Chargers and Warriors to Meet in League Championship Game After Semifinals' Wins.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - Merrimack and New Haven will play on Saturday afternoon for the Northeast 10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship, following their semifinal wins over Le Moyne and Southern Connecticut, respectively, on Wednesday night. The Warriors will play in their first league title game since 2000, while the Chargers reach the final for the first time since 2014 - and look to win their first-ever NE10 title.
New Haven beat crosstown rival Southern Connecticut, 87-66, while Merrimack outlasted Le Moyne in overtime, 84-77. The NE10 Championship is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Charger Gymnasium in New Haven. The game will be broadcast live on NE10 NOW, with Stephen Zerdelian on the call.
Merrimack 84, Le Moyne 77 (OT) | Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the first time in 19 years, the Merrimack men's basketball program earned a berth in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game as the second-seeded Warriors upset top-seeded Le Moyne, 84-77, in overtime on Wednesday in the NE10 Semifinals from Ted Grant Court in Syracuse, N.Y. Le Moyne forced the extra five minutes by ending regulation on a 10-1 run, but Merrimack rebounded in the final five minutes, holding Le Moyne to just four points in the first 4:41 of the extra period, allowing the Warriors to build an insurmountable lead.
Merrimack advanced to its first NE10 Final in 19 years (1999-00), marking the fourth championship game appearance in school history. The Warriors will meet second-seeded New Haven in a 1 p.m. tip-off from Charger Gymnasium in West Haven, Conn. New Haven finished second in the Southwest Division, and will host the title game due to its head-to-head win over the Warriors in the regular season.
Junior Juvaris Hayes notched a near triple-double with 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists over 43 minutes of action. Senior Ryan Boulter contributed 22 points as well, joining Hayes with over 40 minutes on the floor. The duo combined for 10 of Merrimack's 14 points in overtime, while sophomore Khalief Crawford sank arguably the most important bucket of his young career, converting a driving layup with the shot clock expiring that proved to be the game-clinching field goal, 79-74, with 46 seconds to play.
New Haven 87, Southern Connecticut 66 | Box Score
WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The 2019 Northeast-10 Conference Championship will go through West Haven, Conn. as the SW No. 2 New Haven men's basketball team scored an 87-66 victory over the visiting SW No. 4 Southern Connecticut State Owls in front of a sold out Charger Gymnasium in the semifinal round of the NE10 Championship. Leading the Blue and Gold was junior Roy Kane, Jr. (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) who led five players in double figures with 21 points.
New Haven advances to the NE10 Championship game for the second time in program history and will host the NE No. 2 Merrimack Warriors to decide the title on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Merrimack upset SW No.1 Le Moyne 84-77 in overtime to advance to its first NE10 Championship game.
Kane's 21 points was the third time this season he has finished with 20+ in the scoring column and one point shy of his career high. Overall, all five of the Chargers starters finished in double figures with junior Kessly Felizor (Hightstown, N.J./Hightstown) and freshman Quashawn Lane (Trenton, N.J. /Trenton Catholic Academy) following him with 18 points. Redshirt sophomore Derrick Rowland (Cohoes, N.Y./Green Tech) closed out the night with 13 points and junior Elijah Bailey (Freeport, N.Y./The Hotchkiss School) continued his streak of double figures games, now at 20-straight, with 11 points.
Game 6: Merrimack (No. 2 seed NE) 83, Adelphi (No. 3 seed SW) 81
Semifinals Wednesday, March 6th (at highest seeds remaining):
Game 8: New Haven (No. 2 seed SW) 87, Southern Connecticut (No. 4 seed SW) 66
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.