The final piece of the NCAA’s regional jigsaw puzzle has been revealed after a thrilling championship game in the East Coast Conference Tournament. Here’s the recap, as well as the match-ups for next weekend’s regional:
BRIDGEPORT 82 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 78
Reserve guard Jesse Jones exploded for 21 of his game-high 28 points (5-10 from long range) in the second half, including a go-ahead driving lay-up with 3:24 to play as Bridgeport rallied to top St. Thomas Aquinas at LIU Post in a rematch of last season’s ECC Tournament Championship Game, giving the Purple Knights three straight tourney trophies. MVP Willie Williams III notched a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double for the winners, who bolted out to a 16-4 lead, only to see the Spartans fight back to within 37-34 at the break. Fueled by a brilliant outing by freshman forward Justin Reyes, STAC edged in front less than two minutes after the restart and eventually opened up a 71-64 advantage on Reyes’ traditional 3-point play with 5:01 left. That’s when Jones took over the contest, nailing a 3-ball 12 seconds later to spark a 12-3 run and put the P-Knights on top at 76-74 with 2:15 on the clock. Backup freshman playmaker James Mitchell – who tossed in 14 points (3-4 from 3) – knotted the count at the line with 1:55 remaining, and that score stood until Williams was fouled on a pump-fake and swished both of his free throws with 43 seconds to go. Chaz Watler was called for a charging foul on Aquinas’ next possession and Jones converted two free throws on two occasions in the last 11 seconds, sandwiching a slam follow by Reyes, who racked up personal bests of 22 points (9-14 FG), 17 rebounds and four blocked shots while dishing out four assists. Devon Elliott and Eddie Asamoah nearly recorded double-doubles with nine points and 11 rebounds apiece for Bridgeport, which enters its 21st NCAAs as the region’s hottest team, having won nine straight. Watler contributed 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding five assists for the Spartans, who saw a five-game win streak come to an end. The Purple Knights were more efficient from beyond the arc (8-17 to 6-20) and the stripe (22-25 to 12-20) while winning the glass, 45-35. STAC hung around thanks to a superior assist-turnover line (18/9 to 9-14), scoring twice as often off of mistakes (22-11) and accounting for 14 of the game’s 17 fast-break points.
NCAA PAIRINGS
Bridgeport will renew acquaintances with in-state rival Southern Connecticut during the 4-5 game in Saturday’s NCAA regional quarterfinals in Springfield. It will be the two clubs’ third meeting of the season in as many venues (each team won on the other’s home court). Southern is the defending regional champion. Top-seeded American International will serve as host and take on CACC Tournament champ Philadelphia, also in the night session. Legendary head coach Herb Magee returns to Springfield, where he is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, guiding the Rams to their 34th NCAA Tournament appearance (28th under his tutelage). The opener in the day session pits 3-seed St. Anselm against 6-seed and first-time participant University of the Sciences – their first-ever meeting and the Devils’ first NE-10 opponent this season. Second-seeded Southern New Hampshire will play fellow NE-10 foe Stonehill, the 7-seed and final at-large team selected. This will be the lone intra-league match-up in the opening round. SNHU - which will be participating in its 18th NCAA Tournament - swept the season series.
Here are the participants in list order:
- American International (23-6) – Northeast-10 Champion
- Southern New Hampshire (21-7) – At-large
- St. Anselm (19-9) – At-large
- Bridgeport (24-6) – East Coast Conference Champion
- Southern Connecticut (22-7) – At-large
- University of the Sciences (24-5) – At-large
- Stonehill (19-9) – At-large
- Philadelphia (22-8) – CACC Champion
The winner of the region advances to the Elite Eight, which begins on March 25 in Evansville, Indiana.