• Playoff positioning is coalescing after the last full-scale Saturday in the region but there are many questions still to be answered. The NE10 is the closest to buttoning up its playoff places, which is where we start the report…
• The Nutmeg State teams in the NE10 Southwest Division have both clinched playoff spots, starting with Southern Connecticut, an 82-78 overtime winner against Pace. Kiana Steinauer posted a career-high 34 points (12-21 FG, 3-6 3FG, 7-8 FT) and grabbed eleven boards to lead the Owls to victory, scoring nine of the last ten points of the OT session by herself to secure the win and knock Pace out of the playoff picture. Imani Wheeler added a career-high tying 23 points (and 6 assists) in support for SCSU, which will visit either Merrimack or Southern New Hampshire in the NE10 first round on Friday. Lauren Schetter tossed in a personal-best 27 points (8-17 FG, 11-12 FT) for the Setters while Brianna Wong (15 points) and Jackie DelliSanti (13 points, 7 boards) also registered double digits but it wasn’t enough to save their team, losers of three in a row. SCSU led by as many as fourteen points (46-32, early in the third period) but Pace rallied and eventually caught the Owls at the end of regulation. A Steinauer hoop put the Owls ahead, 70-64, with 2:21 to go but Pace, with an Alexandria Monteleone basket with :02 left, sent the game to overtime at 71. The Setters held a 77-73 lead midway through the OT but Steinauer scored their last nine points in a 9-1 run, making 5-6 at the line in the last 52 seconds and mixing in a steal to cap a sterling day and lock up SCSU’s playoff spot… New Haven handed AIC a 55-52 setback, confirming their NE10 playoff spot and keeping hopes of a first round bye alive. Alexandria Kerr (21 points, 7 boards) and Micah Womack (14 points, 17 rebounds) led the UNH effort as they ruled the glass (48-28) and the paint (36-22). The Chargers held the Yellow Jackets to a 2-14 showing in the second quarter and won the period, 18-4, to grab a lead they never lost (30-22 at the half). The closest AIC came was with 16 ticks left after a Dana Watts (17 points, 7 caroms) basket, 54-52, but a Kerr foul shot and a Watts missed triple meant New Haven was able to hold on. The Chargers can finish third in the loop with a win in their last game against LeMoyne and an AIC loss. The Jackets, who also had Alyssa Guyon (11 points) in double digits, can finish anywhere from second to fourth place depending on their result against Adelphi to close out the regular season.
• The NE10 divisional leaders/champions both prevailed with Bentley’s 67-44 asphyxiation of Merrimack standing out. The Falcons (on a twelve-game win streak) dominated the window (60-32) and held the Warriors to 27% from the field in earning the victory and reaching the 25-win level for the fourth straight year. A 19-4 first period lead (MC shot 2-16 from the floor) was a harbinger and the Falcons really blew the game apart with a 9-2 start to the second half, opening their edge to 48-30. Victoria Lux (16 points, 10 rebounds), Meghan Lewis (14 points, 8 boards) and Katie Meriggioli (15 points and career-high tying 15 boards) all filled key roles for the Falcons, which won all four periods. Mayson Kimball (12 points, 7 boards) was the sole Warrior in double digits and they stand tied with Southern New Hampshire for fourth place in the NE10 Northeast Division… Le Moyne repelled the College of Saint Rose, 64-58, to extend their winning spell to three games. McKayla Roberts (22 points), Liz Millea (12 points), Corinne Poitevien and Jenna Zimmerman (11 points, 9 boards each) led the Dolphin effort but they led by just five points at the break (30-25) and after three frames (48-43). A 10-4 start to the last quarter made it a 58-47 game at the 4:55 mark and that proved to be enough to get them over the finishing line. Saint Rose, which is out of the playoff mix and on a seven-game slide, was topped by Isa Vara de Rey (17 points) but shot only 35% and were out-worked at the line (LC 16-24; Saint Rose 5-8 FT) in this one.
