NEWPORT, R.I. - Brendan Canova (Edina, Minn.) put Salve Regina University men's basketball up by one (79-78) with five seconds left, but the game was decided on Sedale Jones' (Pittsfield, Mass.) two free throws with 3.6 seconds left as Curry College pulled out the 80-79 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) victory.
The game featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties. The Colonels made twice as many free throws as the Seahawks (14-7) while Salve Regina stayed in the game due to its 3-point shooting. Neither team led by more than six points during the game.
After a Carlos Ribeiro (Charlestown, Mass.) layup gave the visitors a 14-8 lead at 12:47, Seahawk junior Isiah Pringle (Queens, N.Y.) hit the team's first 3-pointer at 11:17 to start a 15-8 run with Salve Regina taking its first lead on Jeff Bielefeld's (Littleton, Mass.) layup at 4:11.
Salve Regina junior Joshua Hohlfelder (Noank, Conn.) scored on three-straight possessions to give the Seahawks their largest lead, 30-26, at 2:29. Canova and Pringle both contributed steals during the minute stretch.
Canova's 3-pointer with 46 seconds left in the first period gave Salve Regina (11-10, 7-7 CCC) the lead at halftime, 35-33. Ribeiro opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer for Curry before Pringle answered with his 3-pointer.
Sedale Jones' jumper at 18:36 started a 7-0 run for Curry to build a five-point lead, 43-38. Junior forward A.J. Stephens (Stamford, Conn.) had an old-fashioned three-point play in the middle of that run.
Canova and Patrick Dinneen (Medfield, Mass.) hit back-to-back 3-pointers for Salve Regina to regain the lead. Salve Regina once again led by four, 55-51, following a Pringle triple at 11:51.
Stephens' layup at 5:10 gave Curry (15-6, 12-2 CCC) a four-point lead, 73-69. The Colonels had that same cushion at 2:18 after a Sedale Jones free throw, 76-72. Both teams went scoreless on their next two possessions.
Dinneen later converted two-consecutive Colonels' turnovers into five points with two layups and a free throw after the second one, putting Salve Regina ahead, 77-76, with 43 seconds remaining.
Stephens' layup at 21 seconds gave Curry a one-point edge. Dinneen worked the ball into the paint before taking a jumper, Bielefeld grabbed the miss and tossed to Canova who banked his jumper in the paint stopping the clock with five seconds left.
A Colonel timeout was followed by a Seahawk timeout. Lambros Papalambros (Quincy, Mass.) launched a deep pass from out of bounds at the Seahawk end to Sedale Jones who caught the ball over his shoulder in front of the Curry bench. Before losing the handle, Jones was contacted by Bielefeld who drew the foul call.
Sedale Jones made both free throws smoothly before Salve Regina's inbounds play reached Bielefeld at midcourt and he immediately fed Dinneen for a good look at a 25-foot game-winning attempt. The shot hit backboard and front rim as the buzzer sounded.
Sedale Jones led all scorers with 28 points while Ribeiro and Stephens both had 14 points for Curry. Stephens added 10 rebounds. Papalambros and Antonio Jones (Boston, Mass.) had 10 points apiece.
Hohlfelder led Salve Regina with 21 points. Dinneen had 18 and Pringle scored 16 for the Seahawks. Canova chipped in 10 including the would-be game-winner; Bielefeld contributed 16 rebounds and five assists.
Salve Regina hosts Wentworth on Wednesday, the third meeting between the Seahawks and Leopards this season. First-place Curry hosts Western New England on Wednesday. (Game recap courtesy of SRU Sports Information)
