The NE10 took center stage on Wednesday, with intriguing games in both divisions. Let’s start with an upset in the Northeast:
STONEHILL 65 MERRIMACK 62
Owen Chose drilled a tie-breaking 3-pointer off the dribble with 3.2 seconds to play, carrying Stonehill past Massachusetts rival Merrimack in North Andover to pull even with Southern New Hampshire for the NE10's final playoff spot. The Skyhawks – who were fueled by Andrew Sims’ personal-best 29-point (11-17 FG), nine-rebound performance – trailed the majority of the game, falling into an early 15-3 hole before taking their first lead (31-30) on a Sims 3-point play with 22 seconds left in the half. The entire second period was played within a two-possession spread, and the visitors found themselves behind 62-58 before closing out the contest with a 7-0 flourish: consecutive Sims lay-ups to tie, Chose’s game-winner and Sims' interception of a half-court pass to secure the spoils. Chose and Will Moreton (nine rebounds) contributed 10 points apiece for Stonehill, while Juvaris Hayes (15 points, five assists), Idris Joyner (13 points, seven rebounds) and Ryan Boulter (11, 8) were the top threats for the second-place Warriors. Both teams were poor from beyond the arc (SC 4-15, MC 4-23).
ST. ANSELM 71 SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE 67
They had to battle from behind, but St. Anselm knocked off stubborn crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire at Stoutenburgh Gym to clinch the division. The #24 Hawks were down 59-48 with 11:02 to play before rattling off a 13-2 run, tying the contest at 61-61 on a Tim Guers lay-up at the 5:12 mark. The Penmen – who were spearheaded by Daquaise Andrews’ 30 points (6-12 from long range) and seven rebounds – twice nosed in front by two; the last occurrence at 65-63 on an Eamonn Joyce lay-in with 2:29 remaining, but Guers (23 points, eight boards) nailed the tying jumper 25 seconds later and Alonzo Jackson (10 bench points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting) converted the go-ahead lay-up with 1:23 to go. SNHU was denied on its next trip and Guers sank two foul shots to extend the lead (69-65). Then, after Andrews’ inside hoop halved the deficit eight seconds later, Guers closed out the scoring at the line with three seconds on the clock. Gustav Suhr-Jessen (14 points, eight rebounds), Cody Ball (11 points) and Chris Paul (seven points, 10 caroms) also played well for St. A’s, which won despite being uncharacteristically outshot from distance (9-23 to 4-16) and outworked on the backboards (41-36). The top-ranked team in the region (see below) made up for those deficiencies at the foul line (15-22 to 2-3). Joyce compiled 13 points and 11 rebounds for SNHU, which also received a double-double from Shawn Montague (10, 13).
BENTLEY 77 ST. MICHAEL’S 74
Ryan Richmond churned out 20 of his 26 points (9-16 FG) during a seven-minute stretch spanning the halves while adding four steals in Bentley’s tight win over St. Michael’s in Colchester to remain in third place. Colton Lawrence (15 points, nine rebounds) and Jordan Mello-Klein (10 points) also reached double figures for the Falcons, who were down 26-16 before orchestrating a 20-3 run to jump in front 36-29 en route to a 42-36 halftime advantage. A 19-8 start out of the break extended the lead to 61-44 with 12:24 to play, and it was a 71-58 cushion with four and a half minutes left when the Purple Knights embarked on a 16-6 upswing, drawing within 77-74 after a pair of Jordan Guzman free throws with 2:03 remaining. Neither team would muster another point from that point forward, despite some welcoming opportunities: Lawrence missed two freebies with 13 seconds showing and Jason Heter (four points off the bench) was long on his tying trey attempt at the buzzer. Levi Holmes III accumulated 35 points (12-21 FG, 9-14 from deep) for St. Mike’s, which also received strong efforts from Guzman (16 points, eight assists) and Derek Cheatom (13 points, 3-5 from downtown Burlington, seven rebounds). Bentley was better at the stripe (14-20 to 6-8), while the P-Knights fared better from long range (14-28 to 11-24) and on second chances (18-6).
FRANKLIN PIERCE 81 ASSUMPTION 76
Franklin Pierce remains a game in back of Bentley in fourth place after holding off Assumption at Laska Gym. The Ravens trailed only once on the night (3-2) but had a hard time running away from their hosts, opening up leads of 26-13 and 54-43 before the Greyhounds battled back, using a 10-2 spurt to creep within 56-53 after a Damien Rance lay-up with 9:12 to go. The margin bounced between five and nine until Isaiah Moore (nine points) banged a huge step-back three from the left wing that sparked a critical 9-2 burst and transformed a 72-69 nail-biter into an 81-71 bulge with 11 seconds on the clock. Doyin Fadojutimi was high man for Pierce with 25 points (8-11 FG, 3-4 from afar) and six rebounds, while Jeremy Arthur (all 16 points after the break) and Falu Seck (12 points) also reached twin figures as the visitors shot 54% from the floor. Matthew Kelly (26 points), Rance (23 points, 8-13 FG, 3-5 from 3, eight boards) and Malik Brown (11 bench points on 4-of-4 shooting) were the top dogs for the Hounds, who have dropped eight straight.
