All three conferences had games played and games postponed on a blustery Wednesday in the East Region. We kick off the recap with the lone NE10 battle between two Northeast Division teams:
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 89 BENTLEY 74
Chris Walters cranked out 29 points (8-13 FG, 10-10 FT) and snagged eight rebounds to lead Southern New Hampshire past Bentley in a key match-up in Manchester. Daquaise Andrews (23 points, seven rebounds, career high-tying five steals) and Eamonn Joyce (career highs of 20 points, eight boards and four blocked shots) also came up big for the Penmen, who tied the Falcons for fourth place and gained a tiebreak advantage by virtue of a season sweep. The hosts led from pillar to post in this one, constructing leads of 9-2 and 23-11 before settling for a 41-26 halftime bulge. A 7-0 spurt over the first 70 seconds of the second stanza – capped by a Walters 3-pointer – pushed the lead to 48-26, and the Falcons came no closer than 10 points (76-66 at the 2:34 mark) the rest of the way as they continued their pattern of alternating wins and losses over the past 13 games dating back to December 12. Ryan Richmond totaled 18 of his 24 points in the second half while adding six rebounds and four assists for Bentley. He was joined in double figures by Chris Hudson (15 points), Jordan Mello-Klein (12 points, six boards, four assists) and Zach Gilpin (11 points). The Penmen shot at a higher clip overall (50%-42%) and from long range (9-17 to 9-21) while making twice as many free throws (26-30 to 13-14), including seven of eight over the last 1:08 to wrap it up. Walters has now converted 37 straight at the stripe dating back to January 27.
DOMINICAN 68 CALDWELL 67
Dominican solidified its second-place standing in the CACC North Division after squeaking past Caldwell at the Newman Center for a season sweep. Sayon Charles paced the Chargers with 20 points, but Michael Richardson was the “X factor” with 16 points off the bench (4-8 from deep), including the tying and go-ahead foul shots with 9.8 seconds to play. The late-game heroics seemed unlikely most of the night as the visitors sprinted out to a 33-16 lead and were still in command at 60-48 with just over eight minutes left when the Cougars embarked on a 19-6 spree, grabbing their only lead of the game at 67-66 on a fast-break lay-up from Derek Dorn (14 points, four assists) with 16.8 seconds remaining. That solitary edge lasted exactly seven seconds as Richardson answered with his tosses and Zay Jennings missed a potential winning three at the buzzer. Vaughn Covington chalked up 14 points (3-4 FG, 7-7 FT) off the bench for Caldwell, which also landed Ruud Lutterman (13 points, 6-8 FG) and Eric Johnson-Alford (12 points, nine caroms) in twin figures. Dominican won despite being outshot (48%-45%), outrebounded (31-27) and outworked in the paint (42-24). Caldwell – which rests in third place – made up for those disparities by draining more 3-pointers (7-19 to 2-7).
FELICIAN 92 POST 78
Terrell Spaulding delivered 13 of his 31 points (11-18 FG, 6-7 from 3) during a 32-8 game-ending blitz, leading Felician to a comeback victory over Post in Waterbury for sole possession of fourth in the North. The Golden Falcons were staring at a 70-60 deficit before Spaulding (six rebounds) splashed a trey with 12:38 to go, jump-starting the power run that provided the visitors with a season sweep and – in effect – a two-game lead for the final playoff spot. Gjaimeir Stanford (20 points, six boards), Zamir Wright (17 points) and Rahsaan Williams (16 points, 8-12 FG, 13 rebounds, three blocks) also made key impacts for Felician, which shot 53% from the field and a similar 9-for-17 from beyond the arc (PU was 45% and 9-for-23 by comparison). Darrick Boyd was high man for the Eagles with 19 points (4-8 from long distance), followed by Joseph Lockwood (17 points, 6-9 FG, 12 rebounds), Tyler Desrosiers (13 points, six caroms, four assists) and Savion Boissard (12 points). Turnovers were a critical statistic as Post coughed it up nearly three times as often (14-5), leading to a 13-4 scoring advantage.
