Mount Ida also set itself up for a possible berth in the NAC Postseason Tournament with the triumph. Four of the five NAC Eastern Division teams are separated by just two games in the loss column heading into the final week of regular season play. Thomas College (5-6) currently occupies second place, while Maine Maritime Academy (5-7) and the University of Maine Farmington (4-7) are in third and fourth place respectively. The Mustangs (4-8) are in the fifth slot but could potentially end the year as the number two team in the division. The top four teams from both the East and West Divisions advance to postseason play.
Mount Ida led by just five points (23-18) with five minutes remaining in the first frame but exploded for a 17-3 run to open up 40-21 halftime advantage. From there, the Mustangs never looked back, maintaining at least an eight point edge throughout the second half.
Four Mustangs reached double-digits in the scoring column, as the visitors shot 50.0% (28-56) from the field. Sophomore Mike Dunham (Salem, N.H./Salem) connected on five of Mount Ida’s nine three-pointers to lead all scorers with 21 points. Junior Andreas Vasiliu (Newton, Mass./Newton) hit three treys en route to an 18-pint afternoon, while senior Scott Chamberlain (Millis, Mass./Millis) added 14 points and eight boards. Chamberlain is just 12 points shy of surpassing Joshua Didick as the program’s all-time leader in career points scored (1,412). Classmate Matt McGaughran (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) rounded things out for the Mustangs with eight points. He is just four points from becoming the seventh player in program history to reach the 1,000 point plateau.
Maine Maritime also had four double-digit scorers. Senior B.J. Dunlap (Norridgewock, Maine) and junior Marc McCorrison (Knox, Maine) finished with 14 points apiece, while sophomores Brandon Hall (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine) and Aaron McCarley (San Antonio, Texas) netted 13 and 11 respectively. Dunlap and McCarley dished out four assists each, and junior Neil Stewart (Rangeley, Maine) grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds for the Mariners.
Mount Ida (6-17, 4-8 NAC) wraps up its 2006 regular season slate with a pair of road games in Maine next weekend. The Mustangs will travel to the University of Maine Farmington on Friday before concluding their season at Thomas College on Saturday. The NAC contests are slated to tip off at 7:30 and 3:00 p.m. respectively. Maine Maritime (8-13, 5-7 NAC) returns to action on Tuesday, when it hosts the University of Maine Farmington in a league game beginning at 7:30 p.m.