SAINTS TOP BOBCATS, 72-63, TO ADVANCE

TO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Nov. 16: Junior guard Tom Wopperer led the St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team to victory in their first game of the season, posting 25 points in the 72-63 win over Bates College at the Babson Tip-Off Tournament Friday night. The win puts the Saints in the championship game on Saturday, where the Saints will face Connecticut College for the tournament title.

 

Wopperer was the first to score for the Saints with a jumper only 48 seconds into the game to put St. Lawrence up on the board. The Manlius, NY captain shot 5-for-7 outside the arc and 10-for-14 from the floor, while tallying two assists in his 36 minutes on the court.

 

St. Lawrence spent the entire first half behind the Bobcats, with Bates leading the Saints by as many as nine points at different points throughout the first twenty minutes, but

St. Lawrence had a 10-2 run in the last four minutes to bring the score within a point to close the first half 28-29 with Bates still ahead.

 

The Bobcats came out of halftime scoring six points within the first minute to up their lead, 35-28, but the Saints responded with a seven-point streak with junior forward Bela Vonnak tying the game with a layup with 17:23 left in the game.

 

Bates’ Jimmy O’Keefe and Vonnak own the next scoring run, with O’Keefe scoring Bates’ next eight points, while Vonnak had two good lay ups to bring the score to 39-43 with Bates still ahead. Both teams went scoreless for nearly two and a half minutes until sophomore Andy Hoercher put a three-pointer away for the Saints, bringing the score within one point again, 42-43.

 

Bobcat Brian Ellis had a layup to give a three-point lead back to Bates, but Vonnak’s layups continued to be a weapon for the Saints, as he got the ball in the basket again, to bring it within one. Hoercher then stole the ball from Bates’ Chris Wilson, and missed a layup but got the rebound, and a foul was called on Wilson, sending Hoercher to the line, with a 44-45 score on the board. The Auburn, NY native made both free throws, giving the Saints their first lead of the game.

 

The Saints never looked back after that, as they continued to maintain their advantage and extend their lead to ten with a layup from Wopperer to give the Saints a 61-51 lead with 3:55 remaining. The Saints would continue to control the game until the buzzer, ending the game with a 72-63 win.

 

Vonnak was 8-for-9 from the floor, scoring 19 points for the Saints. The Canojoharie, NY native also had seven rebounds and two blocks in his 29 minutes of play.

 

Hoercher had 14 points and made 9 out of 10 shots from the line for the Saints. He also had one assist. Sophomore Josh Sharlow tallied eight assists in the game. The Norwood, NY native had eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Scarlet and Brown.

 

St. Lawrence, 1-0, will face Connecticut College in the Babson Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Camels beat Babson in the other semifinal game 52-50 to advance in the tournament. The tip-off time is 3:00pm.