Embrace the Championship: SCSU Upsets Saint Anselm, as Men's Basketball Semifinals are Set

Embrace the Championship: SCSU Upsets Saint Anselm, as Men's Basketball Semifinals are Set

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Le Moyne and New Haven to Host NE10 Semifinals on Wednesday.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Southern Connecticut, the No. 4 seed in the Southwest Division, upset top-seeded Saint Anselm from the Northeast Division in Sunday's quarterfinals - highlighting a day of four games to determine the semifinal matchups of the Northeast 10 Conference on Wednesday night. In addition, No. 1 Le Moyne from the Southwest rolled past Pace to earn a home game in the semifinals - joining No. 2 New Haven from the Southwest as the semifinal hosts. 

The Owls will travel across town to play New Haven, while Merrimack, the No. 2 seed in the Northeast, will make the journey up to Syracuse to take on the Dolphins. Both games tip-off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and are live on NE10NOW.tv. For a full recap of the NE10 Quarterfinals, see below:

No. 2 SW New Haven 70, No. 3 NE Bentley 69 | Box Score

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – It was his only trip to the line all afternoon, but Elijah Bailey (Freeport, N.Y./The Hotchkiss School) went a perfect 3-of-3 with 10 seconds remaining before knocking the ball loose under the basket on the opposite end as the University of New Haven men's basketball team secured its spot in the NE10 Championship Semifinals with a 70-69 decision over the Southwest No. 3 seed Bentley University.

With the victory, New Haven advances to the semifinal round of the conference championships for the first time since 2014 and will now host the No. 4 seed from the Southwest Division Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday. The rivalry battle for a trip to the conference championship is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip at Charger Gym.

Bailey led all New Haven players in the game with 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Overall, he was one of three players in double figures joined by junior Roy Kane, Jr. (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) who finished with 13 and redshirt sophomore Derrick Rowland (Cohoes, N.Y./Green Tech) who chipped in with a dozen. Also among the leaders was senior Najee Larcher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) who stepped up in the first half going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for eight points, while also adding three assists to his tally.

No. 4 SW SCSU 97, No. 1 NE Saint Anselm 87 | Box Score

MANCHESTER, N.H.  – The Southern Connecticut men's basketball team upset Northeast 10 Championship top-seeded and nationally-ranked No. 18/13 Saint Anselm, 97-87, in a quarterfinal matchup in Manchester, N.H. Southern has now won three-straight games and improved to 19-11 with the win. The Owls will advance to the NE10 Championship Semifinals to face New Haven on Wednesday, Mar. 6. 

Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) had a career game, posting 19 points and 13 rebounds while Taurus Adams (Milwaukee, Wisc.) also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Kealen Ives (Providence, R.I.) and C.J. Seaforth (Hamden, Conn.) delivered 25 points each in the Owls' victory.

No. 2 NE Merrimack 83, No. 3 SW Adelphi 81 | Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Junior Juvaris Hayes netted the most points by a Merrimack men's basketball student-athlete since 2003 on Sunday afternoon in the Northeast 10 Conference Quarterfinals, leading the Warriors to a come-from-behind win, 83-81, over third-seeded Adelphi University at Hammel Court. Hayes finished with 46 points on 19-of-30 shooting from the field. Merrimack trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, rallied to cut the deficit to one at halftime before taking the lead for good with 69 seconds left, 82-81, on Hayes' 19th and final bucket of the day.

For the second straight season, the second-seeded Warriors advanced to the NE10 Semifinals and will face Southwest Division champion Le Moyne on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The other conference semifinal features second-seeded New Haven and fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut.

No. 1 SW Le Moyne 86, No. 5 SW Pace 66 | Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Five players scored in double-figures on Sunday afternoon, including a game-high 20 points from Kobi Nwandu, as the Southwest Division's top seed Le Moyne earned an 86-66 win over Pace in the Northeast 10 Conference quarterfinals. The Dolphins advance to the NE10 semifinals on Wednesday night to host No. 2 Merrimack from the Northeast Division at Ted Grant Court - with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

Nwandu netted 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Ryan Roland added 18 points and C.J. Asuncion-Byrd tallied 13 points in 28 minutes off the bench in the win for Le Moyne. The Dolphins shot a remarkable 57.4-percent from the field as a team, outscoring the Setters in the second half by 13 points to roll to a 20-point victory. 

First Round ­ Friday, March 1st:
Game 1:  Pace (No. 5 seed SW) 74, Franklin Pierce (No. 4 seed NE) 61
Game 2:  Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) 80, Stonehill (No. 5 seed NE) 75 
 
Quarterfinals ­ Sunday, March 3rd:
Game 3:  Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) 86, Pace (No. 5 seed SW) 66
Game 4:  Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) 97, Saint Anselm (No. 1 seed NE) 87
Game 5:  New Haven (No. 2 seed SW) 70, Bentley (No. 3 seed NE) 69 
Game 6:  Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) 83, Adelphi (No. 3 seed SW) 81 

Semifinals ­ Wednesday, March 6th (at highest seeds remaining):
Game 7: Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) vs. Le Moyne (No. 1 seed SW) (7:00 PM)
Game 8: New Haven (No. 2 seed SW) vs. Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) (7:00 PM)
 
Championship ­ Saturday, March 9th (at highest seed remaining):
Game 9:  Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner (1:00 PM)
 
-Information for release provided by Merrimack, New Haven and Southern Connecticut 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.