Salem State Eliminated From NCAA Division III Championship
The Salem State men's basketball was eliminated from the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship with a 76-75 loss to Keene State on Saturday night.
SALEM STATE ELIMINATED FROM NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
SALEM, MA, March 3, 2007 - Junior forward Nick Drouin's (Weare, NH) layup with just four seconds to play gave Keene State College (25-5) a thrilling 76-75 victory over Salem State College (24-3) in an NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship second round game played at James Twohig Gymnasium.
The visiting Owls escaped the jaws of defeat when SSC junior guard Nick Tokarski's (Springfield, MA) layup attempt with one second to play rolled off the rim and the ensuing put-back by sophomore center Dylan Holmes (Groton, MA) was waved off after it was determined by the officials that time had expired.
The victory advances the Owls to the sectional tournament next weekend at a site to be determined. Sophomore forward Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, VT) led KSC with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard David Sontag (Mount Vernon, NH) scored a team-high 15 points for the Owls who also received 14 from Drouin and 12 from sophomore forward Nate Anderson (Westminster, MA).
The Vikings, who had their 17-game winning streak snapped, were led by junior guard Marquis Victor (Lawrence, MA) who topped all scorers with 19, including 13 in the second half. Holmes finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while senior forward Brandon McCombs (Springfield, MA) collected a game-high 14 boards.