NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Result
Friday, November 16, 2007
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Chanze Wellington |
Saint Michael's Tops Mercy College in Men's Basketball Opener, 82-70
COLCHESTER, VT - Senior guard Chanze Wellington (Spring Valley, NY) scored 22 points to lead four Mavericks in double-digits, but the Mercy College men's basketball team fell 82-70 to host Saint Michael's in the season opener at the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs Classic on Friday.
Wellington added eight rebounds and five assists, while junior Michael Marin (Flushing, NY) chipped in 20 points and six boards. Freshman Jimmy Gunville (Raynham, MA) netted 12 points and senior Keiron Guy (Brooklyn, NY) added 10 points and eight rebounds. Mercy committed just five turnovers in the contest, but was held to 37 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 47-30.
Saint Michael's built an early 10-3 lead before baskets by freshman guard Ed Wilson (Bronx, NY) and Guy cut the deficit to three. The Purple Knights stretched the margin to as many as 12 in the first half at 31-19, but the Mavericks went on an 11-4 run, pulling the score to 35-30 with 3:42 left in the half. Wellington scored eight points in the spurt, hitting a pair of three-pointers, and Marin hit another three, but Mercy would go into the break trailing 39-32.
The Mavericks opened the second frame with another 8-2 spurt, cutting the deficit to just one at 41-40. The Purple Knights responded though with a 24-8 outburst that gave them their biggest lead of the contest at 65-48 with 9:13 to go. Mercy chipped away one more time and pulled within six at 74-68 on a Gunville three-pointer with 1:13 left, but Saint Michael's put the game away by going 8-for-10 at the free throw line down the stretch.
Wellington hit on 8-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Gunville went 4-for-7 from the field, knocking down 3-of-5 three-point attempts in his collegiate debut, and Marin added a pair from long distance.
Senior Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, NY) led six Purple Knights in double figures with a game-high 27 points and 19 rebounds, going 12-of-18 from the field. Sophomore Ryan Rodrigues (Acushnet, MA) recorded 12 points and seven rebounds, and senior James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, RI) added 11 points.
Mercy will meet Franklin Pierce on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for day two of the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs Classic.
