WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – All-tournament team selection junior Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.) scored a career-high 37 points, including hitting a jumper to give the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team a 75-73 lead with 3.8 seconds left in regulation. However, the University of Saint Joseph tied the game at the end of regulation and prevailed, 88-85, in overtime, in the third-place game at USJ Holiday Classic.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The game opened with the teams going back and forth as there were five lead changes within the first 3:52. On that lead change, Connell gave Wentworth a 10-9 lead, which was followed by a junior Nathaniel Smith (Beacon Falls, Conn.) basket to give the Leopards a 12-9 lead. Senior Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) hit a three and a jumper and classmate Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) hit three of four free throws and a layup to give USJ a 19-12 lead with 12:29 left in the half.
• Sophomore Russell Dolabany (Westwood, Mass.) made a layup and Connell followed with five straight points to even the score at 19-all with 10:55 left before five straight Blue Jay points gave the hosts a 24-19 lead two minutes later. USJ led by as many as seven (34-27) after junior Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.) hit a three. Smith, Connell, and senior Sam Goy (Derry, N.H.) posted six straight points for Wentworth before Mitchell hit a three with 42 seconds left, giving USJ a 40-36 lead at the break.
• The Blue Jays opened the second half with a 12-5 run, extending their lead to 11 (52-41) after a jumper by Mitchell with 14:32 left. Goy countered with a three on the next possession to cut the lead to eight and freshman Jayden Williams (Dorchester, Mass.) hit two free throws with 13:41 left, slicing the lead to six (52-46).
• After Mitchell hit a three with 12:56 left to put the hosts up nine (57-48), junior Niko Rosich (Chicago, Ill.) scored eight straight points – coming on a pair of threes and a jumper – and trimmed the lead to one (57-56) with 10:00 left. Connell tied the game on a jumper at the eight-minute mark and gave the Black & Gold a 65-62 lead after hitting a three with 6:22 left. After Mitchell made a jumper with 5:09 left to give the Blue Jays a 66-65 lead, Connell answered with four straight free throws, giving Wentworth a 69-66 lead a minute later.
• One of two free throws from Goy with 3:33 left gave the Leopards a 70-68 lead, however, a Mitchell layup with 2:21 left knotted the score at 70-all. With 58 seconds left, sophomore Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) put the Blue Jays ahead, 73-70, but not for long as sophomore Nathan Brinkman (Trumbull, Conn.) drained a deep three to tie the game. With 22 seconds left, Connell grabbed the rebound off a USJ miss and put Wentworth ahead, 75-73, with 3.8 seconds to go. Out of a time out, the hosts tried a home run play where Mitchell was fouled attempting to put the game-tying basket in and tied the game with 0.2 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
• Playing in its second overtime game in less than 24 hours, the Black & Gold took an early lead in the extra frame when Brinkman caused a turnover, was fouled, and hit one of two from the line. Samuels answered with two free throws to give USJ a 77-76 lead and 44 seconds later increased the lead to three with a dunk. Connell pulled the Leopards within one with a jumper but four straight points from Altenor made it an 83-78 game with 1:01 left. The Bue Jays led, 86-82, after sophomore Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) made one of two free throws but Brinkman brought Wentworth back to within one with a three with eight seconds left. After Mitchell pushed the lead to three with a pair of free throws, The Leopards' attempt to tie the game was thwarted because of a turnover.
• Connell went 13-for-22 from the floor, including going 5-for-9 from behind the arc while also grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out three assists, and recording a pair of steals. Goy added 16 on 6-of-9 shooting (including 3-for-3 from three-point land) to go along with seven rebounds. Rosich came off the bench to notch a career-high 13 points. Wentworth shot 57.4 percent from the floor for the game.
• Mitchell (25) and Samuels (20) led USJ in scoring.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Wentworth's back-to-back overtime games were the first in program history since February 26 and March 2, 2011.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• Today was the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth resumes Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Tuesday, January 2, at Western New England.

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