By Chris Granozio
And now… some “Milestone Tango”
On Saturday in Waltham, Pace forward Bryan Powell scored 25 points in a loss to Bentley, including the 1,000th of his career. That same afternoon in Garden City, Adelphi’s Ronnie Silva became the second player in his program’s history to ascend the 2,000-point plateau in a game vs. Southern Connecticut. Wednesday in Pleasantville, Pace and Adelphi met on the court in a physical and hotly-contested game, with the milestone men in the midst of the action. Prior to that game, the Setters held a ceremony commemorating two other players who had reached 1,000 points earlier in the year: Powell’s twin brother Brandon and Adonis Williams, who – just last season – was playing for… you guessed it… Adelphi. During this game, Brandon Williams notched 24 points (17-18 FT) in leading his team to victory while Silva “paced” the Panthers with 19. In so doing, he eclipsed Richard Byrd’s school scoring mark of 2,013.
Out in Connecticut on Saturday, Post long-distance shooter D.J. Frechette – like Silva, a New Hampshire native – also recorded his 1,000th point as part of a 24-point performance in a win over Wilmington.
Kudos to all the millennial athletes on their accomplishments! And by the way, you may be wondering if three 1,000 point scorers in the same season may be some kind of record, try this: St. Anselm had three reach that threshold in the same game at California State-Dominguez Hills Decmber 30, 1993: Bob Timinski, Tim Aramini and Warren Burgess, who, coincidentally, will be enshrined in the school's Hall of Fame tomorrow!
The Game of the Week pitted CACC divisional rivals Jefferson (South) and Caldwell (North) at the Newman Center, and the match-up more than lived up to the billing, with the Cougars prevailing in overtime for their then-ninth straight triumph. The height of the drama came in the waning seconds of regulation as Derrick Bueno tipped in the tying basket for the hosts with nine seconds on the clock. But with 2.4 seconds showing, the Rams appeared to have nailed the game-winner as Antonin Kemkeng came through with a tip-in of his own. But on a perfectly designed and executed inbounds play, Bueno – who amassed career highs of 27 points and 19 rebounds in 29 bench minutes – threw a home run pass to freshman phenom Darnell Evans, who corralled it in stride down the sideline and scored the tying lay-up inside the final second to force OT (he finished with 30 points). Caldwell continued the momentum into the extra period by hanging the first eight points on the board. Not to be deterred, Jefferson got off the mat and had a shot to steal it in the game’s final possession, down two with red-hot shooter Erik Timko sizing up a game-winning triple. But in flew the defensive superhero known as Jarnel Rancy, the nation’s leading shot blocker at all levels. And the super sophomore erased Timko’s attempt, finishing the game with a CACC season record of 110, surpassing London Houston of Holy Family, who had held the record since 2008. The scintillating win clinched a first-round home playoff berth – the Cougars’ first since that same season of 2007-08.
Next game vs. Post, Caldwell constructed a 53-32 lead with 11:36 to play, but the Eagles stormed back, orchestrating a 27-9 power run to pull within a possession (62-59) following three Frechette freebies with 1:21 left. That’s as close as they would come, however, as Kirk Parsons nailed two big free throws to thwart the comeback effort. Caldwell’s 10-game win streak is its longest since joining the NCAA. They had won 12 straight during the 2001-02 season while classified as NAIA.
On the other side of history, CACC newcomer Bridgeport has dropped seven straight for the first time since its last season in the now-defunct New England Collegiate Conference (1999-2000) after a pair of tough home contests against old ECC rival Mercy and a bizarre setback to Alliance in a game that saw both teams squander sizable leads (UB led 37-18, then AU came back to take a 79-65 advantage, before the game wound up in overtime). Matt Turner (season-best 31 points) and Joel Bailey (career-high 35) were high men for their respective clubs, with Jordan Rodriguez the X-factor for the winners with a personal-best 24, including six treys. Jayden Dawson came up big with the lay-up in the bonus period that gave Alliance the lead for keeps. For Mercy, the sweep of an unusual home-and-home with its former league rival was its first dating back to 2004-05, and it was the Mavericks’ first win at Hubbell Gym since a 72-66 Valentine’s Day victory that same season. Sean Smith, Jr. managed the heavy lifting with 24 points.
