halftime lead to 54-37 following a foul shot from K.J. Rose (11 points, nine rebounds). Then, over the final 15:51, Dowling outscored the Mavs 39-19, including an 11-2 flourish over the last 1:56 that began with consecutive Millender put-backs sandwiching a stolen inbounds pass. Less than a minute later, Myron Hickman converted a go-ahead “And-1” that electrified the house and made it 72-71. Rose answered with a post-up leaner that put Mercy back up on the see-saw with 27 ticks remaining before Mableton (nine points) nailed the winning shot. A turnover on the Mavericks’ final possession resulted in a breakaway Ryan Hickey lay-up at the buzzer to punctuate the unlikely comeback and salvage the Lions’ season. Hickman (11 points) and Hickey (10 points, seven assists) played key roles off the bench for the winners, who were the more accurate shooters (48%-39%) on the night, offsetting a 45-38 rebounding disparity. Tyseem Lyles and Shaq Stokes joined Rose with 11 points to pace a balanced Mavs scorecard, which also featured 10 apiece from Will Robinson (13 rebounds) and Jason Quijada (four assists in a reserve role). Both teams were an utter disaster at the foul line (DC 12-26, MC 9-23).
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 68 BRIDGEPORT 52
Make it 17 straight for two-time regular-season champ St. Thomas Aquinas, which suffocated Bridgeport at Hubbell Gym in a slow and sloppy outing that was hampered by 41 turnovers. The Purple Knights – who shot a woeful 31% from the floor – were within 48-41 after a 3-pointer from Devon Elliott (14 points, seven rebounds, six steals) with 7:40 to go, but Justin Reyes answered with a long-range missile of his own 28 seconds later to spark an 8-1 surge and increase the STAC advantage to 56-42 at the 5:19 mark. A 9-1 run moments later put the game out of reach at 68-49 as the Spartans shot 44% overall and won the glass, 41-30. Reyes totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Chaz Watler contributed 14 and eight, respectively, for the winners, while Muhammed Ahmed dropped a dozen in defeat for fifth-place Bridgeport. Neither team distinguished itself from beyond the arc (STAC 3-15, UB 5-19).
POLL POSITION
The second installment of the Regional Rankings were released on Wednesday (counting games through last Sunday only), and there is no change among the top four. Here’s the entire list, with last week’s rankings in parentheses:
- St. Anselm (1)
- Holy Family (2)
- Southern Connecticut (3)
- Stonehill (4)
- Philadelphia (7)
- Bentley (5)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (6)
- Adelphi (8)
- Southern New Hampshire (10)
- Merrimack (NR)
Dropped Out: Franklin Pierce (9)