Click earns triple-double as AMCATS blow past Nor’easters

PAXTON, Mass. (01.22.11) – Sophomore Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) earned his first career triple-double and senior Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) dropped a game-high 29 points as the Anna Maria College men's basketball team defeated the University of New England in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at The Fuller Activities Center on Saturday evening. The AMCATS have now won seven of their last eight contests, improving their overall mark to 10-7 and their conference record to 4-1. The Nor'easters' loss marked their ninth straight, dropping them to 2-15 overall and 0-5 in TCCC action.

The AMCATS finished with five players in double-figures for the second straight contest. Click stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, while leading all players with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. De La Hoz had it going all night, shooting 9-of-17 from the field, 7-of-13 from downtown, and 4-of-4 from the line on his way to a career-high 29 points, while also dishing out five assists. Senior Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.) contributed 19 points, six assists, and three steals in the win, while senior Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I) finished with point totals of 14 and 10, respectively.

Junior Marcus Winn (Austin, Texas) paced the Nor'easters with a team-high 24 points, including five three-pointers, while freshman Charles Fenner (Bronx, N.Y.) added 21 points and a game-high five steals. Sophomore J.D. Winn (Austin, Texas) also finished in double-figures with 13 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while senior Chas Rentrope (Peoria, Ariz.) chipped-in with eight points and a team-high eight assists.

The AMCATS controlled the action in the opening period, holding the lead for 17:38. Holding a five-point advantage with under eight minutes remaining in the first half, Anna Maria went on a 7-0 run which included consecutive layups from Pinsonault, to stretch the lead to 12 at 33-21.

UNE's Jordan Stinglen (South Berwick, Maine) scored the final basket of the half to cut the AMC lead down to single digits, sending the two clubs into the break with Anna Maria holding a 45-36 advantage.

The AMCATS controlled the action down low during the opening half, outscoring the Nor'easters 22-8 in the paint, while UNE received a lift from their reserves while building a 21-3 advantage in bench points. Anna Maria's Junior De La Hoz and UNE's Charles Fenner led their teams with 12 points apiece, while Click contributed 7 points, nine rebounds, and six assists during the frame.

Anna Maria began the second half on a 17-3 run, opening their biggest lead of the game at 62-39 with under 12 minutes to play.

However, the Noreasters never gave in, methodically chipping into the AMC-lead. Anna Maria still held a 15-point advantage with two minutes to play when the Nor'easters exploded for a 14-4 run, cutting the lead to just five with under a minute remaining. The run was aided by several clutch three-pointers, including two by J.D. Winn, one apiece from Marcus Winn and Chas Rentrope.

The AMCATS settled things down in the final minute of play, and after a long full-court pass from Pinsonault, De La Hoz sealed the game with a breakaway layup.

Both teams return to conference action next Thursday at 8:00 pm when the Nor'easters host Regis and the AMCATS travel to battle Curry.