Pine Manor Edges Men's Basketball in Double Overtime

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team battled host Pine Manor College in a 127-124 double overtime loss in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Round at the Pine Manor Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Blazers wrap the season with a 14-13 mark, while the Gators improve to 16-10.

Knotted at 6-6 after the opening minutes of play, Pine Manor jumped to a 17-8 lead at the 13:23 mark behind seven straight point from freshman Rasheed Bell (Boston, Mass.). The Gators outscored the Blazers over the next five-plus minutes with an 11-9 run capped by a layup from sophomore Curtis Hyman (New Britain, Conn.). The Blazers trimmed the deficit to single digits, fueled by 10 points from junior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) to make it a 38-31 game with 2:31 remaining in the half. Bell netted 10 points down the stretch to give Pine Manor a 50-40 lead at the intermission.

The Blazers regrouped and opened the second half on a 12-4 run, powered by seven points from senior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.), to cut the Gators advantage to 54-52 with 17:34 remaining. Pine Manor maintained a 68-60 lead behind five-point efforts from Bell and sophomore Taverick Roberson (Pittsfield, Mass.). Back-to-back three-point plays from Buchanon capped a 22-14 run by Elms over the next six minutes of play to knot the game at 82-82 with 6:02 on the clock. The Blazers took their in 20 minutes of play on a layup from junior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.), and Elms pushed their lead to 93-86 with 2:25 to play. With Elms up 95-88 with 1:55 to go, the Gators used a 6-0 run to make it a one-point game, 95-94. Smith made one of two free throws, and then Roberson converted a layup on Pine Manor's final possession to force overtime knotted at 96-96.

Tied at 98-98, the Gators orchestrated a 9-2 run to take a 107-100 advantage with 1:50 left in the bonus period. The Blazers came back as Smith and Buchanon scored three points apiece to cut the Gators lead to 109-108. Pine Manor freshman Erick Rosario (Lynn, Mass.) only made one of two free throws when the Blazers were forced to foul. On Elms' ensuing possession, Bish drew a foul and knocked down a pair of free throws to send the contest to a second overtime tied at 110-110.

The squads traded the lead for the first three minutes of the second overtime, getting to a 120-120 score with 1:43 on the clock. The Gators grabbed a 125-120 lead on a bucket from Rosario and a three-point play from Roberson, as the Blazers came up empty a pair of three-point attempts. Free throws from Smith cut it to a 125-122 game, followed by a forced turnover by Elms, but the Blazers were off the mark on consecutive three-point attempts as the Gators captures the 127-124 win.

The Blazers had four scorers in double figures, led by a game-high 39 points from Buchanon, who added five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Smith registered career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (9), while Ihearahu logged his tenth double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 17 rebounds and five blocks. Bish netted a career-high 20 points off the bench in the loss.

Bell and Roberson powered the Gators with 34 points apiece. Roberson added six assists, while Bell notched a double-double with 12 rebounds. Rosario recorded 20 points, six assists, six steals and four rebounds, while freshman Ellis Reid (Hartford, Conn.) posted a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points, along with a game-high six blocks.

The Blazers edged the Gators in rebounding, 54-53, during the contest. Elms connected on 41.6% (42-of-101) from the field, including 23.3% (7-of-30) from three-point range, and 89.2% (33-of-37) from the free throw stripe. Pine Manor shot 54.7% (47-of-86) from the floor, 31.8% (7-of-22) from three-point, and 70.3% (26-of-37) from the foul line.

Pine Manor advances to ECAC Semifinals to face top-seed Nichols College at Colby-Sawyer College Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Blazers concluded play for the season.

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