The 2016 postseason got underway on Friday with a pair of Northeast-10 Conference playoff games, while there were triple-doubles in each of the two East Coast Conference clashes - one good... one not so good. We begin the recap with a milestone in the Granite State:
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 88 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 82
Chris Walters racked up 24 points (16-18 FT), 13 rebounds and four blocked shots, while B.J. Cardarelli added 23 points, including a critical 3-pointer with 1:27 to play that helped lift Southern New Hampshire past American International in Manchester, handing head coach Stan Spirou his 600th career victory as a result. The first-round playoff win was the first for the defending regional champions and avenged a home loss in last year’s NE-10 Tournament (this was the third straight postseason AIC has visited the SNHU Fieldhouse). Rodney Sanders chalked up 19 points (7-10 FG) for the Penmen, who trailed for the majority of the evening, and by as much as 36-27 late in the first half before turning their fortunes around. Six was the largest spread of the second half until the hosts opened up an 80-72 advantage with two-and-a-half minutes to play. The Yellow Jackets – who were paced by last year’s tourney MVP, Cameron Dobbs – rattled off five straight, capped by the senior guard’s lay-up that made it 80-77 with 1:51 left, setting up Cardarelli’s huge trifecta 24 seconds later and sparking a 7-1 spurt that effectively salted the game away at 87-79 with 26 ticks remaining. Dobbs closed out his career with 24 points for the Jackets, who also landed Juwan Moody (21 points, four assists) and Trahmier Burrell (13 points, eight rebounds off the bench) in double figures. AIC scored nearly twice as often off turnovers (19-10) but the Penmen fared a little better at the foul line (27-32 to 21-26) to offset that. Spirou now becomes the eighth Division 2 coach – and fourth active one – to reach the 600-win milestone. He trails only Philadelphia University mentor and Basketball Hall of Famer Herb Magee’s record 1,030 victories (and counting) among regional coaches. Spirou's squad earns a trip to Southwest Division champion – and former NECC rival – Southern Connecticut in Sunday’s quarterfinal round.
FRANKLIN PIERCE 73 Le MOYNE 69
Speaking of old NECC rivals, Franklin Pierce upended Le Moyne in Syracuse to make it two wins in two tries for the New Hampshire clubs to kick off the weekend. Donte Gittens’ driving, finger-roll lay-up with 38 seconds to go snapped a 67-67 tie and put the Ravens on top for good in a highly competitive game that was played primarily within a two-possession spread. The visitors held the largest lead – at 49-40 – after a Gittens foul shot at the 12:18 mark of the final period, and were still in front 62-57 with four-and-a-half to play when the Dolphins showed late life, engineering a 7-1 flurry that was capped by a Qwadere Lovell three from the top of the key with 3:19 on the clock, affording the Fins their only lead of the night at 74-73. The senior’s free throw with exactly one minute left provided the final tie and set up Gittens’ go-ahead shot. A deep, well-defended three by Anthony Richards (three points in a reserve role) for the lead at the 26-second mark was off the mark and Franklin Pierce knocked down four straight freebies, sandwiching a Lovell lay-up, over the final 18 seconds to close it out. Matt Banton – who notched 18 of his game-high 20 points after halftime – sank the clinching tosses with 11 seconds remaining as The Ravens outshot its hosts from the floor (61%-48%) and were much more efficient from beyond the arc (6-9 to 6-23). Gittens and Tyler Iacuone (2-2 from deep) finished with 14 points for the winners, who also saw Mike McDevitt record 10 of his 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 from 3) in the opening 20 minutes. Lovell topped the Le Moyne score sheet with 14 points in his collegiate finale. Eriq Jenkins and Russell Sangster (seven rebounds) each netted 11 points and Stan Buczek 10 for the Dolphins. Franklin Pierce will play at Northeast Division champ Bentley in a Sunday quarterfinal.
QUEENS 79 ROBERTS WESLEYAN 75
It’s the final weekend of the regular season in the ECC, and in Flushing, Queens shaded Roberts Wesleyan on an emotional night at Fitzgerald Gym. Diego Maldonado paced all scorers with 20 points, but arguably the region’s most complete player – Tyree White – stole the show by posting a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, not to mention five more steals, adding to his national-best total. The Knights led by as many as 10 points in the opening period before the Redhawks took a 38-37 edge into the locker room. An 8-0 burst when play resumed gave the hosts the lead for keeps at 45-38 following a pair of foul shots from Travis Whitfield (16 points). Roberts – whose effort was spearheaded by Tyrel Dixon’s 13-point, six-rebound night – inched within a basket on three occasions down the stretch, including 61-59 inside of the eight-minute mark when White converted an “And-1” that set in motion a game-shaping 13-3 run, extending Queens’ lead to 74-62 with 4:36 to go. Again, the Redhawks got off the mat, embarking on an 11-2 counter-run to draw within 76-73 after a 3-ball from Mike Stone (nine points on 3-4 long-range shooting) with 47 seconds on the clock. They would get no closer, however, as Simon Green (seven points) answered with a long ball of his own at :19 to end the drama. Kyheim Chaplin pitched in with 10 bench points for the Knights, who were outworked at the stripe (17-21 to 9-15) and on the glass (39-33), but offset those totals with a 29-10 domination in mistake points, as well as a 12-2 advantage on the break. Malik Dare and Quinn Carey (six boards off the bench) each dropped a dozen in defeat for Roberts Wesleyan. White – who has flirted with a triple-double on several occasions this season – is the fifth regional player to achieve that feat in a “positive” way this season (see below for a rare “negative” example), joining Holy Family’s Reggie Charles, Felician’s Jamal Reid, Adelphi’s Anthony Libroia and Roberts Wesleyan’s Tyrel Dixon.
DAEMEN 76 MOLLOY 74
A dubious triple-double nearly did in Daemen at Quealy Gym but the Wildcats hung on by the skin of their teeth to clip Molloy and secure the #2 seed (and the bye that comes with it) in the upcoming league tourney. Torrence Dyck compiled 11 points, career high-tying 12 rebounds and 10 turnovers for the visitors, who prevailed despite coughing it up 25 times to the Lions’ 11 and getting outscored 24-9 off of those miscues. A 22-3 blitz over the last 11:07 of the half transformed a 21-15 deficit into a 37-24 cushion for Daemen, which lengthened the lead to 39-25 nearing the midway mark of the second stanza. A 13-1 spell, capped by a Charlie Marquardt lay-up, brought Molloy within 60-58 with 7:02 to play, and the Lions came within a deuce two more times down the stretch - the last occurrence at 76-74 after a triple by Kevin Bowles (seven points) with five seconds left. Deion Hamilton (one point, nine rebounds) was fouled immediately but clanged both of his attempts at the line with 3.6 seconds remaining. However, Marquardt’s desperation heave caromed off the backboard at the buzzer, officially eliminating Molloy from the playoff chase. Arif Mehmetaj shook off a recent slump with 26 points (9-11 FG, 4-4 from downtown Rockville Centre) and eight rebounds for the Wildcats, who also showcased strong games from Jay Sarkis (17 points, 5-9 from 3, including two treys that bookended the 22-3 tear) and Ryan Grandits (14 points, six boards in a reserve role).