For the 30th straight March, the East Region will not be hoisting a national championship trophy as this year’s champ – Le Moyne – fell in the national quarterfinals. Here’s the last recap of the season:
WEST TEXAS A&M 87 Le MOYNE 73
Junior center Ryan Quaid led five players in double figures with a career-high 25 points (8-11 FG) and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Evans converted five of eight from beyond the arc for his 15 points as #11 West Texas A&M pulled away from #24 Le Moyne in the second half in the opening game of the Elite-8 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The first-ever match-up was a hotly-contested affair most of the way, as evidenced by six ties and 14 lead swaps over the first 22:15, with the Dolphins carving out a 42-40 halftime advantage and taking their final lead at 45-43 on an Anthony Richards right-wing 3-pointer (his last career points) just over two minutes into the second half. Evans provided the final lead change with a triple of his own to spark a key 16-3 run and put the Buffaloes on top for good at 59-48 with 13:39 to play. Le Moyne rattled off the next seven – the last five by reserve senior center Dan Kaigler (nine points, six rebounds in 11 minutes) – to close within 59-55, and was still within striking distance at 66-59 with seven-and-a-half minutes left when the Buffs put the game away with a 9-0 run, capped by Evans’ fast-break trey at the 5:33 mark, making it 75-59; the margin never dipping below 10 thereafter. All 10 Le Moyne players who saw action scored, led by Isaiah Eisendorf (13 points, eight rebounds), Tyquan Rolon (12 points, six assists off the bench) and Robert Jones III (12 points), all of whom were playing their final collegiate games. West Texas – the Southwest Region champ which went on to lose to top-seeded Ferris State (MI) in its first national semifinal appearance – shot better from the floor (52%-42%), from distance (12-23 to 7-29) and at the foul line (21-23 to 10-13) as the Dolphins struggled after intermission to the tune of 32% overall and 3-of-19 from long range. The Phins held a 35-33 glass advantage (16-8 on the offensive end), while both sides finished with more assists than turnovers (WTAMU 12/9, LC 14/9).
HISTORICAL IMPACT
Despite a record 27 wins and first regional title for Le Moyne under defending NE10 Coach of the Year Patrick Beilein, the result leaves the East Region (formerly known as the Northeast and New England) with a notable 30-year national championship drought – the longest among all eight regions of Division II – dating back to Lowell’s 1988 title. Additionally, it’s now been 13 years since a regional club has played in the national championship game – namely Bryant (like Mass-Lowell, a Division I team these days), which fell to Virginia Union in nearby North Dakota at the 2005 Elite-8.
FINISH LINE
This wraps up another season of reports from the East Region. Genuine thanks to all the coaches, sports information directors, players and administrators who have provided trememdous information and hospitality as I made it to 38 of the 39 schools over the course of the winter (sorry, Franklin Pierce - conflicts with every home game). Thanks as well to all of you fans and supporters who have followed the recaps, leaders, stats and standings on this one-of-a-kind website Steve Zerdelian and I created four years ago. Please watch for a season-ending “Around the Rim” column, which will be posted here in a few days, shortly before I walk down the aisle and become a married man. Until the balls are rolled out again next fall, be safe and God bless!