Clarke Scores 12 Points, Hits Pair Of Free Throws In Final Second Of Overtime To Lift Men's Basketball To Thrilling 83-81 Northeast-10 Senior Day Victory Over Assumption
February 17, 2007
STONEHILL MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Merkert Gymnasium, Easton, Mass.
FINAL: STONEHILL 83, ASSUMPTION 81 (OVERTIME)
EASTON, Mass.-- Senior Lance Clarke (Cambridge, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Stonehill to an 83-81 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball victory over Assumption Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.
Clarke's game winners from the charity stripe came after fellow senior Soap Toun (Cranston, R.I.) forced a turnover in the closing seconds for the host Skyhawks (15-11, 10-11 Northeast-10) as the visiting Greyhounds (11-15, 9-12 Northeast-10) were working the ball around for a potential game-winning shot. Assumption forced the extra session after being down by as many as 16 points in the second half, as after whittling that deficit down to a bucket at 61-59, with 5:05 remaining on a lay-in by junior Corey Diethorn (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the Greyhounds saw Stonehill regain a seven-point cushion (66-59) a minute later on a three-pointer by sophomore Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va.). The hosts maintained a six-point lead (70-64) with 1:44 to play in regulation before Assumption scored the final six points to force the extra session, as a pair of jumpers by sophomore Patrick Shea (Salem, Mass.), the last coming with 15 seconds remaining, sent the contest into overtime after the Skyhawks had a pair of chances to win in the closing four seconds of regulation.
Assumption took a 74-70 lead on the first two possessions of the extra session, but Stonehill rallied to take a 79-78 lead with 1:41 to play on a three-pointer by sophomore Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.). The Greyhounds responded with three free throws from Shea and junior Greg Twomey (Groton, Mass.) to regain the lead, but a pair of Smith free throws evened matters once again for the Skyhawks at 81, setting the stage for Toun's and Clarke's heroics in the closing seconds for the hosts.
Six players reached double figures in the triumph for Stonehill, as freshman AJ Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.) led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds. Scanlon came off the bench to net a career-high 14 points for the Skyhawks, who also received 13 points and six boards from Smith as well as 12 points from Clarke. Sophomore Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the winners, who also received 10 points from freshman Nikola Stevanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) as Stonehill shot 47 percent from the field and connected for eight three-pointers in sweeping the regular season series between the two schools.
Twomey tied his career-high with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds in the setback for Assumption, which also received 15 points from junior Leroy Byron (Worcester, Mass.) and a double-double effort of 10 points and 10 rebounds from Shea. Freshman Courtland Bluford (Fort Washington, Md.) added nine points for the Greyhounds, while Diethorn chipped in with eight points and eight boards for the visitors, who shot 37 percent from the field and held a 46-38 rebounding edge on the day.
Stonehill heads to Manchester, N.H. on Tuesday evening to take on Saint Anselm in the Northeast-10 regular season finale for both teams that tips-off at 7:30 p.m. EST, as the Skyhawks and Hawks are tied for seventh place in the league standings heading into the contest. Assumption closes out its regular season slate on Tuesday evening by entertaining second-ranked Bentley in a Northeast-10 match-up in Worcester, Mass. that also begins at 7:30 p.m.