• Wall-to-wall playoff implications on Wednesday night in the region with almost every game having something on the line for both teams. There were some big scoring nights individually, as well (four 30+ outings and a pair of 29-point games). The report starts with a couple of NE10 games that continue to shape the Northeast Division…
• Merrimack clinched a post season spot with a 75-66 win over Stonehill in North Andover, the third quarter being the turning point. The Warriors led by a slim 32-30 halftime tally but they started the second half with a 10-2 burst to take a 42-32 lead. They followed that up with a game-killing 15-0 explosion, making it a 59-38 contest late in the stanza and all but ending any doubt. While the Skyhawks made it closer on the scoreboard down the stretch, the damage had been done. Lindsay Werner (29 points; 11-19 FG) was the highest-scoring Warrior but she had ample help from Denia Davis-Stewart (18 points, 12 boards; 9-15 FG) and Alyssa Casey (10 points). In contrast Stonehill’s biggest threat, Kayla Raymond (career-high 32 points; 14-24 FG, 4-9 3FG), had little help (nobody else in double figures). The Warriors had the edge in shooting (47%-41% FG), off the glass (42-34) and in points-off-turnovers (20-9) to bolster their case and pull within a game of Stonehill and St. Anselm for second place in the division.
• St. Anselm annexed a much-needed win, beating local rival Southern New Hampshire, 71-62, to snap a three-game slide and pull into the tie for second place in the standings. The Hawks won a whistle-infested game (46 fouls in all) thanks to solid performances from Peyton Steinman (19 points, 7 boards), Shannon Ryan (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Grace Guachione (11 points), repelling a few Penmen runs. St. A’s held leads of 29-27 (half) and 49-44 (three periods) but SNHU chipped to within 54-52 with 6:32 left. A quick 5-0 response pushed the cushion to 59-52 (4:41) and the Hawks never let the edge dip to less than five points thereafter. Kylie Lorenzen (29 points, 16 boards; 8-15 FG, 13-14 FT) was a pillar for the Penmen but didn’t receive the requisite support she required and SNHU slipped into 5th place in the division as a consequence. Both teams shot well at the line (SNHU 23-30; St. Anselm 21-30 FT) in a game where most team stats were fairly close.
• Adelphi continues to play well of late, extending their winning streak to five games with a 71-63 decision against Southern Connecticut. They had to come from behind in this one, though, as the Owls jumped to an early 18-3 lead midway through the first quarter. Eventually the Panthers got a foothold and, using a 10-2 spell to close the half, drew within 32-29 by the interval. They finally took the lead with a massive 15-0 third quarter run (46-40) over a six-minute span but SCSU came back to even matters at 48 early in the fourth quarter. A 12-3 Panther binge broke that deadlock and made it a 60-51 score with 2:09 to go, wrapping up the win and keeping AU in second place in the NE10 Southwest. Leonie Edringer (20 points, 12 boards; 8-13 FG) and Niajah Morgan (17 points) topped the Adelphi stat sheet while Amanda Pfohl (15 points), Kiana Steinauer (12 points, 21 rebounds) and Aaliyah Walker (11 points) led SCSU. The Owls, clinging to the last divisional playoff spot despite being on a three-game downturn, shot the three-pointer well (12-21; AU 5-18 3FG) but that wasn’t enough to tip the balance.
• Right on Adelphi’s heels is equally-hot AIC, a 68-55 winner over the now-eliminated College of Saint Rose. Dana Watts had a monster game for the Yellow Jackets (career-high 37 points; 12 boards; 14-19 FG, 3-3 3FG, 6-6 FT) to lead the way while Alyssa Guyon (14 points, 8 caroms) ably rode shotgun. Ashley Vanderwall (13 points) and Karissa Birthwright (11 points) headed the Golden Knights scoring but they have lost six in a row and ten of their last eleven to fall out of the playoff mix. AIC led by a 35-27 halftime score and wrested full control with a 10-1 third period run to make it 52-35. Saint Rose did rally and sliced the deficit to 56-48 with 7:11 to play but the Jackets put the hammer down with a 12-2 jag (68-50) to wrap up their fifth win on the spin. AIC and Adelphi meet on the final day of the regular season next week with the #2 seed in the NE10 Southwest (and first round home game) likely on the line.
