PAXTON, Mass. – After trailing by as many 20 points in the first half, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men’s basketball team stormed back to defeat Anna Maria College, 67-61, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at The Fuller Activities Center on Saturday afternoon. The Leopards improve their record to 11-9 on the season and an impressive 7-2 in conference play, while the AMCATS fall to 8-13 overall and 3-6 in the TCCC.

 

The AMCATS came storming out of the gates, building a 33-13 lead in the first 16 minutes of play. The Leopards did their best to overcome seven treys by AMC, and went into the break trailing by 16.

 

The difference in the half was turnovers, as Anna Maria turned 16 Leopard turnovers into 17 points. Also of significance was Wentworth’s 0-7 shooting from behind the arc, compared to 7-16 for Anna Maria.

 

The Leopards turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, cutting the AMCAT lead to 10 in the first six minutes of the period.  

 

With the AMCATS leading 49-37, the Leopards exploded with a 16-1 run in just four minutes, getting four points, three boards, and a block from senior Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) to grab their first lead of the game at 53-50.

 

From there, the two teams battled to a 61-all tie with just 2:26 remaining in the period.

 

That’s when the Leopards took control for good, scoring the last six points of the game, including a three-pointer by senior Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass.) with 13 seconds remaining to ice the 67-61 come-from-behind win. A major difference maker for the Leopards was their 7-9 shooting from downtown in the second period, a striking difference from their 0-7 in the first period.

 

Herrick led the way for the Leopards with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards in the win. Senior Matt Abbott (Falmouth, Mass.) also played well for Wentworth, scoring a team-high 14 points on 6-10 shooting from the floor, while sophomore Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points and Shane West (Milford, N.H.) grabbed nine rebounds in the victory.

 

Junior Chris Pinsonault had a game-high 16 points for the AMCATS, while junior Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) scored 10 points with eight rebounds and three blocks.

 

Both teams return to action on Tuesday with the Leopards hosting Nichols at 7:30 pm, and the AMCATS hitting the road to face Roger Williams at 8:00 pm.

 

Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information