It was a great night to be the home team in the region as all seven games in NE-10 and ECC gyms went the way of the hosts. We begin the recap with the only result that was decided by a single-digit margin:
NYIT 78 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 76
East Coast Conference and national D2 Player of the Week Darian Hooker racked up 37 points (12-22 FG, 6-10 from 3-point range), including the game-clinching free throws with 0.3 left as New York Institute of Technology defeated a third different first-place team over the last 19 days, shading St. Thomas Aquinas at Recreation Hall and snapping its eight-game win streak in the process. Hooker – who leads the nation in scoring at 28.9 ppg – added five assists and tallied his team’s final nine points, including tying foul shots with 1:07 to play and a tying jumper with 44 ticks remaining before getting fouled on a pump-fake in the final second, making the first and third attempt to close out the contest. Jon Feiler added 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bears, who had knocked Daemen and Bridgeport out of the conference’s top spot with gritty road wins. Justin Reyes topped the Spartans’ scorecard with 17 points off the bench, while Marcus Henderson netted 10 of his 12 points in the early going as STAC’s 17-7 lead represented the lone double-figure separation of the night. NYIT countered with a 22-7 rush to jump in front, and led by as many as eight points on three occasions early in the second half before the Spartans unleashed an 18-5 run to reclaim the lead at 65-60 on a Reyes put-back with 5:43 to go, setting up the dramatic finish. Aaron Cust (11 points off the bench) and Chaz Watler (10) also reached double digits for St. Thomas, which won the glass (38-32), feasted on second chances (26-7) and dominated the paint (38-18), all to no avail. The Bears – thanks to Hooker’s efforts – shot better from the field (52%-43%) and beyond the arc (10-21 to 4-13) despite turning it over more often (13-5) and getting outscored 20-7 off of mistakes. All four Long Island teams are now tied for fourth place at 7-7. The Spartans remain a half-game ahead of idle Bridgeport atop the league ladder.
ST. ANSELM 97 ST. MICHAEL’S 76
Chris Santo amassed 30 points (12-19 FG), 10 rebounds and four assists, while Ryan Hartung and Mark Schulze notched career highs of 19 and 17 points, respectively, each knocking down five 3-pointers in a combined 14 attempts in leading St. Anselm to a runaway victory over St. Michael’s in Manchester to claim sole possession of second place in the NE-10’s Northeast Division. The Hawks never trailed in this one, constructing leads of 55-29 in the first half and 91-61 in the second as they won their 22nd game in 27 meetings vs. the Purple Knights. Schulze added five assists to his ledger, as did Harrison Taggart (12 points, six rebounds) as St. A’s shot 52% from the floor and 16-of-31 from deep while fashioning the more efficient assist-turnover line (22/8 to 11/13), leading to a 17-3 boon in mistake points. Corey Crawford II registered 19 points (3-5 from 3) and 10 rebounds in his 100th game for St. Mike’s, while Michael Holton, Jr. chipped in with 13 points and four assists. The Hawks have won each of their last five games at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium by at least 20 points. The Purple Knights – who won the rebound battle, 41-36 – slips into a third-place tie with Stonehill.
STONEHILL 86 ASSUMPTION 71
Five players reached double digits, led by Ryan Logan’s 23-point, six-rebound effort, as Stonehill downed Assumption at Merkert Gym to gain a share of third place. A 26-9 surge transformed a 15-8 deficit into a 34-24 lead after a 3-point play by Pierce Cumpstone (16 points, three blocks off the bench), and the Skyhawks eventually expanded their advantage to 74-54 on a 3-ball by Jimmy Walsh (11 points, six rebounds off the pine) with 5:57 on the clock as the Greyhounds never came closer than 11 points thereafter, moving to the verge of postseason elimination after a fourth straight setback. Daniel Brix (12 points) and Carter Smith (11 points, four assists) also made their presences felt for the winners, who shot 53% from the field. Terrance Bobb-Jones was the top dog for the Hounds with 19 points (17 in the second half) and seven rebounds. He was supported by Jimmy Zenevitch (18 points, 8-10 FG, seven boards), Karl Ziegler (16 points on 7-of-11 shooting) and Marcus Murray (10 points, six rebounds, five assists).
