Leopards Fall in Season Opener

BOSTON, Mass. – Junior forward Travis Dorsey's basket with 44 seconds remaining snapped a 71-all tie and lifted the Thomas College men's basketball team to a 78-73 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in the season opener for both teams.

The opening 11 minutes of the contest were a back and forth affair that featured six ties and six lead changes.  It wasn't until a 9-3 run, capped off by a senior forward Matt Abbott (Falmouth, Mass.) jumper, that the host Leopards would get their largest lead of the half, 30-24.  The Terriers chipped away, but Wentworth would build the lead back to six on three more occasions.  However, a three-pointer by sophomore guard Antonio Juco (Winterport, Maine) with four ticks left in the half cut the lead to 39-36 at the break.  Wentworth shot 57.7 percent from the floor and held a 23-12 rebounding advantage over the first 20:00.

After the Terriers had tied the game, 43-43, with 15:54 left, Wentworth would build its lead back to five with just over 15:00 left in the contest.  A three pointer by freshman forward Francisco Alicea (Foxboro, Mass.) cut the lead to two, but sophomore guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) pushed the lead back to four with a pair of free throws.

A 13-2 Thomas run started with four consecutive points from Dorsey and was capped by a three-point play from junior guard Andrew Duncanson (Portland, Maine), which gave the Terriers a 59-52 lead with 8:44 left.  An Abbott layup and a pair of free throws from Monteiro cut the lead to four, but junior guard Isiah Brathwaite (Farmington, Maine) buried a three to push the lead back to six.

Wentworth responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by a sophomore guard Adam Dombrowski (Groton, Mass.) layup with 4:19 remaining.  The game would go back and forth with senior forward Shane West (Saco, Maine) tying it at 71-all on two free throws with 58 seconds left.

After Doresy broke the tie, Duncanson gave the Terriers a three-point lead when he hit two free throws off of a turnover.  Abbott cut the lead to one with two free throws of his own with 18 seconds left and Brathwaite upped the lead back to three with two free throws coming with 17 seconds left.  On Wentworth's ensuing possession, the Leopards turned the ball over and Juco sealed the game with two freebies of his own with seven seconds left.

Duncanson led all scorers with 24 points to go along with three steals.  Dorsey (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Brathwaite (12 points also scored in double figures for Thomas.  Abbott connected on 7-of-11 shots from the floor for Wentworth to have a team-high 17 points.  West had 12 points and 11 rebounds, junior forward Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while senior guard Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass.) had 10 points.

Thomas is back in action on Friday night when the Terriers battle Bates at the Keene State tournament.  Wentworth hosts Wheelock on Wednesday night.