Bentley and Southern New Hampshire are now a twosome at the top of the NE10 power grid, one game ahead of St. Anselm heading into the final week of regular season games in the circuit. The Falcons exploded for a 47-18 halftime lead against depleted Saint Rose at the Dana Center, then kept their foot on the pedal with an 18-1 upswing to start the second stanza, as the margin ballooned to 65-19 with 10:40 to play. Zach Laput – perhaps the leading candidate for Player of the Year – totaled 26 points in just 23 minutes and change for the victors.
SNHU keeps rolling along, capturing its 13th game out of 14 vs. American International on Wednesday, thanks to Jordan Brathwaite’s big game: 21 points on 8-10 shooting (5-6 from downtown Manchester).
The next-hottest team in the conference is Assumption, which has taken eight of nine over the last month to surge over .500 and thrust itself in the conversation for possible at-large consideration. The Greyhounds’ current five-game conference winning streak is its longest since January of 2009. Assumption continues to weave its spell in heart-stopping fashion, taking its last two games by a grand total of three points, and against top-level teams New Haven and St. Anselm in Worcester. In the former, Isiah Gaiter’s lay-up with 18 seconds left put the Hounds on top for good as they repaid the Chargers for a similar one-point loss back in December. They also snapped a nine-game dry spell in all-time series dating back to another one-point triumph (57-56) on November 28, 2012. Assumption led by 10 at the break vs. St. A’s on Wednesday, but the Hawks eventually caught up, knotting the score at 71-71 on a Zac Taylor 3-pointer with 1:58 left. The score stayed that way until Kani Glover buried the game-winning jumper with eight ticks remaining, but the play that cemented the result was Gaiter rejecting Tyler Arbuckle’s potential tying shot at the rim as time expired. No one wants to draw Assumption in the upcoming NE10 tourney opening round, that’s for sure!
It wasn’t a fruitless road trip for Saint Anselm, however, as the Hawks blasted Franklin Pierce in their previous game. Miles Tention (26 points) and Arbuckle (24) headed the charge for the winners, who rode a 39-14 second-half wave to take control, 80-53, and never looked back. Pierce rebounded on Wednesday and avenged an early season home loss to Southern Connecticut, rallying from 10 down at the half to ground the Owls. A 25-9 run flipped the script from a 51-42 deficit to a 67-60 advantage the Ravens would never relinquish. Sean Trumper cashed in a career-high 28 to lead the way.
Both former NECC rivals are now tied for sixth, half a game behind Le Moyne, which split its road trip with a win at AIC and loss at St. Michael’s in the 91st all-time meeting dating back to the 1951 National Catholic Invitational (anyone remember that one?). The Dolphins had led 64-61 after an Isaiah Salter elbow jumper with 3:05 to go, but the Purple Knights tallied the last 10, headlined by Romar Reid’s step-back, go-ahead 3-pointer from the right arc to snap a seven-game funk at the Ross Sports Center dating back to November 26. They finished the home slate with two league wins to bookend the season: New Haven and Le Moyne. Reid and Nashon Battle both came through with 18 points (a career best for Battle) to front the Purple Knights attack.
Ty Perry dropped 20 for New Haven in its non-conference win over Staten Island in West Haven to get the Chargers back on track. It was the second all-time meeting between the two programs, with the previous one being somewhat memorable for CSI as New Haven was its first-ever opponent as a D2 program at the start of last season in New York City.
Bloomfield couldn’t have had more sharply contrasting trips to Delaware on consecutive Saturdays. After wasting a late lead and suffering a devastating defeat at Wilmington in their first trip, the Bears took nothing for granted a week later, throttling Goldey-Beacom from pillar to post, building as much as a 69-37 lead in an easy "W." They continued their winning ways with a humbling of North Jersey rival Felician at home on Tuesday.
