Championship weekend culminated in three automatic bids, with the NCAA Regional Committee rounding out the NCAA field with five at-large berths on Sunday night. Before we take a look at how the three conference tourneys culminated, here are the seedings and match-ups for the East Regional, which commences Saturday afternoon at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, three of the games being second meetings of the season:
NCAA EAST REGIONAL SCHEDULE
#3 Bridgeport vs. #6 Merrimack 12:00
#2 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. #7 Bloomfield 2:30
#1 Le Moyne vs. #8 Jefferson 5:00
#4 St. Anselm vs. #5 Saint Rose 7:30
Le MOYNE 69 ST. ANSELM 63
Le Moyne earned the right to host the regional for a second straight season after dethroning NE10 champion St. Anselm at the Henninger Athletic Center for its second NE10 crown and first since 1997, its maiden season in the circuit. Tyquan Rolon delivered 13 points, including a critical running bank shot with 24 seconds to play that gave the hosts a two-possession lead at 67-63. The fifth-year senior guard added seven assists in a reserve role for the Dolphins, who equaled their program record of 24 wins, established in 1988 and matched in 1996. Robert Jones III tallied 10 of his 12 points in the second half while posting six rebounds and career-best six blocked shots for the winners, who also received nine points apiece from Anthony Richards, Russell Sangster, Daniel Kaigler (4-4 FG off the bench) and tournament MVP Isaiah Eisendorf (nine rebounds). The game was close throughout (as were all the stats), with Le Moyne opening up as much as a nine-point advantage (62-53) inside of the final four minutes. The Hawks – who were powered by Cody Ball’s 16-point effort (4-6 from long range) – reeled off the next eight, pulling within 62-61 on a traditional 3-point play by Chris Paul (14 points, 12 after intermission) with 2:27 left. Eisendorf responded with a hoop in the lane at the two-minute mark and sank a free throw with 1:09 remaining to make it a 65-61 game. Paul’s put-back with 41 seconds to go halved the deficit, leading to Rolon’s big bucket, while Jones capped the scoring with a pair of free throws following two missed 3-point attempts by Taylor Fortin (13 points, seven rebounds in 40 minutes). The game also featured some individual history as both Sangster and Ball registered their 1,000th career points.
JEFFERSON CROWNED CACC CHAMPS
In its first year under a new school name, Jefferson punched its ticket to the NCAAs by taking the CACC championship, squeaking past Dominican in a Philly final on Sunday. Tourney MVP Kaison Randolph notched 17 points, including the tying and go-ahead foul shots with 3.1 seconds on the clock as the Rams wasted a 55-40 second-half lead and rallied with four free throws over the last 22 seconds to win for a fourth straight time. Jefferson was in front 50-43 with just over seven minutes to play when the Chargers charged back with a 12-2 run, using strong pressure and receiving tying and go-ahead 3-pointers from DJ Rodwell, who also buried a 55-foot bomb just before halftime to slice a double-digit deficit to a more manageable 34-26. Randolph equalized at 55-55 on a 3-ball with 2:58 left, but Daniel Grant (13 points, five assists) was fouled attempting a trey and sank all three free throws to put Dominican back on top at 58-55 inside of two minutes. The visitors would not score again as Eugene Sakhniuk converted two free throws with 22 seconds remaining and, after two missed Grant tosses, Randolph was fouled and drained his clutch freebies. Rodwell caught the ensuing inbounds pass, speed-dribbled up the right sideline and had a good look at a winning triple, but it bounced off the back rim as time expired, setting off a frenzied celebration for the hometown crowd. Josh Brandanese (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Sakhniuk (11, 11) both authored double-doubles for Jefferson, with the latter a real force on defense, blocking four shots and throwing off several others. Rodwell garnered 22 points and five assists for the Chargers, who lost despite forcing twice as many turnovers (18-9) and punishing their hosts by a whopping 29-4 off of mistakes. The Rams were perfect at the stripe (12-12 compared to DC’s 8-13) and dominated the glass (40-27) to make up for their miscues.
Jefferson shook off a miserable first half in Saturday’s semifinal victory over crosstown rival University of the Sciences, reaching the 20-win plateau for the 35th time in the remarkable 51-year career of Hall of Fame Coach Herb Magee. The Rams trailed 23-12 before back-to-back lay-ups by Sakhniuk (14 points, 14 rebounds) closed the half with his team in arrears, 23-16. It was all Rams after the restart as they flipped the switch, drilling six straight threes to highlight a 24-3 blitz and open up a 40-26 lead. They extended to a 55-34 upper hand with 8:21 to go and the Devils came no closer than 17 points the balance of the ballgame. Randolph churned out all 22 of his points after halftime (6-9 from downtown Philadelphia) and pulled down six rebounds for the victors, who also received 14 points (6-9 FG) from Alexander Gorton and 12 from Brandanese. Flo Da-Silva (18 points, four assists) and Will Gregorits (16 points, six boards) were the top threats for USciences in their final collegiate appearances, but the Devils' disastrous second half was too much to overcome as Jefferson shot at nearly twice as high a clip after intermission (66%-35%) and was vastly superior from beyond the arc for the game (11-19 to 2-11).
