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Ditlefsen's Late Three-Point Play Snaps Tie, Saint Michael's Earns 59-57 Victory

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Created on Thursday, 17 November 2011 02:45

Written by George Commo

Freshman converts a tie-breaking three-point play with 2:34 remaining

Courtesy St. Michael's Sports Information

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Freshman Dom Ditlefsen (Portland, Ore./Sunset) converted a tie-breaking three-point play with 2:34 remaining, and sophomore Mike Holton Jr. (Portland, Ore./The Winchendon School) made three free throws in the final 17 seconds to help the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team fend off Southern New Hampshire University, 59-57, on Wednesday in SNHU Fieldhouse.

Both teams were opening their Northeast-10 Conference slates, as the Purple Knights improved to 1-1, while the Penmen slipped to 2-1. Saint Michael's has taken six of the past eight meetings.

Holton finished with 19 points, and senior Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) recorded 12 points and eight rebounds. Ditlefsen had 10 points, senior Tom Ward (Brighton, East Sussex, England/Saint Francis [N.Y.]) notched eight points in his first collegiate start, and junior Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) added six rebounds and a critical steal in the final minute of regulation.

Freshman Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del./Kingsway/Saint Thomas More) had 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Southern New Hampshire, while senior Tory Stapleton (Rahway, N.J./Gill Saint Bernard's/Saint Thomas More) and classmate Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro/Bridgton Academy) notched 10 points and nine boards apiece. The hosts shot 6-of-28 from three-point range.

Ditlefsen grabbed an offensive board and dropped in a put-back at 2:34 before completing a three-point play to make it 56-53. With the Purple Knights clinging to a one-point edge, Warech picked up a steal with 37 seconds to go, and Holton knocked down two free throws at 17 ticks. Following a Penmen bucket that made the score 58-57, Holton hit another freebie with 9.5 seconds left, and the hosts missed a tying attempt at the buzzer.

The Purple Knights scored the first 10 points of the game by the four-minute mark en route to grabbing an early 13-point advantage. Ward and Holton knocked down three-pointers during the opening 56 seconds, and Saint Michael's held Southern New Hampshire off the scoreboard until 4:35 had elapsed, limiting the Penmen to 0-of-5 shooting. A Ditlefsen bucket at 13:11 made it 15-2, providing the visitors with their largest lead.

Southern New Hampshire rebounded with a 12-2 run, creeping to within 17-14 at 6:09, before Ditlefsen canned a trey to establish a 26-19 cushion. A Penmen three-pointer made it 30-27 at 1:45, but Ward hit another triple with 10 seconds remaining, and the Purple Knights held a 33-27 edge at the half.

A Schilling free throw was the game's only point during the first 2:42 of the second half before Southern New Hampshire crept within 38-37 by 14:32. Ditlefsen's jumper capped a 6-0 run to create a brief seven-point edge, but neither team led by more than four points during the final 11:18. Schilling's freebie at the three-minute mark put his team ahead by a 53-51 count, but Bonsignore's lay-up knotted the game at 53 at 2:48, setting up the big finish.

Saint Michael's hosts the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs Classic on Friday and Saturday, beginning play against Concordia (N.Y.) College on Friday at 7:30 p.m.