FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Anselm Claims 8th NE10 League Title in Front of Capacity Crowd
In front of a network television audience and a sold out SNHU Fieldhouse, Saint Anselm defeated cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire in the 2017 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Here's how Saturday's title game played out -
#2 NE Saint Anselm 73, #1 NE Southern New Hampshire 68 | BOXSCORE | PHOTOS
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Led by a game-high 26 points from Tournament Most Valuable Player Cody Ball, No. 2-seeded Saint Anselm captured its eighth NE10 Tournament Championship with a 73-68 victory over top-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon in Manchester, N.H.
Saint Anselm improves to 20-8 with the victory, and the Hawks' eighth NE10 Championship is the first since the 2006 season. The Hawks now await word on where they will travel for the NCAA Tournament with the selection show to air on Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire drops to 21-8 and will also find out their NCAA Tournament destination tomorrow night.
Ball highlighted three selections to the All-Tournament Team as he was joined by senior Harrison Taggart and junior Taylor Fortin. SNHU's Devin Gilligan and Daquaise Andrews also earned spots on the team.
Ball knocked down 7-of-13 shots, including 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc, while connecting on all six of his free throws to lead the Hawks. Tim Guers added a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds to go with four assists, while Taggart chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocks. Fortin joined them in double-figures with 13 points, while Chris Braley hauled in eight boards.
SNHU had four players reach double-figures, led by 19 points from Dimitri Floras. Andrews added 13 points, while Chris Walters had a double-double of his own with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Gilligan registered 12 points and seven rebounds in the setback.
Late in regulation, the Penmen chad a chance to tie the game and Jerome Harris had a good look at a three from the top of the key, but it missed everything, landing out of bounds giving Saint Anselm possession with six seconds remaining. The Hawks inbounded to Ball, who was immediately fouled, and the sophomore calmly sunk the two freebies to seal the NE10 crown for the Hawks.
Saint Anselm shot 42.1% (24-of-57) from the floor, 42.5% (10-of-23) from beyond the arc and 78.9% (15-of-19) at the free throw line in the victory. SNHU ended the game shooting 35.1% (26-of-74) from the field, 20.8% (5-of-24) from three and 91.7% (11-of-12) from the charity stripe.
The Hawks held a 48-36 advantage in rebounds, but committed 18 turnovers to just six for the Penmen, which SNHU turned into 23 points off turnovers.
Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Saint Anselm.
ABOUT THE NE10
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 student-athletes compete in conference championships, 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.
