The NE10 became the first league in the region to conclude its regular season on Tuesday, and the playoff match-ups are now set. We begin the recap with a stunner in Syracuse:
NEW HAVEN 67 Le MOYNE 64 (OT)
Elijah Bailey scored the tying lay-up with 1:12 to play in overtime, then delivered the go-ahead lay-in with 20 seconds left en route to a career-high 25-point night as New Haven upset #22 Le Moyne at the Henninger Athletic Center, snapping the hosts’ winning streaks of 12 overall and 20 against divisional opponents. In a game that produced seven ties and 12 lead changes, most of which came after halftime, the Chargers were staring at a 47-35 deficit at the midway mark of the second stanza before Danny Upchurch converted a traditional 3-point play that instigated a 17-4 run and put his team on top, 52-51 with 3:03 remaining. Four ties and four lead swaps later, New Haven had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Upchurch’s 3-point try was blocked by Russell Sangster (12 points, six assists), necessitating the extra period. Neither side mustered more than a two-point separation until Roy Kane, Jr.’s foul shot with 0.9 seconds on the clock provided the final spread, consigning the Dolphins to their third overtime loss in as many outings – each by three points – representing half of their losses this season (the other two came via buzzer-beating 3-pointers vs. Florida Southern and Bentley). Robert Jones III had a good look from 3-point range for the win, but his attempt, as well as an Isaiah Eisendorf fall-away follow, was off the mark. Bailey – who shot 10-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-8 from long range – also matched his career high with six rebounds for the winners, who also received 17 points and eight assists from Upchurch (despite 4-of-16 shooting and 1-of-9 from 3), as well as 10 points off the bench from Derrick Rowland (2-2 from deep). Eisendorf topped the Le Moyne scoresheet with 16 points and seven rebounds. New Haven – which last beat a Top 25 team on December 2, 2015 (#2 Southern Connecticut) – made more noise from 3-point range (9-29 to 3-19), offsetting a 14-8 turnover disparity. The third-place Chargers will travel to #2 seed Merrimack from the Northeast Division in Sunday’s quarterfinal round – a rematch of a first-round encounter last season. The Dolphins – who had already locked up the top seed throughout the NE10 Tournament – will await the winner of Friday’s Adelphi-Stonehill 4-5 clash.
ADELPHI 78 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL77
Adelphi needed a last-second lay-up from Terrel Martin-Garcia to nip American International in Garden City and claim the league’s last playoff berth. A tight, winner-take-all contest most of the night, the Panthers held the largest lead at 56-48 following a Michael Coffey triple with 16:16 to go, but Zekiah Owens – who finished with a career-best 20 points (8-11 FG) and 10 rebounds – knocked down a three of his own to trigger a 19-6 upswing and put the Yellow Jackets on top, 67-62. The game remained a tug-of-war, with AIC claiming its last lead – 77-75 – on an Owens lay-up with 1:12 left. Coffey split a pair at the stripe 17 seconds later to make it a one-point game, and Martin-Garcia (12 points, six boards) came up with a huge block on Tahlib Swan (eight points, nine rebounds, five assists), and the hosts held firm, winning in just the nick of time. Coffey generated 24 points and Jack Laffey 19 off the bench (5-10 from distance) for Adelphi, which won despite being slightly outshot (48%-46%) and nearly doubled on the glass (43-22). Kassim Kaba and Adonis Williams each chimed in with 13 points for the Jackets, who fought hard but closed out the campaign on a seven-game losing streak. Adelphi travels to Stonehill for a playoff opener on Friday.
ST. ANSELM 82 STONEHILL 72
St. Anselm closed out its contest with a 23-8 flourish to knock off Stonehill at Stoutenburgh Gym to claim the Northeast Division crown and reach the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in six seasons. All five starters reached double figures and provided all the scoring for the Hawks, who trailed 54-46 with 12 minutes to play and 64-59 at the 7:05 mark before unleashing their big run. Chris Paul initiated the charge with back-to-back lay-ups, and the hosts nailed six of seven at the foul line over the last 40 seconds to seal the deal. Paul was high man for St. A’s with 20 points (7-9 FG) and 12 rebounds. He was flanked by Tim Guers (19, 6), Taylor Fortin (18 points, including the 1,000th of his career, seven assists), Gustav Suhr-Jessen (14 points, 6-9 FG, 13 caroms) and Cody Ball (11, 8). Will Moreton shined brightest for the visitors with 22 points (4-8 from downtown Manchester) and 13 rebounds. He was followed by Daniel Largey (14, 7, 3-5 from afar) and Owen Chose (12 points off the bench). The game was a contrast in styles as the Skyhawks were more proficient from beyond the arc (13-31 to 4-16) and the Hawks more formidable in the paint (52-22), while shooting at a higher clip overall (51%-37%) and making twice as many free throws (14-19 to 7-11). Stonehill finishes tied for third but grabs the four seed and will host Adelphi in Friday’s first-round plaoff game. St. Anselm receives a bye into Sunday’s quarterfinal round and will play the winner of Friday’s other playoff opener between Southern New Hampshire and Southern Connecticut in New Haven.
