The regional championship is set for Tuesday, pitting the top teams in the NE10 and CACC. We begin the big weekend recap at top-seeded Le Moyne College with the last at-large team in the field riding the “lucky” number 7 seed:
BLOOMFIELD BREEZES THROUGH BRACKET
Bloomfield Head Coach Gerald Holmes enjoyed a memorable 300th career victory as his seventh-seeded team knocked defending regional champion and two-seed St. Thomas Aquinas out of the NCAA Tournament in a first-round shocker, avenging an overtime home loss in November. After allowing the first five points to James Mitchell, the Bears rattled off 14 straight and never trailed again, bolting out to a 30-14 advantage and expanding it to 75-55 with fewer than eight minutes to play. The Spartans – who had won five straight in capturing their third straight ECC championship – had one last run in them, scoring 12 unanswered, capped by a Shaq McFarlan jumper with 5:16 left that made it a 75-67 game. That would be the only single-digit spread of the second half, however, as Nick Davidson (17 points) scored inside and Nacho Diez banged a three, boosting the lead to 80-67 as the margin barely budged between 11 and 14 the balance of the ballgame. Keith Washington led the Bloomfield attack with 23 points (5-7 from downtown Syracuse) and five assists, while Diez enjoyed the game of his life, compiling 17 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 from deep), nine rebounds and career-high seven assists. Safee Abdus-Sabur chipped in with 11 points (3-5 from 3) as the Bears shot a blistering 58% from the floor (STAC was a strong 48%), including a terrific 12-of-21 from long distance (STAC was 8-24). McFarlan (21 points, six assists), three-time ECC Player of the Year and all-time league scoring leader Justin Reyes (18 points) and Mitchell (17) closed out their stellar Spartan careers on the same Ted Grant Court where they cut down the nets last March, while freshman forward Jamar Sudan finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
On Sunday, Bloomfield picked up right where it left off, embarrassing Merrimack in a wire-to-wire thumping to reach its third regional final. Davidson notched 20 of his 33 points (12-17 FG, 3-4 from long range) during a clinic of a first half that ended with the Bears in complete control at 57-26. The lead mushroomed to an absurd 70-28 after a 13-2 burst at the outset of the second half, and it was 105-68 before the Warriors closed out the contest with a 23-4 flourish to make the final more respectable. Washington exploded for a personal-best 31 points (9-16 FG, 7-10 from afar) and dished out eight assists for the winners, who also received a career outing by Matt Lajeunesse (16 points, 12 rebounds, two blocked shots). Khalief Crawford generated a career-high 20 points (7-11 FG, 3-5 from beyond the arc) off the bench to pace the Warriors, who also saw Tawayne Anderson, Jr. log 13 points (6-8 FG) in his last game. Sophomore guards Jaleel Lord and Juvaris Hayes each chipped in with 11 points; the latter reaching the 1,000-point plateau while dishing out six assists and finishing a sensational season with an NE10-record 124 steals (fifth most in D2 history). Thanks to its strong finish, Merrimack actually shot a shade better from the floor (49%-47%) and scored more often in the paint (52-36) but was thoroughly dominated on the glass (52-29, including 23-11 on the offensive end). Bloomfield was more efficient from distance (12-25 to 8-27) and more proficient at the line (29-36 to 11-17). Both sides boasted positive assist-turnover lines (BC 21/15, MC 18/9).
Merrimack played its best game in the regional lid-lifter, upsetting #18 Bridgeport – a team it had lost badly to in November at the LIU Post Tournament – turning it over just 13 times against the nation’s best team in forcing mistakes (22.7 per game). Ryan Boulter led a balanced attack with 20 points (7-12 FG, 5-9 from 3), while Hayes flirted with yet another triple-double, compiling 17 points (7-7 FG), nine assists and eight steals as the Warriors seized the reins with an 11-2 burst to close out the half on top 43-34. The lead was 63-57 with 8:15 remaining when Idris Joyner (career-high 16 points, 8-11 FG, 10 rebounds in a reserve role) converted a lay-up to kick-start a 16-1 surge that put the game out of reach at 79-60 inside of the three-minute mark. Crawford tossed in 12 points and four assists for the Warriors, who were the superior shooters (54%-44%) and flexed their muscle in the paint (52-32), on the break (17-2) and off turnovers (22-10), garnering 13 of the game’s 17 steals. D’vonne Trumbo recorded 13 points (6-7 FG) and seven rebounds for the Purple Knights, who also landed Bakary Camara (10 points, three blocks) in double figures. Both teams shot an identical 7-for-17 from the 3-point line.
