Five point win advances Phoenix to semi's of Men's DII tourney
March 19, 2009
Danville, IL- Game 7 of the NJCAA DII Men's Basketball National Tournament featured a 2nd round match-up of Phoenix College and Delaware Technical & Community College. Phoenix College received a 1st round bye from a blind draw. Delaware Tech defeated Bismarck State College on Wednesday to advance. The winner of this game will face Johnson County CC in the semifinals on Friday, March 20 at 6:30 PM. The loser will face Monroe in the consolation bracket.
Delaware Tech started off the game on a 5-0 run before Phoenix found the bottom of the net. It didn't take long for Phoenix to respond as they brought it within 2 points in a matter of seconds. It was on pace to being a low scoring game with neither team breaking the 10 point mark until there were 10 minutes left in the 1st half. Phoenix sat in a zone and Delaware used their athleticism in man-to-man defense to keep each other contained offensively. Phoenix was eventually able to take the lead but couldn't keep it extended beyond 4 points. Phoenix's Will Donahue, a 6'7" 275 lbs freshman, used his big body to finish some tough buckets down low. Donahue, along with a 3-pointer by Curtis Mitchell, helped Phoenix push the lead to 31-22 with 2 minutes remaining in the half. Dexton Williamson finally stepped up for Delaware Tech and had a couple key buckets in the closing minutes of the half to cut the lead to 33-28 at halftime.
1ST HALF LEADERS FOR PHOENIX:
Will Donahue, 10 pts
Curtis Mitchell, 7 pts
1ST HALF LEADERS FOR DELAWARE TECH:
Dexton Williamson, 8 pts
Lancelot McDowell, 5 pts
Delaware Tech came out after the half looking real aggressive offensively. They managed to take the 47-39 lead within the first 3 minutes of the half. Phoenix Head Coach Matt Gordon burned 2 timeouts within these 3 minutes to get his team fired up. Both teams only scored 1 bucket a piece in the next 4 minutes of play, due to tough defense by both teams. Phoenix made their run at the 10 minute mark to come within 2 points, which caused Delaware Tech Head Coach Ron Burgess to call a timeout. The break from the action didn't help his team as Phoenix continued to execute on the offensive end. Phoenix took the 55-54 lead with 7 minutes to play. Will Donahue continued to abuse Delaware Tech down low, scoring his 20th point on an easy dish. At the 3 minute mark, a technical foul was called on a Phoenix player, giving Delaware Tech 4 unanswered points to retake a 59-57 lead. Phoenix got the break they needed when Stevie Ledesma hit a 3-pointer from the corner to put his squad up 62-61 with under 1:30 to play. Delaware Tech had the ball with 30 seconds left but was unable to get a good shot off before a shot clock violation, which gave the ball to Phoenix with 15 seconds left. Delaware would go on to foul, but Phoenix made enough free throws and got key offensive rebounds to seal the victory. Final score: Phoenix 66, Delaware Tech 61.
Phoenix will advance to the semifinals to face Johnson County on Friday, March 20 at 6:30 PM. Delaware Tech will continue to play in the consolation bracket. Their next match-up will be vs. Monroe Community College. On Friday, March 20 at 1:00 PM.
GAME LEADERS FOR PHOENIX:
Will Donahue, 6'7" Fresh, 22 pts
Curtis Mitchell, 5'10" Soph, 18 pts
Alex Miller, 6'6" Fresh, 8 pts
GAME LEADERS FOR DELAWARE TECH:
Lancelot McDowell, 6'7" Soph, 17 pts
Dexton Williamson, 6'4" Soph, 12 pts
Rakee Anderson, 5'10" Soph, 11 pts
Samuel Starks, 6'2" Fresh, 10 pts