JEFFERSON 59 SCIENCES 44
The top two teams in the South earned victories in Philadelphia. In East Falls, Prince Hickson produced a career-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a rare start as Jefferson pulled away from crosstown rival University of the Sciences to maintain a slim lead atop the division. All five starters accounted for 199 of a possible 200 individual minutes for the Rams, including Kaison Randolph (14 points), Kylan Guerra (12 points, four assists) and Josh Brandanese (10 points, eight rebounds) as the hosts captured their sixth straight triumph, leading from start to finish as they burst out of the gate with a 15-4 advantage. The margin increased to 13 (39-26) on a Guerra Lay-up with 11:36 on the clock before the Devils tallied 10 of the next 11 points, drawing within 40-36 on a Brendan Crawford tip-in with 6:11 to play. Hickson answered with a lay-up to spark a 7-0 spurt and give Jefferson some breathing room at 47-36 with 4:18 left; the lead never dipping below nine thereafter and peaking at the final horn. Will Gregorits (eight rebounds) and Crawford (four blocks) each dropped a dozen points for fourth-place USciences, which was outshot from the floor (44%-30%) and from behind the 3-point line (5-13 to 1-12) while also being outscored at the stripe (16-21 to 9-9).
GOLDEY-BEACOM 76 HOLY FAMILY 67
Goldey-Beacom remains hot on the heels of Jefferson for the division crown after fending off Holy Family at the Campus Center for its sixth win in a row. Defending CACC Player of the Week Corey Taite logged 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lightning, which trailed just once on the night (3-0) and was ahead 37-34 with 17:23 remaining before unleashing a 21-3 uprising, culminating in a Taite triple, and going up 58-37 with 11:38 to go. The Tigers got right off the mat, however, initiating a 19-3 counter-run thanks to 11 points by Maliq Sanders in slicing the deficit to 61-56 at the 5:56 juncture. After an exchange of baskets, Taite knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:39 on the clock to commence a 9-0 flurry that put the game on ice at 72-58 with 1:44 showing. Mahir Johnson chipped in with 15 points (6-9 FG, 3-3 from long range) in a reserve role for Goldey, which also received 12 points apiece from Troy Stancil and Marcellus Livingston. Sanders notched 26 points in 40 minutes for Holy Family, which also saw Michael Power match a personal best with 19 points and four assists, while Terrell Jones offered 14 points and eight boards in his team’s 11th straight setback. Both teams shot 40% from the field, made 10 threes and nearly matched each other on the glass (GBC 40, HFU 39), with the Lightning faring better at the foul line (14-15 to 9-15) to provde the most glaring statistical difference.
LIU POST 89 MOLLOY 83 (OT)
The most hotly contested game of the night occurred in Brookville as LIU Post landed all five starters in double figures and outlasted fellow Long Island rival Molloy in overtime to solidify fourth place in the ECC pecking order. In a game featuring eight ties and 16 lead changes, the Lions enjoyed the largest advantage of the second half at 57-50 with just over 11 minutes to play before the Pioneers set in motion a 19-7 surge, punctuated by a Jared Rivers 3-ball, that gave them a 69-64 upper hand at the 4:02 mark. Molloy would clamp down defensively, scoring the last five points of regulation, including a tying bucket by Nick Corbett (21 points, 10 assists) with three seconds left. Post would never trail in the extra session as Aary Bibens knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:28 remaining and fellow senior guard Kyle McLeggan followed suit to put the hosts on top 77-71. The Lions came as close as 81-79 on a Josh Dennis lay-up with 57 seconds to go, but – after milking the clock – Rivers (17 points, eight rebounds) supplied a huge hoop and the Pioneers held on down the stretch. McLeggan (24 points, 4-7 from deep) and Bibens (19 points, eight rebounds, six assists) had strong outings for the victors, who also placed Austin Kennedy (14 points, four dishes) and Kyle Doucette (11 points, 11 rebounds) in double digits. Curtis Jenkins filled the stat sheet with 21 points, six boards, six assists and four steals for the Lions, with Mike Torre (20 points, 8-10 FG, 4-4 from afar) and Dennis (10 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) also playing well in a losing cause. Molloy – which is now a game out of the sixth and final playoff spot – was the more accurate shooting team (51%-42%), flexed its muscle in the paint (42-18) and boasted the superior assist-turnover line (23/9 to 15/12) but LIU Post was more proficient from distance (14-31 to 6-19) and the foul line (23-28 to 7-14) to overcome those shortfalls.
