March Madness is officially upon us as the caledar has flipped. And yesterday, the Northeast-10 quarterfinals nearly followed the expected script, with one notable exception:
ST. MICHAEL’S 81 SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 79
James Cambronne converted a spinning bank shot in the lane with 54 seconds to play, snapping a 75-75 tie and eventually lifting St. Michael’s to its astounding third victory this season (and second on the road) over defending regional champion and current East leader Southern Connecticut at the Moore Field House, extending its season and making a solid case for an NCAA at-large bid (they are now 4-1 vs. the two top-ranked teams). A sensational game from start to finish, neither side was able to build more than a two-possession spread over the final 14-and-a-half minutes. #23 Southern bolted out to a 17-7 lead but the Purple Knights systematically erased it and went on top 46-38 by halftime. A 3-pointer from Michael Holton, Jr. (21 points, 11-12 FT) less than two minutes after the restart gave the visitors their largest advantage at 50-41, but the Owls recovered, inching in front 65-64 on a triple from Luke Houston (18 points, 4-7 from deep, eight rebounds) with 6:55 left. The rest of the game was a postseason classic. Matt Bonds – who contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench – laid one in to give the Knights the lead back at 66-65 but Houston again drilled a go-ahead three, making it 68-66 at the 5:59 mark. More than a minute later, Corey Crawford II connected from downtown New Haven to put St. Mike’s back in front, 71-68, only to see Houston deliver yet another trifecta, tying things up again at 71-71 with 3:27 remaining. The P-Knights took two more leads over the next 86 seconds, only to see Tylon Smith knot the count each time, first with a lay-up and then on a jumper with 1:14 on the clock, setting up Cambronne’s go-ahead shot. Still, the plot would thicken. Michael Mallory – who managed 11 points off the bench but struggled to shoot 1-for-12 on the afternoon – missed his eighth straight 3-pointer and Holton sank a pair of free throws with 19.8 seconds to go, extending the lead to 79-75. Crawford commenced to steal the inbounds pass, was fouled and converted both attempts at the line to make it a seemingly comfortable 81-75 advantage at :15, but Smith’s quick coast-to-coast lay-up, a turnover and two Houston tosses slashed the lead to 81-79 with 5.2 seconds showing. Mike Thompson (two points) was promptly fouled but missed the front end of his one-and-one, giving the hosts life. However, Deshawn Murphy’s half-court heave at the buzzer caromed off the backboard, completing the upset and landing St Michael’s in the league semifinals for the first time in 14 years. Crawford totaled 22 points, four assists and career-high six 3-pointers in as many attempts for the Purple Knights, who outshot the Owls, 51%-41%, and fared far better from beyond the arc (12-20 to 11-33). Cambronne finished with 18 points for the winners, while Murphy topped Southern’s score sheet with 23 points, followed by Smith, who collected 20 points (9-15 FG), seven boards and four assists. The Owls – who are a lock to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament – may have lost its chance to host the regional after losing back-to-back games down the stretch. St. Mike’s will play at St. Anselm on Wednesday.
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 97 MERRIMACK 65
No such drama for the other divisional champ, which was also facing a foe that boasted a regular-season sweep, as Southern New Hampshire burst out of the gate in the second half with a 28-10 blitz and hammered Merrimack in Manchester for its seventh straight triumph and 14th in 15 games. The Penmen trailed 24-21 midway through the opening period before Devin Gilligan fueled a 23-9 run with eight of his 18 bench points (he added seven rebounds), helping the hosts construct a 46-35 lead at the break. SNHU ripped off the first 10 points when play resumed and eventually went up 74-45 on a Gilligan foul shot with 12:04 to play. The lead bounced between 21 and 32 points thereafter as the Penmen secured a home semifinal on Wednesday vs. American International. Rodney Sanders led the charge with 25 points (10-11 FG, 3-3 from long range) and five assists for the victors, who also received strong outings from Aleksandar Dobrovic (17 points, nine rebounds) and Elijah Bonsignore (16, 6). Gelvis Solano was the lone double-figure scorer for the Warriors with 26 points as his team was soundly outshot (55%-35%), especially from distance (12-20 to 4-19), while also getting outworked at the line (25-29 to 15-21) and out-assisted (19-6). The 32-point final margin represents the biggest blowout in the NE-10 Tourney since Bentley blasted St. Anselm 77-43 on February 26, 2007.
