BOSTON, Mass. – For the first time since 1998 and just the second time in the program's history, the Wentworth men's basketball team has earned an invite to the ECAC Division III New England Tournament.  The 15-11 Leopards, who finished second in The Commonwealth Coast Conference play with a 10-3 mark, will travel to the tournament's top seed, Eastern Connecticut (18-9) for a 7:00 p.m. game on Wednesday, March 3.

After a 6-9 record through their first 15 games, the Leopards won eight of their final nine regular-season games to earn them a spot in TCCC Tournament and garner a home playoff game for the first time since the 1998-99 season.  An 84-82 win over Western New England propelled Wentworth into TCCC Semifinals, where the Leopards were defeated by Curry, 77-67.  Of the Leopards' 11 losses to date, three have been by a combined 13 points.

Wentworth is led by All-TCCC First Team selection junior Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.), who is averaging 11.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.  Senior forward Shane West (Milford, N.H.), a Second Team All-TCCC selection, averages 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, while shooting 60.6 percent from the floor.  Sophomore guard Adam Dombrowski (Dunstable, Mass.) rounds out Wentworth's top three scorers, averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds, and leads the team with 50 three pointers made.

Senior forward Matt Abbott (Falmouth, Mass.), who joined West on the All-TCCC Second Team, averages 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds, while shooting 57 percent from the floor in nearly 20 minutes a game.  Freshman guard Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine), this past week's TCCC Rookie of the Week, is averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.  As a team the Leopards are averaging 72.3 points per game and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 9.7 caroms per game.

This is the third meeting between these two schools and the second time the two will meet in 48 days.  On January 14, the Warriors defeated the Leopards, 75-67, in Willimantic, Conn.  Eastern Connecticut holds a 2-0 all-time series lead.

Wentworth's only other ECAC Tournament appearance came during the 1997-98 season, when the Leopards won their second straight league title and set a program record for wins with 22 (22-7).  That season the Leopards defeated Bridgewater State, 85-73, in Boston, before losing at Colby-Sawyer, 70-63, in New London, N.H.

"I am thrilled for our hard working group that we can continue to compete at a high level in the prestigious ECAC Tournament," said 2010 TCCC Coach of the Year Tom Devitt.  "This is an opportunity our student-athletes will cherish greatly as our program hasn't been a part of this renowned tournament in over a decade."

2010 ECAC Division III New England Men's Basketball Tournament

 
Wednesday, March 3 (First Round)

 No. 8 Wentworth (15-11) at No. 1 Eastern Connecticut (18-9), 7:00 p.m.

No. 5 Framingham State (16-10) at No. 4 Becker (18-9), 7:00 p.m.
No. 6 Husson (18-11) at No. 3 Plymouth State (16-10), 7:00 p.m.
No. 7 Curry (15-13) at No. 2 Elms (21-6), 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 6 (Semifinals – at Highest Remaining Seed)
Wentworth/Eastern Connecticut winner vs Framingham State/Becker winner, TBA; Husson/Plymouth State winner vs Curry/Elms winner, TBA

Sunday, March 7 (Finals – at Saturday's Site)
Semifinal winners, TBA