A pair of heart-stopping NE10 semifinals and two hotly-contested ECC first-round match-ups comprised the Wednesday schedule. We begin with the two Manchester teams escaping scares from Upstate New York clubs:
ST. ANSELM 71 Le MOYNE 68
Tim Guers drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:07 to play, snapping a 68-68 tie and lifting St. Anselm past #20 Le Moyne in Syracuse, avenging a January home loss and earning a spot in the program’s record 12th NE10 Championship game. A fierce battle throughout, the Hawks spotted their hosts a 10-0 lead before edging in front 37-36 at the half. They expanded the advantage to 53-45 more than six minutes into the final frame when the Dolphins responded with a 15-5 push, surging in front 60-58 after a steal and lay-up from Dan Kaigler (14 points off the bench, 6-9 FG) with 7:04 to play. The game – which was the two teams’ fifth postseason clash in the last 10 years and seventh overall – played out like a tug-of-war down the stretch, with neither side separated by more than one possession over the final 8:24. Another Kaigler score inside with 1:22 left knotted the count for the last time, setting up Guers’ go-ahead bomb and capping his 21-point, six-assist night. The sophomore guard stole the ball on the next trip but St. A’s was unable to add to its lead, giving Le Moyne one last chance to tie. However, a deep three by Tanner Hyland (14 points in a reserve role) bounced off the front rim before the final horn sounded, as the Fins saw their eight-game win streak go by the boards. Cody Ball also netted 21 for the Hawks on 9-of-11 shooting (3-5 from deep) and Harrison Taggart added 15 as the visitors went only six deep and saw four starters play all 40 minutes. Isaiah Eisendorf and Russell Sangster (six rebounds) each contributed 11 points for Le Moyne, which also landed C.J. Asuncion-Byrd in double figures with 10. The Hawks shot it better from the floor (53%-44%) and from beyond the arc (10-22 to 6-23) while handing out more assists (16-6), offsetting a 34-27 rebounding disparity (12-4 on the offensive end). Le Moyne now awaits a guaranteed NCAA Tournament bid.
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 65 SAINT ROSE 63
For the first time in conference annals, it will be an all-Manchester final as Southern New Hampshire squeaked past Saint Rose in a defensive struggle at a raucous, sellout crowd at the SNHU Field House. An 18-5 upswing over the last 10:05 of the first half flipped a 21-13 deficit into a 31-26 lead as four different Penmen connected from long distance during the run. The Golden Knights edged back in front 53-52 on a put-back by Tyler Sayre (11 points) with 6:57 to play before the hosts took control with a 12-2 charge, opening up a 64-55 advantage after a Chris Walters lay-up with 1:47 remaining. After both teams split a pair at the stripe, the score was 65-56 with 1:10 on the clock when Saint Rose rode the cape of senior guard Chris Dorgler, who notched seven of his 15 points in a span of 26 seconds, while SNHU turned it over on three straight possessions, slashing the deficit to 65-63 with 54 seconds still to be played. The Penmen – who were fronted by Daquaise Andrews’ 24 points (3-4 from long range) and six rebounds – came up empty on their next possession as the shot clock expired, giving the Golden Knights one more chance, but Walters stole the ball and dribbled out the clock, bringing an end their six-game win streak. NE10 Player of the Year Devin Gilligan contributed 18 points (7-11 FG) and six boards for the winners, while Walters totaled seven points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and two steals during a foul-plagued evening. The Penmen remain the lone undefeated home team in the East at 16-0 (19 straight wins dating back to last winter) and improved to 14-1 at the Field House all-time in the NE10 Tournament. Damon Coleman chipped in with 10 points for NCAA-bound Saint Rose, which lost its sixth straight postseason game vs. SNHU (0-5 in Manchester) since the Knights’ fateful “extra timeout” win in the 1996 NCAA Regional at Siena. All of the stats were super tight in a game that was distinguished by two of the region’s three winningest coaches: Stan Spirou (625 wins) and Brian Beaury (620).
