| In a classic NESCAC matchup, Trinity (Conn.) had just enough additional rocks. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com
FORT WAYNE — Mary Washington and defending national champion Trinity (Conn.) advanced to the national semifinals, Mary Wash for the first time, and Trinity for the third consecutive year, in the final two games of the Division III men’s basketball national quarterfinals at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
In the third quarterfinal, defending champions Trinity defeated NESCAC rival Tufts 69-66. Both teams used the term “rock fight” to describe the contest that went as expected for two teams who know each other so well. Not only are they the only two teams here this weekend whose assistant coaches wear suits, but it was the third meeting of the year between the two, with each winning one.
The defenses starred early in this rubber match, with neither team shooting above 33% and a combined 3-for-21 from three at the half. Trinity led 29-27 going into the locker room.
The Bantams came out strong to start the second — it’s become a trademark of this team, now in its third straight Final Four — steady production and relentless defense. Tufts was uniquely poised to challenge the Bantams, but they once again fell short.
Trinity coach James Cosgrove summed it up succinctly: “It was just a grind out battle; [I’m] ecstatic that we came out on top.”
Trinity led by as many as 12 points with 6:31 to go in the game. Tufts made a valiant run down the stretch, securing multiple backcourt turnovers with relentless pressure and 6-11 senior captain, Joshua Bernstein did his best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar impression, putting in a couple beautiful hook shots to get within two, 65-63 at the 1:20 mark.
From there Trinity got every available rebound and hit the FTs necessary to eke out the win.
Tufts was led by Bernstein’s 20 points and 10 rebounds. He’s picked up production considerably in the playoffs, after co-captain and All-American senior Scott Gyimesi went down with an ankle injury in the NESCAC quarterfinal. Only able to run properly in the last eight days, he played eighteen minutes in the Round of 16 and fifteen minutes tonight.
“[Trinity] is a hell of a program,” said Gyimesi after the game. “We’ve seen them a lot. As much as you develop this hatred that you’re accustomed to in sports, often times it does come with a lot of respect as well.”
Head coach Brandon Linton echoed those comments, “If not for Trinity, we might have a lot more accolades, but playing them has made us better.”
Trinity’s leading scorer was last year’s NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Henry Vetter, with 16. Jared Berry had 14. While they only lost one rotation player from last year’s squad, this is a new season and a new team, with new challenges to overcome.
Forward Jarrel Okorougo noted, “Each team comes with an expiration date of one year.”
While there are many similarities to the Trinity of last season, this team shares the ball and the scoring even more, if that’s possible. The relentless attention to detail and intensity is unique to the Bantams. Nothing flashy, just possession after possession where they amass an insurmountable lead over time. They wear you down like a glacier, slowly transforming the landscape with an inevitability you can see coming, but are incapable of stopping.
Mary Washington 81, Chicago 73
Next on the list to try will be Mary Washington who defeated Chicago 81-73 in the fourth and final quarterfinal of a VERY long day.
Both teams are in the Top 25 of shooting percentage nationally, shooting 48% on the year. Mary Washington came out of the gate strong, while Chicago struggled. Nearly every number was even in the first half except the number of buckets going in. The Eagles shot 63% and the Maroons 39%.
Chicago got out to a hot start with a few quick buckets, but Mary Washington put on a clinic with a 23-4 run in the middle of the first to take a commanding 49-35 lead into the half. Chicago fought back quickly in the second, cutting the deficit to just five by the first media timeout.
“No lead is safe when teams are fighting for their season,” said UMW coach Marcus Kahn, who becomes just the third coach to take two different schools to the Final Four, after leading Cabrini to the national championship game in 2012.
It was a back-and-forth fight the rest of the night as teams traded runs and the field goal percentages evened out.
“Every time we had a chance to make them uncomfortable, they made a really good shot,” said Chicago coach Mike McGrath. “We had eight really good teams here and four really good games. It’s really hard. You never stop working, you never stop striving. I hate like hell to be a part of a team that’s not continuing to play, but I’m proud of what we accomplished.
Eagles star scoring guard Kye Robinson was stymied by the Chicago defense, largely senior Joe Berry, who made every shot difficult and held the sophomore to just twelve points, less than half his season average. In his stead, Jay Randall picked up the scoring slack, leading the team with 22.
On the Chicago side, grad transfers Shane Regan and Nick Roper led the way, as they have much of the season, especially in the second half. Regan led all scorers with 23.
It was a four point game with a minute to go. Chicago had just three team fouls and needed to be both expedient and judicious to get Mary Washington to the line without giving up additional points. The teams traded layups down the stretch, but Mary Washington went 15-of-15 from the line overall and sealed the victory.
“This is the best part of my job,” said Kahn, “Coaching. Working with a group of young guys, that we can share a vision. It’s humbling.”
Mary Washington will now get the defending champs on Saturday. Robinson’s brother Kullen played Trinity last weekend with Hood.
“He already texted me,” Kye said in the post-game press conference. “I’m very excited for this game.”
Jason Burgess added, “Trinity is a great team, well coached. They won a great game today, but we’re ready to take on any challenge. We always say, be 1-0 every day. Win each day.”
They’ll have a day and half to get ready. Mary Washington had just four turnovers today; Trinity had eight. It should be one heck of a game on Saturday.