"Awards Show Countdown": Men's Basketball
"Awards Show Countdown" is a Wells College Athletics feature that reviews a memorable moment from each team while counting down to showtime. With 8 days remaining until the virtual online Express Awards Show, let's take a look at a moment from the men's basketball team's 2019-20 season.
The Wells College men's basketball team found a rhythm late in the season after sweeping its opponents on the team's final weekend of play with a finale like no other that season against Penn College on Feb. 22.
What made this game memorable was the team's resolve in overcoming a dozen-point deficit late in the second half to secure the victory on a day where three players were honored in their final game.
The departing trio went out on a high note with back-to-back wins by first beating Penn State-Berks and then capping the weekend with an 84-80 come-from-behind victory over visiting Penn College.
Zach D'Arpino, Anthony Nesci and Jalen Tribble collectively finished their careers at Wells with 1800-plus points, 800-plus rebounds, nearly 500 assists and almost 200 steals.
The comeback began with a Keian Montero three that cut the Wildcat lead to nine. Then Dylan Frost converted and an Izaiah McPherson layup cut the lead to a half-dozen. A Frost jumper brought Wells within four and McPherson converted again to get within two, before Frost got Wells back at even at 66 apiece with six minutes left.
Once tied, the teams were a point or two from one another for the next few exchanges until a pair of Nesci 3-pointers took Wells from trailing 72-70 to a 76-72 lead that they would carry to the final horn. The Wildcats continued to claw back and got within four with 90 seconds remaining until D'Arpino sealed the win with a three that allowed Wells to coast the rest of the way.
Nesci finished with a team-high 23 points that included 21 points from beyond the arc, where he went 7-for-11. Frost finished with 14 and was at his best during the rally and also contributed three blocks. Tribble added 13 points and finished with a double-double after hauling down a team-high 11 boards. Quentin Battle was a point shy of double digits with nine, while D'Arpino finished with eight.
