There were five games on the Monday schedule, and very little drama in any of them. Let’s kick off the recap with the closest of the lot:
STONEHILL 83 SAINT ROSE 71
Freshman sharpshooter Daniel Largey matched a program record with nine 3-pointers in 11 attempts off the bench as part of a 29-point performance, powering Stonehill past NE10 rival Saint Rose in a non-conference game at Nolan Gym. The left-handed forward matched eventual Georgia Tech starter Shaun Fein’s feat of nine makes during a 102-91 victory over Bentley on November 22, 1997 when the team was known as the Chieftains. A 24-7 run over the final 9:10 of the opening half erased a 22-21 deficit and put the Skyhawks on top for good, 44-28 (a Largey triple sparked the explosion, naturally). The Golden Knights came as close as eight points twice in the final 20 minutes, the last time at 63-55 following free throws by fellow lefty Chris Dorgler (18 points, four assists) with 7:35 to play. Joel Berroa answered with two tosses of his own and a huge three to restore a 68-55 lead which never dipped into single digits thereafter, securing the visitors’ fourth straight victory. NE10 Player of the Week Ryan Logan collected 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Stonehill, with Berroa tossing in a career-high 16 points (6-8 FG) and grabbing eight rebounds. Jack Jones provided 14 points off the bench for the hosts, who scored all 20 second-chance points but could not overcome the Skyhawks’ torrid shooting (59% and 16-26 from beyond the arc compared to CSR’s 39% and 9-22 totals). Saint Rose has now dropped three straight after beginning the season 9-0.
WEST CHESTER 91 WILMINGTON 78
Some history was also made in Delaware as Tyaire Ponzo-Meek became Wilmington’s all-time NCAA-era scoring leader, albeit during a loss to West Chester (PA) at the Complex. The senior guard struggled from the floor (3-15) but managed 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists to overtake Taurean Temple (class of 2008) atop the scoring list with 1,424 points and counting. However, it was Malik Jackson who stole the show for the Golden Rams, exploding for 27 of his career-best 36 points (11-15 FG, 7-10 from downtown Newark) prior to the halftime break while adding six assists to his ledger (his previous high had been 34, which he recorded against the same Wildcats team last season at Hollinger Fieldhouse). West Chester never trailed on the night, bolting out to leads of 19-2 and 26-6 en route to a 54-35 halftime bulge. The Cats – who were fueled by a personal-best 33 points (12-20 FG) and seven rebounds from Nick Richards – came as close as 84-73 after a pair of Ponzo-Meek foul shots with 3:26 left, but a Jackson lay-up thwarted any late rally, improving the PSAC’s record against the East Region to 10-6 with four more games scheduled. The Golden Rams were the superior shooters (58%-39%) and rebounders (46-32) on the night.
GOLDEY-BEACOM 90 PACE 63
Across town, Corey Taite racked up 19 points (11-13 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals while backcourt mate Parris Ridgeway-Higgs matched his point total (6-8 FG, 3-3 from deep) and distributed five assists in leading Goldey-Beacom to its sixth straight triumph – a blowout of Pace at the Joseph West Jones Center. The Lightning struggled early, falling into a 17-9 hole before Shakeem Wilson (15 points) provided a spark with two 3-pointers over the final 38 seconds of the half, including a buzzer-beater that gave the hosts a 40-36 edge. It was 42-40 a minute into the second stanza when a Ridgeway-Higgs trifecta set in motion a 27-10 surge that gave Goldey a robust 69-50 lead with 10:29 remaining. The Setters – who were “paced” by Ryan Peterson’s 21-point, seven-rebound outing – drew within a baker’s dozen (70-57) inside of the seven-minute mark, but the hosts unleashed a 20-4 spree that turned the contest into a rout at 90-61. Riyan Williams added 18 points for the victors, who feasted at the foul line (27-35 to 6-12) and boasted an eye-popping 34-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The six-game win streak is Goldey-Beacom’s longest since another six-pack seven seasons ago. Pace – which was playing minus three starters – has dropped four in a row.
ADELPHI 99 NYACK 66
A killer 28-5 second-half run lifted Adelphi past Empire State foe Nyack at Bowman Gym, expanding a 67-55 lead midway through the period to 95-60 with three minutes on the clock. Jack Laffey registered 31 points (9-15 FG, 5-9 from long range, 8-8 FT) in 40 minutes of action for the Panthers, who also received 19-point performances from left-handers Michael Coffey (5-10 from 3) and Manny Suarez (6-9 FG, 3-5 from afar), the latter adding 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots to his impressive stat line. Conor McGuiness nearly double-doubled as well, scoring nine points and handing out a career-best 15 assists in the wire-to-wire win as Adelphi soundly outshot its hosts (60%-32%), especially from beyond the arc (20-34 to 3-19) while out-assisting them 28-6 to boot. Robert Tyler was high man with 23 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Warriors, whose lone statistical advantage was on second-chance scoring (12-1) in falling for a sixth straight time.
SHEPHERD 78 CHESTNUT HILL 57
Chestnut Hill may want to stop scheduling home games against teams nicknamed Rams. Just two days after absorbing a 39-point loss to divisional rival Philadelphia, the Griffins endured another drubbing from Shepherd (WV) for an aggregate of minus-60 in scoring. Naim Muhammad led five in twin figures with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Rams, who led from start to finish, racing out to a 30-14 lead and then using a 17-4 upswing to open the second period in stretching a 43-30 advantage to 60-34. The margin hovered between 18 and 28 over the last 16:33 as the visitors made more noise from downtown Philly (8-27 to 2-16), pulled down more boards (45-31), handed out more assists (19-9), dominated in the paint (48-26) and scored more often on the break (14-4). Demetrius Isaac (16 points) and Bryant Quill (13 in a reserve role) were the top scorers in defeat for The Hill.