Starting Five Lead The Charge for the AMCATS Over the Hawks in Overtime

LEICESTER, Mass – The Anna Maria Men's basketball team opened their 2017-2018 season with a thrilling 75-74 overtime victory over arch rivals Becker College Wednesday evening at the Leicester Gym.

For the AMCATS, sophomore forward Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass) led the team with 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the young season. Freshman guard Ralph Grasso, Jr. (Marlborough, Mass) posted 13 points of his own going three-of-six from three-point land in his college debut. Senior forward Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn) added 11 points of his own while junior forward Sidney Lamage (Randolph, Mass) also joined the double digit party with 10 points of his own in his AMC debut.

Becker's junior guard Kareem Davis (Lowell, Mass) led the scoring with 24 points going four-of-ten from behind the three-point-arc. Senior forward Samuel Durodola (Rosedale, N.Y.) finished the night with 16 points and ten boards. Junior forward Daniel Flaherty Jr. (Warwick, R.I.) came through with 12 points in his first game for Becker, while junior forward Dewayne Thomas (Springfield, Mass) came off the bench to score 10 points and added 13 rebounds.

Anna Maria trailed Becker at the break 29-25 but went on to score 39, outscoring Becker by four in a wild second half that ended with two tipped shots by the Hawks that couldn't find the bottom of the net sending the game into overtime. In the OT Period with the AMCATS down four senior guard Liam Pickett (Oxford, Mass) hit a crucial three-pointer that brought AMC within one and a possession later Grasso, Jr. followed Pickett with a three pointer of his own to put the visitors up by two. Fouling ensued for Becker sending the AMCATS to the line where they made one-of-three free throws in the final minute. With the clock running after a Rapoza miss from the charity stripe Becker was forced to race down the floor and throw up a last second desperation three which went wide of the basket giving the Anna Maria men the 75-74 victory in their season opener.

The AMCATS will be back in action Friday night at 6pm as they travel to Middletown, Conn to take on the Wesleyan University Cardinals as part of the Herb Kenny Tip-off Tournament. To follow the live stats of that game Click Here.

For a full box score of Wednesday's game Click Here.