GORHAM, Maine -- Junior forward Matt Plummer (Naples, Maine/Lake
Region) dropped in a lay-up in the closing seconds of the game to
lift the St. Joseph's College Monks to a 63-62 win over the
University of Southern Maine Huskies in the second game of The
MAINE Event tournament Thursday night, played at Warren Hill
Gymnasium on the Gorham campus of the University of Southern
Maine.
With the win, St. Joseph's College improves to 5-3 and will play
the Husson College Eagles in the championship game Friday at 8:00
p.m. Husson advanced to the championship game with a thrilling
77-75 win over the Colby College Mules.
Plummer finished the game with eight points and six rebounds for
the Monks. Junior guard Marcus Alexander (Niceville,
Fla./Niceville) led all scorers with 17 points and six rebounds.
Senior guard Noah LaRoche (Exeter, N.H./Exeter) was the only other
St. Joseph's player in double-figures tossing in 12 points.
Four players reached double figures in scoring for USM led by 14
points from sophomore guard Walter Phillips (Portland,
Maine/Bridgton Academy). Sophomore guard Josh Daniels (Everett,
Wash./Maine Central Institute) and senior forward Bill Hardwick
(Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) each netted 13 points for the
Huskies while sophomore guard Andy Frost (Brewer, Maine/Brewer)
chipped in with 12 points.
In a see-saw second half that included nine lead changes and 14
ties, both teams battled evenly in a hotly contested game. Southern
Maine's Phillips grabbed an offensive rebound and sank the put-back
to knot the score up at 61- 61, for the final tie of the game, with
48 seconds to play, before the Huskies took a slim one-point
lead.
The Monks' Alexander missed a lay-up in St. Joseph's ensuing
possession and the Huskies' Daniels came up with a big defensive
rebound and was fouled in the process. Daniels knocked down the
second of two free throws to put the Huskies up 62-61 with 24
seconds to play, setting up Plummer's heroics.
In the final St. Joseph's College possession, Plummer drove hard
against the baseline and knocked down a lay-up in traffic, putting
the Monks ahead 63-62 with just eight seconds on the clock.
Plummer, who was fouled on the play, missed the free throw for the
three-point play, giving the Huskies a final shot at the game, but
Southern Maine sophomore guard Foster Oakley's (Farmington,
Maine/Mt. Blue) three-point attempt in the final seconds was
blocked by Alexander.
St. Joseph's shot 37.3 percent from the field (22-of-59), knocking
down 22 of 59 attempts from the floor.