The NE10 Tournament is down to the Final Four after Sunday's quarterfinal round, which featured a stunning upset:
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 97 ST. ANSELM 87
Division I transfers C.J. Seaforth (11-12 FT) and Kealan Ives (four assists) each generated 25 points and Joey Wallace notched a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double (8-11 FG, 3-4 from beyond the arc) in leading Southern Connecticut past #18 St. Anselm in Manchester, handing the Northeast Division champs just their second loss at Stoutenburgh Gym all season. The Owls - who also received 12 points apiece from Isaiah McLeod and Taurus Adams II (10 rebounds off the bench) - were tied 44-44 after a Cody Ball 3-pointer 18 seconds into the second half and never trailed thereafter, using a 9-0 spurt to open up a 76-59 cushion with 8:36 to play. It was 83-67 with four-and-a-half minutes left when the Hawks attempted a rally, narrowing the deficit to seven on three occasions, including 91-84 after two Chris Paul free throws with 1:08 remaining before Seaforth converted six straight foul shots to close it out. Tim Guers compiled 31 points (8-8 FT), eight rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes for St. A's, which has won a record 51 NE10 Tournament games and seven titles. Ball and Paul (eight rebounds) each netted 15 in a losing cause, while Gustav Suhr-Jessen chimed in with 15 points and six boards as the Hawks now hold out hope of hosting the NCAA Regional. Southern - which advances to a semifinal clash at crosstown rival New Haven Wednesday - was slightly outshot on the afternoon (48%-45%) but feasted at the foul line (27-34 to 12-16).
NEW HAVEN 70 BENTLEY 69
New Haven punched its ticket to the semis by squeaking past Bentley at Charger Gym, thanks largely to three free throws by Elijah Bailey (18 points) with 10 seconds remaining. The junior guard then came away with a crucial steal as Ryan Richmond was stripped in the lane in the closing seconds, securing the victory and consigning the Falcons to the dreaded bubble; its NCAA fortunes now in the hands of the regional committee. In a tight contest that featured nine ties, 15 lead changes and nothing more than a seven-point separation all day, the Chargers found themselves up by that margin (61-54) after a Bailey basket with 5:41 on the clock. But Bentley orchestrated a 12-3 upswing, surging in front 66-64 on a step-back, foul line jumper by Richmond (16 points, six rebounds) with 1:44 showing. Kessly Felizor (seven points, eight boards) answered with a 3-ball 22 seconds later to put the hosts on top of the see-saw before Richmond provided the Falcons with their final lead - 69-67 - thanks to a top-of-the-key three with 18.9 seconds to go, setting up Bailey's heroics as he was fouled attempting a go-ahead trey. Roy Kane, Jr. (13 points in 40 minutes, 3-3 from 3) and Derrick Rowland (12) also reached double figures for New Haven, which shot it better overall (48%-40%), offsetting deficiencies at the foul line (14-17 to 5-5) and on the glass (34-31), the latter figure leading to a 14-4 shortfall in second-chance points.
MERRIMACK 83 ADELPHI 81
On the other side of the bracket, Merrimack began its last NE10 Tournament with a white-knuckle victory over Adelphi in North Andover, riding the coat-tails of Juvaris Hayes, who exploded for a career-high 46 points while adding nine rebounds, four assists and five steals to his lofty ledger. The junior guard came within one point of the tourney record, set by Assumption's Drew Adderly on March 7, 1992 vs. Stonehill, in the most proloific performance by a Warrior since Daren Alix registered 47 at Bentley on January 7, 1996. Merrimack trailed most of the afternoon in this one, the gap widening to as much as 39-24 less than four minutes shy of halftime before a 16-2 flourish - capped by Hayes' buzzer-beating lay-up - brought his club within 41-40 at the break. The Panthers - who were spearheaded by fab freshman guard Ronnie Silva's 23 points (9-12 FG, 5-6 from deep) and four assists - maintained the upper hand for the majority of the final 20 minutes before a 16-8 Warriors spurt erased a 69-62 deficit and gave them a 78-77 advantage (their first since 6-4) following another Hayes lay-up with 2:03 to play. That would be the first of five late lead changes in a heart-stopping finish as Oswald Parker II (18 points, six rebounds, four assists in a reserve role) gave the visitors their final advantage at 81-80 courtesy of an inside hoop with 1:21 left. Hayes answered with a lay-up of his own 12 seconds later - his 19th field goal in 30 attempts (his teammates attempted 32 shots in total). Nick Cambio - who finished with 14 points (7-11 FG) and seven caroms - missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer and Hayes split a pair at the stripe with 36 ticks remaining. That toss provided the final margin, though there was still some drama down the stretch as Hayes - the nation's steals leader - came away with another takeaway and was fouled with 12 seconds to go. Uncharacteristically, though, he clanged both free throws (his right arm must have been cramping) to give Adelphi late life. However, Ryan Boulter (nine points) bailed out his brilliant teammate with another steal to cement the result. Jaleel Lord added nine points and eight rebounds for Merrimack, which was outshot from the field (53%-45%) and beyond the arc (10-19 to 3-15) while being tripled in the assist column (18-6) but fared better at the foul line (24-30 to 9-13) to prevail. Conor McGuinness totaled 13 points (3-5 from long distance) and five assists in what may have been his final career outing as the Panthers await word on a seemingly unlikely at-large NCAA bid after dropping their last two games in Massachusetts. The Warriors, on the other hand, will make their third postseason trip to Le Moyne in as many years.
