With its 11th straight win, Western (19-2, 9-2 little east) keeps pace atop the conference standings with co-leader Plymouth State, which edged visiting Keene State College 91-86 tonight at Plymouth, NH. Eastern (5-13, 2-8 little east) lost for the fifth straight time and was swept in the season series with Western for the first time in four years.
Ranked third in New England, Western survived a miserable effort from the free-throw line which helped the Warriors scratch back from a ten-point deficit over the final seven minutes of the game. The Colonials regrouped after missing 13 of their first 21 free throws of the second half to sink five of their last six over the final 32 seconds.
Eastern had pulled to as close as two points, 73-71 with 63 seconds left before Western caught fire at the line to hold off the Warriors. Sophomore guard Geoffrey Richardson’s (HARTFORD) three-point field goal pulled Eastern to within two, 78-76 with seven seconds left, but Crawford swished two free throws seconds later to ice the win.
Senior post player Brice Assie (Bridgeport, CT), the conference’s third-leading scorer and top field goal shooter (68.0 per cent), had a game-high 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the floor. He also had eight rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Kyle Norfleet (Waterbury, CT) came off the bench to score 13 points – hitting three three-point field goals – with Crawford finishing with 12 points.
In their 84-70 win over Eastern three weeks ago in Danbury, the Colonials were 20-for-25 from the line.
In his third start of the year, Richardson paced four Eastern double-figure scorers with 17 points. Senior post player Jeroy Smith (NEW HAVEN) had 15 points (9-for-10 from the stripe) and six rebounds, first-year sophomore forward Leon Martin (WOODBURY) 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds and freshman guard Shiwon Davis (STRATFORD) ten points.
Eastern visits Albertus Magnus College Thursday at 7 p.m.