Vetrano runner with eight-seconds
left lifts Hawks to quarterfinal battle with top-seeded Bentley on
Monday
RINDGE, N.H. (February 24,
2007) - Ninth-seeded Saint Anselm College edged
eighth-seeded Franklin Pierce, 66-65, in first round action of the
2007 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball championships,
presented by Anaconda Sports, at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.
Saint Anselm (15-13, 10-12 NE-10)
advances to face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Bentley College, in
Waltham, Mass., for a quarterfinal round match up on Monday at 7
p.m. Franklin Pierce sees its season come to a close at 13-14
overall (11-11 NE-10).
Junior Chris Vetrano
(Andover, Mass./Andover), a transfer from Division I New
Hampshire, led Saint Anselm with a game-high 19 points (13 second
half) and his runner with eight-seconds to play proved to be the
game-winning basket. Franklin Pierce senior Darryl
Minnifield (Boston, Mass./Brookline) had a shot at the end
for his fifth game-winning basket of the year and second in two
weeks against the Hawks, but his attempt from just inside the
three-point arc was just off the
mark.
Vetrano hit 7-of-15 shots from the
field, including 5-9 from three-point range, and added three
assists and two rebounds. Freshman Giovanni Carenza (East
Hanover, N.J./St. Anthony's) added 12 points, six
rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 20 minutes before
fouling out late in regulation. Junior Mitchell (Brooklyn,
N.Y./Xavarian) totaled 11 points, five rebounds and three
blocked shots, while sophomore Matt Mulcahy (Brookfield,
Wis./Marquette University HS) grabbed a game-high 13
rebounds (seven offensive) to go with eight points and two blocks.
Saint Anselm shot 47.2-percent
(25-for-53) from the field, including 55% (11-20) in the first
half, and connected on 6-of-19 (31.6%) three-point attempts.
Franklin Pierce shot 37.7% (26-69) on the day, including 30.8%
(12-39) in the first half, and hit 35% (7-20) if its three-point
attempts. The Hawks out-rebounded the Ravens 42-37 and posted a
20-12 advantage on second-chance points (18-10 in the second half).
Senior Nazim Senaldi
(Istanbul, Turkey) led Franklin Pierce with 18 points (one
shy of his career-best) in his final collegiate contest as he hit
8-of-16 shots from the field, including 2-3 three-pointers, in 25
minutes off the bench. He also totaled four rebounds and two
assists. Classmate Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton
Academy) capped his collegiate career with his fifth
double-double of the season (seventh career), adding 12 points, ten
rebounds (seven offensive) and two assists. Sophomore
Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep)
finished with ten points, three rebounds and three steals, while
Minnifield capped his career with eight points, eight rebounds and
four
steals.
Despite shooting just 30.8%
(12-for-39) from the field, Franklin Pierce took a two-point lead
into the locker room (31-29) after trailing by as much as eight
(18-10) at the 11:55-mark of the opening half and not scoring over
the opening 4:25 of the contest. In fact, a six-minute Saint Anselm
drought helped the Ravens turn that eight-point deficit into a
three-point lead (21-18) after a Minnifield layup, sparking an 18-5
run overall that put the hosts up five (28-23) after a Munch three
with 2:57 left in the half.
Saint Anselm opened the second half
with nine-straight points, capped by a Vetrano three, to regain its
seven-point lead (38-31) 3:11 in. A 10-1 Franklin Pierce run put
the Ravens back in front (43-41) after a Craig Shepherd
(Grantham, N.H./Trinity) three with 13:29 to play.
The Ravens answered a Vetrano three
with 9:40 left with a Mayo put back and Marcus Wellman
(Monroe, Conn./Hamden Hall) three to match their largest
lead of the contest (56-51) with 8:52 left. The Hawks rallied with
a 9-2 spurt to take the lead back (60-58) on a Vetrano three after
collecting three offensive boards (two by Mulcahy) with 6:31 to
play.
Munch drained a three to put
Franklin Pierce back up (63-62) with 3:39 left, but that would
prove to be the Ravens final field goal of the contest. Carenza
scored a layup for Saint Anselm with 2:13 to go, but the Ravens
answered with two Minnifield free-throws (65-64) with just under a
minute to play.
Carenza turned the ball over with
46-seconds left and sophomore Jack Barrett (Reading,
Mass./Andover) went to the line with 34-seconds remaining.
Barrett missed the front end of the one-and-one and Vetrano missed
a three-pointer with 14-seconds, but Franklin Pierce could not
control the rebound, giving the Hawks another chance. Vetrano drove
the lane this time and his runner from the right side fell through
with eight-seconds left to send the two-time defending NE-10
Tournament champs into the quarterfinal round.
BOXSCORE
