MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Bridgewater State College senior forward Stace Garrick hit two clutch three-pointers in the final 37 seconds of the game as the Bears stunned Middlebury College, 78-76, in NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament action this evening in Middlebury.
Bridgewater (22-6) earns its school-record 22nd win of the season and third NCAA Tournament victory (second this season), as they advance to the NCAA sectionals for the first time in school history. The Bears will take on Farmingdale State University next Friday evening at a site to be determined. Farmingdale knocked off MIT, 67-61, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Middlebury (24-4), which entered the tournament ranked ninth in the D3hoops.com poll, ends the year with a school-record 24 victories and its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Middlebury held a five-point lead with 37 seconds left, when Garrick hit a 23-footer from the top of the arc to cut the lead to 74-72 before a Bridgewater timeout. The Panthers were unable to inbound the ball as Nicholas Motta earned a steal and converted to tie the game at 74. Middlebury answered quickly in transition as Jamal Davis scored on a layup to put the Panthers back on top, 76-74.
That set the stage for Garrick who buried another huge three with a defender in his face with 17 seconds left to play. The hoop gave Bridgewater a 77-76 lead, its first since the 9:17 mark.
The Panthers could not convert on the other end, as they were forced to foul after a missed shot. Motta missed the first and made the second free throw attempt with one tick remaining to make it a 78-76 game. Middlebury had one last chance, but an end-to-end pass from Aaron Smith was broken up by Motta, as the Bears emerged with the amazing comeback win.
The Panthers led by as many as nine points three times in the first half, but the Bears kept battling back and cut the lead to 42-38 on a hoop from Garrick as the first half expired.
Ben Rudin had 15 points and five assists in the opening stanza for the Panthers, as the team went 7-11 from behind the arc. Both teams shot over 46% from the floor, as Rolan Millien scored 10 points and earned six boards for the Bears.
Bridgewater took a brief 45-44 lead with 2:01 gone in the second half on a jumper by Motta. Middlebury answered quickly, however, as Kyle Dudley and Tim Edwards hit a pair of three's to put the Panthers on top, 52-45, with 15:48 left to play.
The Bears went on an 8-0 run following the spurt, taking a 53-52 lead on a hoop from Garrick with 12:59 remaining. A bucket from Rudin gave Middlebury a 68-65 lead with 3:18 left, before Millien and Judah Jackson both fouled out for Bridgewater on the next two possessions. The second foul came on a three-point play converted by Davis to give the Panthers a 71-65 lead at the 2:37 mark.
Bridgewater shot .459 from the floor on the night, making 5 of 10 from behind the arc, with 15 of 24 (.625) shooting from the line. The Panthers shot a solid .468, went 9 of 18 from three-point range, but were only able to convert 11 of 26 (.423) free throws.
Millian led the Bears with 23 points to go along with seven boards, while Garrick netted 21 points with seven boards on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor. Motta added a dozen with 11 boards and four steals in the victory.
Rudin paced the Panthers with a game-high 25 points, to go along with six boards and seven assists. Dudley scored 13, Davis netted 11, while Edwards scored nine.