Wheelock Nips Men’s Basketball In OT, 87-82

Box Score

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Elms College senior point guard Juan Maldonado (Holyoke, Mass.) netted a team-high 17 points, but four free throws over the final 47 seconds of overtime helped lift Wheelock College to a thrilling 87-82 victory over the Blazers in Saturday afternoon’s New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men’s basketball game in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

With the loss, Elms falls to 13-6 on the season, 6-2 in NECC action, while Wheelock moves to 12-6 overall, 5-3 in league play.

Trailing 71-64with 5:05 to play in regulation, Maldonado drained a three-pointer and junior forward Edgar Martinez (Springfield, Mass.) added a layup to pull to within two at 71-69 with 3:40 left in the contest. Wheelock’s Victor Kashouh (Providence, R.I.) converted a layup to put Wheelock back up four, before freshman guard Andre French (Torrington, Conn.) struck from beyond the arc to cut the lead to one at 73-72 with 3:23 remaining. Maldonado then swished another trey to give the Blazers a two-point edge (75-73) with 2:15 left in the contest before Sherard Robbins (Malden, Mass.) evened the game with a basket down low at the 1:00 mark. Both teams misfired on their next possessions, sending the contest to an extra frame.

After the Wildcats’ Dan Main (Hopedale, Mass.) connected on a three-pointer, French hit on a pair of free throws and senior forward Antoine Holder (Hartford, Conn.) added a layup to put the Blazers up 79-78 with 3:20 to go in the extra stanza.

Wheelock’s Kyle Pierce (Burlington, Mass.) drained a jumper and made the free throw following an Elms foul, before Blazers’ sophomore guard Bryant Corcoran (Wolcott, Conn.) hit the front-end of two free throws, sending the score to 81-80.

A pair from the charity stripe by Robbins gave the Wildcats a three-point lead (83-80) with 1:13 to go, before Corcoran delivered a layup to bring Elms back to within one. From there, Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) netted a pair of free throws, while Pierce and Eric Rice (Woburn, Mass.) added one apiece to seal the five-point victory.

The sides played to six ties in the opening 20 minutes, with neither team gaining more than a five-point advantage.

Leading 38-33 at intermission, the Blazers scored 13 of the first 18 points of the second  period to build a 13-point cushion of 51-38 at the 15:21 mark. Senior forward Javon Mathis (East Hartford, Conn.)  hit the first three shots for Elms during the stretch, Maldonado dropped in a three-pointer, Holder nailed a free throw and senior forward Austin Sylvia (Seekonk, Mass.) hit a jumper and added a free throw to highlight the run.

The Wildcats responded with 15 unanswered points and didn’t relinquish the lead until Maldonado hit a trey with 2:15 left in regulation.

Mathis finished with 12 points, while Martinez and French added 11 and 10 respectively. Corcoran contributed eight points in the losing effort, while Holder and Martinez led the squad in rebounding with seven boards each.

Robbins finished with a game-high 29 points and a game-best 15 rebounds to lead the Wildcats in the victory. Kaim netted 18, while Pierce and Rice added 10 points each.

Robbins swatted three shots, while Kaim and Rice handed out five assists each.

Wheelock held Elms to just 36.5-percent shooting from the field and 48.3-percent from the stripe.

Elms returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 2 when it hosts Southern Vermont College. The NECC contest is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Picknelly Arena.