* The regular season is officially in the rearview mirror and it’s on to the playoffs in the ECC. In the NE10, Sunday trimmed a field of eight down to a semifinal field of four, and that’s where the report ignites…
* The closest game among the NE10 quarterfinals was a reprise of last season’s championship game and it had the same outcome, with Le Moyne beating Bentley in Syracuse. This time, however, it was a much closer affair and it took a 7-0 flurry to end the contest to send defending champion Le Moyne into the semifinals, 54-51. The Falcons used a 10-0 run in the early going to take a lead they held to the half (29-25) and into the third period. Bentley was on top 40-31 with 1:56 left in the third period when Liz Millea (13 points) and Jenna Zimmerman (8 points, 9 boards) sank back-to-back triples, slicing the deficit to 40-37 at the end of the frame. Bentley responded with the first five points of the last quarter to extend the lead to 45-37 (8:50), only to see a 7-0 Dolphin wave trim the arrears to 45-44 (5:53). Kari Brekke (9 points) scored six points for the Falcons, wrapped around a McKayla Roberts trey, to extend the Falcons advantage to 51-47 at the 4:15 mark but the guests didn’t score again. Millea’s basket started the surge to end matters but it was a killer triple with :06.1 left from Roberts (24 points) that sent LC into the lead, 52-51. A Bentley turnover led to a pair of Colleen Corcoran free throws to make it 54-51 and when Brekke’s potential game-tying three-pointer rimmed out, the game was done. Bentley’s Monica Viapiano (18 points, 6 boards) hit the 1,000-point plateau in the game while teammate Megan Lewis (11 points) is one point shy of the 1K level, the duo joining Brekke in leading the Falcon attack. Le Moyne’s victory (their fourth in a row) bolsters their NCAA tournament resume and they will try to take the next step in defending their league crown by traveling to Stonehill on Thursday. Bentley, meanwhile, will have to wait until Sunday to see if they will annex an NCAA tournament at-large bid.
* Kayla Raymond exploded for 26 points (10-21 FG, 3-9 3FG) and 10 rebounds to fuel Stonehill past gritty Assumption in North Easton, 61-52, and secure their spot in the NE10 semifinals. The Skyhawks jumped to a 16-9 lead after one frame but the Greyhounds dominated much of the second quarter, putting up a 16-4 burst to take a 25-20 lead. Kelsey Shaw (11 points; 7-9 FT) tallied the last five for the hosts to forge a 25-all halftime deadlock. The game stayed close and AC pulled within 33-32 with 5:09 left in the third quarter after a Katherine Golden trey but the Skyhawks responded with a vital 10-0 sortie to widen their edge to 43-32 (:30), a game-high margin. They managed to hold the Hounds at bay in the fourth period, although the visitors managed to get within five points twice (52-47, 2:28; 57-52, :16) in the late going. Temi Falayi (16 points, 9 boards; 7-12 FG) and Emme Poulin (11 points) topped the Assumption scoring but they were damaged off the glass (Stonehill, 46-32) and at the line (Stonehill 20-25; AC 10-17 FT), ending their season. Stonehill has now won ten in a row and will host Le Moyne in one of the NE10 semifinal games on Thursday.
* A 17-3 fourth quarter bomb from St. Anselm allowed the Hawks to escape an upset bid from New Haven in Manchester and advance, their 55-44 decision enough to get them to the 20-win mark and move on to the NE10 semifinals. The Chargers were sticky foes all the way, despite facing a 24-15 halftime deficit, fighting back to even the contest at 35 after three quarters. UNH held a 39-38 lead early in the last period when the Hawks unleashed the decisive run, moving ahead as a result, 55-42, with less than a minute to go. Peyton Steinman (20 points) registered seven points in the spree, one of three Hawks to reach double digits, with Shannon Ryan (15 points, 17 boards) and Jenoyce Laniyan (career-high 12 points off the bench) also playing critical roles. Camryn DeBose (17 points; 7-15 FG) and Aurora Deshaies (12 points, 8 boards) netted double figures for New Haven but their season ended despite a strong effort. St. Anselm had the better of it on the boards (44-32), a relevant factor in the low-scoring clash with poor three-point accuracy (4-24 3FG combined) for both units. The Hawks, who reached the 20-win level with their triumph, will visit Adelphi in Thursday’s semifinal round.
* The only NE10 playoff game without any drama was in Garden City, where the NE10 top overall seed, Adelphi, rolled past Southern New Hampshire, 81-55. The Panthers roared to a 10-0 lead out the gate and never looked back, posting 23-14, 38-22 and 58-36 leads at the regular checkpoints. A 19-5 binge to bridge the halves extended AU’s advantage to 51-27, leaving the visiting Penmen without much chance to recover. Leonie Edringer (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Emily Miccile (16 points; career-best 16 caroms) logged double-doubles to lead Adelphi but Katie Murphy (12 points, 7 assists) and Fallyn Stephens (12 points) also made an impact for the winners, who have now won eleven games in succession. Victoria Dean (15 points, 8 boards) led the way for SNHU but they were second-best in most areas, including shooting (AU, 44%-31%), rebounds (AU, 54-41) and three-pointers (AU 6-19; SNHU 2-23 3FG), and end their campaign as a result. Adelphi will host St. Anselm (one of two teams to beat them this season) in one of Thursday’s NE10 semifinals.
* The ECC post season is set but tiebreakers were required to decide the top four seeds after Sunday’s action. The key result was New York Tech’s 47-43 win over Daemen in Old Westbury, which meant the Bears won the nod for the #3 seed over Molloy and idle St. Thomas Aquinas earned the #1 seed over the Wildcats. Nevertheless, STAC and Daemen share the regular season crown and will advance right to the ECC semifinals in Washington, DC, next Saturday. NY Tech edged out Daemen in their taffy pull on Sunday by pulling ahead to stay in the fourth quarter and holding on down the stretch to become the eighth team in the region to garner 20 wins. The Bears led at each quarter pole (14-7, 20-17 and 32-31) but the Wildcats were right there all day and pulled within 39-38 with 4:29 left thanks to a Caroline White (8 points, 7 boards) basket. Shalie Frierson (16 points) popped in the next four points for New York Tech and Zoe Amalbert hit a pair of free throws to make it a 45-39 game with :39 left. Daemen made one last push with Jordan Heinold (15 points, 6 boards) drilling a triple and White hitting a pair at the line, trimming the deficit to 45-43 with 15 seconds left. Meg Knollmeyer iced the game (and their eighth straight win) for the Bears with two foul shots. Ketsia Athias added 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Bears, while Tiara Filbert contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds for Daemen. The Bears will host Bridgeport in one of Wednesday’s ECC semifinals and with the winner facing Daemen in the semis.
* Molloy ended their regular season with a 63-51 victory over Roberts Wesleyan to make it six straight wins heading into the ECC playoffs. The Lions slowly built a lead by prevailing in each of the first three periods, leading 41-27 at the break and 51-34 after three frames. RWC was unable to make a serious run in the fourth period and absorbed their second consecutive loss. Kathryn Gibson (19 points; 7-15 FG, 5-10 3FG) and Gabriella Aspuru (12 points) topped the Molloy scoring as they overcame inferior shooting (RWC, 40%-31%) by forcing nine more turnovers (22-13). Emily Miller’s 17-point, 12-rebounds effort led the Redhawks stat sheet. The teams will do this all over again on Wednesday, as they match up an ECC first round contest, with a semifinal date against St. Thomas Aquinas as the prize.