ST. ANSELM 84 Le MOYNE 73
Across town, St Anselm held off Le Moyne at Stoutenburgh Gym to advance to the semifinals. The senior tandem of Chris Santo (25 points, 11-15 FG, eight rebounds) and Roy Mabrey (22 points, 8-13 FG, 6-10 from deep, four assists) provided the bulk of the damage for the Hawks, who used an 11-1 spurt over the last 2:27 of the half to flip a 34-32 deficit into a 43-35 lead after a Santo steal-and-score, left-wing jumper rattled in at the horn. The Dolphins came out of intermission by scoring the first seven points, sidling within 43-42, and then again at 45-44 on a put-back by Ryan Romich (13 points, 11 rebounds in 40 minutes to close out his career), but that’s as close as they would get as a Mark Schulze lay-up triggered a 16-6 run that pushed the lead to double digits at 61-50 with 11:52 left. It maxed out at 74-59 with 6:12 remaining, and the Phins would get no closer than eight points the balance of the ballgame. Schulze registered 14 points for St. A’s, which also received 10 points (2-2 FG, 6-6 FT) and five assists from Victor Joshua. Qwadere Lovell (21 points) and Stan Buczek (19 points, 9-14 FG, nine rebounds) were the top options for Le Moyne, which won the glass (32-24) but allowed more threes (10-24 to 4-10) and freebies (10-13 to 5-9) while also distributing the ball less effectively (SAC 18/6 assist-turnover ratio compared to LC’s 9/10 mark). Both teams shot it very well from the floor (SAC 58%, LC 52%) in a game that saw five ties and nine lead changes in the opening half. The Hawks will host St. Michael’s in Wednesday’s semis.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 68 STONEHILL 63
Marcus Porter drove home 25 points (10-14 FG) and dished out four assists to lead American International past Bay State rival Stonehill in Springfield and book its trip to Southern New Hampshire for Wednesday’s semis. The Yellow jackets trailed for much of the opening period, falling behind by as many as seven points before nudging in front 29-27 at stoppage time. A 13-4 flurry upon the restart increased the advantage to 42-31, but the Skyhawks rallied, taking a 48-47 lead on a traditional 3-point play from Jack Cole (18 points, 8-11 FG, eight rebounds, five assists) with 9:48 to go. It would turn out to be their only lead of the second half as Bobby Harris countered with an “And-1” of his own 21 seconds later and the Jackets eventually enhanced the margin to six (63-57) on a 3-point play by Trahmier Burrell (13 points, eight boards) with 3:48 on the clock. Stonehill – which slightly outshot (49%-48%) and outrebounded (30-24) its hosts – inched within 63-62 on a trey by Ryan Logan (12 points, six rebounds, six helpers) with 2:41 to play, but two Porter free throws sparked a 5-1, game-ending flourish, leaving the visitors in limbo as they await a potential NCAA at-large bid. Cameron Dobbs and Harris (six assists) each logged 12 points for AIC, which fared better at the stripe (10-13 to 4-5) and forced nearly twce as many turnovers (18-10). Daniel Brix tossed in 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in a losing cause.
LIU POST 65 ROBERTS WESLEYAN 64
The final regular-season game in the region took place on Long Island as LIU Post squeaked past Roberts Wesleyan at the Pratt Center to secure a home playoff game vs. Molloy on Wednesday. P.J. Torres’ well-defended one-hander from the foul line with seven seconds remaining was the difference for the Pioneers, who led 32-16 early on and by a 42-29 count at the half. The Redhawks came to life in the second stanza, crafting an 18-7 spell to close within 53-51 on a 3-pointer from reserve guard Dylan Gratch (his only points) with 8:13 to go. They eventually nosed in front on a couple of occasions down the stretch, the last occurrence being 64-63 on a lay-up by Kevin Madiamba (eight points and rebounds), setting up Torres’ go-ahead shot that proved to be the winner after a 3-point try by Marcus Gooding (10 points, four steals off the bench) bounced out before the buzzer, consigning Roberts to a fourth straight loss to close out its initial NCAA campaign. Torres (four assists), Tyuan Williams (7-9 FG, seven rebounds) and Devon McMillan each dropped 13 to lead Post, which dominated on the glass (42-22) but nearly lost the game at the foul line (9-21 compared to RWC’s 9-12). Mike Stone erupted for 20 points (7-9 FG, 4-4 from 3) and doled out five assists for the Redhawks, who also saw Isaac Medeiros compile 15 points and eight rebounds in his final game.