AROUND THE RIM - JANUARY 27 EDITION

Posted: Jan 27, 2023

By Chris Granozio

The battle for Northeast-10 supremacy headlines our column today, as three teams have separated themselves atop the standings, with a fourth – Southern New Hampshire – within striking distance but clearly a step outside the power trio. These are the region's heavyweights, in a triangle tango!

Bentley – despite falling into a confounding habit of squandering massive leads in their last two home games – has emerged as the alpha dog after outlasting longtime foe St. Anselm at the Dana Center Wednesday night, avenging one of its region-low two losses on the season. After spotting the Hawks a 14-6 lead, the Falcons unleashed a 33-5 avalanche over the last 14:48 of the half to forge a 39-19 lead. The margin swelled to 24 (49-25) just over three minutes into the final period, and was still a hefty 61-39 with eight and a half minutes left when St. A’s embarked on an insane 30-8 barrage – the last 11 coming from Miles Tention (28 points) – to draw even at 69-69 with 91 seconds to play. It was all Bentley after that as Zach Laput converted a spinning lay-up and Brian Wright-Kinsey followed a turnover with a traditional 3-point play before Mason Webb iced the result with three out of four at the foul line to finish with 24 points on the night. This marked the second straight Wednesday that the Falcons had lost a lead of at least 24 points in the closing minutes (New Haven had clawed back from 27 down to win at the buzzer a week earlier), albeit both opponents were formidable, to be fair. The game in between, Bentley ran away from Le Moyne in Syracuse to give Jay Lawson his 600th career win, so congratulations to him on the milestone as his 601 victories (as opposed to just 299 losses) rank second in the region to former University of New Hampshire teammate Keith Dickson of St. Anselm, who has racked up 678 in five more seasons.

In the Hawks’ prior win vs. Southern Connecticut in Manchester, Tyler Arbuckle joined his teammate, Tention, in the 1,000 Point Club this winter as he hit for 27. It’s also worth noting that in the loss to Bentley, Matt Becker ripped down a career-high 18 rebounds

New Haven – which was tied with both Bentley and St. A’s heading into the week – lost at Adelphi to fall into a tie for second, though the Chargers boast road wins against the other two power clubs, with a home game vs. the Hawks still on the schedule on the last day of the regular season (your truly plans to be on hand for that one!). In UNH’s last win, Quashawn Lane – who also ascended the 1,000-point plateau this season – was dominant down the stretch in a comeback effort vs. Pace in West Haven. Trailing 50-44 with 5:21 remaining, Lane commandeered a 12-0, game-closing run, accounting for 10 of the points. All four of New Haven’s losses this year have come on the road as they and Jefferson remain the lone regional teams with pristine home ledgers.

Other notes from the NE10:

  • For the second time already this season, Franklin Pierce had to postpone a game due to a power issue at its Field House. The non-league game vs. Bloomfield will not be made up, but the conference tilt vs. Assumption had to be played... and was, a day later as the Ravens prevailed for their fifth straight triumph following a four-game dry spell.
  • Josh McGettigan accounted for the first 13 points of the game in Saint Rose’s 68-57 loss to St. Michael’s in Albany. The Purple Knights rallied to win, thanks largely to a 15-0 second-half burst. The last time a player scored at least the first 13 of his team’s points was when Queens’ Khaleef Allicott managed the Knights’ first 20 (!) against current ECC foe District of Columbia at the East Stroudsburg Tournament on December 7, 2007. Queens won the game against the Firebirds, who at the time were an Atlantic Region independent under the tutelage of former NBA star Jeff Ruland.
  • St. Michael’s 57-56 home loss to Adelphi on Saturday marked the club’s sixth one-point decision this year (the P-Knights have gone 2-4 in them). After some exhaustive research, this is the most one-point games a regional team has experienced in a season since I started writing these reports 25 years ago.
  • Adelphi’s impressive 2-0 week featured a mix of the old (senior guard Ronnie Silva) and the new (four talented freshmen contributing in big roles). One of the rookies – sharpshooter Matthew Price – delivered the winning 3-pointer from the right arc with 1.9 ticks to go in the win at St. Mike’s. Silva enjoyed one of his finer games of the season with 24 in the upset of New Haven, offsetting a 24-point performance by terrific transfer Ty Perry.
  • Congratulations to Adonis Williams of Pace, who reached 1,000 career points during a home setback vs. Le Moyne on Tuesday. Williams – whose awesome parents were in attendance – has spread his scoring across three NE10 clubs, having begun his career at American International and played last season at Adelphi.
  • Southern New Hampshire – which is currently perched in the golden throne of fourth place in the circuit – knocked off old NECC foe Southern Connecticut in Manchester for its second win over the Owls by the slimmest of margins, relegating the resurgent Southern team to fifth in the pecking order at this juncture. (I consider fourth place the "golden throne" because under the NE10's new playoff format, the team that finishes fourth can play two home games, which likely will go a long way if that team is on the NCAA bubble.)
  • As reported last week in this space, Assumption’s Njavan Stewart has continued his rise as one of the best young players in the league, churning out a career-high 28 vs. Saint Rose at Laska Gym.
  • And hats off to AIC freshman sniper Jack Hall, who banged eight 3-pointers in 13 attempts as part of a personal-best 26 points in the lastest in the Yellow Jackets' many close losses, this time to Franklin Pierce in Springfield – AIC's eighth straight defeat.

