By Chris Granozio
Well, the close contests continue across the region, with razor-thin margins and overtime periods being plentiful since play resumed after the mandatory holiday break. Thirteen games in the past week were decided by two possessions or fewer, with four requiring bonus time (three on Wednesday alone).
It took an extra period for defending regional champ and 14th-ranked Bentley to survive Saint Rose in Albany on Wednesday for its East-best ninth straight victory. All 78 points came from the starters, who averaged just under 40 minutes (Herb Magee would be proud!). Matt Leritz – who has been a brilliant addition to Jay Lawson’s club – tossed in a season-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, coming up big down the stretch as the Falcons played from behind most of the night. Zach Laput “put” the game away by nailing 5-of-6 at the foul line over the final 46 seconds. Bentley has now won two games this season against the two lower teams in the NE10 pecking order – Saint Rose and Adelphi – despite those clubs competing without their best players (Shane O’Dell, Ronnie Silva, Aristotelis Sotiriou and Andrew Delaney). The Golden Knights and Panthers – who have combined to go 1-14 in conference play despite strong efforts most nights – battle each other this Saturday, so the win total is guaranteed to double.
Bentley came out of the break with an 86-75 victory over Franklin Pierce in Waltham – the Falcons’ regional-best 20th straight home win. The last team to win at the Dana Center in dark uniforms? The very same Pierce Ravens… in an 87-86 nail-biter on December 12, 2021.
Saint Rose has now dropped back-to-back overtime games, and also said goodbye to Goldey-Beacom transfer forward Juron Ligonde, who entered the transfer portal after 14 unceremonious games in a Golden Knights uniform. On the bright side, freshman guard Latiek Briscoe has been thriving, contributing 20 points and nine rebounds vs. Bentley in his most impressive collegiate game. Max Jusianiec also drained 6-of-7 from the 3-point line in a 26-point bench effort vs. Pace.
The Setters, comparatively, have won their last two games in overtime, edging fellow Empire State rivals Saint Rose and Adelphi, the latter in comeback fashion on the road. Pace was staring at a 60-50 deficit with just over four minutes left in regulation and a 64-56 shortfall with under two minutes remaining before rallying to tie. Steals by Adeleye Oyekanmi on consecutive possessions proved pivotal, then Bryan Powell tallied five big points – including a critical triple with 1:10 to go in the extra session, a period in which the visitors never trailed. AIC transfer Frankyn Batista authored a pair of double-doubles (20/14 vs CSR, 17/11 @ AU) in the wins. For the Panthers, NE10 victories continue to be elusive (each of their last three losses have come by a solitary possession) but the future is bright with freshmen Dayshaun Walton (personal-best 32 points in 41 minutes vs. Pace), Elijah Lewis (20 in 41), Mason Jackson (47% FG on the season, 24 assists, team-leading 10 blocked shots) and Matthew Price (44% shooting from deep). In a league that famously punishes youth, these fab four freshmen are carrying the load for Adelphi, accounting for 52% of the shot attempts and scoring – specifically, 42.7 of the club’s 76.1 points per game.
After starting out the season 18-16 vs. non-conference competition, the Northeast-10 has revved its engines to full gear by going 40-14 since November 26. Four of the five longest active win streaks now belong to NE10 clubs: Bentley (9), St. Anselm (8), Southern Connecticut (7) and Pace (6). Dominican also has won eight straight and continues to boast the region’s best record at 13-1, its only blemish coming at 11-1 Bentley. To date, the Chargers are one of two teams yet to suffer a league loss. The other is neighboring rival St. Thomas Aquinas of the East Coast Conference. Three East Region clubs have yet to taste a conference victory: Felician, Holy Family and the aforementioned Adelphi. The Golden Falcons and Tigers square off Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love, so something's gotta give there.
STAC has been no stranger to tight finishes, with four of its 12 wins coming by a single possession and two others by two. The Spartans’ last two triumphs were vs. former league rivals Adelphi and Jefferson by two and three points, respectively. In the latter affair, they survived another brilliant outing by the region’s best pure shooter – Eric Timko – who finished one point shy of his East-best sixth 30-point game. He even cashed in seven points over an 11-second span in the waning moments, but never had a chance at a tying 3-pointer thanks to Jordan Green’s timely “steal to seal.” One game before, Timko exploded for a career-high 36 points (13-17 FG, 5-9 from 3) in a rout vs. Felician in Philadelphia. The defending CACC Champion Golden Falcons – who have fallen on hard times with injured and ineligible key players – received a mammoth, 28-point performance (9-13 FG, 6-8 from afar) from reserve senior forward Deiker Padrino, who had scored just 148 points in the previous three and a half years. The game was never close (39-13, 71-36) but the visitors managed to produce one of the oddest team shooting lines: 53% from the field, 56% from long distance and just 52% from the foul line (13-25).
