Trinity Takes Middlebury in Men's Basketball Semifinals, 72-63
Courtesy Amherst Sports Information
AMHERST, Mass. - Trinity advanced to the final game of the 2008 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship with a 72-63 victory over third-seeded Middlebury. The Bantams will face fourth-seeded Bowdoin, a 65-64 winner over top seed and host Amherst in the first semifinal of the day, in Sunday's championship match, as both team will vie for their first NESCAC Men's Basketball crown.
After seven and a half minutes of play, Trinity opened up an 18-11 advantage, capped by a three pointer from senior guard Patrick Hasiuk (Enfield, Cconn.). Middlebury battled right back with a lay-up by junior guard Kyle Dudley (Scarsdale, N.Y.).
Despite tough play by Middlebury, the Bantams opened up a 27-18 lead by the seven minute mark of the first half. The Panthers pushed hard in the final minutes half, riding 10 points in the frame from senior guard Andrew Harris (Waterbury Center, Vt.).
Middlebury was unable to close the gap to less than a nine-point deficit, as the Bantams took a 39-30 lead into the locker room at the break. Trinity was paced by 12 points and 4 boards from senior Robert Taylor III (Boston, Mass.), and nine points from Hasiuk.
The Panthers started the half with an increase in defensive intensity, and forced a turnover and two straight jump-balls to hold Trinity without a shot on consecutive possessions. While Middlebury was playing lock-down defense, neither team could score, and after nearly five minutes of play, only a combined four points had been put up on the board.
With just under 14 minutes to play, Harris drained a three from the right corner to bring Middlebury within six points at 43-37. By the midpoint of the second stanza, Middlebury had closed the gap to within four points at 47-43.
At the 6:18 mark, with Middlebury trailing by three, Harris completed a rarely seen four-point play on a triple deep from the near corner. The free throw put the Panthers up 52-51, which marked the first lead of the game for Middlebury.
Hasiuk put the Bantams back up 57-56 at the four minute mark on a pull-up three from the top of the key. After a lay-up by Middlebury’s Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Hasiuk scored five straight points to put the Bantams back up 64-60.
After consecutive possessions on which Middlebury failed to score, Trinity hit four straight free throws to take a 68-60 lead with 1:06 to play. With 30.8 seconds remaining, Trinity’s Russ Martin (East Longmeadow, Mass.) pulled down a rebound and hit a pair of foul shots to seal the win.