ADELPHI 81 SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 75
There was more movement atop the congested Southwest Division. In Garden City, Ronnie Silva posted 21 of his 27 points (9-15 FG, 6-9 from beyond the arc) in the second half and dished out five assists, leading Adelphi past Southern Connecticut for its fourth straight triumph and into first place by a half-game. The Panthers – who also received strong outings from seniors Nick Cambio (22 points, 9-13 FG, 3-5 from 3, seven rebounds) and Conor McGuinness (15 points, four helpers) – were ahead 46-39 when the Owls instigated a 17-4 charge, moving in front 56-50 on a CJ Seaforth “And-1” with 10:42 to play. They stretched the advantage to 63-55 at the 7:05 juncture and were still ahead 68-61 after a Kealan Ives 3-ball with 5:24 left when the hosts took over, reeling off 11 unanswered, culminating in a Silva triple that put Adelphi back in control at 72-68 with 2:14 remaining. Seaforth – who erupted for 30 points (11-14 FG, 6-9 from long range – brought Southern within 78-75 with a 3-pointer at the 15-second mark, but Silva hit one of two foul shots and McGuinness chalked up two more in the waning seconds to seal the deal. Ives (23 points, 5-9 from afar) and Joey Wallace (11 points, 10 rebounds) were vital to the fourth-place Owls’ cause, though they were outshot (51%-44%) and out-assisted (15-5), neutralizing a 15-4 edge in second-chance scoring.
Le MOYNE 74 PACE 52
Kobi Nwandu registered 20 points (8-14 FG) and Ryan Roland 17 (both shooting 4-8 from 3) as Le Moyne hammered Pace at the Goldstein Center, avenging a December home loss and moving into a second-place tie with idle New Haven, a half-game out of first. C.J. Asuncion-Byrd chimed in with 14 points and six rebounds in a reserve role for the Dolphins, who led from wire to wire, taking command with leads of 21-2 and 40-15 by halftime. The margin hovered between 19 and 29 the entirety of the second half as the Fins proved the better shooters (52%-43%), especially from long distance (14-31 to 5-16). Peyton Wejnert tallied 14 points (6-9 FG) – including the 1,000th of his career – in a rare bench outing for the Setters, while Brandon Jacobs (six points, three assists) broke Todd Ziogas’ 22-year-old season assist record (he now has 166). Greg Poleon also reached twin figures with 13 points and six boards for fifth-place Pace.
SAINT ROSE 73 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 72
Rookie guard Tyler Washington enjoyed a breakout performance for Saint Rose, garnering 22 of his personal-best 24 points (10-14 FG, 4-5 from deep) in the second half, highlighted by the game-winning trifecta with 1:11 to go, capping an 11-2, game-ending sprint vs. American International in Albany. The lefty – who was making his first collegiate start – added four assists to his stat line, helping the Golden Knights snap a five-game losing streak. The hosts trailed 70-62 with three-and-a-half minutes to play when Washington took over, sparking the final flourish with a jumper and 3-pointer, and his final trey held up as Zekiah Owens (10 points, 10 rebounds in reserve duty) missed two free throws with 4.4 seconds on the clock, essentially wasting AIC’s last solid chance to win. Isaiah Salter (15 points, 3-5 from 3, six assists), Adonis Williams (12 points) and Branislav Terzic (10) also reached double digits in defeat for the Yellow Jackets, who were outclassed from the 3-point line (13-24 to 9-22), offsetting an edge at the foul line (11-11 to 2-5).
BRIDGEPORT 144 LIU POST 76
Floyd Preito amassed a program-record and regional season-best 55 points in Bridgeport’s win over depleted LIU Post at Hubbell Gym. The senior walk-on shot 20-of-31 from the floor, including 15-for-22 from beyond the arc to lead seven in double figures for the Purple Knights. Alonzo Ortiz-Traylor recorded 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Pioneers, who also received career bests from backup non-scholarship guards Jamal David (11 points) and Adam Heitner (10), as well as 10 points and six boards from Kendell Ogilvie.
HOW THEY RANK…
At long last, the initial East Regional Rankings have been released, and here’s how they stack up, through last Sunday’s action:
- St. Anselm
- Daemen
- New Haven
- Merrimack
- Le Moyne
- Bentley
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Adelphi
- Jefferson
- Dominican