SAINT ROSE 83 PACE 54
Jack Jones produced a personal-best 27 points on near-perfect shooting (9-10 FG, 7-7 from long range) while adding 10 rebounds for his first double-double, powering Saint Rose past Pace in a wire-to-wire whacking in Albany. Fellow Aussie Julian Lipinski added 10 points for the Golden Knights, who opened up leads of 17-4 and 28-11 en route to a 42-21 halftime bulge. They rattled off the first eight points upon the restart as the lead ballooned to 50-21, eventually cresting at 79-42 as the hosts soundly outshot the Setters (57%-36%), including a 13-of-21 performance from distance (PU was 3-19) while winning the battle of the boards, 35-25 and claiming 22 of the game’s 27 assists. Kyle Pearson totaled 24 points and seven rebounds for Pace, which also received 22 points from Shelton Mickell, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a ninth straight loss that officially snuffed out any flickering playoff hopes.
LIU POST 85 MERCY 57
Downstate on Long Island, LIU Post ran away early from Mercy at the Pratt Center to avenge an earlier loss. Greg Dotson was high man with 18 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 from deep) and seven rebounds for the Pioneers, who forged a 41-21 halftime divide that never dwindled after intermission, eventually peaking at 35 on three occasions over the final 20 minutes thanks to strong outings from P.J. Torres (16 points, four assists in a reserve role), Dillon Burns (11, 6) and Aary Bibens (10 points). Jason Quijada was the lone bright spot on a bleak night for the Mavericks with 24 points (4-7 from 3) as his teammates combined for just 33 points on 11-of-41 shooting. Post was the more effective shooting club (49%-34%), especially from downtown Brookville (10-25 to 5-12). The Pioneers – part of that four-way Long Island scrum in the ECC – were also dominant in the paint (38-18) and on the break (22-2) while boasting the better assist-turnover ratio (17/11 to 9/17). Mercy shot a paltry 14-for-29 from the line.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 89 QUEENS 79
Reggie Sidbury paced five players in twin figures with 16 points (4-7 from afar) and six rebounds off the bench as District of Columbia crowned Queens in the nation’s capital to snap a four-game slide and keep their faint playoff hopes flickering. Sidbury connected on three triples at the start of an 18-4 upswing that flipped a 26-22 shortfall into a 40-30 lead the hosts never relinquished. The Knights – who received 22 points (3-5 from 3) and nine rebounds – used a 13-2 flurry in slashing a 72-56 deficit to 74-69 after two freebies by Jerry Mordi (20 points) with 5:28 left. The senior’s “And-1” with 1:17 remaining again brought Queens to within five at 83-78 but the Firebirds nailed six straight foul shots (the first four by Sidbury) over the final 48 seconds to seal the deal. Kory Cooley churned out 15 points (6-8 FG) for UDC, which also benefited from Quasim Jones (13 points, five assists), Omar Abbas (12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown Washington) and Clenso Brannon III (10 points, nine boards). Kyhiem Chaplin tossed in 11 points and pulled down six rebounds in defeat for the Knights, who were the better rebounders (36-31, including 11-2 on the offensive end) but were outscored 23-9 off of turnovers. Both teams shot it well (UDC 51%, QC 45%) and are tied in the standings, two-and-a-half games off the playoff pace.
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 107 EAST STROUDSBURG 88
In a game featuring two teams that were ranked in the national top five during the preseason, Southern Connecticut exploited East Stroudsburg’s press in a high-scoring outing at Moore Field House. Michael Mallory exploded for 25 of his career-high 35 points (13-18 FG, 8-11 from deep) in the second half and Tylon Smith compiled 22 points (7-10 FG), career-best 12 assists and four steals for the Owls, who shot 56% in capturing their fifth straight. Southern trailed just once (3-2) and used a 22-11 spree in extending a 52-43 lead to 74-54 following a Mallory bucket with 11:55 to go. The margin ranged between 15 and 24 over the last 14:12 as the Owls received terrific support from Luke Houston (19 points, 8-12 FG, seven rebounds, six assists) and Desmond Williams (10 points, career high-tying 12 boards), and out-assisted the Warriors 26-11. Rasheed Moore (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Jamal Nwanlemoka (22, 6) did the bulk of the damage for Stroud, which shot 42% and outscored its hosts 20-8 on second chances in a losing effort. Southern Connecticut, which is receiving votes nationally, outscored the Warriors 25-11 off turnovers and 22-4 on the break, consistently shredding their vaunted press. East Stroudsburg went 0-2 vs. teams from New Haven this year, losing to UNH at home in December. The East Region is now 12-18 vs. the PSAC, though the Northeast-10 is a solid 6-4 with one game still scheduled (Gannon at Le Moyne next Wednesday).