MOUNT IDA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Athletic Center, Newton, Mass.
FINAL: MOUNT IDA 83, ANNA MARIA 74
NEWTON, Mass. -- Senior John Oliver (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored 15 points to lead five players in double figures as Mount Ida held off a late charge in the closing minutes to notch an 83-74 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Anna Maria Thursday evening at the Athletic Center.
The host Mustangs (8-5, 2-2 GNAC) broke open a two-point game with a 17-3 run over a 7:26 stretch in the first half to take a 25-9 lead on a lay-in by senior Errald Jordine (Stamford, Conn.), and Mount Ida extended that margin to as much as 21 points before settling for a 41-23 advantage at the break. The Mustangs scored 13 of the first 18 points after intermission to grab a 54-28 edge on a pair of free throws by senior Jayson Clark (Austin, Tex.) with 16:36 remaining in the contest, and the hosts maintained a 20-point lead with 6:27 to play before the visiting Amcats (3-10-, 0-4 GNAC) used a 17-2 run of their own in less than four minutes to close back to within five (75-70) on a lay-in by junior Sidney Limage (Randolph, Mass.). Anna Maria whittled its deficit to three (77-74) on a pair of free throw conversions from sophomore Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass.) with 1:14 remaining, but that was as close as the visitors would come, as a lay-in by senior Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) was followed by free throws from Clark and senior Kevin Conner (Mansfield, Mass.) that iced Mount Ida's triumph.
Conner finished with 12 points in the win for the Mustangs, who received 11 points, seven steals, four rebounds and four assists from Clark along with 11 points, five assists and pair of steals from DeFillippi. Sophomore Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) rounded out the quintet of double figure scorers with 10 points for Mount Ida, which received seven points and six rebounds from Jordine as well as seven points and three caroms from junior Dennis Ross (Portland, Maine). The trio of senior Jacob Sartain (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and freshmen Jonathan Friberg (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) combined for 10 points and nine rebounds for the winners, who shot 42 percent (27-64) from the field overall and connected for seven three-pointers on the night. The Mustangs converted 20 Anna Maria turnovers into 22 points and received nearly half of their final point total (39) in bench scoring for the contest.
Rapoza led all scorers with a double-double effort of 29 points, 22 rebounds and three blocks in 38 minutes of action in the setback for the Amcats, who received 14 points and six boards from Limage along with 12 points off the bench from senior Liam Pickett (Oxford, Mass.). Senior Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn.) and junior Joseph Kwiatkowski (Hudson, N.H.) combined for 10 points and six boards for Anna Maria, which shot 39 percent (28-72) overall but made just three of 22 attempts for behind the arc on the evening. The visitors held a 56-33 rebounding advantage overall and converted 24 offensive boards into 16 second chance points.
Mount Ida hosts Norwich in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference outing on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Center that tips-off at 3:00 p.m., while Anna Maria hosts Rivier in a GNAC clash on Tuesday evening in Paxton, Mass. beginning at 5:30 p.m.