Other CACC Notes: Seth Sharif-Brown deposited a personal-best 22 points (9-12 FG) in Dominican’s home win vs. Holy Family… Jamaal Waters established a career high with 31 points and added nine rebounds in Georgian Court’s comeback win over Felician, a game which saw the Lions fall behind 25-8 at the outset… Jefferson avenged its loss in Lakewood in defeating the Lions thanks largely to Timko’s 29 points (10-12 FG)… Chestnut Hill has followed a four-game dry spell with four consecutive wins… Goldey-Beacom led most of the way vs. Kutztown of the PSAC at Keystone Arena, but a 25-6 flourish by the Golden Bears over the last nine minutes sealed the Lightning’s fate in a game that ultimately doesn’t mean anything. The four-way game of musical chairs for the last three playoff spots in the South will likely play on until the final Saturday of the regular season.
Not much action lately in the East Coast Conference, but credit D’Youville for slamming the brakes to a 12-game losing streak that dated back before the holidays. The Saints held off fellow Western New York foe Roberts Wesleyan in a thriller in Buffalo. The Redhawks took no fewer than five one-point leads in the second half, and then a two-point edge (50-48) on a basket by Abou Gbane (career-high 24 points off the bench) with 9:54 remaining before the hosts embarked on a 16-5 run to seize the reins at 64-55 with 2:40 on the clock. Roberts crept within 65-62, but Will Kondrat banged a huge three with 42 ticks to go, capping a 31-point, 14-rebound day.
Elsewhere, a 14-4 spurt provided the necessary separation for District of Columbia, which held off Queens in Flushing. The Firebirds’ lead was a mere 61-60 at the 6:58 mark before the game-defining run. Michael Aiken’s 19 points paved the way for UDC, which has won four of five and in strong position for a home playoff game…Kenny Lazo was a human run as he manufactured eight straight points in Molloy’s home win vs. CSI. It turned a 55-50 game into a more comfortable 63-50 affair and sent the Lions on their way… Tyron White netted a personal-best 19 in Queens’ non-conference setback at Wilmington.
There are no more crossover games until the NCAA East Regional. Here’s the tally:
NE10 vs. CACC: 33-17
NE10 vs. ECC: 23-10
CACC vs. ECC: 21-15
And if you’re interested:
NE10 vs. PSAC: 2-1
CACC vs. PSAC: 9-12
ECC vs. PSAC: 2-8
In the recent NABC Top 25, St. Thomas Aquinas climbed two spots to #16 while Bentley dropped six rungs to #22. Southern New Hampshire is still receiving votes. Nova Southeastern (FL) – the only undefeated team in D2 – is the new #1. The alphabetical regional rankings, through last Sunday’s games are: Bentley, Dominican, Le Moyne, New Haven, Pace, Post, St. Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas, Southern Connecticut and Southern New Hampshire.
Update on my quest to see every MAAC and NEC team live this season: I’ve now watched all the NEC clubs and have two more MAAC schools to see: Rider and St. Peters, whom I plan to catch on March 2.
Speaking of the NEC, it certainly has a D2 East flavor at the top of the standings these days, doesn't it? Newcomer Stonehill currently anchors first place, followed by fellow former NE10 rival Merrimack (which has no more holdovers from its D2 days) and Fairleigh Dickinson, which features former St. Thomas Aquinas coach Tobin Anderson and three of his former STAC starters.
From the Mailbag…
Frank DeSefano has some thoughts and writes:
Hi: Thanks for your early Feb. update. It was perceptive and informative. an often overlooked stat is personal fouls. If a player plays an entire game with 0 or 1 foul, he must be playing soft or no defense. In its recent rout of St. Anselm, Pace’s Powell brothers each had 4 personals as they bottled up high scoring (Tyler) Arbuckle to a 3-14 night, and held equally high scoring (Miles) Tention to only 7 shots in the whole game. --Frank D.
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