Southern Connecticut Forces OT, Wins Thriller to Highlight Night One in NE10 Championship.
No. 5 SNHU 105, No. 12 Franklin Pierce 76
Box Score
Senior Matt Becht scored 25 points and Preston Santos another 23 as SNHU topped 100 in a first-round winner to tip-off the postseason.
Becht, the nation's second-leading three-point scorer, went 6-10 from behind the arc, accounting for all but one of his looks at the hoop. The Penmen made 14 threes as a team while shooting 52% from the floor.
SNHU also got the job done on defense, plucking 10 steals and creating 24 points off turnovers while holding FPU to 36% from the floor. The home team was +13 on the glass and +16 scoring in the paint.
D'wayne Robinson-O'Hagan's 19 points led the Ravens.
No. 6 Southern Connecticut State 84, No. 11 AIC 80 (F/OT)
Box Score
A Josh McGettigan three with five seconds remaining tied the game at 71, forcing extra time and allowing SCSU to come from behind and eliminate AIC (and the NE10's leading scorer Justice Ellison) fron the NE10 Championship in the opening round. The Owls scored the first six points of overtime and never looked back.
Kazell Stewart and Cherif Diarra each had double-doubles to go with McGettigan's 22 points. Marty Silvera lead the Owls with 23 and eight assists.
Ellison nearly single-handedly carried the Jackets to a win, finishing with 39 points.
No. 7 Saint Anselm 83, No. 10 New Haven 69
Box Score
Saint Anselm, picked near the top of the league preseason, showed why NE10 coaches thought so highly of the Hawks on Friday, putting three scorers over 20pts and never trailing en route to an opening round win.
Tyler Arbuckle led the way with 27 points while Sean McCarthy notched a double-double with 21 and 15 rebounds. Three Hawks played all 40 minutes.
Tight early, Saint Anselm used a 19-3 run over the final 6:22 of the first half to seperate themselves from the Chargers.
A battle of wills, three New Haven players also never came off the floor, led by Davontrey Thomas and his 32 points on just 18 shots.
No. 8 Assumption 100, No. 9 Saint Rose 84
Box Score
Right out of the gate, both sides exchanged lots of early baskets. Njavan Stewart gave the Greyhounds a brief lead of 8-5 before two layups from Dante Weise and Christian Pierre-Louis gave the Golden Knights a 9-8 lead just five minutes in. Saint Rose started to settle in, establishing small leads through Trey Boyd III, who was shooting well off the bench, up to six points early for a 21-17 lead for the Golden Knights. With the game notched at 25 apiece from a Kyle Gaskins three, the hounds began to click offensively, extending the lead to nine after Gaskins completed a layup plus the foul. Alex Carlislealso scored effectively, posting nine in the first half. Leading 47-41, Kani Glover hit a step-back jumper with eight seconds left to give Assumption a 49-41 lead at halftime. Stewart led the Hounds with 10 points.
To open the second half, Saint Rose scored a couple of baskets, but the Hounds identified their offensive rhythm, with Carlisle knocking down a jumper to extend to eight at 17:00. Slowly but surely, the Golden Knights would continue to keep the game close, as Ata Turgut's hook shot chiseled the lead down to three. From that point on, Assumption turned things into high gear. Draper got the lead back up to double digits, converting his layup as he was up to 10 points. The Greyhounds kept their foot on the gas as the lead was up to 13. Daouda Dembele dominated the paint inside, scoring his 18th point on a putback layup off an offensive rebound. As the last minutes approached, it became a fouling game as the Golden Knights battled to stay in it, but it would not be enough, as the hosts converted on 5-of-6 free throws to pick up a 100-84 in the NE10 First Round matchup.
- Recap Courtesy of Assumption Athletics -
NE10 Men's Basketball Championship
First Round – Friday, March 1st:
Game 1: #5 Southern New Hampshire 105, #12 Franklin Pierce 76
Game 2: #6 Southern Connecticut 84, #11 AIC 80 (OT)
Game 3: #7 Saint Anselm 83, #10 New Haven 69
Game 4: #8 Assumption 100, #9 Saint Rose 84
Quarterfinals – Sunday, March 3rd:
Game 5: #8 Assumption at #1 Saint Michaels – 4:00 PM
Game 6: #7 Saint Anselm at #2 Adelphi – 2:30 PM
Game 7: #6 Southern Connecticut at #3 Bentley – 3:30 PM
Game 8: #5 Southern New Hampshire at #4 Pace – 3:00 PM
Semifinals – Wednesday, March 6th (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 winner (at highest remaining seed)
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner (at highest remaining seed)
Championship – Saturday, March 9th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (at highest remaining seed)
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
