BOSTON, Mass. – Senior guard Adam Dombrowski (Dunstable, mass.) scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and overtime – including sending the game to an extra session with two free throws with 18.7 seconds left in regulation – as the second-seeded Wentworth men's basketball team held off upset minded and seventh-seeded Gordon, 74-67, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinal game.
Leading 4-2 in the early stages the Leopards used an 11-2 run to take a 15-4 lead on a 3-pointer from senior guard Eric Prue (Auburn, Maine). The Fighting Scots scored the next six points to trim the lead to 15-10 with 10:15 left, but a 3-pointer from junior guard Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine) and a Dombrowski free throw gave the Leopards a 19-10 lead.
Gordon answered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 19-17 with 5:51 to play, thanks in part to six points from junior forward David Dempsey (Wallingford, Conn.). Back-to-back baskets from sophomore forward Davon Daniels (Paterson, N.J.) and junior guard Colin Johnson (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) gave Wentworth a 23-17 lead and the Leopards would lead, 26-20, at the break.
The Fighting Scots came out of the break scoring six straight points as Dempsey tied the game at 26-all 1:31 into the second half. The teams traded baskets four times with the last coming when Dempsey converted a conventional 3-point play, giving Gordon a 31-30 lead. With the score tied at 35, Gordon used a basket by freshman guard Cooper Meyer (Manito, Ill.) and a jumper from Dempsey to build a 39-35 lead with 11:49 left.
An 11-4 Wentworth run , capped off by a layup from freshman forward John-Michael Fragnoli (Scotia, N.Y.) gave the Leopards a 46-43 lead with 8:46 left and Wentworth would eventually lead by four on a pair of occasions, including when Dombrowski hit two free throws with 4:32 left. Two free throws from sophomore guard Park Thomas (Scotsdale, Ariz.) and a layup from sophomore guard Alex Carnes (Phoenix, Ariz.) tie the game with 3:13 left, and, after sophomore guard Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) hit one of two free throws to give Wentworth a one-point lead, Meyer drained a 3-pointer to put the Scots ahead, 58-56.
Dombrowski would hit both ends of a one-and-one situation to knot the score at 58-all and Gordon called a time out with 11.1 seconds left to set up a play. On the drive to the basket, the ball was stripped by Mayo and freshman guard Nico Donato's (Glastonbury, Conn.) just missed a shot as time expired.
Therriault opened overtime by hitting a 3-pointer which was followed by a Carnes layup. Fragnoli countered with a layup of his own but Meyer hit one from behind the arc to tie the game at 63-all. Dombrowski hit one of two free throws with 1:57 left, and, after a turnover, Mayo put the hosts up by four with 1:11 left. Gordon turned the ball over on its next possession and Wentworth would hit seven of eight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
In addition to Dombrowski, three other Leopards scored in double figures as Therriault had 15 points to go along with three assists and four steals, Fragnoli added 12 points and six rebounds, and Mayo had 11 points, four assists, and four steals.
Dempsey led all scorers with 33 points, connecting on 13 of 18 shots from the floor. Meyer added 12 in the loss.
With the win Wentworth (17-9) advances – for the third straight season – to the CCC semifinals where the Leopards will host third-seeded Endicott Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Gordon sees its season come to a close with a 9-17 record.
