Chargers Upset Penmen; Hawks Hold Off Falcons.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - The Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship semifinals did not disappoint on Wednesday night, as New Haven upset top-seeded Southern New Hampshire and Saint Anselm held off Bentley by the narrowest of margins to advance to Saturday's Championship final at the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in Manchester, N.H.
Fourth-seeded New Haven cruised to a 59-42 road win over SNHU, while Saint Anselm scored a come-from-behind 71-70 victory over Bentley in the semifinal round. It will be a rematch of the 2020 NE10 Championship final when the Chargers once again visit the Hawks with the Conference title on the line. In that 2020 meeting, Saint Anselm won by a 65-63 margin in overtime to secure the program's ninth NE10 title in history.
Due to an impending snowstorm in Manchester from Friday night into Saturday, the official game time will not be announced until Thursday, March 2, at 1 p.m.
For a full Championship schedule, please see below. All NE10 Championship contests, including Saturday's final, will be live streamed on NE10 NOW - the Conference's digital streaming platform.
No. 4 New Haven 59, No. 1 SNHU 42 - Box Score
No. 2 Saint Anselm 71, No. 3 Bentley 70 - Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – In the biggest game of the year to date for both teams, it was the Saint Anselm duo of Matt Becker and Tyler Arbuckle that led the Hawks to another NE10 Championship final after rallying from as much as 13 points down to edge Bentley by a 71-70 final in the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Becker and Arbuckle combined for 57 of the team's points - accounting for a startling 80-percent of the team's scoring.
Becker netted a career-high 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field, while Arbuckle scored 25 on 9-of-19 shooting. Saint Anselm, the second seed in the Championship, would end up needing every single point to hold off third-seeded Bentley in the final minutes and advance to its 15th NE10 final in program history - a league record.
Bentley's Zach Laput - the NE10 Player of the Year - scored 21 points in the loss, while Brian Wright-Kinsey added 19 for the Falcons.
Saint Anselm will host New Haven on Saturday in the NE10 Men's Basketball Championship final. The official game time will be announced on Thursday, March 2, at 1 p.m.
NE10 MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round Friday, February 24th:
Game 1: #4 New Haven 69, #13 American International 51
Game 2: #5 So. Connecticut 85, #12 Saint Rose 71
Game 3: #6 Le Moyne 77, #11 Saint Michael's 74
Game 4: #7 Pace 72, #10 Adelphi 51
Game 5: #8 Franklin Pierce 81, #9 Assumption 74
Quarterfinals Sunday, February 26th:
Game 6: #1 So. New Hampshire 58, #8 Franklin Pierce 51
Game 7: #2 Saint Anselm 78, #7 Pace 70
Game 8: #3 Bentley 78, #6 Le Moyne 67
Game 9: #4 New Haven 75, #5 So. Connecticut 59
Semifinals Wednesday, March 1st (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 10: #4 New Haven 59, #1 So. New Hampshire 42
Game 11: #2 Saint Anselm 71, #3 Bentley 70
Championship Saturday, March 4th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 12: #4 New Haven at #2 Saint Anselm - TBD
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 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.
