Articles

Men's Hoops Fends off NE-10 Power Bentley, 67-59

Details

Created on Thursday, 01 December 2011 04:46

Written by George Commo

Cambronne Keys Critical Run

Courtesy St. Michael's Sports Information

WALTHAM, Mass. - Freshman James Cambronne (De Bary, Fla./The Winchendon School) scored eight of his career-high 13 points in a momentum-shifting 18-2 run, and the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team held off Northeast-10 Conference heavyweight Bentley University, 67-59, on Wednesday in the Dana Physical Education Center. The Falcons received votes toward the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national poll this week.

The Purple Knights improved to 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the league, moving into a five-way tie for first place. Bentley slipped to 5-2 and 2-2 after the Falcons were predicted to finish second in the 16-team NE-10's preseason coaches' poll, earning four first-place votes from conference coaches.

Cambronne's 13 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, came in addition to four rebounds and a block during his time as a reserve. Junior Travis Warech (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville) netted a season-high 15 points behind a 6-of-10 effort from the floor and hauled in six rebounds, helping the Purple Knights hold a 44-33 advantage on the glass. Sophomore Mike Holton Jr. (Portland, Ore./The Winchendon School) added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and senior Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) notched eight points and eight boards.

Sophomore Jasper Grassa (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Classical) led Bentley with 19 points, going 5-of-14 from three-point range, junior Dan O'Keefe (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) had 12 points, and senior Sam Leclerc (Fayette, Maine/Winthrop) added 11 points and eight rebounds while hitting three threes.

Saint Michael's trailed by an 8-2 count early before four players scored during a 10-0 run, with a Schilling hoop providing a 12-8 edge at 14:10 of the opening half. Bentley used three three-pointers during a 15-6 run to put the visitors behind by a 23-18 count, but Cambronne scored the first two hoops during the ensuing 18-2 jaunt, which took 6:41 to elapse, and grabbed a rebound that led to Holton's go-ahead hoop, which put the Purple Knights ahead to stay. Cambronne then also scored the next basket. Saint Michael's led 36-27 at halftime.

After Bentley crept to within 40-34, Holton scored four points to spark a 9-0 run, which Cambronne capped with a three-point play at 11:35 of the second stanza that created a 49-34 advantage. Schilling dropped in a lay-up to make it 53-37 at 9:38, giving Saint Michael's its largest lead before it fended off a furious Falcon rally. The hosts hit four three-pointers during a 14-2 run that took just 3:29 to unfold, as Bentley cut its deficit to 59-57 with 2:47 remaining. However, Cambronne completed his scoring with another bucket at 1:44, and Holton hit four free throws and dished off to Schilling during the final 29 seconds to ice the victory.

The Purple Knights head back into NE-10 action by hosting Stonehill College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.