March 1, 2007
NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL
TOP-SEED BENTLEY DEFEATS BRYANT 85-74
Bryant to Await NCAA Word On Seeding This Sunday
at 10:30 pm
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| Senior Dan Hammond notched his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds Thursday vs. Bentley College. http://www.dspics.com/ |
BOX SCORE
WALTHAM, Mass. - Forward Jeff Holmes and freshman guard Jason
Westrol each scored 16 points to lead the top-seeded and
second-ranked Bentley College Falcons to an 85-74 win over Bryant
University in a Northeast-10 Conference tournament semifinal game
Thursday night before a standing-room-only crowd of 3,406 at the
Dana Center Thursday.
The Falcons (28-0), one of just two undefeated teams in the country, will advance to the conference finals Saturday where they'll face third-seed Saint Rose which upset second-seeded Pace at home earlier this evening.
Bryant (19-10), the No. 2 team in the Northeast Region this week, got a career-high 16 points from sophomore guard Orlando Baeza (Palmdale, Calif.) as the Bulldogs battled back twice in the second half to make it a one-point game. The first on a deep three from senior guard Chris Burns (Merrimack, NH) to pull the Bulldogs to within 53-52 with 13:56 left. Burns was scoreless in the first half but buried four treys in the second half.
After a basket and free throw by Bentley's Andy Smith, Burns would drain another deep three to keep it a one point game but that would be as close as Bryant would get as Bentley tied a season-high with 10 three-point field goals in the game and made 17 of 22 free throws to advance to the championship game this weekend.
With an overflow crowd on hand, both teams traded baskets at the start but a three-point barrage by Bentley keyed a 13-2 run to give the hosts a 25-12 lead 6 minutes in. Bentley, which came into the game averaging three 3-pointers per game, made 5 three's in the first 10 minutes of the game and had seven in the first half.
But while the shots were falling on target from the outside, Bentley would find success as well on the inside, slicing through the Bryant defense as Holmes made three-straight hoops underneath - getting fouled twice, giving Bentley a commanding 36-22 lead.
The Bulldogs would fall behind by as much as 15 (41-24) after a three by Andy Smith (3 first half three's), but the Bulldogs would close the half with an 8-2 run of its own to close to within eight at the break, 44-36.
Sophomore forward Nick Pontes (New Bedford, Mass.) hit a pair of buckets high off the glass while Hammond followed a pair of misses with two put-backs to keep the Bulldogs in the game. Hammond posted his first double-double of the season in the first half with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Nate Sudlow had 12 points and five rebounds while Jon Ezeokoli added 11 points.
A layup by Lew Finnegan pushed the lead back to double digits, 70-59, but Bryant wouldn't go away just yet.
A baseline three by Baeza cut the lead down to 77-71 but tonight wasn't Bryant's night as the Bulldogs had trouble making the key shots down the stretch in the final minutes and finished the night making just 8 of 24 from three-point range.
Two free throws by Josh Correia closed the door sending the nation's second-ranked team's fans onto the floor in celebration.
POST GAME NOTES ...
* The feel for the game was electric, with an overflow capacity surrounding the Dana Center court. Bryant's fans made their presence felt thanks to five fan busses making the trip up I-95 plus, not to mention the several hundred other area alums attending the game. Doors opened at 6 p.m. with both student sections chatting back and forth in good nature.
* The Bulldogs were making their third Northeast-10 Conference tournament semifinal appearance in the last four seasons.
* Senior guard Chris Burns was named to the Northeast-10 Conference First Team All-Conference squad the conference office announced earlier tonight. Junior guard Jon Ezeokoli was named Third Team All-Conference. Bentley coach Jay Lawson was named the 2007 Coach of the Year in the conference.
* The NCAA will announce the 2007 Division II Men's Basketball Championship field this Sunday evening, March 4 at 10:30 p.m. The brackets will be released on http://www.ncaasports.com/. Sixty-four teams will be selected to participate in the tournament. The tournament is made up of eight regional's consisting of eight teams. Bryant is currently ranked No. 2 in the final Northeast-10 Regional poll released this week before Sunday's selection. Bentley is No. 1 with Bridgeport third, Saint Rose fourth, and Philadelphia fifth. Pace, Holy Family and AIC round out the top eight this week.
* Bryant has qualified for three-straight NCAA tournaments and appears to be heading for its fourth in-a-row after earning a No. 2 regional ranking this week.
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www.bryantbulldogs.com
