FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2016
NE-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Quarterfinals with wins Friday night during 1st Round action of the 2016 Conference Championship.
#4 NE Southern New Hampshire 88, #5 SW American International 82 | BOXSCORE | PHOTOS
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Redshirt-sophomore Chris Walters and seniors BJ Cardarelli and Rodney Sanders, pictured, combined for 66 points to help secure the 600th victory of head coach Stan Spirou's career as Southern New Hampshire grinded out an 88-82 win against American International in a Northeast-10 Championship First Round game Friday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Penmen, who are seeded fourth in the Northeast Division, move on to battle the Southwest's top seed, Southern Connecticut, on Sunday (Feb. 28) at 4 p.m. in New Haven. AIC, seeded fifth in the Southwest, sees its season come to a close.
Walters scored a game-high 24 points (4-9 FG, 16-18 FT) and notched his second straight double-double with 13 rebounds, to go along with four blocks, two assists and a steal. Cardarelli produced a big game with 23 points (9-18 FG, 3-8 3-FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and a pair of blocks. Sanders added 19 points (7-10 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 4-4), five boards and three assists.
Cameron Dobbs paced the Yellow Jackets with 24 points, while Juwan Moody added 21.
#5 NE Franklin Pierce 73, #4 SW Le Moyne 69 | BOXSCORE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A layup by junior guard Donte Gittens, pictured, with just 38 seconds to go put Franklin Pierce up for good on Friday night in the First Round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. After giving the Ravens the lead, Gittens and junior guard Matt Banton combined to go 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds to finish off the 73-69 win over Le Moyne at Ted Grant Court.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 16-11, while Le Moyne concludes its season at 10-16. Franklin Pierce is the fifth seed in the Northeast Division of the Northeast-10, while Le Moyne was the fourth seed in the Southwest Division.
With the win, the Ravens advance to play Bentley, the Northeast Division's top seed, in the quarterfinal round on Sunday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass.
The two teams split their two regular season meetings, with each team winning by double digits at home.
Reporting for this release provided by the athletics commmunication staffs at Franklin Pierce and Southern New Hampshire
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.
