Championship weekend is underway, and we begin the Saturday recap with a crosstown clash in the NE10 title game:
ST. ANSELM 73 SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 68
Tournament MVP Cody Ball registered 26 points (6-10 from 3-point range), including a huge three with 1:20 to play as St. Anselm upended crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire in Manchester to claim its record eighth NE10 championship, snapping SNHU’s region-best, 19-game, home-court winning streak dating back to last season. In front of an electric, SRO crowd of over 1,500, the Hawks fell into a 9-0 hole before busting out of their funk with a 34-13 charge to zoom in front 34-22 before SNHU closed out the period with a 15-5 run to draw within 39-37. The momentum carried over to the second half as the hosts reclaimed the lead at 47-43. But back came St. A’s with a 16-4 upswing to seize the lead for good, 59-51, after a lay-up by Harrison Taggart (10 points, 10 rebounds) with 8:32 left. The Penmen – who were paced by Dimitri Floras’ 19 points and four assists – battled back within a single point (67-66) following a Devin Gilligan hoop at the 3:25 mark, but after a two-minute scoreless spell, Ball drained his big trey with 1:20 remaining to provide some breathing room at 70-66. A pair of Floras free throws 15 seconds later sliced the deficit in half, and after Taggart split a pair at the stripe with 22 seconds on the clock, Jerome Harris (six points and rebounds) came up empty on his attempt at a tying three at the top of the key. Ball was fouled on the ensuing inbounds and closed out the scoring at the line as the Hawks won for a fourth consecutive time and secured their first trophy in 11 years. Tim Guers collected 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for the winners, despite struggling from the floor (5-19 FG, 1-7 from 3), and Taylor Fortin chimed in with 13 points. Daquaise Andrews garnered 13 for SNHU (though he shot 5-of-22 from the floor), while Gilligan (seven rebounds) and Chris Walters (12) both dropped a dozen in defeat. The game was a defensive struggle (SAC shot 42% and SNHU 35%), with St. A’s making twice as many trifectas (10-23 to 5-24) and winning the glass, 48-36. Uncharacteristically, the visitors nearly squandered those edges by coughing it up three times as often (18-6), leading to a massive 23-3 scoring advantage for the Penmen. Both teams now await NCAA regional location and seeding, which will be announced on Sunday evening. Saint Rose now boasts the East’s longest home court winning streak at 10.
MOLLOY 89 BRIDGEPORT 82
The 23rd time was the charm for Molloy, which ended the region’s longest one-venue drought by stunning Bridgeport in the ECC Tournament semifinals, winning for the first time over their hosts at Hubbell Gym after 22 losses in as many trips over the years. Charlie Marquardt – who missed the regular-season encounter in Connecticut – exploded for 32 points (10-16 FG, 3-5 from deep, 9-9 FT) and four steals, while Curtis Jenkins contributed 25 points (8-14 FG) and eight rebounds as the Lions took control with a 19-2 charge that transformed a 19-16 deficit into a 35-21 lead following a Marquardt lay-up with 5:31 to go in the half. Bridgeport slashed the deficit to a deuce twice down the stretch, including 79-77 after a pair of Stefano Osuji free throws with 2:16 left. However, Marquardt was fouled 21 seconds later and sank two freebies to spark a 6-0 spurt that essentially iced the contest at 85-77 with 25 ticks remaining, giving Molloy its fifth straight triumph. Jaylen Morris (14 points) and Mike Guzzardi (11 points, six boards) also scored in twin figures for the Lions, who shot 51% from the field and were more efficient from beyond the arc (5-11 to 7-22) while more than doubling their hosts 23-11 off turnovers and 16-5 on the break. Sam Joseph led a balanced Bridgeport scoresheet with 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-7 from 3), followed by Sharif Cobb (17 off the bench), Kyle Benjamin (15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks in his final collegiate contest), Osuji (10 points in his finale) and Carlos DeJesus (10). Molloy will take on top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in Sunday’s championship contest.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 85 DAEMEN 66
For the fourth straight season, St. Thomas Aquinas has advanced to the ECC final after pulling away from Daemen in Bridgeport for its fifth straight victory and 14th win in 15 games (the lone outlier being a one-point loss on the same Hubbell Gym floor last month). Chaz Watler was high man with 18 points (3-5 from long distance) for the Spartans, who tallied the first nine points and led from wire to wire, opening up a 34-15 divide before the Wildcats began chipping away, pulling within 37-27 at the half after Supreme Hannah’s buzzer-beating trey. They then narrowed the gap to 48-44 just over seven minutes into the second period after a Hannah hoop, and would have come closer but the redshirt senior guard’s ensuing transition lay-up was controversially waved off due to offensive interference. Watler sank a pair of foul shots and stuck a jumper to trigger a 20-7 run and STAC was in command at 68-51 with 7:27 to go; the lead bouncing between 12 and 19 the balance of the ballgame. James Mitchell (four assists) and Justin Reyes (eight rebounds, five helpers) each chipped in with 14 points for the winners, who also received 12 points (3-4 FG) from Aaron Cust and shot a blistering 62% from the floor (DC was a solid 48%). Hannah closed out his career with 17 points, while Arif Mehmetaj also bowed out with 16 as the Cats saw their season end at the hands of Aquinas for the second consecutive year. Deion Hamilton also recorded 16 off the bench in a losing effort. The Spartans – who shot it better from beyond the arc (9-16 to 7-20) – made all 18 of their free throws in the second half.
