No. 2 Men's Basketball Advances To NCAA Regional Final With 75-61 Win Over Assumption
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (March 15, 2009) – C.W. Post capped off a 9-0 run in the final minutes of play to secure a win over Assumption College, 75-61, in the semifinal round of the NCAA men's basketball regional Sunday evening at the Pratt Recreation Center. The Pioneers remain spotless with a 29-0 record and will face Bentley University Tuesday evening for the right to advance to the Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass.
Bentley earlier defeated Merrimack College, 79-76, in double overtime. Assumption ends its season with a 23-10 overall record.
The Pioneers previously advanced to the regional final in 2003 before losing to host University of Massachusetts Lowell, 69-59.
Senior guard
Nick Carter (Huntington Station, N.Y.) led all scorers with 21 points, including four trifectas while senior guard
Jonathan Schmidt (Centereach, N.Y.) added 20 points. Senior guard
Kevin Spann (West Babylon, N.Y.) added 11 for the Pioneers.
The game saw eight lead changes in the first half as both teams clawed for a lead. The Pioneers opened the game with a free throw from senior guard
Kenny Burkes (Suitland, Md.) followed by a layup from Schmidt. The Greyhounds answered when junior forward Savoy Fraine (Granada Hills, Calif.) swished a basket from behind the line to give the game its first tie.
Assumption grabbed its first lead of the game when Fraine landed another three-pointer at 12:35 to lead 11-9. C.W. Post immediately grabbed the lead back when Spann swished a rainmaker at 12:19.
The teams battled it out for the remainder of the half. C.W. Post closed out the half on a 5-0 spurt to cushion its lead to eight (38-30). Fraine led all scorers with 11 points. Assumption committed 19 turnovers in the first half and allowed C.W. Post to score 16 points off the miscues.
Both teams had shooting struggles in the second half. C.W. Post shot 9 of 31 from field goal range compared to Assumption, who was 12 of 32.
C.W. Post held a slim lead through the first 12 minutes and briefly relinquished it when senior forward Patrick Shea (Salem, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer at 11:09. Junior forward
James Tchana (Douala, Cameroon) tied the game with a jumper at 10:57 before Schmidt meshed a trey at 10:21 to give the Pioneers the final lead of the game (56-53).
Assumption came within one point (58-57) after another three-pointer from Shea at 8:06 but the Greyhounds could not make up enough ground to overcome C.W. Post.
Shea was the high scorer for the Greyhounds with 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds and added four assists. Junior guard Cortland Bluford (Fort Washington, Md.) added 12 with six rebounds.
C.W. Post completed the game shooting .375 (24 of 64) and went 17-for-20 at the charity stripe. Assumption shot 24 of 54 (.444) in the game and outrebounded the Pioneers by a 39-34 margin.