Eastern Connecticut State University's Men's Basketball Wins Title With Help From Tarchee Brown

2014 Dec 2

Tarchee Brown '18, of Vernon majoring in Physical Education, aided the Eastern Connecticut State University's men's basketball team's championship title.

The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team proved that once again as its held an opponent more than ten points below its season scoring mark for the second straight game en route to a 70-60 victory over York (NY) University in the championship game of the University of Rochester/Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Invitational Sunday afternoon at the Louis Alexander Palestra on the UR campus.

Eighteen hours after limiting Stevenson University to a season-low 61 points in a five-point come-from-behind first-round victory, Eastern (7-1) held York (3-2) to a season-point low point total in a battle of 2013-14 NCAA tournament second-round teams.

The contests were the third set of back-to-back ones already this year for Eastern, which won both ends in capturing its season-opening Eastern Tip-Off Tournament on the first weekend of the season two weekends ago, then split a pair at the Hartwick College Class last weekend.

Junior guard and all-tournament selection Trachone Preston (Enfield) scored a game-high 23 points to lead three men in double figures for Eastern against York, which had scored 80 points in a four-point triumph over host Rochester Saturday evening. Junior guard Kevin Leumene (Stamford) scored 14 points, added two blocked shots, three steals, two assists, and three rebounds. Tournament MVP Tarchee Brown (Manchester) - a freshman guard -- scored only 11 points against against York (taking only five shots), but earned his MVP award by scoring 23 of his career-high 26 points in the second half when Eastern rallied from 14 points back to stun Stevenson Saturday In the final Sunday, sophomore forward Hugh Lindo (Enfield) had nine points and shared game honors with 11 rebounds

Averaging just under 30 points a game, pre-season All-America Omar St. John - a 6-foot-3 inch guard -- managed only 13 points in 39 minutes for York. He was 5-of-16 from the floor and went to the foul line only twice. He led four Cardinal double-digit scorers.

In the championship game, Preston sank a three-pointer (he leads the team with nearly three per game) from the top of the key to ignite a 14-2 run over the last seven minutes of the first half as the Warriors carried an 11-point, 31-20 lead into the half.

Senior guard DuQuan Lawson and senior forward Cyril Reid got York going in the second half. With the Cardinals down by ten two minutes into the second half, Reid made a scoop shot, then Lawson hit a three-pointer from the left corner and Reid sank one from the right corner. A free throw by Lawson got York within 38-35 with five minutes gone.

Two baskets by Preston stretched the lead back to nine, 44-35, before York made another run. Lawson hit a runner in the lane, sophomore guard Ryan St. John hit a 12-footer off the left baseline, then hit a trey from left win on the break. After Preston drove for a layup, St. John sank a trey from the right corner, cutting the deficit to 46-45, with nine minutes left.

York hit a six-minute dry spell, scoring four points in that time, all from the foul line. Eastern stretched the edge to nine again, 60-51, with Lindo contributing four points, senior forward Brandon Yarborough (Stamford) driving on the break, and Preston hitting another trey.

Brown led Eastern in the tournament with 37 points (14-of-21 from the floor) and seven three-pointers to go along with eight rebounds, four blocks and four steals. Preston totaled 33 points, a team-high ten assists and Leumene 26 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Lindo led all Eastern players with 19 rebounds, and shot 50 percent from the floor and contributed five assists, three blocks and three steals

York was a year removed from a 22-8 season which included a 25-point victory at Rhode Island College in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Rhode Island had beaten Eastern by nine on the Warriors' home floor in last year's Little East Conference final.

Rochester lost both of its own tournament games, falling to Stevenson, 83-75, in Sunday's consolation game.

Eastern opens Little East action Saturday at Rhode Island College at 3 p.m.

If further information or photographs are requested, please contact Sport Information Director, Bob Molta at, 860-465-5172, molta@easternct.edu.