MERRIMACK 81 ST. MICHAEL’S 70
Juvaris Hayes converted a transition lay-up with 2:46 remaining to snap a 69-69 tie and spark a 12-1 game-ending spell as Merrimack pulled away from St. Michael’s in North Andover to claim the #2 seed in the Northeast Division. The Warriors opened with a 21-10 lead and were still on top by 11 (43-32) at intermission before the Purple Knights battled back, eventually surging in front 65-63 after two Levi Holmes III foul shots with 4:41 remaining. The game was deadlocked at 69-69 with under three minutes to go when Hayes (16 points, seven assists) came through with consecutive lay-ups and Ryan Boulter (16 points, 4-8 from deep) splashed back-to-back 3-balls to put the game away at 79-69 inside the final minute. Kyle Howes generated 13 points and four steals for the victors, who also landed Tawayne Anderson, Jr. (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaleel Lord (11, 7 off the bench) in twin figures. Holmes capped his sensational season with a 22-point effort, garnering 627 points this winter – the fourth-highest season point total by a St. Mike’s player [the other three being NBA draft picks Rich Tarrant (1965), Dick Falkenbush (1967) and Tom Hoey (1979)]. Eli DiGrande compiled 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the P-Knights, who also received solid efforts from Jason Heter (12 points in 10 bench minutes) and Derek Cheatom (10 points, eight rebounds). The Warriors – who host New Haven in Sunday’s quarterfinals – shot at a higher clip overall (50%-43%), made twice as many trifectas (10-23 to 5-14) and forced nearly twice as many turnovers (19-10), neutralizing poor foul shooting (11-22 compared to SMC’s 13-14) and a 41-31 rebounding shortfall.
BENTLEY 97 FRANKLIN PIERCE 82
Bentley slots in as the 3 seed (on a tiebreaker advantage vs. Stonehill) after upending Franklin Pierce in New Hampshire. Once again, Ryan Richmond was the engine that drove the Falcons, as the junior guard exploded for 39 points (14-22 FG, 6-8 from 3) and six rebounds; his team nailing 14 of its first 15 shots on the night and finishing at a robust 55% overall. An 18-18 game just over six minutes in, Richmond drilled a triple to set in motion a 27-10 charge that gave the visitors the lead for keeps at 45-28. The margin maxed out at 65-42 nearly four minutes into the second half before the Ravens began chipping away, coming as close as 80-72 on a lay-up by Jordan Lackey (six points in his final game) with 7:36 on the clock. Richmond answered with a step-back jay 16 seconds later, inintiating a 12-2 spurt that dashed any hopes for the hosts, 92-74 with 2:58 to play. Chris Hudson racked up 16 points (2-2 from downtown Rindge), 13 rebounds and four assists for Bentley, which also placed Zach Gilpin (12 points), Brandon Wheeler (11 points, 5-7 FG, five helpers) and Seth Stankiewicz (10 points in reserve duty) in double digits. For Pierce, Asante Sandiford registered 17 points and career-high six assists in his collegiate swan song, while fellow senior Dustin Cole dropped a baker’s dozen (5-7 FG, 3-5 from long range) in his first-ever start and Falu Seck contributed 11 points and five assists. The Falcons – who will travel to Saint Rose in Sunday’s quarterfinals – shot a sizzling 14-for-26 from beyond the arc (FPU was 11-30), made more trips to the stripe (17-25 to 5-11) and won the battle of the boards (39-29), neutralizing the Ravens’ 44-20 dominance in the paint. Both sides boasted strong assist-turnover lines (BU 23/14, FPU 21/13).
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 79 ASSUMPTION 75
Chris Walters recorded 24 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 from long distance) and eight rebounds, while Daquaise Andrews logged 20 points (9-15 FG), eight boards and six assists as Southern New Hampshire hung on vs. Assumption in Worcester to wrap up the 5 seed in the Northeast Division and book its trip to SW #4 Southern Connecticut on Friday. The Penmen trailed just once (1-0) before sprinting out to leads of 35-16 and 62-41 following a Dimitri Floras three with 11:43 left. It was a seemingly comfortable 66-49 advantage with just over seven minutes remaining when the Greyhounds embarked on a 25-11 run and drew within 77-75 on a Joe Sullivan lay-up with 1:07 to go. And the hosts had a chance to tie after a steal by Patrick Fleming (seven points, six assists), but alas, his shot wouldn’t fall and Floras (13 points, seven assists) closed out the scoring at the stripe with six seconds on the clock. Sullivan cranked out 26 points (10-13 FG, 3-3 from 3) and eight rebounds for the Hounds, who also received 17 points and seven boards from Branislav Vujodinovic, as well as 12 points and five dishes by Matthew Kelly, though it wasn’t enough to prevent a fourth straight setback. The stats were extremely close, including shooting (SNHU 53%, AC 50%), 3-point shooting (SNHU 11-22, AC 11-27), rebounding (27-27), assists (16-16) and turnovers (12-12).
SAINT ROSE 84 PACE 68
Julian Lipinsky notched 17 points (7-10 FG) and Shane Herrity totaled 12 points (2-2 from deep) and eight assists to lead Saint Rose past old NYCAC rival Pace at the Goldstein Center. The second-place Golden Knights – who host Bentley in Sunday’s quarterfinal round – trailed just once (2-0) before bolting out to leads of 23-8 and 38-16 before the Setters closed the half with a 14-5 flurry to make it a 43-30 game. A 20-8 tear upon the restart – capped by a Herrity bucket – boosted the margin to 63-38, however, and the hosts never came closer than 15 the rest of the way. Michael Wearne (3-4 from downtown Pleasantville) and Jack Jones provided quality depth off the bench for Saint Rose with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Peyton Wejnert collected 15 points and six rebounds for Pace, followed by Brandon Jacobs (12 points, four assists), Kevin Seymour (10 points) and Greg Poleon (10). The Knights were the superior shooters (55%-42%), especially from long distance (12-19 to 6-16), while crafting a spectacular 26/8 assist-turnover ratio and outscoring the Setters 19-4 off mistakes.
RANK AND FILE
Bridgeport moved up a spot in the most recent NABC/Division 2 Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, checking in at #17, while Le Moyne climbed three spots to #22. Lincoln Memorial (TN) remains at #1. The latest regional rankings will be released later this afternoon and will be posted here tomorrow.