Men's Basketball Edges Pine Manor, 83-78

WORCESTER, Mass.—The Anna Maria College men's basketball team held on to down the Gators of Pine Manor College, 83-78, in the consolation game of the Trinity College Holiday Invitational on Wednesday afternoon.  

With the win, the AMCATS improve to 6-4 on the season, while Pine Manor falls to 7-6.  

AMCAT LEADERS

Anna Maria was led by senior Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) with 20 points and 10 rebounds along with seniors Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) and Pedro Trindade (Billerica, Mass.) who finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Kyle McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) paced the AMCATS on the glass, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds.

PINE MANOR LEADERS

The Gators were led by sophomore guard Chancie Williams (Hartford, Conn.), who finished with a team-high 17 points followed by fellow sophomore guard Taverick Roberson (Pitsfield, Mass.) who had 14 points of his own. Freshmen Rasheed Bell (Boston, Mass.) and Erick Rosario (Lynn, Mass.) also finished with double digit points, scoring 12 an 11, respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two teams played an evenly matched first half with Pine Manor out in front at the half, up 41-38. A technical foul at the end of the half on Anna Maria gave the Gators a pair of free throw to begin the second half. The teams continued to trade buckets in the second half, however Pine Manor maintained their lead for the majority of the time.

That was until McKissick drove to the basket and made a layup to give Anna Maria a 73-72 lead, just their second lead of the half. They did not give that lead up as Bradanese followed by knocking down a jump shot to extend the lead to three, followed by a free throw by David Jean-Louis (Miramar, Fla.) that put the AMCATS up for good.

ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS

Bradanese of Anna Maria and Rosario of Pine Manor were both named to the All-Tournament team.

FINAL COMPARISONS

Anna Maria finished with a 43.1 percent shooting efficiency, hittindd 31 of 72 shots from the floor. Pine Manor shot 38.4 percent from the floor (28-73). The AMCATS held a 33-5 advantage in second-chance points and a 36-26 edge in points in the paint, while Pine Manor saw an 18-15 edge in bench points and a 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

Anna Maria dominated the boards, holding a 57-28 advantage in rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

Anna Maria returns to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Tuesday, as they host Albertus Magnus College at 6:00 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available.