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Salem

About the 2002 Division III
men's basketball tournament

Rochester 71, Babson 60
BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Balance is the reason Rochester has been so successful and it is the primary reason the Yellowjackets will play on Saturday night for the right to go to the Division III Final Four.

Four players scored in double figures as Rochester defeated Babson 71-60 in the Sectional semifinal at SUNY Brockport here tonight. With the victory, Rochester earns the right to play host Brockport, which rallied for a 69-64 win over Amherst College with a 13-0 run in the final three minutes.

Balance was never more evident than in the 12-2 surge over two minutes late in the second half that turned a two point lead into a 12-point edge with 2:25 to play. Four different players scored in the run. When it was over, Rochester had a 62-50 lead, then made seven of eight from the foul line in the final 70 seconds to lock up a sectional finals berth.

Babson had just pulled within two for the fifth time in the half, now it was 50-48 Rochester with 5:53 to go. The Beavers, who lead Division III in scoring defense, were looking for the one critical gap which would thrust them ahead. That gap never materialized. Tim Sweeney worked his way down the left side, then fed Seth Hauben for a layup. Babson missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Sweeney found Andy Larkin for a six-foot jumper and Larkin was fouled. He knocked down the free throw, stretching the lead to seven, 55-48, with 4:15 to go.

On the next trip down the floor, the ball went inside to Larkin, followed by
much of the Babson defense. He spit it back out immediately to Jeff Joss who
drained a three-pointer from the right wing. It was 58-48 with 3:44 left and
11 seconds later, Babson called for time while the Rochester-heavy crowd of
1,682 was on its feet roaring.

"The 'threes' I got were wide open," Joss said. "They (Babson) sunk down on
our big men."

Joss led the Yellowjackets with 20 points, hitting 4 of 6 outside the arc in a 7-for-12 shooting performance. Brian Jones scored 13 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds, six off the offensive glass, in 32 minutes off the bench.

"B.J. showed some great poise," said head coach Mike Neer. "He was a marked man. Once we got the ball inside, we scored."

Hauben had 14 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Sweeney scored 10 points — at the most critical of times. With Rochester holding a 47-44 lead and barely over seven minutes to play, he swished a 3-pointer from the right side, set up by Larkin. When the Beavers began fouling, he made five of six in the last 1:10, seven of eight overall.

Larkin didn't hit double figures, but he was tough inside: nine points, six boards, three assists, two steals, and a block in 18 minutes. Gabe Perez had two points, three assists, and a steal in his second straight start. Justin Hughes produced 19 minutes of heady play at the point (one assist, two steals — one of which prevented a sure layup).

"We got from Babson what I expected," Neer said. "They really assert themselves on the perimeter. The issue for us, I felt, was being able to take care of the ball."

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