WESTON, Mass. - The Regis College men's basketball team suffered a 78-76 heart-breaking loss in over time to Wheelock College on Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference action. The Pride wrap up the regular season at 17-8 overall and 12-4 in the NECC, and have clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming NECC Tournament.
The real fun began in the final minute of regulation when Wheelock sophomore guard Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) dribbled around a pick and drained a 3-pointer to knot the game up at 68-68.
On the next possession, Regis got a good look from the corner with junior guard Jordan Monts (Springfield, Mass.) but he misfired. A scramble for the rebound saw sophomore forward Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) tip it out over the scrum to reset the shot clock for the Pride.
With 25 seconds remaining, Regis junior guard Jeff Tagger Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) slashed through the paint and converted a tough lay-in to put the Pride back in front 70-68.
Following a Regis timeout, Wheelock went to work and with bodies flying all around him sophomore guard Matthew Eason (East Hartford, Conn.) made a twisting right handed scoop to tie it up at 70-70 with under four seconds on the clock.
The Pride raced up the floor but Tagger Jr.'s trifecta from the right wing clanged off the back iron and a raucous crowd was treated to some free basketball.
At the beginning of overtime the Wildcats looked to pull away as rookie guard Lawrence Christmas (Garner, N.C.) knocked down one-of-two from the free throw line before scoring on a tough drive to the heart of the paint after a stop to give Wheelock a 73-70 advantage.
With three minutes to go, Regis senior forward Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N.Y.) calmly drained a pair of freebies but sophomore guard Derek Fournier (Johnston, R.I.) responded by swishing a trey from the right corner to put Wheelock up 76-72.
The next two minutes featured hustle, intensity, and defensive stops for the Pride that led to a pair of free throws and a Peana lay-in the brought the Pride level at 76-76 with 42 seconds left.
The Wildcats came down the floor and with time winding down on the shot clock, Fenton created a lane, burst through the right side of the paint, and hit a driving lay-up with just under 11 ticks on the clock to give his squad a 78-76 lead.
A hectic final possession ensued as Monts could not connect underneath the basket but a flurry of arms grabbing for the rebound saw the ball carom off the shot clock and result in an inbounds play with 4.3 on the clock.
Excellent defense by Wheelock forced Peana into a contested fading jump shot from a step inside the arc that missed the mark as the Wildcats held on for the 78-76 overtime victory.
Wheelock featured five double-digit scorers led by Fenton who netted a game-high 19 points and seven assists. Fournier joined him with 13 while sophomore forward Anthony Williams (White Plains, N.Y.) and Christmas each had 12. Junior forward Joe Reedy (Orlando, Fla.) rounded it out with 10 points off the bench. Williams completed a double-double by grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.
Regis put four starters in double-figures led by Peana with 18 points. Jean-Gilles added 17 while Tagger Jr. and junior guard Hector Heredia (Lawrence, Mass.) contributed 12 and 11, respectively. Jean-Gilles fell one board shy of a double-double with a squad-high nine as Heredia added a team-high three helpers.
Release courtesy of Wheelock College Sports Information