Sticking with the close games theme, fellow CACC club Chestnut Hill has won five of its last six, the last two packed with late drama. On New Year’s Eve at Bloomfield, the Griffins were cruising, 58-33, five minutes into the second half. But the host Bears awakened from their hibernation and spun off a 44-20 run, closing within a point (78-77) on a Tyrek Battle-Holley lay-up with 17 seconds on the clock. Nigel Haughton (15 points, nine rebounds, six assists) was fouled and split a pair at the foul line to double the advantage, but Bloomfield’s last shot to tie – a driving lay-up attempt by Izaiah Poole – was swatted out of bounds by Conor Regan with 0.2 seconds showing, essentially ending the suspense and giving the Griffs a chance to exhale. Back home two days later, in a taffy-pull vs. Goldey-Beacom that saw just one lead as high as four over the final 13:12, the game naturally went to OT, where Chestnut Hill took control for good on Noah Charles’ second 3-pointer in the extra frame that made it 86-84 with 28 ticks left. Amir Warrick – who scored his 1,000th career point during the game – added a free throw to close out the scoring as Charles picked up a game-clinching steal of the ensuing inbounds pass.
Bloomfield bookended that tough loss with league wins vs. North Division rivals Felician and Post. In the first battle, Battle-Holley’s 3-ball with 55 seconds to go proved the difference as the Bears grabbed the lead for good at 71-69. In the home game vs. the Eagles, Josh Morris notched seven of his career-high 26 points during a 10-0 game-closing flurry that erased a 67-67 deadlock. Post had gone 1-1 after the holidays heading into that game, losing a home game to Assumption in the team’s first contest since the death of teammate Phil Urban (there was a 22-second moment of silence pregame in honor of the young man who wore #22) and winning a blowout at Georgian Court. In the first game, Assumption’s headliner was Njavan Stewart, who notched a career-high 28 points, including five straight that snapped a tie and made it 77-72 with 1:30 left. After a DJ Frechette trey, Kani Glover netted the next five points to ice it.
The tightest game of the last week saw Wilmington outlast Holy Family in Delaware on Wednesday. Neither team was separated by more than a single possession over the last 14:05 and neither side generated a point over the final three minutes as Marcus Pierce’s two freebies at the 4:12 mark (his only points of the night, as it turned out) gave the Wildcats the lead for keeps at 62-60. WilmU – which has now played seven straight games decided by one or two possessions – had lost a 72-71 heartbreaker in its previous tilt at Bridgeport, wasting a 71-65 lead with 90 seconds to play and allowing the final seven points while turning it over on its last three possessions. The tough finish spoiled a career-high, 26-point performance by Taalib Holloman as Malcolm Moye’s driving lay-up topped off the comeback for the Purple Knights, who welcomed back recently activated junior guard Tim Dawson a game earlier vs. Alliance in another notable finish. Dawson procured 14 of his 16 points in the second half, including a disputed game-winning lay-up with six seconds remaining that the officials deemed basket interference on Shir Moraidi, who was ruled to have hit the backboard hard enough to dislodge the ball from the rim.
Staying in the CACC South, congratulations are in order for Georgian Court, which to this point is enjoying its most productive season. The latest watermark was a victory over Jefferson at the Wellness Center on December 29 – the club’s first win over the Rams ever after dropping the first 16 meetings. The conquest temporarily gave the Lions sole possession of first place and their first-ever 3-0 start in conference play as they constructed a 20-point second-half advantage and held on, thanks in large part to 21-point outings by Clint Wright, Jr. and Jamaal Waters, who combined to shoot a sizzling 15-20 from the field.
Every year, there are usually one or two teams that come out of nowhere and make some noise. This winter, the most notable surprise team is Southern Connecticut, which has won seven in a row for the first time since an eight-game hot streak four seasons ago. NE10 Player of the week Sean James has been the catalyst for the red-hot Owls, totaling 64 points over the last three games, highlighted by incendiary 18-30 shooting from long range. Other key contributors for Scott Burrell’s team include veteran center Zack Penn (16 points, 17 rebounds vs. American International), St. Peter’s transfer playmaker Marty Silvera (seven steals at Franklin Pierce, career-best 12 assists vs. AIC, offsetting 1-14 shooting), redshirt sophomore forward Kazell Stewart (9.5 ppg, 66% FG off the bench) and rejuvenated lefty Ulyen Coleman, who registered 14 points during a game-deciding 16-7 run in the win at Pierce.
