The chalk ruled the day in the CACC and ECC tournaments, but not so in the NE-10 on Saturday. Let’s begin the recap with the only lower-seeded winner:
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 90 BENTLEY 87
For only the second time in Northeast-10 Tournament history, a team won three of four games on the road to capture the championship as Southern New Hampshire defeated Bentley for the first time in three meetings this season, disappointing a packed and sometimes unruly Dana Center crowd for its second championship in four years. Chris Walters paced a balanced Penmen attack with 19 points (5-7 FG), but it was a top-of-the-key 3-pointer by Devin Gilligan (eight points) with 5:07 to play that snapped a 77-77 tie and put the visitors in front to stay. In a game that featured nine ties, nine lead changes and no spread larger than seven, B.J. Cardarelli came through with several big baskets for SNHU en route to a 17-point (7-10 FG, 3-4 from deep), six-rebound performance. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Rodney Sanders battled foul trouble but finished with 15 points and seven boards in 23 minutes, while his backup – freshman guard Daquaise Andrews – totaled 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The Falcons – who were fronted by Keegan Hyland’s 21-point outing – came within a deuce on four occasions down the stretch, the last time at 89-87 after a lay-up by Alex Furness (15 points, seven rebounds) with four seconds left. Sanders was immediately fouled and made the first of two free throws, but his missed second attempt gave the hosts late life. A half-court heave was off the mark, however, as the Penmen secured their fifth straight victory, knocking off the league’s top three teams (Southern Connecticut and St. Anselm were the others) on the road at the end of the stretch, joining the 2011 Adelphi team as the only other club in the current playoff format to win three of four on the road to take the tourney title, and first to take down the two #1 seeds. Tyler McFarland (17 points) and Kyle Bouchard (10 off the bench) also reached double figures for the Falcons, who were outshot from the floor (52%-45%) and will almost certainly receive an at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA East Regional. Both teams boasted better than 2-1 assist-turnover ratios (SNHU 17/8, BU 14/6). This was Southern New Hampshire’s second NE-10 Tourney crown after attaining a record six in the now-defunct New England Collegiate Conference, all under head coach Stan Spirou.
HOLY FAMILY 87 PHILADELPHIA 68
Reggie Charles erupted for 27 points (11-17 FG) and tournament MVP Marvin Crawford contributed 19 points (2-2 from 3) and seven rebounds, commandeering Holy Family’s blowout victory over two-time defending champ Philadelphia in the CACC title game at Dominican for its fourth straight triumph and the school’s first-ever league championship in any male sport. The Tigers – whose stifling 2-3 zone and national-leading defense came as advertised – trailed only once (3-2) before jumping on their crosstown foes, 28-11, and never relenting. The lead was 39-28 early in the second half before a jumper and 3-point bomb from Charles sparked a 23-7 charge that established the widest divide of the game at 62-35. The Rams trimmed their arrears to 75-60 with 5:49 remaining after a lay-up from conference MVP Peter Alexis, who was limited to season lows of six points and three rebounds while getting blocked twice by fellow 7-footer James McDonnell and fouling out, Charles answered with a pair of foul shots and a lay-up in successive possessions, and the lead bounced between 16 and 21 the balance of the ballgame. Eric Fleming chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds for Holy Family, which is hoping to host the upcoming NCAA regional. Most of the statistics were relatively close with the exception of turnovers (22-10), leading to a massive 29-6 scoring advantage for the aggressive and focused Tigers. Brendan Kilpatrick topped the Rams scorecard with 17 points and six rebounds, with T.J. Huggins (14 points, 13 rebounds, six assists) and Gemil Holbrook (15 points in a reserve role) also registering twin figures in defeat. Philly U. now awaits its NCAA fate, hoping for a likely but far-from-guaranteed at-large bid.
