Men's Basketball Earns Third Straight ECAC Berth

BOSTON, Mass. – For the third season in a row and fourth time in the program's history, the Wentworth men's basketball team has earned a berth in the ECAC Division III New England Men's Basketball Tournament. The fifth-seeded Leopards (17-10) will travel to fourth-seeded Bridgewater State (15-11) in a first round matchup on Wednesday, February 29, at 7:00 p.m.

WPI (18-7) earned the tournament's top seed and will receive a bye in the first round. Other matchups include seventh-seeded Husson (15-12) traveling to second-seeded Salve Regina (19-9) and sixth-seeded Anna Maria (14-14) traveling to third-seeded Elms (17-10). The winner of the Wentworth/Bridgewater State game will face WPI in one semifinal, while the winner of the Husson/Salve Regina and Anna Maria/Elms games will square off in the other semifinal. Both the semifinals and finals will be played on Saturday at WPI.

The Leopards enter the game with a 17-10 record after finishing second in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Wentworth lost to Endicott, 71-67, in the CCC Semifinals. The Leopards are paced by junior Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine), who is averaging 12.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Senior guard Adam Dombrowski (Dunstable, Mass.) is averaging 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, while sophomore guard Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) is averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Senior guard Eric Prue (Auburn, Maine) is averaging 9.1 points per game and leads the team with 53 3-pointers made.

Bridgewater State sports a 15-11 record entering the tournament. The Bears dropped an 83-71 decision to Salem State in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference finals this past Saturday. Senior forward Anthony Fortes (Providence, R.I.) leads the way, averaging 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while classmate Samuel Johnson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) is averaging 14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Senor Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) rounds out the Bears' top three scorers, averaging 11.4 points per contest.

Wednesday's meeting will be the 12^th all-time between Wentworth and Bridgewater State with the Bears holding then 8-3 series advantage. The two teams have not met since a Bridgewater State 66-55 win over the Leopards on December 4, 2001, in Boston. In ECAC Tournament history Wentworth holds a 1-0 series advantage, picking up an 85-73 home win in the Black & Gold's first-ever ECAC Tournament appearance on March 4, 1998.

All-time the Leopards have a 1-3 record in four previous ECAC Tournament appearances. Last season the Black & Gold dropped a 96-95, double overtime contest at Albertus Magnus.

2012 ECAC Division III New England Men's Basketball Tournament
First Round, Wednesday, February 29
(6) Anna Maria (14-14) at (3) Elms (17-10), 6:00 p.m.
(5) Wentworth (17-10) at (4) Bridgewater State (15-11), 7:00 p.m.
(7) Husson (15-12) at (2) Salve Regina (19-9), 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals, Saturday, March 3
Husson/Salve Regina winner vs Anna Maria/Elms winner (at WPI), 12:00 p.m.
Wentworth/Bridgewater State winner at (1) WPI, 2:00 p.m.

Finals, Sunday, March 4
Semifinal winners, 12:00 p.m.

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