PAXTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria College men's basketball team overcame a nine-point deficit with under eight minutes remaining in the second half to defeat Salve Regina University by a score of 77-74 at The Fuller Activities Center on Saturday evening. The contest marked the conference opener for both clubs and was the fourth-straight win for the AMCATS. Anna Maria is now 7-6 overall and improves to 1-0 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference, while the Seahawks drop to 6-6 on the year and 0-1 in TCCC-play.
Senior Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) had a huge game for the AMCATS, particularly in the first half, racking up 14 points and eight rebounds (five offensive) in the opening period. He finished the game with a double-double, contributing a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) was a key component to the second half comeback, and finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.) added 14 points and a game-high three blocks in the win.
The Seahawks were led by freshman Isiah Pringle (Queens, N.Y.) who led all players in scoring with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor including four treys. Senior Ryan Birrell (Hope, R.I.) also played well, finishing with 13 points and a game-high eight assists, while freshman Patrick Dinneen (Medfield, Mass.) contributed 14 points in the loss.
The first half was a closely contested back-and-forth battle that saw seven ties and seven lead changes. The score was knotted at 12 with under 12 minutes remaining in the period, when the Seahawks went on a 6-0 run, including two fast break layups by Pringle, to take an 18-12 advantage.
The lead didn't last long, as Johnson scored 10 of the AMCATS' 13 points over a four-minute run to give AMC a five-point advantage with 3:49 left in the half.
After the Seahawks responded with an 11-3 run to regain the lead, AMC's Chris Pinsonault hit a three to send the two teams into the locker room tied at 39-all.
The Seahawks stormed out of the break to open the second half on a 12-2 run, building a 10-point lead over the opening six minutes.
The Salve Regina lead swelled to as many as 11, and with less than eight minutes remaining in the game, the Seahawks still held a nine-point advantage.
The AMCATS then stormed back to tie the score with a 9-0 run covering just two and half minutes. Sophomore Rafael Candelario (Lawrence, Mass.) dished-out two assists and hit two free throws during the run, while freshman Joseph Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) knocked down a key three-pointer for the AMCATS.
Pringle answered back for the Seahawks, draining threes on back-to-back possessions to put SRU back up by six.
However, the AMCATS kept coming and trailed by just three with a little over one minute remaining when junior Brad Peterson (N. Kingstown, R.I.) stole the ball and helped set up senior Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) for a game-tying three.
After making a stop at the other end, the AMCATS regained possession with a chance to take their first lead since the opening half. Anthony Click answered the call, slicing through the Salve defense and finishing with a left-handed layup to give AMC a 76-74 lead with just 23 ticks left on the clock.
After a foul shot by AMC freshman Javier Bristol (Haverhill, Mass.) put the AMCATS ahead by three, the Seahawks had one last chance. Salve got the ball to the hot hand, but Pringle's three-point attempt was off the mark, sealing the dramatic 76-73 come-from-behind victory for the AMCATS.
Both teams return to conference action on Tuesday at 8:00 pm, with the Seahawks hosting Regis College, and the AMCATS hitting the road to battle Gordon.