WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Top-seeded Vermont and fifth-seeded Stony Brook each earned hard-fought wins in the quarterfinals of the 2011 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Newman’s Own Saturday at Chase Family Arena and will play in the semifinals for the second straight year Sunday. The Catamounts and Seawolves will square off in the first men’s semifinal tomorrow at 5:04 p.m.
In the first game of the day, senior Chris Martin led Stony Brook (14-16) by posting season-highs of 18 points and five assists in a 67-61 win over fourth-seeded Albany (16-16). The senior, who was plagued by knee injuries this season, added six boards to lift Stony Brook past the Great Danes, who swept them in the regular season.
“I knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell. “Albany is a great team, but we advance for another 40 minutes tomorrow.”
Albany trailed by eight in the waning minutes but rallied to pull within two in the final minute on Tim Ambrose’s free throws with 45 seconds to go. Ambrose, a first-team all-league choice, recorded 24 points to lead all scorers while freshman Luke Devlin scored 11 points to go with his game-high 12 boards.
Stony Brook had the ball with 30 seconds left, looking to ice the game when Dallis Joyner grabbed an offensive rebound that essentially ended the contest. Joyner finished with nine points and 10 boards, including six on the offensive end.
Junior Bryan Dougher was 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first five minutes but missed his next seven shots, finishing the game with 12 points. Leonard Hayes added 11 points including two free throws in the dying minutes to close out the game for the Seawolves.
“Everyone contributed off the bench and did what they had to do,” remarked Dougher on the total effort of his team, whose reserves outscored Albany’s 13-2.
In the second contest, Vermont (23-8) used a strong second half to defeat the feisty Binghamton (8-23), 57-46, after a late surge from the Bearcats brought the score level at the break.
“We didn’t shoot very well, but we rebounded like crazy and won with our defense,” said Vermont coach Mike Lonergan, whose team won the battle of the boards, 49-27.
Senior Evan Fjeld, a first-team all-conference selection, led the Catamounts with 14 points, adding eight rebounds despite an ankle injury that nearly kept him out of the game.
Freshman Brian Voelkel grabbed eight of his nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end, in the second half to pull away from the Bearcats for good. Voelkel finished with 10 points, including a couple of and-one opportunities late to seal the game.
Binghamton, which advanced to the quarterfinals by ousting UMBC in the play-in game Thursday after setting a tournament record 17 three pointers in that game, hit just four in today’s contest.
“You’re only as good as your last game,” reiterated Bearcat head coach Mark Macon about what people will remember about this season’s team.
Seniors Greer Wright and Moussa Camara combined for 61 points Thursday, but struggled from the field against a stingy Vermont defense. Wright scored 14 points with 8-for-10 free throw shooting, while Camara posted 15 points on 25 percent shooting from the field.
The Bearcats’ emotional and physical leader Mahamoud Jabbi went down late in the game with a sprained ankle, leaving the game with seven points and seven boards. The Catamounts pounced on the opportunity, extending their 44-41 lead to 10 with a 7-0 run to ice the game.