THE BASICS:
- Score: Dominican 63, Assumption 58
- Records: Dominican (2-0), Assumption (9-1, 8-1 NE10)
- Location: Easton, Mass. (Merket Gymnasium)
- The Lead: Assumption led Dominican 32-28 at the half and the two teams were tied at 58 apiece with two minutes left in regulation, but the Chargers scored the final five points of regulation to escape with a 63-58 victory on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The two teams played even through the opening seven minutes, with a triple from Patrick Fleming (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. / Iona Prep) giving the Hounds a slim 12-11 lead. A 7-4 run by Dominican gave them an 18-16 lead at 7:00, however, Fleming answered with a layup as part of a 16-8 run for a 32-26 advantage with only a minute remaining. The Chargers made one basket before the half to trail by four at the break.
- Branislav Vujadinovic (Belgrade, Serbia / St. Joseph) gave Assumption a 35-30 lead 1:22 into the period, though Dominican countered and eventually took back the lead. The teams traded baskets for the next eight minutes, with a Bryan Boehlert (Gaithersburg, Md. / Magruder) layup pulling the Hounds back within one, 45-44 with 9:21 left.
- The Chargers went on a 9-2 run to grab an eight-point lead with six minutes left. However, Assumption countered with a 12-4 run of their own to tie the game 58-58 on a pair of Fleming free throws with 2:27 remaining. Dominican came through with a corner three on its next possession and Assumption was only able to get up one more field goal attempt as the Chargers escaped with the five-point victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption shot 41.7 percent from the floor and went 14 of 18 from the free throw line but only connected on 4 of 15 three-point attempts. Dominican was 5-for-17 from downtown but shot 49.0 overall. The Hounds did own a 35-24 edge on the boards, though they did commit more turnovers (15-9).
- Vujadinovic had 11 points and eight rebounds while Joe Sullivan (Utica, N.Y. / Notre Dame HS / Mohawk Valley CC) grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds with eight points. Boehlert & Matthew Kelly (North Potomac, Md. / Quince Orchard) each chipped in 12 points apiece to led the team while Fleming posted nine points, two rebounds and two assists.
- Ian Gardner led Dominican with 21 points and eight rebounds while Daraja Rodwell was also in double figures with 12 points.
UP NEXT:
- Assumption returns to action on Wednesday when the team host Merrimack at 7:30 pm in its season-opener.
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