Box Score NEW LONDON, Conn.—Freshman forward Isaiah Robinson (Lynn, Mass.) poured in 15 points and added seven rebounds to lead the Connecticut College men's basketball team to a 63-57 victory against Worcester State University in the Championship game of the Connecticut College and Coast Guard Invitational Tournament at Luce Field House Sunday.
Robinson was 5-for-8 from the field and converted 5-for-6 shots at the charity stripe for the Camels, who improve their record to 4-3. Lee Messier (Narragansett, R.I.) chipped in with 13 points for the Camels while Zuri Pavlin (New York, N.Y.) reached double digits with 11 points and seven boards. Brandon Carson (Glenmoore, Pa.) provided some solid post play and scored six of his eight points in the second stanza.
"We played really hard today and got contributions from a lot of different people," Connecticut College Head Men's Basketball Coach Tom Satran said. "We had a happy locker room after the game."
Robinson and Pavlin were named to the All-Tournament Team for the Camels.
The Worcester State Lancers (2-5) were led by Charles Gunter's (Boston, Mass.) 11 points and five rebounds. Senior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, Mass.) and Austin Keeler (Holyoke, Mass.) both reached double-figures with 10 points each. Manny Cabral (Roslindale, Mass.) was 3-for-4 from long distance en route to his nine pointe effort.
Gunter and Keeler represented the Lancers on the All-Tournament Team.
Carson sparked the Camels on an 8-to-0 run in span of 4:05 in the second half that turned a 47-46 deficit into a 54-47 advantage for the hosts with 6:27 remaining. Carson scored two field goals in the paint and added a critical offensive rebound that led to a hoop for Pavlin.
The Lancers pulled to within 58-55 when Noris Cuevas-Nova (Amherst, Mass.) followed a hoop by Rios with a free throw with 2:47 remaining.
But the Camels were able to close out the 63-57 victory with some key rebounding and successfully converted on their final four shots at the charity stripe.
In the third place matchup, St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn (5-3) cruised to a 70-50 victory against the Coast Guard (4-4) in the battle of the Bears.
Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y.) exploded with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds, shooting 10-for-12 from the field.
Junior guard Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y.) excelled in every facet of the game, finishing with 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and five steals.
Alec Willis (Staten Island, N.Y.) chipped in with nine points for SJC, shooting 4-for-6 from the field.
O'Neill was honored on the All-Tournament Team for St. Joseph.
Junior guard Kevin Alvarez (Key Biscayne, Fla.) finished with 11 points for the Coast Guard. David Anderson (Goose Creek, S.C.), Adrian Chuquillangui (Manassas, Va.) and Devon Zych (Oswego, Ill.) all contributed with six points in the setback.
O'Neill buried a triple from the right side to vault St. Joseph's out to a 13-4 advantage with 15:14 remaining. Later on in the first stanza, St. Joseph's took a 30-16 lead when O'Neill induced a Coast Guard turnover and assisted Willis for an easy deuce in transition. Megafu knocked down a jumper with two seconds left and St. Joseph's carried a 34-16 advantage into the break.
Darius Adams (Nassau, Bahamas) converted a hoop for the Coast Guard with 15:41 remaining that trimmed the deficit to 38-23. But O'Neill and Megafu combined to score 30 of St. Joseph's 36 points in the second half to lead their team to the 70-50 triumph.
Connecticut College and Coast Guard Invitational All-Tournament Team
Connecticut College-Isaiah Robinson
Connecticut College-Zuri Pavlin
Worcester State University-Austin Keeler
Worcester State University-Charles Gunter
St. Joseph's College of Brooklyn-Matt O'Neill