CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Yellow Jackets and Warriors Earn First Round Victories on Friday.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - American International, the No. 4 seed in the Southwest Division, and Merrimack, the No. 4 seed in the Northeast Division, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Northeast 10 Conference Women's Basketball Championship with First Round wins on Friday. The Yellow Jackets and Warriors will move on to play the No. 1 seeds, Bentley and Le Moyne, on Sunday afternoon. 

American International 79, So. New Hampshire 55 | Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts — The American International College women's basketball team opened the postseason as the Yellow Jackets hosted Southern New Hampshire University in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship Tournament on Friday, March 1. With five players in double figures, the Yellow Jackets easily dispatched the Penmen 79-55.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• After dropping behind 2-0, the Yellow Jackets went on a 15-1 run to open up the first quarter. The run was sparked by junior guard Rashana Siders, who laid one in and drew a foul off of a pass from senior guard Alyssa Guyon. The Penmen broke an eight-minute drought when Victoria Dean nailed a three to double her team's score. After 10 minutes of play, the Yellow Jackets led 19-8.
• The Penmen came out and scored four points in the first two and a half minutes to make it a 23-12 game. AIC answered back with an 11-0 run to extend its lead to 21 points with under a minute to play in the half. The Penmen nailed two free throws before the break to make it a 36-15 game.
• While the Yellow Jackets kept their scoring pace up, the Penmen started to knock down shots. Despite the visiting team finding the bottom of the bucket, AIC extended its advantage to a game-high 31 late in the frame, and the Yellow Jackets ultimately outscored the Penmen 23-15 in the third to take a 57-30 lead headed into the final quarter.
• The Yellow Jackets continued to dominate, rebuilding their lead to 30 with a three by Siders with 5:45 remaining in regulation. The Penmen employed a press defense late and did outscore AIC in the frame, but it was too little, too late as the hosts sent the crowd home happy with their first NE10 Championship Tournament win since 2016.

Merrimack 75, So. Connecticut 62 | Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The fourth-seeded Merrimack College women's basketball team outscored fifth-seeded Southern Connecticut State by 17 points in the second half of Friday night's Northeast-10 Championship First Round tilt at Hammel Court, overcoming a halftime deficit for the second time in as many games to advance to the quarterfinals of the NE10 Championship, 75-62. Merrimack started the third quarter on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good, and used a 13-4 spurt to start the fourth quarter that put the game away.

Merrimack advanced to the NE10 Quarterfinals for the second time in the last three years, and will head to Syracuse, N.Y. on Sunday afternoon to face the Southwest Division champs and top-seeded Le Moyne College Dolphins at 2 p.m. from Ted Grant Court. The Warriors will have a chance to reach the program's first NE10 Semifinals in six years (2012-13) with a victory.

Northeast Division:

1. Bentley (20-1)
2. Stonehill (14-7)
3. Saint Anselm (13-8)
4. Merrimack (12-9)
5. Southern New Hampshire (11-10)

Southwest Division:

1. Le Moyne (15-5)
2. Adelphi (12-8)
3. New Haven (10-10) ^
4. American International (10-10) ^
5. Southern Connecticut (8-12)

 ^ New Haven earned the #3 seed, based on a 2-0 regular season record vs. AIC.

First Round ­ Friday, March 1^st: 

Game 1:  Merrimack (No. 4 seed NE) 75, Southern Connecticut (No. 5 seed SW) 62 

Game 2:  American International (No. 4 seed SW) 79, Southern New Hampshire (No. 5 seed NE) 55 

Quarterfinals ­ Sunday, March 3^rd:

Game 3:  Merrimack (No. 4 seed NE) at Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) – 2:00 PM

Game 4:  American International (No. 4 seed SW) at Bentley (No. 1 seed NE) – 3:00 PM

Game 5:  Saint Anselm (No. 3 seed NE) at Adelphi (No. 2 seed SW) – 3:00 PM 

Game 6:  New Haven (No. 3 seed SW) at Stonehill (No. 2 seed NE) – 3:00 PM

Semifinals ­ Thursday, March 7^th (at highest remaining seeds):

Game 7:  Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner (7:00 PM)

Game 8:  Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner (7:00 PM)

Championship ­ Sunday, March 10^th (at highest remaining seed):

Game 9:  Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner (1:00 PM)

-Information for release provided by AIC and Merrimack athletic communications staffs-

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.