• Four double digit scorers and a +15 on the glass was enough to propel Bentley to a 71-59 win at St. Michael’s and make it eleven straight victories. The Falcons had to dig in for this one, as the Purple Knights were within two at the half (34-32) and five after three periods (49-44). A 6-0 Falcon start the last quarter gave them some breathing room (55-44) and they kept SMC at least five points in arears the rest of the way. Katie Merrigioli (15 points; career-high-tying 15 rebounds), Victoria Lux (15 points), Monica Viapiano (14 points; 7-11 FG) and Julia Ford (personal-high 13 points) shared the load for Bentley, which made 15-18 at the line (8-8 in the fourth quarter) and posted a 48-33 glass edge. The Purple Knights, now out of NE10 playoff contention, were paced by Emily Ferreri (17 points), Brianna Purcell (11 points) and Taylor Miller (10 points, 10 boards).
• Le Moyne hit the 20-win plateau by notching a 65-60 win at Pace. The NE10 Southwest Division top seed received a career-game from Corinne Poitevien (32 points; 14-16 FG, 4-5 FT; and 12 boards) and nice cameo roles from McKayla Roberts (10 points, 13 assists) and Colleen Corcoran (10 points, 8 rebounds) to get the job done. The Dolphins led most of the night, including by a 32-27 halftime count, but the Setters came back and finally took their first lead with 2:00 left in the third quarter, 43-42. Poitevien took care of that by scoring the last six points of the quarter (48-43) and LC never lost the lead again. Lauren Hackett sank a trey to bring Pace within a possession with 54 seconds left (63-60) but they were unable to get any closer and Roberts sank two free throws in the dying seconds to complete the scoring. Lauren Schetter (21 points; 8-13 FG), Jackie DelliSanti (17 points; 8-14 FG) and Alexandra Monteleone (14 points) combined to lead the Pace effort but they were out-shot (50%-43% FG) and beaten on the boards (40-25) as a unit and sit a half-game behind Southern Connecticut (whom they face on Saturday) for the final divisional playoff spot.
• Assumption kept their NE10 Northeast Division tournament hopes alive with a 67-51 win over Franklin Pierce, pulling away in the second half. The Greyhounds held a 29-26 halftime lead but widened it to 46-36 after three periods by scoring the last five points of the frame. The kept the flow going into the fourth quarter, extending the run to 13-0 with the first eight points and suddenly they had a 54-36 lead, more than the Ravens could answer. Meghan Cramb (18 points), Morgan O’Donnell (14 points, 6 boards), Jordan Hawkins (12 points, 7 caroms; 6-8 FG) and Brianna Capacchione (11 points, 6 assists) all had hands in the victory as AC shot 50% as a team. Lisa Suljemani (career-high 18 points; 6 assists), Sophia Holmes (16 points) and Izzy Lipinski (11 points, 7 rebounds) submitted strong games for FPU and they shot well, too (47% FG), but were not able to keep the Hounds in check in the late going.
• The only ECC game that was played (two were moved to tonite thanks to inclement weather) saw Bridgeport leapfrog LIU Post for fourth place, 69-64. Samnell Vonleh posted a career-best 30 points (9-15 FG, 12-15 FT) and snared 13 boards to lead the Purple Knights to their fourth win in a row, and she scored six of the eight points in a game-defining run late in the clash. UB led 34-28 at the half and 47-45 after three frames but the Pioneers went on a 10-2 jaunt to grab a 55-50 lead with 6:59 left. Bridgeport responded by tying the game at 55, 57 and 59, the latter cravat part of an 8-0 run (Samnell had six) that put UB ahead for good, 65-59 (:33). Briana Stoddart (13 points) and Sarah Middleton (10 points, 7 dimes) also chipped in with double digits for UB, which feasted at the line (23-31; LIU Post 9-15 FT). Shannon Doyle (15 points) and Robyn Francis (13 points) led the LIU Post scoring but they have now dropped five in a row and are losing precious playoff ground.
• The first official NCAA Division II East Regional rankings were released yesterday with the University of the Sciences sitting at #1. Bentley (#2), Jefferson (#3) and LeMoyne (#4) comprise the top four. The next four are St. Thomas Aquinas (#5), Stonehill (#6), St. Anselm (#7) and Southern New Hampshire (#8) while Merrimack (#9) and Daemen (#10) round out the top 10. The poll reflects games through Sunday, February 17.