Nashua, NH – Senior Eric Suarez (Brooklyn. N.Y.) drew a foul in the paint and sank two free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining in overtime and host Daniel Webster College slipped past Wheelock College, 79-77 in a hotly contested New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball matchup Saturday at the Mario Vagge Gymnasium.
Fellow Eagle senior Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) notched a double-double with a game-high 26 points including six three-pointers and pulled down 11 rebounds, moving into third place on the DWC all-time career scoring leader board, as the Eagles (6-3, 2-0 NECC) moved into early sole possession of first place in the conference.
The win also gave the Eagles a small measure of revenge after a convincing loss to the Wildcats in last year's NECC quarterfinal round.
Sophomore Keith Speed (Columbus, Ohio) knocked down a season-high 19 for DWC including three from downtown and dished off five assists. Suarez would finish up with 14 points, nine boards and three assists. Rookies Kevin Gates (Chicago, Ill.) and Daris Cosby (Columbia, S.C.) chipped in with six points each.
Eric Rice (Woburn, Mass.) led the Wildcats (4-4, 1-1 NECC) with 20 points while Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) added a double-double with 16 points and 13 caroms. Dan Main (Hopedale, Mass.) notched 15 points and nine boards, and Max Kaim (For Lauderdale, Fla.) chipped in with 11 points and five assists.
Despite falling behind by as many as 10 twice midway through the second half, DWC forged back and trailed only once in the extra session. Hudson opened overtime with a layup that was answered 16 seconds later by Suarez inside.
Twice the Eagles led by three in extra time including a 77-74 lead after two free throws from Speed and another at the line from Suarez with 35 seconds remaining.
But Rice would answer with a deep straightaway three with 27 ticks to go leading to Suarez's inside work to draw the foul with six seconds left.
After taking a 34-31 lead into the half, DWC struggled in the opening seven minutes of the second and Wheelock sizzled with a 15-2 run over the span of 4:27 keyed by seven points from Main, turning a 38-35 Eagle lead into a 50-40 deficit with 13:12 remaining.
Still trailing by 10 (55-45) with 10:42 to go, John Hickson (Springfield, Mass.) nailed a three from deep in the right pocket and both Hanson and Speed buried layups sparking a 13-2 run over the next 4:02. Suarez would convert on one at the line for a 58-57 Eagle lead with 6:22 left.
Wheelock answered again. Main would snatch two straight steals leading to back-to-back layups for Hudson and a 66-61 game with 3:02 left. But a Suarez layup and two more treys from Hanson made it 69-68 Eagles with 1:21 to go.
A Victor Kashouh (Providence, R.I.) freebie with 46 ticks left, and a miss from Speed from outside with seven seconds on the clock helped force the extra session.
The Eagles are now off until Thursday, January 6th when they visit Eastern Nazarene College in a regional matchup beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Wheelock closes the semester with a visit to Mount Ida College on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.