DAEMEN 73 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 71
The first round of the ECC Tournament commenced on Wednesday with the top two clubs – St. Thomas Aquinas and Molloy – sitting out and both the three and four seeds prevailing at home. In Amherst, Arif Mehmetaj registered 23 points and nine rebounds, while Deion Hamilton provided 16 and six, respectively, in a reserve role to lead Daemen past District of Columbia and punch its ticket to Saturday’s semifinals at Bridgeport. The Wildcats trailed 26-16 in the opening period and were still behind 34-30 with 15-and-a-half minutes left in the second when Hamilton – who converted seven of 10 shots on the night – produced nine points during a 17-3, game-altering upswing that gave the hosts the lead for keeps, 47-37 with 8:49 remaining. The margin maxed out at 15 (61-46) with just over five minutes on the clock and was still a relatively comfortable 70-60 with 45 seconds showing when the Firebirds ended the contest with a furious 11-3 flurry, spearheaded by Joseph Nickerson, who exploded for 25 of his 29 points in the second half, including 17 over the final 5:03, capped by a buzzer-beating triple that left his team just two points short. Jeff Redband recorded 11 points and seven caroms for the Cats, who made just enough free throws (3-6) over the last 25 seconds to keep their guests at arm’s length, matching their program record for home wins with 14 and improving to 70-10 at Lumsden Gym since the start of the 2011-12 campaign. Nickerson – who shot 10-of-16 – added nine rebounds to his stat line, while fellow senior Kasim Chandler bowed out with a gritty 18-point performance. Khalil Jackson rounded out the Firebirds’ double-digit scorers with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double as his team outscored Daemen 19-9 off turnovers and 12-2 on the break, to no avail. The Wildcats – who won the glass, 42-32 – will now face top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the semis.
BRIDGEPORT 85 QUEENS 74
Third-seeded Bridgeport is home for the duration of its playoff run, which was extended after the Purple Knights pulled away late from Queens at Hubbell Gym in a game that featured 10 ties and nothing more than a six-point separation until a 15-5 spurt amplified a 58-56 lead to 73-61 with 4:16 to play. D’vonne Trumbo – who led five Knights in twin figures with a career-high 19 points (10-12 FT) and four assists – sparked the key run with a lay-up and topped it off with four straight foul shots. Queens closed within seven points on three occasions down the stretch – the last time on a Diego Maldonado dunk with 40 seconds left – but the hosts calmly sank six straight freebies over the final 38 seconds to seal the deal, setting up a semifinal showdown against second-seeded Molloy on Saturday. Stefano Osuji, Carlos DeJesus (four assists) and Bakary Camara (seven boards off the bench) each dropped a baker’s dozen for Bridgeport, the latter shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line in his finest career outing. Kyle Benjamin pitched in with 10 points and four blocks for the Purple Knights, who won despite allowing 62% shooting (7-13 from 3). They made up for that by making twice as many foul shots (22-26 to 11-15) and scoring more than twice as often off turnovers (25-12) while shooting at a strong 51% clip themselves. Maldonado and Marquis Roberts (6-7 FG, four assists) were the Knights’ top threats, followed closely by Tyree White (13) and Simon Green (10 off the bench).
POLL POSITION
Prior to last night’s results, the national and regional polls were released. Le Moyne moved up four spots to #20 in the NABC/Division 2 Top 25 while Saint Rose and St. Thomas Aquinas continued to receive votes and Fairmont State (WV) hung on to the #1 position. Here are the last regional rankings with last week’s positions in parentheses:
- Le Moyne (1)
- Saint Rose (2)
- Southern New Hampshire (4)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (3)
- St. Anselm (6)
- Bloomfield (9)
- Philadelphia (10)
- Merrimack (5)
- Southern Connecticut (8)
- Molloy (NR)