FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2015
Corey Crawford II, pictured, scored 22 points to help fourth-seeded Saint Michael's defeated top-seeded Southern Connecticut for the third time this season to advance to the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals.
#4 NE Saint Michael's 81, #1 SW Southern Connecticut 79 | BOXSCORE
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Saint Michael's forged a six-point lead in the final 16 seconds before surviving nationally-ranked Southern Connecticut's game-winning three-point try at the buzzer to claim their first Northeast-10 Conference Championship quarterfinal win in 14 years, 81-79, on Sunday in Moore Field House.
The Purple Knights, won for the second time in three days and improved to 18-10 while downing the Owls for the third time this season. They will head to Northeast No. 2 Saint Anselm on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. semifinal. Southern Connecticut, which won the Southwest Division's regular-season title and is ranked 23rd in Division II by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), slipped to 22-7 as the Southwest's No. 1 seed.
As the top team in the NCAA East Region poll, the Owls remain in a position to earn an at-large berth for the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Corey Crawford II hit a career-high six three-pointers on six attempts while notching 22 points, five rebounds and four assists, while classmate Mike Holton Jr. had 21 points while going 11-of-12 on free throws to lead the Purple Knights to the win.
#1 NE Southern New Hampshire 97, #5 NE Merrimack 65 | BOXSCORE
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rodney Sanders totaled 25 points as Southern New Hampshire, the top seed in the Northeast Division, posted a convincing 97-65 victory over fifth-seeded Merrimack in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championship Sunday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Penmen, who have won seven straight and 14 of 15, improve to 21-6, while the Warriors, who had defeated SNHU twice during the regular season, see their season come to a close at 16-12 overall.
Southern New Hampshire advances to Wednesday night's semifinal round, where it will host American International, the No. 2 seed in the Southwest Division, in a 7:00 contest at the SNHU Fieldhouse. The Penmen defeated the Yellow Jackets 107-104 on January 10 in Springfield, Mass. American Int'l advanced to the semifinals with a 68-63 win over Stonehill on Sunday.
#2 SW American International 68, #3 NE Stonehill 63 | BOXSCORE
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Senior Marcus Porter scored a game-high 25 points to highlight four double-digit scorers as American International defeated Stonehill, 68-63, in the Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinals this afternoon from the Butova Gymnasium.
With the win American Int'l improves to 21-6 overall and 15-5 in conference play and will travel to No. 1 So. New Hampshire for a 7 p.m. affair on Wednesday night in the Northeast-10 Championship semifinals.
This marks a rematch of one of the most exciting games of the year a 107-104 double-overtime defeat at the hands of the Penman on January 10th here in Springfield.
#2 NE Saint Anselm 84, #3 SW Le Moyne 73 | BOXSCORE
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Chris Santo scored a game-high 25 points and classmate Roy Mabrey chimed in with 22 points to lead Saint Anselm to Sunday afternoon's 84-73 Northeast-10 Championship quarterfinal victory against Le Moyne at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks, seeded second in the Northeast Division, improve to 18-8 on the season and advance to Wednesday's (7 p.m.) semifinal round for the third straight season. Saint Anselm will host the Northeast's No. 4 seed, Saint Michael's, which knocked off the Southwest's top seed, Southern Connecticut, 81-79, on Sunday.
The Hawks, who are 9-3 at home this year, win for the ninth time in 12 contests, including the seventh time in eight games at Stoutenburgh. The Dolphins, seeded third in the Southwest, wrap up their season at 16-13 overall.
The Hawks, who have not advanced to the title game since 2006, will play in their 21st semifinal and host their third consecutive quarterfinal.
Additional reporting for this release provided by the American Internation, Saint Anselm Saint Michael's, and Southern New Hampshire athletics communications staffs
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.
– #NE10 –
