The first half of the contest saw seven ties and three lead changes as both teams would answer the other’s attempt to break out early. With the score tied at 17-all and 5:37 left in the half, the Red Hawks went on a 10-4 spurt and would take a 27-21 lead. Wentworth answered to score eight of the half’s final 10 points, including a buzzer beating three-pointer from sophomore guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue (Norwalk, Conn.), which trimmed the lead to 29-27 at the break.
Continuing the back-and-forth tempo in the second half, neither team would hold a lead larger than five until Wentworth went on a 9-2 run to take a 58-51 lead with 7:52 left in the second half. During the run, sophomore forward Gil Ward (Mystic, Conn.) scored five points. However, the Red Hawks stormed right back with a 15-3 run of their own, highlighted by a pair of dunks from senior forward Tom Schneider (Nashua, N.H.), and took a 66-61 lead with 2:45 left.
Trailing 69-65 with less than a minute to play, senior forward Frankie Hall (Boston, Mass.) hit a layup to pull within a pair and then Hall would provide the heroics with 5.7 seconds left in regulation with a 15-foot jumper that knotted the game at 69-all. Rensselaer had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but a jumper rimmed out at the buzzer.
After freshman guard Todd Doyle (Mystic, Conn.) opened the extra period with a pair of free throws, Schneider tied the game for the 14th time of the day with a jumper of his own. Doyle then buried a three, which gave Wentworth a 74-71 lead with 3:42 left. A pair of free throws from senior forward Matt Zepernick (Northport, N.Y.) pulled the Red Hawks within one, but Doyle hit two more free throws to up the lead back to three.
Zepernick and Prezzie-Blue traded baskets and then Schneider hit a pair of free throws to trim the lead to one, at 78-77. Senior guard Neal Wesson (Portsmouth, N.H.) hit one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to knot the game at 78, the 15th and final time the game would be tied.
On the Leopards’ ensuing possession, they worked the ball around until Doyle eventually got it. Doyle found Gaine under the basket, who made the layup with 0.2 ticks remaining. Gaine would intentionally miss the free throw and time ran out.
Prezzie-Blue led the Leopards (6-3) with 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Hall had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Gaine chipped in with 10 points and four assists.
For the Red Hawks, who fall to 1-6, Zepernick scored 21 points, while Schneider chipped in with 18.
At Boston, Massachusetts (Tansey Gymnasium) WENTWORTH 80, RENSSELAER 78 RENSSELAER (1-6) Matt Zepernick 7-13 7-7 21; Tom Schneider 7-13 4-4 18; Paul Halas 4-9 0-0 10; Sam Simmons 4-6 1-2 9; Neal Wesson 2-6 4-7 8; Clay Hadley 2-4 1-2 5; Russell Herman 1-6 1-1 3; Dan Rourke 1-1 0-0 2; Joe Johnson 0-4 2-2 2; Mike Visker 0-0 0-0 0; Graham Gordon 0-0 0-0 0; Devin Galvin 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-64 20-25 78. WENTWORTH (6-3) Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 10-20 0-0 23; Frankie Hall 9-15 0-1 18; Bryan Gaine 4-9 2-3 10; Todd Doyle 2-3 4-4 9; Gil Ward 4-5 0-0 9; Ed Bolton 2-6 0-0 5; Jeff Cappa 1-3 0-0 2; Weonard Bynes 0-1 2-2 2; Jason DaCosta 1-2 0-0 2; Rob Fernandes 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-66 8-10 80. Rensselaer.................... 29 40 9 - 78 Wentworth..................... 27 42 11 - 80 3-point goals-Rensselaer 2-10 (Paul Halas 2-3; Tom Schneider 0-1; Neal Wesson 0-1; Devin Galvin 0-2; Matt Zepernick 0-3), Wentworth 6-15 (Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 3-8; Todd Doyle 1-1; Ed Bolton 1-4; Gil Ward 1-1; Bryan Gaine 0-1). Fouled out--Rensselaer-None, Wentworth-Sherrad Prezzie-Blue; Jason DaCosta. Rebounds-Rensselaer 39 (Tom Schneider 7), Wentworth 33 (Frankie Hall 7). Assists-Rensselaer 21 (Paul Halas 5; Neal Wesson 5), Wentworth 22 (Ed Bolton 6). Total fouls-Rensselaer 16, Wentworth 24. A-200 Wentworth matches last year's total number of victories.