QUEENS 84 NYIT 65
Right next door at Recreation Hall, Queens tied Molloy for seventh, a game off the playoff pace, after knocking off New York Institute of Technology to snap a seven-game slide. Dwayne Henry posted 15 of his 17 points (6-7 FG) in the opening period and distributed four assists in reserve duty to lead a balanced Knights attack as each of the 13 players who saw action attempted no more than seven shots from the floor. Queens – which led from start to finish – bolted out to a 22-5 lead and extended it to 41-22 shortly before the halftime break. It was 45-29 before the Bears showed signs of life with a 17-4 charge, closing within a single possession (49-46) after a pair of Jeffrey Hayden foul shots with 12:55 still on the clock. It was 51-48 two minutes later when the visitors engineered a 10-2 spell, pushing the lead back up to double digits (61-50) on a trey from Simon Green (14 points) with 8:40 to play. After NYIT crept within 67-59 inside the five-minute mark, the Knights uncorked a 17-5 run to blow it open at 84-64, consigning its hosts to a 10th consecutive defeat. Isaac Grant (6-7 FG) and Tyrese Crosdale (4-5 FG) each mustered a dozen points for Queens, which was the more accurate shooting club (51%-34%), canned twice as many trifectas (8-26 to 4-18) and made its presence felt in the paint (38-20). Domonic Josephs compiled 18 points (6-8 FG), nine rebounds and four steals off the bench for the Bears, who also landed Hayden (17 points, six rebounds) and Kieran Hamilton (11 points) in double figures. The two teams combined for 21 assists and 40 turnovers.
BRIDGEPORT 119 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 97
All 14 players reached the score column as ECC leader Bridgeport raced past District of Columbia in Connecticut for its region-high 11th straight victory and 20th overall, marking the 10th time in Mike Ruane’s 18-year coaching tenure that the program has reached that lofty plateau. There wasn’t much defense in this one as both teams shot at a high clip (UDC 59%, UB 51%). Sharif Cobb led six in double digits with 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 from 3) as the #20 Purple Knights reached the century mark for the sixth time on the campaign. A 56-39 game at the break, the hosts would maintain between a 16- and 28-point lead the entirety of the second half, receiving solid contributions from every precinct, including Bakary Camara (13 points), Sam Joseph (11 points, seven rebounds, seven steals), Yasir Lawrence (11 points off the pine), D’vonne Trumbo (10 points, 2-2 from deep, five assists) and Vakas Iqbal (10 points). Maurice Waters topped the Firebirds’ scoresheet with 21 points (9-13 FG) and eight rebounds in a reserve role. He was flanked by Danny Shand (17 points), Khalil Jackson (16 points, 6-8 FG, six boards), Quadire Truesdale (12, 6) and Kevin Cox (12 points). The big difference on the stat sheet was 3-point shooting as Bridgeport converted 15 of 31 and the Firebirds missed all eight they attempted. They almost made up for that glaring discrepancy in the paint (66-44), on the backboards (37-34) and on the break (36-19), but a whopping 29 turnovers severely hampered their cause (UB committed 17 miscues).
CHESTNUT HILL 88 GEORGIAN COURT 68
Demetrius Isaac registered 21 of his 26 points (9-14 FG, 3-4 from distance) in the first half and Cartier Talford generated 14 of his 17 (5-8 from deep) in the second, carrying Chestnut Hill to an easy win over Georgian Court at Sorgenti Arena. The Griffins led the entire way in this one, recording the final 10 points of the half – capped by a Talford trey – to carry a 47-34 lead into the locker room. The Lions – who are now three games out of the last CACC South playoff spot with four to play – led 52-45 early in the second period when Liban Awl (13 bench points, 3-5 from downtown Philly) drilled a triple to launch a 23-3 upswing and put the game out of reach at 75-48 with 7:22 left. The margin crested at 30 (88-58) before Georgian Court hung the last 10 points on the board over the final 1:28 to make the final a little more respectable. Tony Toplyn, Jr. cashed in all 10 of his points in the first half while adding six boards and four blocks for the winners, who were the superior shooters (55%-41%), especially from long range (13-25 to 4-20), while faring better from the free-throw line (11-16 to 12-25). The Lions – who were fronted by Caleb Bowser (17 points, nine rebounds) and Nikola Vujovic (12 points) – won the glass (39-35, including 15-6 on the offensive end) and were smore formidable in the paint (36-20), albeit to no avail.