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Two from Eastern honored with LEC season-ending awards
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008
SOUTHERN MAINE'S CATERINA HAS TOO MUCH FOR M-BASKETBALL
Senior has 33 points and 14 rebounds as Warriors are eliminated in Little East first round
GORHAM, Maine – Senior forward Jamaal Caterina notched his tenth double-double of the season by scoring a career-best 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to lead fourth-seeded University of Southern Maine to a 79-69 win over the fifth-seeded Warriors in a first-round game of the 2008 Little East Conference men’s basketball tournament Tuesday night at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.
Kevin Zalucki (at right) grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in final collegiate game
(Smith archives) .
In the first conference tournament meeting between the teams since 2000, Southern Maine (14-12) never trailed, and converted enough free throws (11-of-16) over the final four minutes to send Eastern (13-13) to it third loss in as many outings this year against Southern Maine.
The Warriors beat Southern Maine in the 2000 conference championship game. Since then, they have been knocked out of the tournament in the first round every year. This win was the Huskies’ first LEC tournament victory since a semifinal round tournament win in 2000 that vaulted them into the finals.
Caterina, averaging 17.6 points and 9.4 rebounds since joining the team in the second semester, connected on nine of 15 field goals and 13 of 15 free throws. After Eastern junior Larry Kelley’s (New Haven) three-point field goal pulled the Warriors to within five, 74-69, with a minute left, Caterina sandwiched four free throws around a missed three-pointer by Kelley to boast the hosts into a nine-point, 78-69 lead with 40 seconds left. Caterina shoots .826 per cent from the stripe on a team-leading 109 attempts.
Caterina had double-doubles in each of Southern Maine’s three wins this year over Eastern, totaling 59 points and 35 rebounds and sinking 24 of 26 free throws. Senior forward Drew Coppenrath added 15 points on a 7-for-12 effort from the field\ to finish as the only other USM player in double figures.
Caterina scored 19 of his points and grabbed seven of his rebounds in the first half as the Huskies shot 61.5 percent from the field to race to a commanding 15-point, 41-26 lead at the break.
The Huskies led by double figures for most of the second half before Eastern made a late run. Trailing by 15 points with 3:42 remaining, Eastern outscored Southern
Maine 14-4 over the next three minutes to pull within five with 53 seconds to play. Kelley and Zalucki combined to score12 of the Warriors 14 points in the run. Kelley notched seven points on a pair of long distance three-pointers and a free throw and Zalucki scored twice on offensive rebounds and the put-backs.
Forced to foul, Eastern Connecticut applied full court pressure sending the Huskies to the free throw line over the final 44 seconds of the contest. The Huskies were able to hold the Warriors off by making 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch, including the four straight from Caterina.
Kelley led three Warriors in double figures with 20 points, while senior center Kevin
Zalucki (Enfield) recorded a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the final game of his four-year collegiate career. Forward Leon Martin (Woodbury), Eastern’s only other senior added 11 points, five rebounds and four steals in his final collegiate game.
Eastern turned the ball over only nine times in the game – the fourth time in the final eight games that it commited less than ten – but shot just .359 from the floor, including 5-of-24 from three-point range.
Southern Maine will face top-seeded and nationally-ranked UMass Dartmouth Friday at 8 p.m. in the second of two semifinal games at the Tripp Center. Second-seeded and defending tournament champion Rhode Island College faces third-seeded Keene State College on Friday at 6.
USM Sports Infomation contributed to this game account.
