FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2016
NE-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
The final four teams standing in the 2016 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship all represent the Northeast Division as the semis are set following some instant classics on Sunday afternoon.
#1 NE Bentley 86, #5 NE Franklin Pierce 71 | BOXSCORE
WALTHAM, Mass. – Sophomore forward Brandon Wheeler scored a career-high 19 points, more than triple his season norm, and senior forward Tyler McFarland recorded a 22-point, 10-rebound, five-assist double-double as Bentley took care of Franklin Pierce, 86-71 in the Quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championships Sunday afternoon at the Dana Center.
Bentley, the top seed out of the Northeast Division and the highest remaining seed left in the championships, reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2011, improving to 20-7 overall. The Falcons will host Stonehill in Wednesday's semis (7 pm) and is assured of hosting the championship if they get that far.
Six-foot-eight sophomore Mike McDevitt led Franklin Pierce with 18 points.
Bentley dropped both regular season contests with Stonehill, 87-75 at home to start 2016 and 92-71 on the road Feb. 3.
#2 NE Saint Anselm 102, #3 SW Saint Rose 90 | BOXSCORE
MANCHESTER, N.H. – No. 21 Saint Anselm defeated Saint Rose, 102-90, on Sunday afternoon in the Quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in Manchester, N.H.
The #2-seeded Hawks (21-6) shot 60% (36-of-60) from the floor on the day while also knocking down 15-of-25 three-point attempts (60%). Saint Anselm held a 31-25 edge in rebounds, but dropped the turnover margin to the Golden Knights (13-14), committing nine turnovers to seven for Saint Rose.
Saint Anselm will host crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday night in an NE-10 Semifinal matchup at 7:00 p.m. The Penmen went on the road and defeated the Southwest Division's #1 seed, Southern Connecticut, 107-104 in overtime on Sunday afternoon to earn a place in the Semifinals.
Five players scored in double figures for the Hawks, led by a career-high 22 points from Tim Guers. Guers also added five rebounds, three assists and a block in the victory. Harrison Taggart poured in 18 points and grabbed a pair of steals, while Victor Joshua had 17 points and seven assists.
Mike McCahey overcame early foul trouble to score 14 points and grab a team-high eight rebounds.
Saint Rose was led by a game-high 31 points and six rebounds from Tyler Sayre. Mical-Ryan Boyd added 23 points and Jamaal Greenwood came off the bench to pour in 16 of his own and hand out three assists.
#3 NE Stonehill 103, #2 SW Adelphi 101, OT | BOXSCORE
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Northeast Division No. 3-seeded Stonehill survived overtime on the road to edge Southwest No. 2 Adelphi, 103-101 in a Quarterfinal Round thriller of the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship at the Center for Recreation and Sport this afternoon.
Stonehill (21-7, 15-6 NE-10) advances to the semifinal round where it will visit Northeast top-seed Bentley (20-7, 16-5 NE-10) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Adelphi (20-9, 12-8 NE-10) now awaits word on its potential NCAA Tournament fate when selections are made next Sunday.
Junior Ryan Logan, a first team All-Northeast-10 selection, led four Stonehill players in double-figures, including three with 20-plus points, with a career-high 36 points and 11 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the season (19th career) as he made 13-of-27 shots from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point distance, and converted all six free-throws while adding three assists.
Senior Pierce Cumpstone matched his career-high with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc, to go with nine rebounds, four assists and career-best six blocked shots.
Sophomore Isaiah Bess added a career-high 21 point outing to the Stonehill cause as he hit 6-of-8 shots, including 4-for-5 from deep, and connected on 5-of-6 free-throws to go with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Adelphi got a career-high 42 point outing from senior Anthony Libroia – just three shy of the NE-10 Tournament record of 45 by Assumption's Drew Adderly against Stonehill in 1992, as he connected on 15-of-29 shots from the floor, including 7-for-12 from long range, while converting 5-of-6 free-throws to go with eight assists and four rebounds (three assists).
Stonehill and Adelphi combined to bury an NE-10 Championship record 32 three-pointers on the afternoon, including a record 17 (out of 33) by the Panthers to break the previous mark of 15 that was matched by the Skyhawks (on 27 tries) today and accomplished three previous times.
#4 NE Southern New Hampshire 107, #1 SW Southern Connecticut 104, OT | BOXSCORE
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - If you managed to survive Southern New Hampshire's thrilling, 70-68 double-overtime victory against Saint Anselm last Wednesday, you might not want to read any further. This one was not for the faint of heart.
Senior Rodney Sanders scored 29 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds (SEEN ABOVE) left in regulation, as So. New Hampshire rallied from 18 down in the second half to knock off Southern Connecticut in overtime, 107-104, Sunday afternoon in a Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinal at the Moore Fieldhouse.
So. New Hampshire, seeded fourth in the Northeast Division, moves on to the semifinal round to face Saint Anselm in a road rematch of the prior week's classic battle Wednesday, March 2 (7 p.m.). It will be the first meeting ever between the two storied rivals in Northeast-10 Championship history. The Owls, the top seed in the Southwest Division, will await their seed in the NCAA East Regional.
Sanders shot a lights out 11-for-13 from the floor in this instant classic, including a sizzling 7-for-8 from beyond the arc, to go along with five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.
Redshirt-sophomore Chris Walters supported Sanders' performance with 23 points (5-13 FG, 13-15 FT), 12 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two steals for his third straight double-double. Senior BJ Cardarelli netted 18 points (6-13 FG, 4-9 3-FG, 2-2 FT), pulled down six rebounds and handed out a pair of assists, while junior Adrian Oliveira matched his career high with 13 points (4-8 FG, 2-4 3-FG, 3-4 FT) to go with four assists and two steals.
Desmond Williams dumped in a game-high 36 points, including 21 in the first half, and ripped down 11 boards for Southern Connecticut, while Michael Mallory poured in 33 points – all in the second half and overtime.
Reporting for this release provided by the athletics commmunication staffs at Bentley, Saint Anselm, Southern New Hampshire and Stonehill.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 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 Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
