WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – SUNY New Paltz scored the first 13 points of the second half to turn a potential rout by Middlebury College into a tight game, pulling to within two points with five minutes left before the Panthers finally emerged with a 77-61 verdict in the opening round of the Eastern Connecticut State University Holiday Invitational Thursday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
A winner of four straight, Middlebury (9-1) will face host Eastern Connecticut State University (4-7) in Friday's championship game at 2 p.m. after ending New Paltz' (7-3) six-game winning streak. A winner of its last two (at home) after snapping a five-game losing streak, Eastern forced 23 turnovers and got double digits from five players in a balanced attack, taking the lead for good midway through the first half in a 73-61 decision over New Jersey City University (6-5).
In Friday's noon third-place game, New Paltz meets New Jersey City.
Eastern Conn. 73, New Jersey City U. 61
Eastern senior forward Rakesh Tibby (East Hartford) came off the bench to help the Warriors with his third career-double-double and a career-high 12 rebounds in a first-ever match up against NJCU.
Eastern, now 4-2 at home, started the game off slowly before finding its rhythm ten minutes into the game and never trailing the rest of the way. Fifth-year senior guard Hunter Baillargeon (Norwich), a first-year transfer from Mitchell College, had a breakout performance in 22 minutes off the bench with six points on two three-point field goals.
Baillargeon, who helped offset the loss of senior guard Max Lee (Norwich) – who missed the game with illness -- got the Warriors going with a three-pointer five minutes into the game to tie it up and help stop the bleeding of an early 6-1 run by the Knights. Baillargeon then knocked down another three pointer seven minutes into the game off a feed from senior guard Jalen Williams (Simsbury), giving Eastern its first lead and the lead for good, 11-8.
It was the second game this season where five players reached ten points or more. In addition to Tibby's performance off the bench – which included ten points, four assists, four blocks and three steals along with his 12 rebounds in 32 minutes -- Williams led both teams with 15 points and added four rebounds and three assists, first-year guard Dominick Dao (Terryville) 13 points, senior guard Tyreice Woods (Hartford) 11 points, four assists and three steals, and senior forward Quinton Lott (Bridgeport) ten points.
Avante Gilbert and Ryan Savoy (6-of-9 FG) led the Gothic Knights with 12 points each, with Yvens Monfleury matching Tibby with 12 rebounds. Savoy also blocked four shots.
Middlebury College 77, SUNY New Paltz 61
Trailing by as many as 22 points in the first half and by two at the break, New Paltz opened the second half by scoring the first 13 points to pull to within seven 49-42, five minutes into the half. While Middlebury was missing seven field goal attempts and two free throws and turning the ball over three times in those first five minutes, New Paltz got a combined 11 points from Jonah Bevacqua and Isaiah Bien-Aise to slice the deficit to 49-42.
The Panthers built the lead back to nine before the Hawks again surged, with Rylan Blondo's three-point field goal making it a two-point game, 61-59, with just over five minutes remaining. At that point, however, Middlebury outscored the Hawks, 16-2 the rest of the way, New Paltz missed six of its final seven shots and turning the ball over four times over the final five minutes.
Ultimately, the inside play Alex Sobel, who fell just two assists of a triple-double, took its toll on New Paltz, the six-foot-eight inch senior sparking a run oof eight straight Middlebury points over three minutes that allowed it to shake free. Sobel, who had 12 points, ten rebounds and two blocks in the second half, scored the first six points of that eight-point run, scoring four points off his own offensive rebounds and two more off his own steal.
Sobel was 8-of-11 from the floor en route to 16 points. He also led all players with 14 rebounds, eight assists, and four blocks and also added two steals. Sam Stevens led four Middlebury double-digit scorers with 19 points, Noah Osher adding 15 points and Evan Flaks 13 points off the bench. David Brennan helped the Panthers to a +14 advantage on the boards with ten rebounds.
Blondo, a six-foot junior guard, matched Stevens of Middlebury with 19 points, Bevacqua adding 11 points, Bien-Aise ten and Tyreik Frazier ten points and five rebounds off the bench. Sean St. Lucia had nine points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals for the Hawks.
As a team, New Paltz turned the ball over only 11 times but the Panthers made it pay by scoring 19 points off those miscues.
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