Le MOYNE DEFENDS HOME COURT
The only higher seed to prevail all weekend was the host school, Le Moyne, which earned its first NCAA Tournament win in 30 years on Saturday, defeating old Mideast Collegiate Conference rival Jefferson for its school-record 25th win and 1,000th overall in the program’s 70-year history. Tanner Hyland erupted for a season-high 19 points (7-10 FG, 5-7 from 3) off the bench to lead the #24 Dolphins, who trailed 13-12 at the midway mark of the first half before a Hyland triple triggered a 21-6 upswing that put the Phins in the driver’s seat at 33-19. The Rams – who were fronted by Alexander Gorton’s 17 points – chipped away and closed within 50-44 on a 3-ball by Josh Brandanese (15 points, 6-8 FG, 3-5 from deep) with 11:43 to go, but Tyquan Rolon answered with a trifecta of his own, sparking a 17-4 charge that stretched the advantage to 67-48 with 3:54 on the clock; the lead bouncing between 15 and 20 the rest of the way. Robert Jones III produced 13 points, six rebounds and career-best four steals for Le Moyne, which also placed Isaiah Eisendorf (12 points) and Rolon (all 11 in reserve duty after the break) in twin figures. Kaison Randolph totaled 11 points in his collegiate swan song as the CACC Tournament champions saw their four-game win streak come to an end. The Rams – who were playing Le Moyne for the first time since November of 1997 – were a shade better in the shooting (47%-46%) and rebounding (30-28) departments, but the Dolphins were much noisier from 3-point land (14-30 compared to JU’s 5-17) and punished their guests 29-10 off msiatkes thanks to a 19/9 assist-turnover ratio (JU was 7/15). Le Moyne’s last NCAA win was a consolation contest against Kutztown (PA) at Gannon (PA) in 1988. The team’s most recent first-round victory came against Youngstown State in 1964.
The Dolphins advanced to their first-ever Sweet 16 on Sunday after holding off NE10 Southwest Division and New York State Thruway rival Saint Rose for its fifth straight triumph. Le Moyne led from start to finish, but never could pull away in this defensive war, opening up leads of 12-2 and 35-22 before settling for a 35-25 halftime cushion. The margin hovered between four and 11 the majority of the second stanza, and Rolon’s running bank shot with 57 seconds to play appeared to be the clincher, putting the hosts ahead 63-54. But missed free throws and turnovers gave the Golden Knights life as Mical-Ryan Boyd came up with a steal and was fouled attempting a 3-pointer down five with six seconds left. The senior guard swished all three free throws to make it 65-63 and Saint Rose fouled Jones III on the ensuing inbounds play. The senior transfer from Idaho State iced the contest with two foul shots at the four-second mark, capping a 10-for-10 performance at the stripe. He and fellow forward Eisendorf each registered 14 points to lead a balanced Dolphins attack, which also featured 13 points and four assists off the bench from Rolon and a 10-point, 10-rebound effort from Russell Sangster. Boyd (15 points, six boards) and Julian Lipinsky (14 points) topped the scorecard for Saint Rose in their final games, while Matt Cerutti chimed in with 11 points and six rebounds. The Golden Knights did more damage from deep (7-21 to 3-11) and committed half as many turnovers (4-8) but Le Moyne held them to 37% shooting and made twice as many trips to the line (26-36 to 14-18) to prevail.
Cerutti racked up a career-best 21 points (8-11 FG), nine rebounds and four assists, while Lipinsky added 19 points (6-8 FG) and seven caroms to fuel Saint Rose’s first-round win vs. NE10 rival St. Anselm, avenging a road loss in the regular season. Five ties and 10 lead changes distinguished the first 13:19 of a strong-shooting first half, during which neither team could establish more than a two-possession advantage, and which ended with the Golden Knights up 44-42. They began to pull away shortly after the restart, stretching their lead to 73-58 after a Lipinsky foul shot with 4:10 remaining as the Hawks could never trim their deficit to single digits thereafter. Adam Anderson posted 11 points off the bench for Saint Rose, which also saw Boyd contribute 10. Taylor Fortin closed out his fine career with 18 points and six assists for St. A’s, with Chris Paul (18 points, six assists), Gustav Suhr-Jessen (12) and Tim Guers (10 points, six helpers in 40 minutes) providing solid support in the team’s third defeat in as many trips to Syracuse this winter. Both teams shot it well (CSR 50%, SAC 49%) and mirrored each other from long range (6-19) but the Knights were better in the paint (44-28) and with the ball (eight turnovers to 14 for SAC), leading to an 18-10 scoring edge.