With the win, the Blazers (20-8 overall) won their first NAC Championship, and with it, the conference’s first-ever automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament. That berth also marks the first in the program’s seven-year history.
“This means everything to our program,” Elms College fourth-year coach Ed Silva explained. “We’re the first team to earn the NAC’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament and the first men’s team at Elms College to earn an NCAA bid in any sport.”
Lasell, which had won the last three NAC Championships, finished its season 19-9 overall.
Freshman forward Renato Lindmets (Springfield, MA), who scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the Blazers’ 73-61 win over Husson in Friday night’s semifinal, recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s NAC Championship to earn NAC Tournament MVP honors.
Freshman guard Justin Davis (Dix Hills, NY), who netted 14 points in Friday night’s semifinal win, added nine points – all on 3-pointers, and was also named to the All-Tournament Team.
After being held to just four points in the Blazers’ first two NAC Tournament games, Seyboth caught fire in the first half against Lasell, as he went 4 of 6 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 14 points before the break to spark the Blazers to a 45-36 lead at intermission.
“In the first two games of the tournament, both teams really keyed in on me,” Seyboth noted. “I think all the teams figured if they could stop me and Mook (sophomore guard John Ancrum) they could win, but once other people started stepping up, teams realized they weren’t going to be able to beat us by just doing that.”
Leading 45-36 at intermission, the Blazers went on a 15-7 run in the first 5:52 of the second half to build what seemed to be a commanding 60-43 lead.
Lasell, however, held the Blazers scoreless for the next 7:33 and cut the deficit to 60-50 following senior forward Demetrius DeJesus’ (Bronx, NY) 3-point play (layup and ensuing free throw), and consecutive layups by junior forward Dan Schweitzer (Spray Beach, NJ) and senior forward Anwar Hunte (Coconut Creek, FL).
“We had some offensive possessions that were less than desirable during that stretch,” Coach Silva said.
Following a pair of free throws each by junior forward Lonnie Branyon III (West Haven, CT) and Ancrum extended the Blazers’ lead to 64-50, the Lasers scored the next 11 points to pull to within 64-61 with 1:16 remaining.
The Blazers, however, kept their poise, as freshman forward Nathan Hawes (New Hope, MN) converted a back-door layup off a beautiful pass from Lindmets with 1:03 remaining and Ancrum followed with two more free throws to give the Blazers the lead for good at 68-61.
“We had some kids make some big shots down the stretch and pull down some big rebounds,” Coach Silva noted.
The Blazers will now await Sunday’s NCAA Division III selection for their first round opponent.
Newspaper Box Score Elms College vs Lasell College 2/26/05 2:00 p.m. at Newton, MA At Newton, MA ELMS COLLEGE 70, LASELL COLLEGE 66 ELMS COLLEGE (20-8 overall) Kyle Seyboth 7-14 0-0 19; John Ancrum 2-13 8-10 12; Renato Lindmets 5-10 1-4 11; Lonnie Branyon III 4-10 2-2 10; Justin Davis 3-8 0-0 9; Anthony Bernard 3-3 1-2 7; Nathan Hawes 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 25-60 12-18 70. LASELL COLLEGE (19-9 overall) Demetrius Dejesus 5-8 5-6 15; Maxwell Perez 5-16 2-2 14; Michael Unwin 4-12 2-2 14; Steve Martinez 3-6 0-0 9; Dan Schweitzer 3-10 1-3 7; Anwar Hunt 2-2 0-0 4; Greg Walker 1-12 1-1 3; Haris Talic 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-67 11-14 66. Elms College.................. 45 25 - 70 Lasell College................ 36 30 - 66 3-point goals-Elms College 8-23 (Kyle Seyboth 5-11; Justin Davis 3-8; John Ancrum 0-4), Lasell College 9-26 (Michael Unwin 4-8; Steve Martinez 3-6; Maxwell Perez 2-4; Greg Walker 0-6; Demetrius Dejesus 0-2). Fouled out--Elms College-None, Lasell College-Michael Unwin; Demetrius Dejesus. Rebounds-Elms College 40 (Renato Lindmets 11), Lasell College 44 (Dan Schweitzer 9). Assists-Elms College 15 (John Ancrum 8), Lasell College 14 (Dan Schweitzer 5). Total fouls-Elms College 17, Lasell College 20. Elms College wins first NAC Championship Renato Lindmets named NAC Tournament MVP Justin Davis named to All-Tournament Team