MILTON, Mass. – Curry College senior Antonio Jones (Dorchester, Mass.) scored a team-high 31 points, leading the Colonels to an 84-80 overtime win against visiting Salve Regina. The game was the season finale and Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) finale for both schools. Curry concluded its season at 6-19 overall and 4-14 in league play. The Seahawks also finished at 6-19 overall, and wound up at 3-15 in CCC action.
Jones scored 13 first-half points, while Salve Regina junior Barrett Hanlon (Hopkinton, Mass.) scored 16 of his game-high 40 points in the opening frame. The Colonels opened a 12-point lead (28-16) at 7:35 of the first half on a jumper by sophomore Paul Preziosi (Quincy, Mass.). The Seahawks slowed chipped away and eventually tied the game at 40-40 heading into intermission. Sophomore Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) pulled his team even with five seconds remaining by draining a shot from beyond the arc.
In the second frame, the hosts threatened to run away a few times by building a lead as large as nine points. But each time Curry built a lead, Salve Regina came back to close to within one or two points. The Colonels led 67-58 after freshman Damani Carter (Miami, Fla.) hit a jumper at 7:31, but then the Seahawks went on a 17-4 run to establish a 75-71 advantage with 2:19 remaining.
Trailing by that same score with 37 seconds to go in regulation, Jones connected on four-straight free throws, including a pair off of a technical foul with eight seconds remaining that ultimately sent the game into overtime. Preziosi hit the first basket of the extra frame at 4:12 and the Colonels maintained the lead until the final buzzer.
Jones went 12-of-15 from the charity stripe as part of his 31 points. Classmate Matt Russell (South Portland, Maine) notched another double-double with 17 points and a team-best 15 rebounds. Preziosi chipped in with 11 points.
Hanlon connected on six shots from beyond the arc as part of his 40 points. He also dished out a game high nine assists. Senior Eric MacKinnon (South Easton, Mass.) was the only other double-digit scorer for Salve Regina with 10 points. Graduate student Scott St. Lawrence (Litchfield, N.H.) pulled down a game-best 17 rebounds.
