Career-Bests by Westrol & Dowling Propel #1
Bentley
to 30-0 & NE-10 Crown
Information Provided By Bentley Sports Information
WALTHAM, Mass. – Undefeated Northeast-10 Conference playoff
champions for the second straight year. Incredible!
Sophomore guard Jason Westrol (Brielle, N.J./Manasquan HS) scored
23 points, matching his career-best, and freshman guard Tom Dowling
(Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side HS) came off the bench to
produce a career-best 20 points, along with eight rebounds, as
Bentley ran its record to 30-0 with a 93-77 win over third-seeded
Assumption College in the championship game of the NE-10
men’s basketball championships before more than 2,000 fans
Saturday afternoon at the Dana Center.
Bentley, which has held the number one ranking in Division II
since Nov. 27, has now won 51 straight games against conference
opposition, its last 60 against Northeast Region teams and 34
consecutive contests at home. The Falcons, who earned the
conference’s automatic berth, will host the NCAA Division II
Northeast Regional, beginning next Saturday.
The Falcons used three significant runs en route to successfully
defending its conference playoff championship.
The first, an 11-3 spurt over a four-minute stretch in the first
half, broke an 18-all tie and gave the Falcons a lead it would
never relinquish, 29-21 with 7:54 left. Freshman forward Brian
Tracey (Bow Mar, Colo./Heritage HS) was a significant contributor,
with four points, a rebound, an assist and a steal during the run,
which finished with a three-pointer from senior point guard Yusuf
Abdul-Ali (Springfield/New Leadership Charter School).
Bentley took a 14-point bulge into the halftime break after
closing the opening 20 minutes with nine unanswered points. Westrol
had six of the nine and sophomore guard Mike Quinn (Oakdale,
Conn./Montville HS) dropped in a three-ball off a Westrol assist.
It turned into an 11-0 run when senior forward Nate Fritsch
(Durham, N.C./Woodberry Forest) opened the second half with an
emphatic drive and slam.
The decisive run came midway through the second half, after a 10-2
Assumption spurt had cut the margin to five, 64-59. Fritsch nailed
a three and junior guard Lew Finnegan (Lexington/Lexington HS)
followed with a mid-range jumper, the five points launching a 15-4
burst that restored the Falcon lead to 16, 79-63 with 5:16
left.
Bentley’s lead eventually peaked at 20, 93-73, when freshman
forward Joe Fremeau (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central HS) buried
a top-of-the-key triple with 49 seconds left.
Bentley, which won its first 32 games last year before losing in
the opening round of the Elite Eight, shot 53 percent overall,
including a blistering 72 percent over the final 15-and-a-half
minutes of the first half following a 2-for-10 start. The Falcons
converted 17 Assumption turnovers into 25 points and received a
total of 40 points off its bench.
Bentley also had a big edge at the line, making 24 of 33. Westrol
was a perfect 11-for-11 at the stripe, with his 11 makes matching
the Greyhounds’ total as a team (11-15).
Westrol, who netted 23 for the fourth time this season, was also
six of nine from the floor with all three of his misses from
outside the arc. In addition, he grabbed seven rebounds, made four
steals and dished off four assists.
Dowling made seven of 12 field goal attempts and also came up with
a pair of thefts. Abdul-Ali helped out with 12 points, five
rebounds and four assists, Finnegan scored 10 points, and Fritsch
added nine points.
Senior forward Corey Diethorn (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led Assumption
with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and classmate Greg Twomey (Groton)
added 14 points.
Assumption, 22-10, was ranked second in the Northeast Region this
week and will receive an at-large berth when the NCAA tournament
field is announced late Sunday night.
Bentley’s 30 consecutive wins is the second longest win
streak in New England men’s basketball history, trailing only
the 32 straight reeled off by last year’s club.
