Three make-up games from each of the three conferences comprised three-quarters of Thursday’s regional schedule, and we begin the rundown with a statement game in the NE10’s Northeast Division:
FRANKLIN PIERCE 92 MERRIMACK 74
Mike McDevitt led five starters in double digits with 21 points and six rebounds as Franklin Pierce shot 59% and smacked second-place Merrimack in North Andover to avenge a heartbreaking home loss in December and pull within one game of the playoff picture. A 17-5 start to the second half boosted a 41-30 lead to 58-35 after a lay-up by Asante Sandiford (16 points, 3-5 from 3-point land, six rebounds) with 13:45 to play. The Warriors came no closer than 14 points the rest of the way as the Ravens pushed their advantage to as much as 92-68 before their hosts tallied the last six points to narrow the gap a bit. Doyin Fadojutimi amassed 19 points (9-12 FG) and career-high 13 rebounds for the winners, who also received noteworthy efforts from Falu Seck (15 points, 5-7 FG, six rebounds, seven assists) and Jordan Lackey (10 points, eight rebounds). Juvaris Hayes led the Merrimack attack with 23 points (2-2 from 3), five rebounds, seven assists and four steals, giving him a national-best 90 picks on the season. Troy McLaughlin contributed 10 points off the bench, but the Warriors shot a frosty 33% from the field and were dominated on the glass (47-31), negating a 30-12 advantage off turnovers.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 78 MERCY 64
James Mitchell and Shaq McFarlan posted 19 points, while Justin Reyes compiled 18 points and 13 rebounds as St. Thomas Aquinas rallied from 11 points down in the second half and pulled away from Mercy at Bowman Gym, drawing within a game of idle Bridgeport for first place in the ECC. A streaky game from the outset, the Spartans jumped out to a 9-0 lead before being outscored 39-19 into the early stages of the second half to fall behind 39-28. It was all Aquinas from there, however, as the visitors doubled up the Mavericks 50-25 the rest of the way to win by 14. Jamar Sudan chipped in with 10 points (5-7 FG) and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Spartans, who made half of their shots and won the glass, 43-29. Dequawne Richards was high man for Mercy with 19 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 from deep) off the bench as the Mercy reserves completely outperformed the starters on the night (bench: 19-33 for 44 points, starters: 7-29 for 20 points). The Mavs – who are a half-game up on idle Molloy and Queens for the sixth and final playoff slot – also shot better from beyond the arc (9-21 to 4-16), albeit to no avail.
BLOOMFIELD 81 NYACK 72
CACC North leader Bloomfield moved a step closer to clinching the division after outlasting Nyack in North Jersey for its fourth straight victory. Nick Davidson paved the way for the Bears with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Safee Abdus-Sabur (15 points), Keith Washington (13 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Rakwan Kelly (10 points) also scored in twin figures. The Warriors were within 41-40 at the break after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Deandre Osuigwe (10 points, seven assists). However, a Davidson 3-point play after the restart put Bloomfield up 44-40. The game remained relatively tight as the margin hovered between one and six until an 8-0 spurt – capped by an Abdus-Sabur lay-up at the 11-minute mark – embellished the lead to 64-53. Nyack bounced back with the next seven, however, to make it a 64-60 ballgame, before another Davidson “And-1” provided some breathing room with 8:53 left and the margin barely budged between six and 11 thereafter. Elijah Farley topped the Warriors’ scoresheet with 18 points (6-8 FG, 4-6 from 3), while Imran Ritchie logged 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-2 from long range) and four assists in a losing effort. The Bears won despite being slightly outshot from the field (44%-43%) and the 3-point line (11-26 to 6-16), making up for those disparities with massive advantages at the stripe (23-29 to 5-6) and on second chances (13-2).
SAINT ROSE 83 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 67
The only regularly-scheduled game on Thursday turned into a one-sided affair as Saint Rose returned to the win column, bettering American International at Nolan Gym to move within three games of first-place Le Moyne in the NE10 Southwest with four to go. All 11 Golden Knights scored in this one, led by the senior Australian duo of Jack Jones (21 points in 20 bench minutes, 7-11 FG, 5-8 from distance) and Julian Lipinsky (13 points). A 22-4 first-half outburst transformed a 16-15 deficit near the halfway mark into a 37-20 upper hand after a Jones lay-up with 2:01 remaining. The Yellow Jackets – who were powered by Adonis Williams’ career-high 27 points (3-5 from beyond the arc, 10-13 FT) – narrowed their arrears to 40-30 before a Lipinsky dunk sparked a 15-2 charge that effectively put the game out of reach at 55-32. The lead maxed out at 73-48 on a Jones triple with 6:38 to go, and the Jackets came no closer than 16 the balance of the ballgame. Xion Golding garnered 13 points and eight boards for AIC, which struggled from the stripe (13-24 compared to CSR’s 8-12) and was outshot from the floor (52%-41%) in losing its fourth straight and seeing its lead for the fifth and final playoff berth dwindle to a single game on idle Adelphi.