* Three of the four NE10 games on offer on Tuesday were close and all had post-season implications. We start the recap in Manchester, where the Queen City rivals dished up yet another thriller…
* Karlee Ziliak potted a career-high 27 points and snapped an 83-all tie with 41 seconds left to help Southern New Hampshire knock off St. Anselm, 88-83. Ziliak (9-13 FG, 4-6 3FG, 5-6 FT), who established a career-best for the second straight game, wasn’t the only one who had a sensational game, as Hawk center Shannon Ryan conjured up a personal-high 38 points (15-21 FG, 8-11 FT) and snagged 17 rebounds. They were central parts of a superb game that had swings back-and-forth all night. More than seven points did not separate the teams after the first quarter, with SNHU leading at the half, 38-37. St. A’s soared ahead after three frames, 67-63, but the fourth quarter featured no less than seven lead changes. Ryan scored five straight points to knot the game at 83 (1:09), only to see Ziliak snap that deadlock with a bucket. After a Penmen steal, Ziliak sank two foul shots (17.1 ticks) to extend the lead to 87-83, and following a pair of missed shots on the next St. Anselm possession, Molly Terry (11 points, 7 caroms) made a freebie to end the scoring with 3.5 seconds left. Victoria Dean (25 points) and Adriana Timberlake (13 points) added vital depth for SNHU, who shot better than the Hawks (48%-41%) and were sharper from three-point land (SNHU 9-20; St. A’s 5-22 3FG). Grace Guachione (17 points, 6 assists) and Peyton Steinman (13 points) aided Ryan for the Hawks, who fared better on the glass (44-33) and made more visits to the stripe (20-24; SNHU 17-21 FT). The defeat drops the Hawks into second place in the NE10 Northeast Division behind Stonehill while the Penmen remain locked in a dead-heat for fourth place with Assumption.
* Adelphi closed in on the NE10 Southwest Division crown thanks to a hard-fought 67-62 victory at Le Moyne, their sixth win in a row. Another contest with momentum swings all night, the Panthers used a 16-4 run to close the first half with a 34-22 lead. Their advantage peaked at 37-24 (9:26 of the third frame) but the Dolphins tore off a 16-0 explosion, half of the points from Liz Millea (16 points; 4-9 3FG), to grab a 40-37 lead with 3:22 left in the third quarter. Adelphi proved resilient, ending the stanza with a 13-4 surge (50-44), and extended their sortie to 17-4 with the first four points of the fourth quarter to make it 54-44. Three straight triples brought LC back within 57-56 at the 4:29 mark but a Fallyn Stephens (20 points, 6-11 3FG) trey and a Katie Murphy (14 points, 6 boards) basket pushed it back to 62-56 for AU with 2:38 left. The Dolphins crept within 64-62 on another Millea triple (:16) but didn’t score again. Leonie Edringer (15 points, 11 boards) made 1-2 at the line with 12 seconds left and Jess Camarda dropped in two freebies after a steal to ice the game for Adelphi. McKayla Roberts (17 points; 5-8 3FG), Erin Fouracre (11 points, 7 boards) and Jenna Zimmerman (6 points, 11 rebounds, 7 rejections) played well for Le Moyne but their four-game win streak ended and they fell into a tie for second place with Pace in the division. Adelphi, who profited off the glass (42-34) and fared well at the line (13-14; LC 4-6 FT), has a chance to clinch the division this weekend.
* Pace held off upset-minded Southern Connecticut in Pleasantville with a 58-53 overtime victory, the second season in a row these teams have needed extra time to settle a game (SCSU won last year). Kelsey Quain made 3-4 at the foul line in the last minute of regulation for the Setters to forge a 50-all tie, and when Jessica Fressle (22 points, 14 rebounds) missed at the horn, the extra session was required. Pace led all the way in OT, netting the first five points (55-50, 1:39), but the Owls did have a shot to force more bonus hoop. They chopped the gap down to 56-53 but Fressle missed with :04 left and Naya Rivera (7 points, 11 rebounds) nailed it down for Pace with a pair of free throws. The Owls led for the entire first half until Pace caught them in time to tie it at halftime (28-28) and the game stayed just as close the rest of the way. Jackie Dellisanti (19 points, 14 boards) topped the stat sheet for the Setters, who made inroads at the line all day (Pace 17-23; SCSU 5-8 FT). Imani Wheeler (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Alexa Kellner (13 points, 8 rebounds) lent depth for the Owls, who made eight of the game’s eleven triples. Pace’s win pulled them even with Le Moyne for second place in the NE10 Southwest while the defeat denied SCSU a chance to draw level with AIC for the final playoff spot in the division.
* A massive 30-4 run spanning the halves was enough to propel Assumption over St. Michael’s in Worcester, 53-40, and allow the Greyhounds to remain tied with SNHU for fourth place in the NE10 Northeast Division. The run began in the second quarter for AC, who scored 14 of the last 15 points of the frame to tote a 28-14 lead into the locker room. They continued the run with a 16-3 burst out of the half to make it an unassailable 44-17 lead with 4:18 left in the third quarter, all but deciding the outcome. A 16-4 run to end the night from the Purple Knights made the final score a bit more palatable but the result was not in doubt by then. Brianna Capacchione (19 points; 8-15 FG) and Temi Falayi (11 points, 10 rebounds) keyed the Assumption attack, one that shot better than SMC (36%-27% FG) and benefitted from more accurate three-point shooting (AC 5-14; SMC 2-25 3FG). Nicole Anderson (9 points) and Taylor Miller (7 points, 11 rebounds) led the St. Michael’s effort but they have dropped seven in a row and are out of playoff contention.