• Kayla Raymond’s basket with three-tenths of a second left was the difference in Stonehill’s wild 82-80 win at Assumption. The Skyhawks frittered away a 22-point first half lead, gained by a 26-4 run (41-19) as the Greyhounds found their feet in the second half and rallied. Morgan O’Donnell’s (35 points; 13-19 FG, 1-2 3FG, 8-9 FT) hoop with 3:49 left capped the comeback and gave AC its only second half lead, 67-66. Stonehill answered with a 10-2 burst (76-69, :52) but again the Hounds came back. O’Donnell’s three-pointer with 2.5 ticks left knotted matters at 80, only to see Raymond (23 points; 5-7 3FG) score in the paint to win it and keep Stonehill tied for second place in the NE10 Northeast Division. Grace Carter (18 points), Jennifer Worden (15 points) and Kelsey Shaw (10 points) had solid outings for the Skyhawks, who shot 52% overall and sank 12-22 from three-point land. Meghan Cramb tossed in 10 points for Assumption, which shot 51% from the floor and canned 9-15 from long range at the other end, but still were eliminated from playoff contention… St. Anselm remains tied with Stonehill for second place after they blitzed St. Michael’s, 86-49. The Hawks led 33-30 late in the first half (2:45) but proceeded to score 46 of the next 54 points to turn what could have been a close game into a romp (79-38, 4:07). Shannon Ryan (22 points, 10 caroms; 10-18 FG) and Peyton Steinman (11 points) topped the St. A’s scoring as they shined from the floor (53%-31% FG), three-point land (10-3), off the glass (47-28) and in the lane (44-20). Nicole Ladas (12 points) was the pick of the bunch for the Purple Knights. St. Anselm and Stonehill will settle second place in the division when they face each other on Tuesday in North Easton… Southern New Hampshire put five players in twin figures as they dispatched Franklin Pierce, 83-68. The Penmen used a 17-4 first period surge to grab the lead for good (30-19 after one frame) and kept the Ravens on the back foot the rest of the way. Victoria Dean (14 points), Gyanna Russell (13 points) and Kylie Lorenzen (12 points) were among the key SNHU options as they shot 49% and made serious inroads at the line (28-31 FT). Izzy Lipinski (17 points, 9 boards), Sophia Holmes (17 points) and Lisa Sulejmani (16 points) produced the bulk of the offense for FPU, which shot 38% from the floor. SNHU holds the tiebreaker over Merrimack in the chase for fourth place in the NE10 Northeast so a win over Assumption on Tuesday would guarantee the Penmen host Southern Connecticut in the first round of the playoffs.
• Dominican has clinched a share of first place in the CACC North after their 72-60 win over Post, their fourth straight success. Korina Guerra (20 points, 6 boards; 7-9 FG, 4-5 3FG) and Jasmine Gee (19 points; 9-14 FG) teamed up to lead the Charger attack, which shot 51% overall and rode 5-0 and 7-0 fourth period runs to help gain separation. The Eagles were within 47-44 after three quarters but DC stretched the gap to 65-52 after those runs and held firm thereafter. Melanie Polanco’s 18 points keyed the Post effort but they shot only 40% as a unit and were not as efficient from three-point territory as Dominican (Post 7-32; DC 6-18 3FG). Post is tied for third with Felician in the division but with virtually no chance to move any higher… Caldwell has won five games in a row to consolidate second place in the CACC North, their latest triumph a 70-51 decision over Nyack. Tamrin Henderson (16 points, 6 boards; 6-10 FG), Andie Lennon (16 points, 6 assists) and Paula Dits (12 points; 6-8 FG) marshalled the Cougar offense as they shot 53% and raced to a 36-18 halftime lead over the Warriors. Despite solid games from Jocelin Wright (13 points), Elle Nittinger (12 points, 10 caroms) and Kyla Given (12 points, 6 boards), Nyack had no comeback in them and lost their third in succession. Caldwell is two games behind Dominican in the CACC North and, unless something unexpected occurs, seems to be locked into that spot for the duration.
• The University of the Sciences nailed down their fifteenth straight win, a 70-49 victory over Goldey-Beacom, and took a step closer to wrapping up the CACC South crown. Alex Thomas (16 points, 9 boards; 4-9 3FG), Irisa Ye (13 points) and Jess Huber (11 points) helmed the Devils showing as they won all four periods and built a 43-30 halftime edge. The Lightning didn’t provide much stress for Sciences in the second half (the lead stayed in double digits) and lost their third in a row. Amanda McGrogan (17 points) topped the GBC scoring but they were second-best from the floor (Sciences, 46%-35% FG) and three-point range (Sciences, 12-37; GBC 4-15 3FG). Despite the loss, the Lightning remains a game in the loss column ahead of the pack for the final CACC South playoff spot… Jefferson smashed Bloomfield, 97-52, to keep the pressure on Sciences in the division race. This was never much of a contest as the Rams scored at least 20 points in every quarter and led 49-26 at the half and 77-33 after three periods. Caitlyn Cunningham (19 points, 7 assists), Alynna Williams (18 points), Beverly Kum (14 points, 12 boards) and Jessica Kaminski (13 points, 10 boards) rode roughshod over the Bears as they shot 54% overall, made 12-27 from 3FG-land, won the turnover battle (31-6 in points-off-TO’s) and dominated the paint (38-16). Jaylah Bennett (16 points), Caitlin Townes (12 points) and Deja McKenzie (10 points, 17 boards) supplied the numbers for BC but they shot just 30% overall and were never really in it.
