Bentley heads to Elite Eight
By Craig Larson, Globe Staff
EASTON — The back-to-back unbeaten runs to the Elite Eight in 2007 and 2008 were historic. This journey to Springfield, however, has been like no other for the Bentley men’s basketball program. Overwhelming and resonating.
The Falcons buried a cherished teammate and friend in January. Starting guard Tommy Dowling went down in February with a broken foot. The regular season ended with losses to Franklin Pierce and Stonehill, followed by a quick exit from the Northeast-10 tourney.
“We needed momentum more than anything else,’’ said coach Jay Lawson.
The NCAA Division 2 East Regional was their salvation, and showcase, with Jason Westrol taking the lead role.
The senior All-American punctuated a magnificent final season with a game for the ages, pouring in a career-high 33 points, and junior forward Brian Tracey delivered a splendid 22-point, 13-rebound performance to propel the Falcons to their third regional crown in four seasons with an 81-69 win over Philadelphia University at Stonehill’s Merkert Gymnasium.
After erasing the bitter taste of letting an 18-point halftime cushion slip away in last year’s regional final at C.W. Post, the Falcons (25-6) are bound for the Elite Eight, where they will face Southeast Regional champ Augusta State (27-8) in a national quarterfinal a week from today at the Mass. Mutual Center in Springfield.
“This one is very special; this has been a sad year for the program,’’ said Lawson, noting the devastating loss of Sean Williams, a four-year team manager who was killed in a car accident during winter break en route to his parents’ home in North Adams. Each Bentley player wears a black patch inscribed with the letters SBW to honor Williams. “These guys lost something, a close friend. We have to be very proud of this.’’
Riding a newfound wave of confidence after victories over Bridgeport (60-50) and Merrimack (83-79), the Falcons shot a scalding 56 percent in the first half and defended with discipline in building 20-point halftime spread against a Philadelphia squad that had gone 18-1 since the first of the year.
The 6-foot-5-inch Tracey (8-for-10 shooting) was unstoppable, outside the arc and in the post, including a ridiculous reverse flip from underneath the basket for a 32-18 lead off a dish from Westrol.
“I was getting open shots and we were moving the ball well,’’ said Tracey, who hit seven of his first eight shots, including a pretty alley-oop lay-in from Westrol the moment Philly switched out of man to a zone defense.
When Philly cut the margin to 52-41 on a trey by senior guard Frederick Russell (team-high 22 points) with 12:17 left, the Falcons simply spread the floor and handed the ball to Westrol. The 6-3 guard soared to the rim for two baskets, restoring order.
“We let our guard down last year [against C.W. Post], it was a matter of keeping our poise,’’ said Westrol, the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player, who scored his 2,000th career point with his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer, and finished 14 of 21 from the floor, while also collecting 8 rebounds and 3 steals.
Lawson called Westrol “the greatest finisher I have ever seen in Division 2 over the last 25 years for a guard.’’
On this night, there was no argument from the other bench — or from legendary Philly coach Herb Magee, who on Feb. 23 passed Bob Knight (901) as the all-time leader in NCAA victories.
“He’s a great player — he was unconscious, he took the game over,’’ said Magee, who has a 907-354 mark in 43 seasons. “We just got too far down in the first half.’’
Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com
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