DAEMEN 103 MERCY 102 (OT)
The most exciting game on Saturday took place in the nation’s capital as Daemen held on by the skin of its collective teeth to nip Mercy in overtime at UDC for their first ECC Tournament victory. In a dogfight that featured eight ties, 10 lead swaps, 57 fouls and 70 free throw attempts, it came down to freshman guard Jay Sarkis, whose running bank shot with 35 seconds to go closed out the scoring. The Mavericks – who had won their first-ever postseason game on the same floor three days earlier, also by one point – trailed 24-11 in the early going but used an 11-1 flourish over the last 1:59 of the half to knot the count at 43-43. There was nothing more than a two-possession gap in the second half, but Daemen appeared to have the game under wraps with a 91-86 upper hand following a Deion Hamilton dunk with 41 seconds to play. But the Mavs tallied six of the last seven points of regulation, drawing even on a Raphael Jennings lay-up with eight seconds on the clock. Torrence Dyck – who sported 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Wildcats – missed a potential winning jumper, and Darius Garvin’s tip-in was waved off after replay review revealed it came just after the horn. Once again, Daemen surged ahead with the first seven points of the bonus round, but the Mavs parlayed an extremely rare six-point possession to get right back in it. Jason Quijada (19 points on 7-11 shooting off the bench) was fouled attempting a 3-pointer but made just the first of his three freebies. Josh Thompson gathered in the offensive rebound and was fouled on his put-back basket. After missing the free throw for the 3-point play, Mercy cleared another O-Board (they lead the nation in that category) and Tyseem Lyles was tripped attempting a right-corner three, swishing all three of his attempts to pull his team within 99-98 near the midway mark of OT. After allowing a basket, the Mavericks converted consecutive lay-ups to grab their final lead – 102-101 with 48 seconds left. After Sarkis answered on the other end, Mercy had three shots to win in its final possession (two by Lyles, one by Jennings) but none would fall and Daemen escaped, advancing to the tourney championship game on Sunday. Hamilton (7-9 FG, 3-3 from distance) and Ryan Grandits (6-9 FG) garnered 18 points apiece for the winners, who also landed Garvin (personal-best 15 points on 5-7 shooting) and Sarkis (13 points, 3-4 from deep) in double digits. Lyles closed out his collegiate career with 28 points and nine rebounds in 45 minutes for Mercy, followed by Thompson (14 points, 5-5 FG in a reserve role), Will Robinson (14) and KJ Rose (13 points, seven rebounds).The Wildcats were the more accurate shooting team (55%-48%), especially from beyond the arc (11-20 to 6-18) but were bettered on the backboards (44-31), including a 22-5 mandate on the offensive glass, leading to a 25-6 domination in second-chance scoring.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 85 LIU POST 58
Daemen will square off against St. Thomas Aquinas for the tournament crown on Sunday after STAC blasted LIU Post at the UDC Sports Complex for its Division 2-best 19th straight win, ending Post’s season for the third straight year. Eleven of the 13 Spartans who played scored, led by Chaz Watler’s 15 points as his team grabbed the reins with a 23-7 spell spanning the halves, expanding a 32-28 lead to 55-35 with 17:04 remaining. The Pioneers pruned the deficit to 57-43 over four minutes later, but a lay-up by Shaq McFarlan (11 points) triggered an 8-1 spurt that boosted the advantage to 65-44, and the lead hovered between 17 and 27 the rest of the way, landing Aquinas in its third straight ECC championship game. League Player of the Year Justin Reyes (10 points) and Rookie of the Year Jonathan Lawton (13 points, four assists off the bench) also made impacts for the Spartans, who shot better overall (50%-41%), from long range (6-11 to 5-17) and from the stripe (21-29 to 11-19) while feasting on the fast break (26-8). They also forced twice as many turnovers (24-12), leading to a 29-13 scoring boon. Greg Dotson delivered 19 points and seven rebounds for the Pioneers, who also placed Jared Hall (13 points, four assists) and Michael Philip (10 points, eight boards, career-best seven blocked shots) in double figures. A win vs. Daemen in Sunday’s final assures St. Thomas Aquinas of its first-ever NCAA berth.