Alexander and Co. Overcome 18-point 2nd Half Deficit in 83-80 Victory

By Jim Callahan

WORCESTER, MASS - In a game where both teams held double-digit leads, the timely shooting and defense of Clark’s Mark Alexander was the difference. The sophomore from Providence, Rhode Island led all scorers with a career-high 30 points, also grabbing eight rebounds and six steals.

Alexander, although the team leader in points and minutes-played, quickly pointed to his teammates as the main reason for the victory, “Down 18, we knew we had to battle back, and everyone kept fighting.” More specifically, he pointed to the leadership that he had followed as an underclassmen, “One of our senior leaders, [Pat] Ochoa hit two big free throws at the end of the game.” Ochoa’s free throws were the last points scored for either team in an 83-80 nail-biter.

Joining Alexander in double figures for the Cougars were Junior Pete Normandin (Westminster, MA) with 15 points on 7-10 shooting, and Sophomore Slayder Lyell (Portsmouth, RI) who added 10 points off the bench, including a lay-up with 1:48 remaining in the contest that gave the Cougars their first lead since they led 36-34 one minute into the second half. Lyell’s go-ahead basket, along with an Alexander lay-up just moments before were assisted by Sophomore guard Chris Lopiano who contributed with an efficient 7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio off the bench for Clark.

Among Becker’s leading scorers were Junior Travis Suber (Springfield, MA) who had 17 points and five assists, and Freshman Kevin Miranda (Brockton, MA), a reserve who scored all of his 17 points in the second half, including 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Junior guard Shawn Fuller (New Haven, CT) had a 12 point, seven rebound performance on 5-19 shooting from the field. Senior big man Emmanuel Masumbuko had an impressive night in the paint picking up nine points and 10 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end.

A troubled start for the Cougars seemed apparent when Normandin was taken out of the game with two personal fouls, only 1 minute and 26 seconds into the game, but three 3-pointers by Senior captain D.J. Brinn and three first-half steals by Alexander helped Clark build a lead that at one point reached double-digits. A strong finish in the paint by Normandin (5:22 remaining in the half) gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 11 (29-18).

Becker was able to shrink Clark’s lead to five points by the end of the half due to strong first-half performances by Fuller (10 first-half points) and Freshman Darren Callahan (eight points, three steals at the half), despite shooting only 35.3% shooting from the field and managing only three second chance points on seven offensive rebounds.

The second half began with a 36-13 run by Becker over a span of 11 minutes, which gave them their largest lead of the game at 18 points. During this time, Miranda hit four of his five successful three-point attempts, clearly providing a spark to the Hawks’ offense. Reserve Freshman Steve Jacobs (nine points on 3-7 FGs) scored 6 consecutive points to close out the run and give the Hawks a 67-49 lead.

With less than nine minutes remaining, Normandin, although limited because of foul trouble, contributed with a huge defensive rebound on one end and the completion of a 3-point play immediately following. Yet another Normandin rebound only a minute later led to a quick outlet pass and a fast break lay-up by Sophomore Jack Minister. Alexander added two more steals that led to both a Normandin jumper and a coast-to-coast Alexander dunk that revived the crowd at the Kneller Athletic Center. Down seven, Alexander added a pair of offensive rebounds that led to four second-chance points for the sophomore, then two 3-point shots closely guarded, shrinking the deficit to one point (73-72).

With just two minutes left, Lopiano’s aforementioned passing gave Clark a lead that they would not let go of, capping off a 34-13 run to close-out the game and defeat the Hawks.

Clark’s next game will be at Worcester State on November 29^th (7 PM) and they return home to square off with Anna Maria College at home on December 1^st (1 PM).