Box Score CLINTON, N.Y. -- Junior center David Canny (Torrington) sparked the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team from a four-point halftime deficit by scoring 11 of his career-high 12 points in the second half as the Warriors defeated Hamilton College, 77-69, in the championship game of the Hamilton College Invitational Sunday afternoon at Scott Field House.
Ranked 14th nationally in the pre-season, Eastern (4-2) enjoyed its second second-half explosion in two games by scoring 48 second-half points, shooting 54.8 percent over the final 20 minutes with only two turnovers and limiting Hamilton (3-2) to 36.1 field goal shooting (3-of-12 in the second half) in downing the Continentals in the first meeting between the programs. The Warriors scored 56 second-half points in Saturday's 93-87 first-round win over Hartwick College.
Midway through the second half Sunday, the Warriors broke the seventh and final tie of the game on a jumper by sophomore guard Collin Jordan (Cheshire), and the 6-foot-11 inch Canny followed up with an inside bucket to propel Eastern to a 17-7 scoring advantage over six minutes that pushed the Warriors' lead to ten, 62-52, with six minutes left. The lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
In that 17-7 spurt, junior forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) blocked a shot that Jordan grabbed, then Lindo sank his first career three-pointer on his first attempt to start a run of seven straight points. Senior guard Trachone Preston (Enfield) added a layup off a rebound by sophomore guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville) and Canney dropped in two free throws to make it 56-47.
With Eastern leading by five, Preston nailed a three-point off a pass from Canney and Brown sank a layup to make it 62-52 with 5:58 left.
Brown led all players in the game with 22 points en route to tournament MVP honors, with Preston adding 20 points and Lindo 16 in joining Brown on the all-tournament team.
Against Hamilton, Brown was 9-of-17 from the floor (4-of-7 from "three" and also led both teams with eight rebounds. He added four assists and two steals in 37 minutes. Preston handed out five assists and Lindo was 6-of-7 from the floor with seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. In a career-high 23 minutes, Canny chipped in 12 points and five rebounds and two assists. He was 4-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe.
When Eastern outscored Hamilton by 12 points in the second half, Lindo complemented Canney's 11 points with 14 points and six assists, Preston tossing in 12 and Brown scoring nine points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Canney played 17 minutes in the second half.
Jack Dwyer led Hamilton with 14 points and five assists, with all-tournament selection Peter Hoffman scoring ten with six rebounds and four assists.
In two tournament games, Brown had 41 points and 13 rebounds and a team-high nine assists. Preston led the Warriors in the tournament with 51 points (17-of-31 from the floor, 6-of-13 from "three" and 11-of-13 from the stripe. Lindo had 23 points and a team-high 19 rebounds. He shot 60.0 percent from the floor (9-of-15) and had eight assists and four blocks and turned the ball over only once in 63 minutes.
The two-time defending Little East Conference regular-season champion Warriors open their conference season Saturday, hosting the University of Southern Maine at 3 p.m.
