BRUNSWICK, ME - Chris Petzy '12 (Kensington, NH) was perfect from the field and the line and netted a career-best 22 points to help Saint Joseph's (8-1, 3-0 GNAC) slip past Bowdoin College (7-3), 83-82, on Wednesday evening. The sophomore guard was 7-7 from the floor, including 5-5 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 from the charity stripe in the victory.
Free throws proved to be a major factor in the outcome, as St. Joe's was 21-23 (91%) from the line, including 8-9 in the final five minutes, while Bowdoin made it to the FT line just seven times and converted three of those attempts. The Monks have converted at least 90% of their free-throw attempts in two games this season. The closely contested game featured 11 lead changes and was tied on nine occasions.
Petzy, who has now paced the Monks in scoring in consecutive games, was joined by three other SJC players who reached double-digits. Zach O'Brien '12 (Schenectady, NY) netted 17 points, Ray Eatmon '10 (Huntington, NY) added 14 and Tyler Kelley '11 (Saco, ME) registered 11 points for St. Joe's. O'Brien was 7-7 from the FT line and Eatmon converted 6 of his 7 freebie attempts.
For Bowdoin, Mark Phillips '10 (Ashland, MA) scored 22 points and grabbed 9 caroms and Will Hanley '12 (New Canaan, CT) recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 boards. Ryan O'Connell '12 (Ipswich, MA) chipped in with 19 points in the losing effort.
The largest lead either team would achieve was seven points, as Monks guard Alberto Rue '10 (Jamaica Plain, MA) made a layup at the 12:07 mark of the first half to provide the Royal Blue with a 21:14 cushion. Bowdoin's largest lead, five points, came early in the second stanza. The Polar Bears opened the half on a 6-0 run, erasing a one-point halftime deficit, and led 42-37 after Paul Sellew '10 (Glastonbury, CT) made a bucket at the 17:36 mark.
Baskets from O'Brien and Eatmon and a freebie by the latter knotted the game at 42-42 two minutes later. Neither team held a cushion of more than four points until Kelley capped a 5-0 outburst by the Monks with a three-pointer, providing the visitors with a 69-64 lead with 5:56 on the game clock. As it turned out, the Kelley long-ball put the Monks on top for the duration, as the Polar Bears were able to cut the deficit to one point on several occasions in the final two minutes but were unable to gain, or share, the lead.
After not defeating Bowdoin for five straight years, the Monks have now topped the Polar Bears in consecutive meetings. St. Joe's edged out Bowdoin, the top-ranked team in the latest MMBCWA Poll, 74-70, in early January last season.
The Monks are off to the program's best start since the 2002-03 season, when the Royal Blue went 20-5 and made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in SJC Athletics history as an NCAA DIII Independent.
St. Joe's shot 52% (28-54) from the field, 42.9% (6-14) from three-point range and 91% (21-23) from the FT line, while Bowdoin shot 51% (36-71) overall, 41.2% (7-17) from beyond the arc and 43% (3-7) from the charity stripe. The Polar Bears outworked the Monks, 41-25, on the glass in the loss.
The Monks have made at least 50% of their field goal attempts five times this season, with four occurrences in their last five games.
Saint Joseph's will host Emmanuel College (1-7, 0-2 GNAC) in a rematch of the 2009 GNAC Championship on Saturday at 2:00 PM, while Bowdoin is set to host University of Maine-Farmington on Saturday in a 2:00 PM start as well.
Newspaper Box Score
St. Joseph's (Me.) vs Bowdoin
1/6/10 7:00 p.m. at Brunswick, Maine
At Brunswick, Maine
ST. JOSEPH'S (ME.) 83, BOWDOIN 82
ST. JOSEPH'S (ME.) (8-1)
Chris Petzy 7-7 3-3 22; Zach O'Brien 5-12 7-7 17; Ray Eatmon 4-9 6-7 14;
Tyler Kelley 3-10 4-5 11; Alberto Rue 4-5 0-0 8; Anthony Savino 2-5 0-0 4;
Rashon Jones 2-5 0-0 4; Julio Vazquez 1-1 1-1 3. Totals 28-54 21-23 83.
BOWDOIN (7-3)
Mark Phillips 10-18 2-3 22; Will Hanley 10-18 0-2 21; Ryan O'Connell 7-11
0-0 19; Paul Sellew 4-6 0-0 8; Justin Nowell 2-4 1-2 5; Ben Olayinka 2-6 0-0
4; Randy DeFeo 1-4 0-0 3; Maximillian Staiger 0-0 0-0 0; Mike Hauser 0-4 0-0
0. Totals 36-71 3-7 82.
St. Joseph's (Me.)............ 37 46 - 83
Bowdoin....................... 36 46 - 82
3-point goals--St. Joseph's (Me.) 6-14 (Chris Petzy 5-5; Tyler Kelley 1-6;
Alberto Rue 0-1; Zach O'Brien 0-2), Bowdoin 7-17 (Ryan O'Connell 5-8; Will
Hanley 1-3; Randy DeFeo 1-4; Mike Hauser 0-1; Justin Nowell 0-1). Fouled
out--St. Joseph's (Me.)-None, Bowdoin-Paul Sellew. Rebounds--St. Joseph's
(Me.) 25 (Ray Eatmon 8), Bowdoin 41 (Will Hanley 10). Assists--St. Joseph's
(Me.) 11 (Ray Eatmon 4), Bowdoin 27 (Mike Hauser 8). Total fouls--St.
Joseph's (Me.) 11, Bowdoin 19. Technical fouls--St. Joseph's (Me.)-None,
Bowdoin-None. A-134
