Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Eastern Connecticut State University's Big Three of sophomore guard Trachone Preston (Enfield), and senior guards Mike Garrow (Terryville) and Brian Salzillo (North Haven) were big from 'three', and because of it, the Warriors will compete in the championship game of the Little East Conference tournament for the third time in four years.
At right: Trachone Preston ties the game for Eastern with this layup and three-point play seven minutes into Friday's victory over Western Connecticut.
Eastern and second-seeded Rhode Island will be meeting in the final for the third time in four years, the top seed winning over the No. 3 seed each time. Defending champion Rhode Island (19-8) advanced to the final for the eighth straight year with a 58-49 victory over third-seeded Massachusetts Dartmouth in Friday's second semifinal.
In previous finals between the teams, Eastern won, 82-60, in 2012 at Geissler Gym and Rhode Island won, 62-49, in 2011 at the Murray Center. Rhode Island is 5-2 in championship game appearances, Eastern 3-2.
The only conference team in the regular season to defeat Rhode Island last year, the Warriors have inflicted two of RIC's three regular-season conference losses this year. Eastern won, 77-74 at home in the conference opener for both teams Dec. 7, and 73-58 on the road a month ago.
Against No. 4 seed Western Connecticut State University (17-9) Friday night at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium, Preston, Garrow and Salzillo combined for 64 points – nearly half of them coming on ten three-point field goals – as No. 1 seed Eastern (22-5) defeated Western for the third time this year, 88-75, to move into Saturday's 5 p.m. championship game against either UMass Dartmouth or defending champion Rhode Island College. It was Eastern's seventh straight win.
Preston led all players with 24 points and had four assists; Garrow added 21 points and six assists and Salzillo 19 points and three assists. Garrow was 4-of-6 from 'three' and 5-of-6 from the foul line, Preston 3-of-7 from long range and 9-of-11 from the stripe, and Salzillo 3-of-9 from behind the arc.
As a team, Eastern canned 11 of 23 three-pointers and was 21-of-26 from the foul line in posting its 11th home win of the season (tenth straight) in 12 tries.
Sophomore guard Kevin Leumene (Stamford) came off the bench to add 12 points (5-of-7 field goals), providing a spark in 11 first-half minutes with nine points, and Garrow, Salzillo and Preston combined for 40 of Eastern's 51 second-half points.
Western shot nearly 60 percent and led by three points, 19-16, six minutes into the game – nine of the points coming on two three-point field goals and one conventional three-point play -- before the Warriors rattled off seven straight to seize the momentum. In that stretch, Preston completed a three-point play with a left-side drive and Leumene followed with a reverse layup and another left-side drive off a rebound and assist from Garrow. Minutes later, Leumene swished a three-pointer to snap the final tie of the game and give Eastern the lead for good, 26-23, with 8:30 left in the first half.
Freshman forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) grabbed 17 rebounds for Eastern, which was outrebounded on the offensive glass by 11 rebounds, but shot 51.9 percent from the floor as compared to 35.5 percent for Western.
Western junior forward Tony Seldon (Bloomfield) led the Colonials with 19 points, sinking all three of his three-point field goals en route to 17 second-half points.
Junior center Joseph Groski (New Milford) and freshman guard Kendal Marquez (Willimantic) each had 13 points for Western. Groski had 11 of his points and seven of his ten rebounds in the first half. Marquez handed out five assists and was 6-of-6 from the foul line.