BLOOMFIELD 70 CALDWELL 67
The North Division continues to dominate the CACC Tournament. At the Newman Center, top-seeded Bloomfield shaded local rival Caldwell to avenge a home loss last week and secure its spot in Sunday’s final, riding the hot hands of Nick Davidson (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Rakwan Kelly (13 points, nine boards, four assists). A tight game throughout, there were eight ties, seven lead changes and no lead greater than eight as the Cougars found themselves ahead 47-39 just over six minutes into the second stanza before the Bears equalized at 55-55. Caldwell – which was fronted by Derek Dorn’s 16-point, six-assist effort – regained the upper hand at 59-55 inside of the nine-minute mark, but back-to-back Davidson lay-ups instigated a 6-0 spurt that put the visitors back in the lead, 61-59, with less than six minutes to play. A Dorn basket with 4:51 on the clock gave the Cougars their final lead at 63-62, but reserve Robert Lewis came up huge in the clutch, totaling all seven of his points in the final 5:10, including the go-ahead freebies and lay-up that put the Bears in front for good, 66-63. A Davidson baseline jumper stretched the lead to 68-63 with 2:54 left, but Austin Woods (12 points, 5-6 FG in his final game) converted on a 15-footer with 18 seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game at 70-67. That would be the final as Bloomfield hung on despite clanging four straight free-throw attempts over the last 10 seconds, sandwiching Dorn’s transition three try from the top of the key that bounced off the back rim with three seconds showing. Vaughn Covington cranked out 15 points and six assists for Caldwell, which was outrebounded, 42-32, in seeing its four-game win streak go by the boards.
DOMINICAN 72 PHILADEPHIA 64
Bloomfield will take on Dominican for the second time in four games, with an automatic NCAA bid on the line, after the two-seed snapped Philadelphia’s region-high, seven-game win streak. Gerrel Irvin amassed 28 points (11-17 FG, 2-2 from deep) and 13 rebounds for the Chargers, who reeled off the first 10 points and never looked back, procuring the last six points of the first half and first six of the second – capped by an Irvin triple – to establish a 43-27 bulge. The margin was 57-42 after a steal and lay-up by Travis Cook (15 points on 7-of-11 shooting) with 7:12 to play, but the resilient Rams trimmed their deficit to seven a couple of times down the stretch, including 65-58 after two tosses by Kylan Guerra (20 points, 10-10 FT) with 1:58 left, Irvin followed with a lay-up, free throw and blocked shot for Dominican, which extended to a 70-60 lead inside of the final minute to nail it down. Daniel Grant logged 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Chargers, who were the superior shooters (47%-38%) and rebounders (45-31, including 14-4 on the offensive end) while outworking Philly U. in the paint (44-22) and off turnovers (16-2), offsetting poor foul shooting (13-28 to PU’s 15-17). Philadelphia now awaits word on a possible at-large bid to next week’s NCAA Tournament. The regional field will be announced Sunday night, with the seedings and schedule to be listed at the end of the next report, tomorrow night.