MOUNT IDA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Athletic Center, Newton, Mass.
FINAL: SUFFOLK 87, MOUNT IDA 84 (OVERTIME)
NEWTON, Mass. -- Sophomore Thomas Duffy (Fairfield, Conn.) scored 21 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:20 remaining in overtime, to lift Suffolk to an 87-84 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Mount Ida Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Center.
A game that featured 14 lead changes and 13 ties saw the visiting Rams (14-11, 9-7 GNAC) jump out to an early four-point advantage before the host Mustangs (10-15, 4-12 GNAC) grabbed a 40-38 edge at the break on a lay-in by senior Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) in the final second of the first half. Suffolk broke a 48-48 tie with a 16-6 run over a 5:14 stretch shortly after intermission to take a 64-54 lead on a lay-in by sophomore George Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) with 11:23 to play in regulation, but Mount Ida stormed back to take a 71-70 cushion with just under five minutes remaining when senior Jayson Clark's (Austin, Tex.) jumper capped a 17-6 run.
The two teams traded the lead on three ensuing possessions before a free throw from sophomore Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) gave the Mustangs a 77-76 edge with 59 seconds to play, but Duffy converted a free throw to even matters just nine seconds later. Two Mount Ida turnovers sandwiched a Suffolk missed jumper to close out regulation, and neither squad connected on their first seven combined possessions of the extra session before Duffy's go-ahead trey with 80 seconds remaining. Clark's free throw cut the Mustang deficit to two, but the Rams extended their lead to five (84-79) on a pair of Duffy free throws with 18 seconds to play. A Vanderhorst lay-in made in a one possession deficit for the hosts, and after junior Jim Djema's (Greenwich, Conn.) free throw with 12 seconds to go gave Suffolk a four-point lead, senior John Oliver's (North Babylon, N.Y.) three-pointer with five seconds left made it a one-point game (85-84). Junior Michael Hagopian (Watertown, Mass.) accounted for the final margin for the visitors with a pair of free throws that came with three seconds remaining, as DeFillippi's game-tying attempt from half court hit the back of the rim as time expired.
Duffy added six rebounds and three assists to go with his game-high scoring total in the win for the Rams, who received 17 points, eight assists and four boards from Djema. Grillakis collected 15 points, five assists, five steals and four caroms for Suffolk, which received 13 points from Hagopian to go with 10 points, eight rebounds, and two steals from junior Kevin Querusio (Millis, Mass.). Freshman Brendan Mulson (Albany, N.Y.) added seven points for the visitors, who shot 52 percent (32-62) from the field overall and connected for nine three-pointers, as the Rams recorded 21 assists and scored 15 points off 16 turnovers to complete a season-sweep between the two squads.
Vanderhorst notched a double-double effort of 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in the setback for Mount Ida, which received 14 points and five assists from Clark to go with 13 points from Oliver. DeFillippi added 12 points and a pair of assists for the Mustangs, who received 10 points and seven boards from freshman Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.). Senior Errald Jordine (Stamford, Conn.) scored nine points for the hosts, who received seven points and seven rebounds from fellow senior Jacob Sartain (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Mount Ida shot 42 percent (32-76) from the field and canned seven treys for the contest, as the Mustangs held a 49-32 rebounding advantage that included a 17-1 edge on the offensive glass alone.
Suffolk is seeded sixth in the 2018 Great Northeast Athletic Conference championships and will travel to Standish, Maine on Tuesday evening to take on third-seeded Saint Joseph's (Maine) in a tournament quarterfinal round match-up that tips-off at 7:30 p.m. Today's game marked the season finale for Mount Ida.