Box Score WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior guard Matt St. Amour keyed a decisive 13-3 run over the final seven minutes that allowed the Middlebury College men's basketball team to pull away for an 83-74 victory over host Eastern Connecticut State University in the championship game of the 35th Eastern Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
St. Amour, who averaged a team-high 19.5 points per game last year, struggled in an easy first-round win over Salem State University Friday night with a 1-for-11 shooting effort, but keyed Middlebury (2-0) in the second half of the title game win over Eastern (1-2).
In a game which featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties, St. Amour took over in the second half, scoring 14 points and collecting all five of his assists and all three of his steals to spark the Panthers – and NCAA qualifier a year ago -- to the title in their first tournament appearance.
Amour had an assist and steal to help Middlebury hang on to a one-point lead, and his three-point field goal with just over two minutes left virtually sealed the win by giving his team a nine-point 75-66 lead.
Eastern's tight defense limited Middlebury to 43.8 shooting from the floor in the first half – after it finished over 50 percent in a first-round game -- as the Warriors took a slim one-point lead into the locker room. But the Panthers connected on 58.3 percent of their attempts in the second half
St. Amour topped all players in the game with 22 points en route to a spot on the all-tournament team. Sophomore forward Zach Baines of Middlebury was named MVP and was the pair were joined on the all-tournament team by senior guard Jake Brown.
In two games, Baines totaled 37 points (17-of 28 from the floor) and 18 rebounds and blocked four shots. All of Baines' points came from the floor.
Amour totaled 25 points, five rebounds, nine assists and eight steals in two wins. He was 7-of-14 from the floor against Eastern, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Brown, who had seven assists Friday, contributed 12 points, five assists, and two steals and nailed all ten of his free throw attempts in the title game.
Eastern senior forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) had 19 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, three steals and two blocks against Middlebury, with junior guard Tarchee Brown (Rockville) totaling 12 points in (the final) 13 minutes, sophomore guard Jaysen Nunez (Hartford) ten points, sophomore guard Tyrell Arnum (Bloomfield) nine points and six rebounds and senior center David Canny (Torrington) nine points. Brown and Nunez were a combined 8-of-11 from the floor. Lindo and Arnum represented Eastern on the all-tournament team.
Salem State (2-1) salvaged third place with a 91-72 win over The Sage Colleges (1-2). Salem led by only two at the break, but all-tournament selection Marcus Faison, a senior forward, sparked a 47-point Salem second half by scoring 17 of his 22 points in the second half. He finished with a game-high 18 rebounds. Salem junior guard Shaquan Murray was the game leader with 25 points (11-of-22 from the floor).
