FRAMINGHAM, MA (November 11, 2017) — The MassBay Buccaneers won in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon in Framingham against UConn-Avery Point, despite blowing a lead late in the second half. The Bucs got off to a fast start, taking the early lead behind some outstanding 3-point shooting. Jerome Hardy (New Britain, CT) went 3 for 6 from behind the arc in the first half, and Didier Mathelier (Acton, MA) chipped in with a few field goals and twelve rebounds. But the bulk of the scoring came from Colin Myers (Framingham, MA), who shot 6 for 10 from 3-point land and had 24 points just in the first half. Cha’mon Davis (Bridgeport, CT) helped out with 13 points on 4 for 5 shooting, and the Bucs went in to the locker room at the half up 58-43.
Unfortunately, the 15 point lead the MassBay had built for themselves would be squandered in the second half. UConn-Avery Point came out with a vengeance, chipping away at the Bucs lead and taking control of the ballgame. UConn-Avery Point took the lead for the first time all afternoon with under 5 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Bucs managed to prevent the visiting squad from pulling away. Some late game heroics by Myers and Hardy helped erase a 5 point deficit with under a minute left in regulation, and the Bucs managed to force OT. The extra frame went favorably for MassBay, as the UConn-Avery Point squad looked exhausted and depleted in the final minutes. A couple of clutch free throws in the closing minute by Hardy sealed the deal for the Bucs, as they went on to win 117-112. Jerome Hardy had an outstanding performance, going 10 for 15 from beyond the arc and putting up 39 points. Colin Myers added 30 points of his own along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists, and Didier Mathelier was a rebounding machine, pulling down 18 boards to go along with 14 points. Cha’mon Davis chipped in a respectable 22 points and 5 assists, while Adrian Lopez (Bridgeport, CT) had 8 points and 4 steals off the bench. The MassBay Buccaneers next game is Tuesday at Holyoke, and they’ll return home to play Massasoit on Thursday at 7pm in Framingham.
— James Casey