 

Shifting our focus to the Central Atlantic, Caldwell and Jefferson parlayed big weeks into solo first-place showings. The Cougars earned their fifth straight “W” by edging past rival Dominican at the Newman Center, 67-66 in a battle for first. This was the third time in the last four meetings in just over a year’s time that the two teams finished separated by a solitary point (a common theme throughout the region this year), with the Chargers pulling off the Groundhog Day two-fer of 74-73 decisions last winter. Jarnel Rancy continues to be a revelation. The nation’s top shot-blocker (he has 83!) stuffed the stat sheet vs. Dominican with seven points, 11 boards, five assists, four steals and eight rejections, while fellow sophomore Mark Heber produced 18 points, following up a career-high 26-point output in a rout of Wilmington four days earlier. This was the most impressive of the Cougars’ 13 wins this year, and they aren’t going anywhere.

Down south, Jefferson capped off a season sweep of crosstown rival Chestnut Hill with a win at Sorgenti Arena, riding a 19-4 wave that flipped a 50-47 deficit into a 66-54 advantage at the 7:55 mark that was never seriously threatened. Erik Timko once again led the way with 27 points as the Rams are now essentially three games ahead of the Griffins and two in front of Georgian Court.

More from the CACC:

  • Dominican – which lost one game over the first 63 days of the season – has now dropped three in the last 12 days. Every team goes through a bump or two, and the Chargers are still very much a player in the regional picture.
  • Georgian Court is still tied for second in the South despite a four-game slide. That includes a 10th loss to Bloomfield in as many lifetime meetings.
  • Bloomfield captured wins in its last two games, both at home, and the key story in the Bears’ lair is Tyrek Battle-Holley, who has been forced to play the point due to backcourt injuries and has more than thrived in the role. In the last game vs. Alliance, the senior dished out nine assists and didn’t turn the ball over. Also making impacts for the Bears were Andres Fulgencio (29 points vs. GCU, including 7-10 from 3) and Josh Morris (20 points and 16 rebounds vs. GCU in his first bench outing this season, then 22 and eight, respectively vs. AU).
  • Post avenged a blowout home loss to Nutmeg State rival – and first-time conference foe – Bridgeport by returning the favor at Hubbell Gym. The Eagles have a slight edge on Bloomfield and the Purple Knights for third in the North.
  • Felician pulled off the upset of the year in the conference by knocking Chestnut Hill out of first place Saturday for its first league triumph. Five players reached double figures for the Golden Falcons, fronted by Sean McCarthy (19 points, 11 rebounds). Felician – which, like Saint Rose, is playing with a threadbare bench – dominated the day, constructing as much as a 62-38 lead and never allowing the Griffins to come closer than eight the balance of the ballgame.
  • Goldey-Beacom’s defensive struggles are lessening (league-worst 82.7 points allowed) and there are some potent offensive players on the Lightning roster, including Zayon Marsh, who sits at fourth in the region in both scoring (18.6) and rebounding (9.9). The freshman forward amassed 17 and 17 (including 10 offensive caroms) in a loss at Post, while three-time transfer guard Damani Thomas exploded for a career-best 29 points in the same game.

The East Coast Conference – still in flux with two transitioning teams – has seen its non-league record fall to 28-60, but there are some highlights to report from the nine precincts:

