FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chargers Earn No. 7 Seed in NCAA Elite Eight.
MANCHESTER, N.H. - A few hours before stepping onto the court in the biggest game of their careers, Quashawn Lane and Kendall McMillan took the time to appreciate what was on the line inside Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on a snowy evening in Manchester, N.H.
With the opportunity to lead the University of New Haven men's basketball team to the Division II Elite Eight for the first time, Lane and McMillan had a quiet conversation. There was a little bit of a reflection on their five years together. More than anything, it was about taking advantage of the chance that they and their teammates earned.
Lane dominated early on to give the Chargers a quick 15-point lead and McMillan hit some clutch shots in the second half as the fourth-seeded Chargers punched their ticket to Evansville, Indiana for the Division II quarterfinals with a 69-60 win over No. 2 seed Bentley.
"Amazing, I am speechless," Lane said. "We worked so hard all year and it feels nice to finally get over the hump. It feels like a big weight has been lifted."
Lane had seven points and three assists as New Haven jumped out to a 19-4 lead.
Mason Webb scored seven points on a 9-2 run as Bentley, the defending East Regional champions, did not go away quietly.
Davontrey Thomas hit a 3-pointer late in the first half when Bentley was threatening to close the gap.
Bentley's Aaron Latham, Brian Wright-Kinsey and Zach Laput hit 3-pointers as the Falcons were able to cut a 15-point lead to seven at halftime.
The Chargers were able to keep the Falcons from coming all the way back.
With Bentley focused on denying the dynamic Lane from getting the ball and keeping Thomas from getting free on the perimeter, it was time for some of the Chargers' role players to step up.
McMillan, who started in all three games during the tournament after starting guard Victor Olawoye was injured during the Northeast-10 title game loss, led the way by scoring nine key points in the second half.
Sophomore Justin Hendrick also hit some key shots while Sean Braithwaite's lone basket in the game was a huge 3-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire.
"I am feeling amazing," McMillan said. "This has been years in the making, it hasn't been just been just recently, it has been years of building it here since Quay and I got here. We have been putting a winning imprint all over this team."
New Haven coach Ted Hotaling said he didn't deliver the "it's now or never" speech to players like McMillan and Hendrick when it was clear that Olawoye's career at New Haven was over.
McMillan had extra motivation to deliver in honor of his injured teammate.
"When Vic went down, it was tragic for our team, but also it is next man up," McMillan said. "I have a role to play and I am confident in my game."
New Haven only had three turnovers in the game, two coming when the outcome was no longer in question and committed just four fouls in the regional final.
New Haven never let Bentley get close enough to put the Chargers in jeopardy of letting the game get away.
"Teams that win don't beat themselves," Hotaling said. "It has been a low turnover team all year, we are No. 1 in the country at not fouling, and our guys have been really good at eliminating things that cause you to lose."
Lane had 19 points and hit four late free throws. He also had six assists. Ty Perry had 11 points as his McMillan, Majur Majak finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, Hendrick had 10 points while Thomas had seven points and four rebounds.
It wasn't only about the offense. New Haven went to a zone to try to force Bentley to use up clock and let the game's pace be dictated by the Chargers. It helps that the shot-blocking presence of Majak, who recorded his 100th blocked shot of the season, led to Bentley players turning down shots at the rim.
"We wanted to limit how fast they shoot the ball, how well they shoot and how much they drive it," Hotaling said. "I thought our guys did really well with limiting what they are trying to do."
Bentley shot just 38% in the game and the Falcons were 8 of 31 on 3-pointers.
Just one No. 1 seed to advance into the Division II quarterfinals in Evansville, Indiana. The Elite Eight begins on March 21.
The Chargers will get back to work when they return to campus and get ready for one more week of basketball.
"I am really excited for the group, an older group that has put a lot of time and effort in," Hotaling said. "They have had a lot of success and especially for our seniors to win a regional championship is really special. Just to see how happy our guys are and to see the joy they had after the win has been pretty overwhelming."
With some many key players in their final season with the Chargers, the sense of urgency has paid dividends with a historic run.
It has extra meaning for Lane and McMillan.
They were on the team that lost by one point to Saint Anselm in the regional semifinals in 2019, fell in overtime to the Hawks in the NE10 final the next year and lost to St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional semifinals in 2022.
"We have been through a lot of disappointment," McMillan said. "We saw we had the opportunity tonight and we wanted to keep the opportunity and we wanted the challenge and that is one of the reasons why we are such good friends because we want the challenge. We don't run away from challenges. We just wanted to go in there and get a win."
Now the Chargers are three wins away from the program's first national title.
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— The NE10 (@TheNortheast10) March 15, 2023
Just over one week since losing the NE10 title game in Manchester, @UNewHavenMBB captures the @NCAADII East Regional title on the same floor. Congrats to the Chargers! ��#NE10EMBRACE #NCAAD2 #D2MBB @UNHChargers @UNewHaven @NABC1927 pic.twitter.com/HqDoS8P6aU
- Recap provided by New Haven athletic communications -
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