Assumption Holds Off Saint Rose

Assumption Holds Off Saint Rose, 52-51, to Reach NCAA Regional Finals

WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior forward Mike Foti (Franklin) scored a game-high 16 points and classmate Corey Diethorn (Pittsburgh) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead Assumption to a 52-51 win over Saint Rose on Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Northeast Regional at the Dana Center. The second-seeded Greyhounds, 24-10 this season, advanced to Tuesday’s regional championship game where they will face the winner of the nightcap between top-seeded Bentley and fifth-seeded Bryant. The third-seeded Golden Knights ended their campaign with a 23-8 record.

Saint Rose led by as many as nine in the first half, but Assumption swung the game in their direction in the second, taking an eight-point lead with 4:41 to go before the Golden Knights’ comeback effort fell just short.

Saint Rose took a three-point lead into the locker room at halftime and quickly boosted the lead back to seven with a jumper from sophomore guard Jermaine Clark (Perth Amboy, N.J.) and a pair of free throws by senior guard Steve Dagostino (Schenectady, N.Y.). After that point, though, the Greyhounds took control, going on a 22-8 run over the next 15:18.

Assumption began that spurt with nine unanswered points to turn a seven-point deficit into a two-point lead. After five straight points from Diethorn, senior forward Greg Twomey (Groton) buried a jumper to tie the game and junior Mitch Bajema (Whitinsville) knocked down a shot from close range to give the Greyhounds their first lead since the opening minutes.

A pair of threes from Twomey and Foti brought Assumption to a five-point lead with 9:42 on the clock and after Dagostino hit a trey to cut the lead to two, another Greyhound three, this one from freshman Mike Baldarelli (Sutton) and a jumper from junior Patrick Shea (Salem) put Assumption up by seven with just under seven minutes remaining.

The Golden Knights’ final comeback bid began with 2:16 to go, but a 10-4 run to close the game was just short. Dagostino hit a pair of free throws and senior guard Will Monica (Great Falls, Va.) hit a jumper to cut the lead to four. Sophomore guard Courtland Bluford (Fort Washington, Md.) converted one of two free throws for the Greyhounds to go up by five with 28 seconds to go.

Junior forward Evan Lane (Sharon Springs, N.Y.) completed a three-point play for Saint Rose to make it a two-point game with 13 seconds left, but Diethorn made the lead three with one of two free throws two seconds later. On the game’s final possession, Monica had a look at a game-tying three, but the shot didn’t fall. The Golden Knights grabbed the offensive rebound and Lane knocked in a layup at the buzzer, but couldn’t draw a foul for a chance to send the game to overtime.

Dagostino, the Daktronics Northeast Region Player of the Year, led Saint Rose with 15 points in his final collegiate game and Lane recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds along with four steals.

Both teams had trouble shooting in the first half, but Assumption went 10-of-20 from the field in the second to take control of the game while Saint Rose shot just 31 percent after halftime. The Greyhounds’ cold free-throw shooting, just 3-for-9 in the second half, allowed the Golden Knights to stay in the game until the final second.

At Waltham, Mass. (Dana Center)

ASSUMPTION 52, SAINT ROSE 51

SAINT ROSE (23-8)

Steve Dagostino 4-12 5-6 15; Evan Lane 6-13 2-3 14; Shanty Robinson 3-8 0-1 6; Will Monica 3-10 0-0 6; Jermaine Clark 2-10 1-2 5; Ben Johnson 0-0 3-4 3; Rob Gutierrez 0-1 2-2 2; Malcolm Williams 0-2 0-0 0.

ASSUMPTION (24-10)

Mike Foti 5-10 3-4 16; Corey Diethorn 5-9 5-9 15; Greg Twomey 3-5 0-0 7; Patrick Shea 2-4 0-0 4; Courtland Bluford 1-5 1-3 3; Mike Baldarelli 1-6 0-0 3; Dominique Price 1-1 0-2 2; Mitch Bajema 1-6 0-0 2; Alex Popp 0-0 0-0 0.

Halftime: SR 28-25; 3-point goals—SR 2-16 (Dagostino 2-7; Monica 0-5; Clark 0-4), A 5-21 (Foti 3-7, Baldarelli 1-3, Twomey 1-2, Bluford 0-3, Bajema 0-3, Shea 0-2, Diethorn 0-1). Rebounds—SR 34 (Lane 14), A 40 (Diethorn 14). Assists—SR 8 (Robinson, Dagostino, Monica, Clark 2), A 12 (Shea 6). Total fouls—SR 17, A 15.