  • St. Thomas Aquinas is still the only regional team with an unblemished conference mark at 9-0, but second-place Molloy pushed them nearly to the brink in Sparkill last weekend. The game was deadlocked at 65-65 before the Spartans triggered a 13-2 surge to put it away, 78-67 with 1:19 on the clock. It was STAC’s ninth straight win in the series since the Lions’ 73-72 thriller in the 2019 ECC semis at Bridgeport en route to their first NCAA appearance. Molloy then dropped a non-league home game vs. Wilmington to finish 1-11 outside the ECC. Aquinas used the Molloy win as a springboard in clobbering District of Columbia, 100-74, on Wednesday – the Spartans’ penultimate regular season home game as they finish with six of seven on the road, including two trips to Western New York. Ouch!
  • Daemen is rolling, with a region-best seven-game win streak on display. Dylan Fasoyiro notched 23 points and eight rebounds in a victory over UDC – the 11th straight for the Wildcats in the series.
  • Nick Johnson tossed in a career-high 25 points, including an exclamation-point dunk in the waning seconds, in leading Roberts Wesleyan past Staten Island. The Redhawks are halfway through their six-game, month-long homestand. They are also in the midst of more than a six-week stretch (January 9-February 22) during which Roberts doesn’t have to leave Western New York. The scheduling gods bestowed quite a gift, there!
  • As mentioned last week, Tyler Carey of Queens is enjoying a breakthrough year, nearly averaging a double-double (10.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg while shooting 51%). In the Knights’ most recent road win vs. Mercy, the senior center scored 16 points and snatched 20 rebounds – second most in program history behind Greg Vaughn’s 26 boards during the 1976-77 season. The 20 boards are most by a regional player this winter and tied for fifth in all of D2.
  • Messiah Malory’s 25-point, 13-rebound double-double carried Staten Island past Mercy, avenging a home loss that represents the Mavericks’ lone league win. CSI battled back from 15 down to win by 15, using a definitive 19-4 run (sparked by a Mallory trey) over the last 5:32 to snap a 66-66 tie
  • D’Youville (eight straight losses) and Mercy (11) are fighting hard despite the lack of positive results. The Saints are not eligible for postseason play this March, but the Mavs are, and need a hot streak to climb back into the playoff picture.

The latest NABC Coaches’ Poll shows Bentley slipping three spots to #14, while St. Thomas Aquinas re-enters the Top 25 at #23. Dominican dropped out but is still receiving votes, along with St. Anselm and New Haven. All three of those teams lost this week, however. IUP (PA) remains the top team in the land (the Crimson Hawks and Nova Southeastern are the lone D2 undefeateds).

Some other observations and effluvia from my travels through the region and beyond:

  • IUP may have the best team in D2, but the Crimson Hawks’ road uniforms are an outright eyesore. Maroon with black numbers and letters that are impossible to read beyond five feet.
  • Kudos to the Pace band for its renditions of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and “Cantina Band” from “Star Wars.” Also loved the West Chester (PA) band’s version of Lizzo’s “About Damn Time.”
  • The pulled pork sandwich at Central Connecticut is the most original – as well as delectable – concession offering I’ve seen in years. Maybe ever.
  • I traveled over 10 hours round-trip on Monday to see the worst game in Division 2: Gannon (0-15) vs. Clarion (2-15), neither of which had a league win or even a victory vs. a D2 opponent. The reason why I went? Being a certifiable basketball junkie, Clarion was the only PSAC school I had never seen first-hand, and it was time. I was shocked to see how beautiful the remodeled Tippin Gym is. It includes the best scoreboard promos (players in motion in high-def) and a carpeted patio section above one baseline with permanent seating, dining tables and large flat-screen TVs displaying the game. One of the very best game presentations I’ve ever seen at D2. Period.
  • Bring back the Penman Club at SNHU!
  • It’s been great seeing old region friends Chris Kraus, Joe Gallo and Tobin Anderson – as well as their assistants: Jimmy Langhurst and Micky Burtnyk as the Northeast Conference certainly features a strong D2 flavor these days. Merrimack and Stonehill have solid teams that are more than holding their own at the next level, while Tobin – whose FDU team sits atop the NEC as of this printing – has proven (as Gallo did and Kraus is doing) that coaching excellence transcends all levels. And that extends to the players, too, including former STAC guard Demetre Roberts, who is unquestionably a candidate for NEC Player of the Year. Not bad for a kid whom most D2 schools - let alone D1 - turned their nose at.
  • Why are so many gyms blasting air conditioning during games? It’s sometimes windier and colder inside the gym than outside of it. Especially during what has been a crazy-mild winter in the Northeast.
  • My latest “Never Saw That Before” moment came yesterday at Central Connecticut. With 1:35 remaining in the first half, Central’s Kellen Amos went up to dunk, but as the ball was almost completely through the net, it hit the junior’s elbow underneath and popped out toward the foul line. Blue Devils teammate Andre Snoddy grabbed the rebound, and – for a second, time stood still as the players were still processing what happened – then after the brief pause, the 2021-22 NEC Freshman of the Year went up for an uncontested follow slam – this time with the intended result. By halftime, the referees and all of us at the media table gathered around the monitor to re-watch what we couldn’t believe we all saw!
  • Best atmosphere I’ve seen thus far: Draddy Gym as Iona outlasted Manhattan in overtime. Not a seat to be found and the place was louder than any building I’ve been in across several seasons.
  • Lastly, who’s the best pure shooter in our region - Erik Timko of Jefferson or SNHU’s Matt Becht? Discuss.

As always, send any comments, questions or suggestions to me at:  chrisgranozio@gmail.com. Please follow us on Twitter for updates, live action photos and more. And please consider becoming a Patreon partner at: https://www.patreon.com/ D2easthoops. Until next time, stay safe and Happy Hooping to All!