• NYIT won their 20th game of the season and took a big step towards clinching third place in the ECC (and the home game in the playoffs that goes with it), dealing Bridgeport a 59-54 defeat. In turn the setback for the Purple Knights dents their hopes of a fourth place finish (and a home game, also). The Bears had to battle for this one, leading much of the way but by double figures just once. A 55-45 NYIT edge with 4:49 left melted into a tenuous 55-53 lead at the 1:22 mark, but the Bears never lost the lead. Taylor Tripptree sank a killer trey with 41 seconds left to end the 8-0 UB run and make it a 57-53 game, and two foul shots by Shalie Frierson (18 points) with two ticks left iced it. Meg Knollmeyer (19 points) led the NYIT scoring and they had a 43%-36% shooting advantage over UB as a team. Samnell Vonleh (15 points, 12 boards) and Briana Stoddart (15 points) keyed the Purple Knights effort but the loss keeps them in the muck for the last three ECC playoff spots… Speaking of the last three playoff spots, LIU Post snapped a five-game slide and regained some footing in that mix, beating Mercy, 94-79. Robyn Francis (career-best 24 points; 8-12 FG, 2-3 3FG, 6-7 FT; 7 boards) and Sasha Patterson (23 points, 12 rebounds; 9-12 FG) headed the stat sheet for the Pioneers, who had the upper hand in most areas, especially rebounds (50-29) and in the paint (52-30). The Pioneers led most of the way after a 9-0 start but the Mavericks hung around and were within 70-62 with 7:02 to go when a 9-3 Pioneer jag locked it up (79-65, 4:18) for the home team. Amber Brown (22 points; 4-4 3FG) and Cynthia Perez (16 points, 4-5 3FG) provided the pop for Mercy despite losing for the fifth straight time.
• Wilmington won an overtime thriller over Chestnut Hill, 88-75, to crawl within a game of a CACC South playoff spot. The Wildcats scored the last six points of regulation to force the extra frame and raced away from the Griffins once there, 18-5. WU led by as many as 17 points in the game (43-26 early in the second half) but CHC rallied and eventually used a 12-2 surge to take a 70-64 lead with 1:49 to play. Macy Robinson’s (34 points, 11 boards; 13-27 FG, 7-17 3FG) trey at the end of regulation tied it at 70 and meant the bonus ball was needed, and a quick four points gave Wilmington an early 74-70 once there. Lauren Crim (12 points; 4-9 3FG) slowed the Wilmington momentum briefly but the Wildcats scored the next dozen points (86-73) to ensure the result. Jadyn Whitsitt (22 points, 10 boards), Kiara Eubanks (14 points) and Nyree Grant (12 points, 15 boards; 10-14 FT) lent support for Robinson for Wilmington, which went 20-30 at the line and won the glass, 58-49. Morgan Orloski (career-high 20 points) and Jaeda Wildgoose (18 points, 13 boards) led the Griffin offense but they paled at the line (8-15 FT) and couldn’t recover from the WU surge to close regulation… Holy Family was the only CACC home team to win on Saturday as they rode a career-high 30 points from Elizabeth Radley (11-19 FG, 2-2 3FG, 6-6 FT; 8 rebounds) to a 64-59 win over Georgian Court. This was a close one all the way (ten ties, ten lead changes and a spread of no more than seven points) but the Tigers scored the last eight points to snare the victory. Ivona Kracic’s basket put the Lions ahead with 5:30 left, 59-56, but they didn’t score again. Radley had six of the last eight markers for HFU but it was a Molly Masciantonio (19 points, 7 assists) bucket with 3:57 left that put the Tigers ahead for good (60-59). Radley scored with 1:07 left and salted it away with a pair of free throws with :10 on the clock. Carna Prokic (19 points, 7 assists; 5-11 3FG) and Destiny Thompson (12 points, 8 boards) were at the helm for GCU, who seem destined for the 3rd seed in the CACC South despite the loss. HFU, which ended a three-game slide, is still mathematically alive in the playoff race but trail Goldey-Beacom by two games with two left… Concordia beat Felician, 85-72, to annex back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Clippers shot a program-record 55.8% from the field and notched another record with their 85 points in this one, led by Nicole Nicholson (22 points), Cameron Corbett (17 points), Saundra Cleckley and Sara Hopkins (14 pints each). The Golden Falcons led at the half, 43-40, but the Clippers closed the third period on a 10-0 spurt to grab a 64-55 lead. The closest Felician came after that was 71-67 (6:07) but the Clippers scored the next six points to make it 77-67 (2:57) and that was enough to close it out. Kameron Stone (18 points, 12 boards), Kayla Diaz (18 points, 9 assists) and Bionca Chambers (18 points) all had solid games for the Golden Falcons but they shot just 40% and lost for the fifth time in a row and are all but out of chances to host a CACC playoff game. The Clippers shot well in all areas, including three-pointers (8-10 3FG) and at the stripe (19-23 FT) to highlight their success.