Speaking of Connecticut schools, when asked prior to the season which team I thought was going to represent the East in the Elite-8, I offered New Haven, and after having seen the Chargers in person, I have no reason to change my mind. No disrespect to all the other fine clubs that I love covering, but I haven’t seen a team in our region that is so committed and devastating on the defensive end. Of course, it all starts with the man in the middle: 7-1 Majur Majak, who won NE10 Defensive Player of the Year last season and whom I believe should be the man to beat for Player of the Year this time around (as well as the easy repeater for DOY). Some dissenters may say “he doesn’t score enough.” To be sure, his nine points per game pale in comparison to better, more balanced scorers such as Bentley’s Zach Laput and St. Anselm’s Tyler Arbuckle, both of whom are surefire first-teamers and POY contenders. Heck, even teammate Ty Perry, UNH’s leading scorer, and Quashawn Lane, who just ascended the 1,000-Point Club hours before the new year, are also first-team candidates. But there is NO ONE who affects a game more than Majak. Not only does he lead the region in rebounding (10.8), blocked shots (36) and field-goal percentage (.758), he is the “majur” reason why New Haven ranks so highly in field goal defense (.388) and scoring defense (64.5), second in the region only to Pace, and by a whisker in both categories. Here’s the most telling stat: the Chargers’ opponents are taking almost as many shots behind the arc (.464) as inside (.536). The last player I remember in our fair region that had this much of an impact on the game was the late, great Manute Bol of Bridgeport in 1984-85. So I’ve officially begun pounding the drums for the Poughkeepsie, NY native for Player of the Year. I know there’s still a half a season to go and I don’t have an official vote, but there’s truly no more valuable player out there.
Not sure I can ever remember a better shooting period than Southern New Hampshire’s 83% display in the second half vs. Assumption. The Penmen – who were fronted by Evan Guillory’s 19-point, 10-rebound double-double – shot an absurd 20-24 from the floor after intermission and have now won three straight.
Across town, St. Anselm has rattled off seven in succession, with the aforementioned Arbuckle putting up big numbers this week (25 at St. Michael’s, 29 vs. Assumption). Thanks in good measure to the senior guard, the Hawks also shot a combined 20-36 from beyond the arc in those games.
News and Notes: St. Michael’s big man Joel Kabimba delivered two more double-doubles vs. St. A’s (15/12) and Le Moyne (13/11).
In the lone ECC game, Molloy rode an 18-3 wave over the last 7:10 of the first half to build a 39-26 lead that it never relinquished vs. Queens in Flushing. The Lions are now 3-1 on the road in the ECC and 4-1 in the circuit, compared to 1-9 outside the conference. The injury-depleted Knights, on the other hand, went 0-5 on their homestand after starting out the year 3-1 at Fitzgerald Gym.
Dominican’s found a diamond in freshman guard Javel Cherry, who after scoring 12 points in his first three career games, has erupted for 68 in his next three, 30 of which came in 28 bench minutes at Goldey-Beacom (10-13 FG, 5-6 from 3, 5-5 FG). Cherry is shooting a scorching 76% from the field (25-33), 79% from downtown (11-14) and a perfect 7-7 from the line over the hot streak.
Daemen avenged its “home” loss to Franklin Pierce last season at the KeyBank Arena in Downtown Buffalo by winning its first-ever trip to Rindge, using strong defense to go back over .500.
District of Columbia dropped a tough 78-76 home game to Frostburg State (MD) – the Firebirds’ seventh loss out of nine by two possessions or fewer.
A reader once recently asked me if I ever get disappointed when I drive a few hours to a game and it winds up a blowout. My response was sure, to be honest, but if a game is close and exciting, it’s a cherry on the sundae. What I relish the most is the opportunity to watch players play and coaches coach. And the match-ups that get out of hand, I simply classify as “personnel games,” because I can see virtually every player on both teams’ rosters!
I’ve now witnessed first-hand all but two of the region’s 35 programs. The plan is to catch Southern Connecticut tomorrow at Assumption and St. Anselm next Tuesday. I’ve also set foot in 19 of the 35 regional gyms, with Post’s Drubner Center scheduled to be my last stop on February 25.
As usual, I try to see as many PSAC teams as possible, and the two that have impressed me most are Indiana (currently ranked #1 in the NABC Top 25 Poll) and East Stroudsburg (#24). Both teams’ calling cards are defense, with the West-leading IUP brandishing the most suffocating, straight-up man defense I’ve seen in D2 all season. Stroud – which paces the East Division – loves to press and trap, and the Warriors do it as well as anyone this side of West Liberty (WV) and Nova Southeastern (FL), two other national-ranked perennial powers (the latter two having been coached by Jim Crutchfield, who has mastered the style). St. Thomas Aquinas and Bridgeport play in similar fashion, though not as aggressively as the others. Nova, West Lib and East Stroud are all in the national Top 5 in turnovers forced. STAC leads our region at 18.6, followed by Bridgeport (17.6), Roberts Wesleyan (17.6), Goldey-Beacom (17.4), Caldwell (17.2) and Le Moyne (16.8), all of whom are in the Top 40 nationally.
I’m also making it a personal goal to see every MAAC and NEC team first-hand, weather and health permitting, of course. What’s life without a challenge every now and then?
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