Dominican won an overtime thriller over Goldey-Beacom in Saturday’s semis at the Gallagher Center – a game that featured 14 ties, nine lead changes and a remarkable, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force the extra session. Goldey controlled the action early, establishing as much as a 34-23 lead before the Chargers trimmed their deficit to 42-39 by halftime. It remained a one-possession contest the first 13 minutes of the second stanza before Dominican pulled in front 73-64 at the 7:35 mark. The Lightning narrowed the gap and was given a lifeline when Daniel Grant (14 points, six assists) missed two at the line with nine seconds on the clock, keeping it a one-possession game at 76-73. CACC Player of the Year Corey Taite missed a tying triple try, but the ball was deflected out of bounds by a Dominican player, giving Goldey-Beacom a sliver of hope as 0.7 seconds were put on the clock. Marcellus Livingston deftly caught the inbounds pass in the left corner while stepping back and firing away, all in the same motion, as his tying shot went right down the chute as time expired, extending the game five minutes. Dominican never trailed in the extra session, however, using a 7-0 flourish over the final 61 seconds, beginning with a tiebreaking DJ Rodwell lay-up and ending with a clinching foul shot by Grant. Rodwell totaled 20 of his 22 points (9-11 FG) after halftime, while receiving support from Ian Gardener (18 points, six rebounds), Grant (14 points, six assists) and Michael Richardson (12 points off the bench). Livingston was high man for the Lightning with 18 points (4-7 from deep), eight rebounds and four assists. He was flanked by Dante Thompson (17 points, 16 rebounds in his final game), Mahir Johnson (15 points off the pine) and Taite (13 points, six caroms). Goldey owned the boards, 51-35 (18-8 on the offensive end) and, as usual, forced more turnovers (20-11) but struggled from the floor (37% compared to DC’s 46%) and was outmuscled in the paint (46-26).
STAC THREE-PEATS
Tourney MVP Justin Reyes amassed 24 points (12-13 FT) and 17 rebounds, while fellow senior Shaq McFarlan added 19 and nine, respectively, to power St. Thomas Aquinas past Bridgeport at the Voller Center for its fifth straight win and third straight ECC title, avenging a regular-season sweep and snapping the Purple Knights’ program-record and region-best 16-game winning streak. A 24-8 upswing over the last 8:36 of the first half transformed an 18-14 deficit into a 38-26 lead for the Spartans, who picked up right where they left off when play resumed, outscoring the P-Knights 8-2 at the outset to beef up the lead to 46-28. Bridgeport – which was fronted by Hashem Abbas’ 14-point, six-rebound effort off the bench – came within single digits once at 63-55 following a Sam Joseph lay-up with 4:27 to play, but Reyes answered inside to spark a 9-1 spurt that put the game out of reach at 72-56 with 2:36 left. James Mitchell (16 points) and Jamar Sudan (11 points, eight rebounds) played well for STAC, which the more accurate shooting club (44%-28%), especially from long distance (7-15 to 5-24), while winning the glass, 51-31. Joseph recorded 13 and Vakas Iqbal 10 in a losing effort, though UB forced nearly twice as many turnovers (25-13) to have a fighter’s chance.
Reyes logged 17 points, eight rebounds and a clutch blocked shot in the waning seconds in St. Thomas Aquinas’ gritty semifinal triumph over Daemen on Saturday, snapping its opponents’ eight-game win streak in the process. The two clubs – who were meeting for the ninth time in three seasons – were ice cold from the field in the opening half (STAC 30%, DC 28%), a period in which neither team could open up more than a two-possession separation. The Spartans – who also received solid outings from Mitchell (12 points, eight rebounds) and Sudan (12 points, nine boards, four steals) – established a 52-41 lead with under six minutes remaining when the Wildcats began clawing their way back, eventually drawing within a deuce (59-57) on a Breon Harris three with 4.7 seconds to go. Sudan was sent to the line at 2.9 and converted the second of two foul shots to give Daemen a chance to tie, but Sudan intercepted a long inbounds pass into the frontcourt, slamming the door shut. Jeff Redband hit for 14 points in the Cats’ final game, while Andrew Sischo racked up 13 points and 17 rebounds. Harris compiled 12 points, six boards and four steals as Daemen wound up shooting a shade better from the field (36%-35%) and from downtown Rochester (7-27 to 2-14). Aquinas compensated by making twice as many free throws (20-29 to 10-16).
Bridgeport advanced to the title game by pulling away from pesky Molloy, landing five in double figures for its 16th straight win. The Purple Knights never trailed on the night, leading by as much as 50-39 early in the second half. There were six ties, however, including a 57-57 deadlock with six-and-a-half minutes to play when Bakary Camara (16 points, 10 rebounds) took control of the game, scoring three straight baskets to trigger a 16-5 charge that effectively clinched the contest at 73-62 with 2:39 left; the Lions never coming closer than seven the rest of the way. Iqbal (12 points), Marc Campbell (11 off the bench), Sharif Cobb (10 points) and Joseph (10 points, three blocks) all made impacts for Bridgeport, which benefited by a 24-8 boon in turnover points. Curtis Jenkins garnered 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals for Molloy, which also received noteworthy outings from Nick Corbett (19 points, six rebounds, six assists) and Mike Torre (13 points, nine boards). The Lions won the battle of the boards (48-44) but couldn’t overcome the miscues and 32% shooting from the floor.