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ISIAH BENJAMIN ICES VICTORY IN FINAL SECONDS OVER LASERS
Mount Ida College men's basketball sophomore Isiah Benjamin (Windsor, CT/The Masters School) sunk two free throws with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to boost the Mustangs past Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) neighboring rival and host Lasell College 81-79 Tuesday night in Newton, Masschausetts. The Mustangs, who snap a 10 year drought against the Lasers with their last victory coming during the 2000-01 season winning 85-74 in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship, improve to 11-5 overall, 6-3 in GNAC play. Mount Ida surpasses last year's conference win total of five with the victory. The Lasers fall to 6-10, 4-5 in the conference standings.
The contest featured eight lead and four ties, with neither team taking more than a seven point lead at any point. Both teams shot 45% from the field and 73% from the free throw line, and both teams used an intense, pressure defense to cause nearly 40 turnovers between them. Lasell, however, held a 38-33 edge in rebounds, while Mount Ida controlled a slight advantage in three-point field goal percentage, 43%-36%.
Lasell went ahead in the first half as Charles Horton (Detriot, MI) scored three consecutive three-pointers, putting the Lasers up 11-9, with 4:48 elapsed off the clock. Horton's fourth and fifth trey's came within the next two minutes.
Keith Jones (Boston, MA/Cathedral) returned the favor, connecting on three of his own trifecta's in the half to keep the Mustangs within reach. Benjamin's second distance shot from downtown gave Mount Ida a two point edge, with 3:37 remaining in the period. Horton's sixth shot from beyond the arc pulled Lasell ahead by six, with just 40 seconds left in the stanza, but it was Jones who dropped in the final bucket of the half to break for the half, 41-37, Lasers lead.
After an initial basket by Dominik Orlow (Slupsk, Poland) to open the second, Mount Ida scored the next six points to tie things up at 43-all. After two more changes in momentum, the Lasers gained a seven point lead with nine minutes on the clock. For the next four minutes the game bounced between a three and five point game.
With two minutes on the clock, Darren Martinez (Dorchester, MA/Brookline) secured a three point play for the Mustangs to bring the score to 74-71. After back-to-back three-point field goals by Joseph Cabral (Walpole, MA/Walpole) in successive Mustang possessions, Mount Ida had a two point advantage, at 79-77.
Lasell's freshman guard Justin Harris (New Orleans, LA) tied the game for the final time with a coast-to-coast fast break jumpshot in the key with 25 seconds left, but seven seconds later Benjamin was sent to the line, in a double-bonus situation, and hit both free throws to secure an 81-79 Mustang lead. Lasell had the final possession of the contest, but were unable to put up a last-chance shot.
Five Mustangs scored in double-figures in the contest. Jones led the team with 24 points. Cabral, Martinez, and Benjamin contributed a combined 37 points, and Travis Hillery (Tyngsboro, MA/Central Catholic) finished with a double-double performance adding 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Horton matched for a game-high 24 points, going six-of-eleven from beyond the arc. Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) aided in the Lasers' efforts with 17 points, three assists, and two steals, and Orlow added 13 points and four grabs off the glass. Harris produced nine points, five boards, and four steals for Lasell.
The Mustangs will head to Emmanuel College this coming Thursday night for another key GNAC match-up starting at 7:30 p.m.
