BOSTON, Mass. – Senior guard Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half to lead four double figure scorers as Anna Maria won its sixth straight game with a 74-68 win over Wentworth in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at Tansey Gym.
Wentworth came out firing, taking an early 7-0 lead, thanks in part to junior guard Adam Dombrowski's (Dunstable, Mass.) five points. However, eight straight AMCAT points gave the visitors an 8-7 lead with 16:44 remaining in the half.
After the teams traded leads four times, Anna Maria led by as many as four on two occasions, including when De La Hoz drained a three with 10:20 to play, giving the AMCATS a 22-18 lead. The Leopards battled back and eventually led by a pair twice, including when sophomore forward Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine) hit a baseline jumper with 2:58 to play.
The AMCATS led by three, 35-32, on a senior guard Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.) trifecta with 36 ticks left, but junior guard Eric Prue (Auburn, Maine) drained a three from the left side just before time expired to knot the score at 35-all. Over the first 20 minutes, both teams shot well, with Anna Maria connecting on 51.7 percent of its shots and Wentworth on half of its shots. The Leopards were also 7-for-12 from behind the arc.
De La Hoz buried back-to-back threes to open the second half and give the visitors a six-point cushion. However, Wentworth responded with a 10-0 run to take a 45-41 lead with 14:55 remaining on a freshman forward Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) basket. During the run Mayo had six of the Leopards' 10 points. A three-point play converted by senior forward Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) cut the lead to one and a basket by sophomore guard Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) put Anna Maria on top, 46-45.
Senior guard Keenan Burke-Pitts (Auburn, Mass.) gave Wentworth the lead again, but on the next possession, Pinsonault hit a three pointer to put the AMCATS back on top by two. After the teams traded baskets on their next three possessions, the score was tied at 51-all with 8:55 to play. Anna Maria got seven straight points – including five from sophomore guard Javier Bristol (Haverhill, Mass.) – to take a 58-51 lead with 6:45 remaining.
The lead grew to as many as 11 with just over four minutes to play before Wentworth was able to trim the margin to five on a Mayo jumper. However, the AMCATS hit eight free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
Pinsonault added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four steals, while Click had 12 points and six assists. Bristol finished with 11 off the bench in a winning effort.
Therriault led four Wentworth scorers in double figures with 17 points, while senior forward Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also had four assists. Dombrowski (11) and Mayo (10) rounded out Wentworth's scoring leaders.
With the win the AMCATS improve to 14-7 (8-1 TCCC) and host Roger Williams on Tuesday. Wentworth sees its three-game win streak come to an end, falling to 11-9 (6-3). The Leopards travel to Nichols on Tuesday.
