The first postseason games took place in New England on Friday, while the ECC began its final weekend of action with a pair of key contests on Long Island. Let’s kick off the recap with the NE10 playoffs and a thrilling finish in New Haven:
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 76 SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 74
Jerry Luckett, Jr.’s banker at the buzzer on a baseline inbounds lob with .4 seconds left lifted Southern Connecticut past old NECC rival Southern New Hampshire in a thrilling first-round NE10 playoff game at Moore Field House. In a postseason rematch of last year’s NCAA East Regional at Le Moyne (also won by SCSU), the Owls trailed the majority of the ballgame, including 63-51 with 8:17 to play following a 26-9 Penmen outburst. It was still 69-60 with four-and-a-half minutes left when the hosts used a 12-3 surge, equalizing at 72-72 on Luckett’s transition lay-up with 46 ticks to go. Eamonn Joyce, who registered 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, came through with a driving shot for the lead 14 seconds later but missed the ensuing free throw. Isaiah McLeod was fouled on Southern’s next possession and once again tied the score with two foul shots at the 24-second mark. On Southern New Hampshire’s next possession, Dimitri Floras (20 points, four assists in his final career game) missed a top-of-the-key three with 1.5 seconds on the clock. The Owls threw a baseball pass into the frontcourt, where it was deflected out of bounds with four-tenths of a second remaining, setting up the winning Luckett bucket. McLeod finished with 22 points (5-7 from 3-point range) and seven rebounds for the winners, who also placed Ulyen Coleman (11, 8), Luckett (12, 6) and Taurus Adams II (12, 6 off the bench) in double figures. Daquaise Andrews contributed 13 points and seven rebounds for the Penmen, who also saw Chris Walters close out his outstanding career with just seven points and four assists; the latter two players fouling out in the last 5:07. SNHU shot a shade better (44%-41%) but the Owls were better from distance (11-20 to 10-24) and on the glass (43-31), helping fuel a critical 18-2 advantage in second-chance scoring. Southern Connecticut earns a trip to Northeast Division winner St. Anselm Sunday, while the Penmen bow out in the first round for the first time since February 1, 2008 at Bryant.
STONEHILL 85 ADELPHI 74
Owen Chose drilled the tying and go-ahead 3-pointers in the heart of a 26-5 power run as Stonehill rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat Adelphi in North Easton and punch its ticket to the tourney quarterfinals. The Skyhawks fell into a 33-14 hole after a Michael Coffey lay-up with 6:30 to play in the first half. They were still staring at a 52-39 deficit with 17-and-a-half minutes left before embarking on the big uprising, which resulted in a 65-57 lead near the midway mark. The Panthers closed within 76-71 after two Coffey free throws with 2:53 remaining, but Brandon Twitty (19 points, 7-11 FG, 3-4 from 3, four assists) knocked down a huge triple to spark a 7-0 spurt and put the hosts ahead 83-71 with just over a minute to go, effectively ending the suspense. Will Moreton compiled 17 points and 10 rebounds for Stonehill, which also landed Joel Berroa (15 points), Chose (14 off the bench, 4-8 from deep) and KJ Lee (11 points, six rebounds, six assists) in twin figures. Coffey paced Adelphi with 20 points in his collegiate swan song, while Terrel Martin-Garcia (16 points, 3-5 from afar, 10 rebounds, two blocks) and Conor McGuinness (10 points, four assists) also made impacts in a losing effort. The Skyhawks – who will play at Southwest Division champ Le Moyne on Sunday – won despite being outshot (47%-42%) and outrebounded (38-34), overcoming those disparities by forcing nearly three times as many turnovers (20-7) and outscoring their guests 23-6 off of their miscues. They also shot a near-perfect 18-for-19 at the line (AU was 10-15).
NYIT 94 ROBERTS WESLEYAN 84
The final three playoff spots in the ECC are still in flux, and Friday’s two games on Long Island did little to clarify the picture. At Recreation Hall, Jeffrey Hayden amassed 25 points, 22 rebounds and four steals to power New York Institute of technology past Roberts Wesleyan. In a game that featured five ties and 16 lead changes, the Bears were behind 70-54 with nine-and-a-half minutes to play before battling back. They were down 76-74 with 18 seconds on the clock when Hayden made one of two at the stripe but followed up his miss with a lay-up to put the hosts ahead 77-76. Isaiah Lewis split a pair at the line for the Redhawks with 2.6 seconds left and, following a turnover, Michael Bush (four points) missed a potential winning 3-pointer, sending the game to OT. Thanks to eight points from Hayden, NYIT never trailed in the extra session, and was clinging to an 85-84 advantage with under 90 seconds remaining when Hayden scored inside to trigger a 9-0, game-clinching run. Kieran Hamilton dropped 20 points and Domonic Josephs racked up 11 points and 10 rebounds for the victors, who dominated the glass (55-40), including 20-8 on the offensive end, which led to a 24-3 bounty in second-chance points. Peyton McLaurin led a balanced Roberts attack with 16 points, seven boards and three blocks. He was supported by Brad Williams (14 points in a reserve role, 6-7 FG), Manny Joseph (11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists), Lewis (10, 7, 8) and Justin Vaughan (10 points, five helpers off the bench). Both teams struggled beyond the arc (combined 12-49) and at the foul line (NYIT 16-28, RWC 14-26). Despite falling for a sixth straight time, the Redhawks have already clinched a playoff spot and can finish anywhere between fourth and sixth. A win Sunday at LIU Post would clinch fourth and the home playoff berth that goes with it.
DAEMEN 61 LIU POST 58
Just up the road in Brookville, Daemen tied idle St. Thomas Aquinas for second with a gritty victory over LIU Post for its sixth straight win and 15th in 16 games. Six was the largest lead of a first half that ended in a 29-29 deadlock, and it wasn’t until Darius Garvin splashed a trifecta with 8:31 to go in the second that there was more than a two-possession separation all night – 49-41. The lead maxed out at 53-42 after Andrew Sischo’s hoop in the paint with 5:37 on the clock, and was still 58-48 with two-and-a-half minutes left when the Pioneers made one last-ditch 10-2 run, the last six coming from Jared Rivers (24 points) who made three free throws and connected on a trifecta with 19 seconds to play. Jay Sarkis (four points) left the door ajar when he split a pair at the stripe with 14 seconds remaining, but Kyle McLeggan’s contested three to tie was off the mark, securing the Wildcats’ fifth 20-win campaign in seven years. Sischo – the ECC Co-Player of the Week – topped the Daemen scorecard with 23 points (10-14 FG) and nine rebounds, followed by Jeff Redband (18 points, nine rebounds) and Garvin (10 points, seven boards, four assists). Both teams were challenged offensively (DC 39% shooting, LIUP 33%), combining to shoot 27% (15-of-56) from long range. Each was also an identical 9-of-13 from the line. LIU Post can finish fourth with a home win vs. Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday but could land the 5 or 6 seed with a loss.