Le MOYNE 86 PACE 66
The only quarterfinal clash that wasn't close down the stretch occurred at Ted Grant Court as Le Moyne routed old Mideast Collegiate Conference rival Pace for the second time in 11 days, using a 30-10 blitz over the first 12-and-a-half minutes of the second half in stretching a 42-35 lead to 72-48; the margin hovering between 17 and 24 over the final 12:09. Kobi Nwandu "paced" five in double figures with 20 points (3-4 from downtown Syracuse) and seven rebounds, followed by Ryan Roland (18 points, 6-8 FG, 4-5 from 3), C.J. Asuncion-Byrd (13 off the bench), Malik Garner (11 points, 3-5 from 3, five assists off the pine) and Tom Brown (11 points, 5-7 FG, six boards, four assists). Peyton Wejnert was the top threat for the Setters with 20 points (7-10 FG) and 11 rebounds, while being supported by Brandon Jacobs (11 of his 13 points in the opening period), Greg Poleon (12 points in his final game) and Tyrone Cohen, Jr. (10). Both Empire State teams shot well in their sixth postseason encounter (LC 57%, PU 51%), but the Dolphins were vastly superior from beyond the arc (14-26 to 3-12) and boasted the better assist-turnover ratio (19/5 to 8/10), outscoring their guests 19-6 off mistakes in clinching a semifinal home date with Merrimack.
DAEMEN 93 BRIDGEPORT 71
Sunday saw the region's regular season finally come to a close in Western New York, with the last seeding question answered in the ECC. Andrew Sischo churned out 20 points (8-14 FG) in a reserve outing, including the 1,000th off his career, as Daemen dispatched Bridgeport to capture the conference crown in Buffalo. The super sophomore center added nine rebounds to his stat line as the Wildcats trailed 42-41 at the half but pulled away with a late 31-15 jaunt that beefed up a 62-54 lead to 93-69. The win gave the hosts a program-best 15-1 record at Lumsden Gym and 97-14 mark there over the past eight seasons. Jay Sarkis contributed 15 points (4-4 from deep) and career-high seven rebounds off the bench for the winners, who also received solid efforts from Breon Harris (15 points, 3-5 from distance) and Quinn Lee Yaw (11) as the "backups" outscored the starting five 58-35 on Senior Day. Bakary Camara was high man for the Purple Knights with 15 points and six rebounds, while being flanked by Eric Rankin (14 off the pine, 6-9 FG), Hashem Abbas (11) and Dennis Green (10 off the bench). The only noteworthy stat was 3-point shooting in the second half, during which Daemen shot 9-of-16 and Bridgeport was 1-for-12. These two teams could meet again next Saturday at the tourney semifials in Connecticut if the Purple Knights defeat Roberts Wesleyan in Wednesday's opening-round game.
ROBERTS WESLEYAN 77 MERCY 60
Speaking of which, Roberts Wesleyan tuned up for the postseason with a tidy victory over Mercy at the Voller Center, placing five in double figures and leading from wire to wire thanks to a 16-4 start. Jean Toussaint racked up 16 points (7-8 FG) and four assists to pilot the Redhawks, who also received 14 points apiece from Fope Okuyiga (nine rebounds) and Justin Vaughan. A 17-4 second-half flurry - punctuated by an Okuyiga dunk - expanded a modest 60-54 lead to 77-58, and Roberts was on its way, dominating the backboards to the tune of 38-24 (16-5 on the offensive end) and fueling an 18-4 boon in second-chance scoring. Peyton McLaurin stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and five steals for the victors, who also landed Armon Nasseri in twin figures with 10 points off the bench. All seven Mavericks who saw action scored, fronted by Bryan Griffin (19 points, 9-14 FG, eight rebounds) and Sal Barbetto, who managed 11 points and five assists in his last collegiate contest. Both teams were ice-cold from downtown Rochester (RWC 6-26, MC 3-21).