SNHU and SCSU to Meet on Saturday.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - Southern New Hampshire and Southern Connecticut will meet for the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday, following their semifinal victories on Wednesday night. No. 5-seeded SNHU cruised past top-seeded Saint Michael's, 97-65, while No. 6-seeded SCSU held off No. 7 Saint Anselm, 82-73.
Matt Becht led SNHU to the convincing victory over Saint Michael's, as he scored 33 points - including 8-of-12 shooting from long range, just one made three-pointer short of the NE10 Championship single-game record. Marty Silvera helped SCSU get past reigning NE10 champion Saint Anselm with a near triple-double of 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
SNHU and SCSU will play at the Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester, N.H., on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m. The Championship final will be live streamed on NE10 NOW - the Conference's digital streaming platform.
No. 5 SNHU 97, No. 1 Saint Michael's 65 - Box Score
- Southern New Hampshire trailed by five a little more than four minutes in when a Becht 3-pointer sparked a 22-4 burst that gave the visitors a 28-15 advantage with 10:30 to play in the opening half. Becht and Henderson led the way during the stretch with nine points each. Saint Michael's crept within nine with under four minutes remaining before Henderson's fifth triple of the frame triggered a 7-0 run that gave SNHU its largest lead of the half at 46-30 with two minutes left. The Purple Knights eventually netted the final four points and trimmed their deficit at the break to 49-37.
- The Penmen used a 27-10 blitz to begin the second half, with 14 points from Becht and seven from Grant widening the Southern New Hampshire advantage to 76-47 with 10:49 to go. A 7-0 spurt later in the stanza gave SNHU its largest lead of the night at 90-57 with just under five minutes on the clock.
- The Penmen improve to 25-16 (.610) all-time in the NE10 Championship, including 2-0 against Saint Michael's. SNHU books its ticket for the title game for the sixth time in program history, but the first since 2017. It will play host to sixth-seeded Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday (March 9) at 1 p.m.
- SCSU holds a 2-1 edge in three NE10 Championship meetings, including a 76-74 first round win in the most recent gathering in 2018. The two teams have never met deeper than the quarterfinal round. The Penmen swept the regular season series with an 84-71 home triumph Jan. 13 and an 82-70 road victory Feb. 21.
No. 6 SCSU 82, No. 7 Saint Anselm 73 - Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Marty Silvera, who nearly recorded a triple-double with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, led No. 6-seeded Southern Connecticut to an 82-73 victory over No. 7-seeded Saint Anselm on Wednesday night at the James Moore Field House. Kazell Stewart added a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
The Owls shot a scorching 64% from the field as a team in the second half (16-of-25) and did not allow the Hawks to get within eight points in the final 15 minutes of the game. Saint Anselm had four players score in double figures, led by All-Conference First Team selection Tyler Arbuckle with 29 points, but Silvera's season-high 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting helped SCSU stay in control.
SCSU advances to its first NE10 Championship final since 2014 and will look for its second conference title in program history. The Owls will play No. 5-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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: #1 Saint Michaels 70, #8 Assumption 67
Game 6: #7 Saint Anselm 80, #2 Adelphi 71
Game 7: #6 Southern Connecticut 88, #3 Bentley 78
Game 8: #5 Southern New Hampshire 83, #4 Pace 76
Semifinals – Wednesday, March 6th (at highest remaining seeds):
Game 9: #5 Southern New Hampshire 97, #1 Saint Michael's 65
Game 10: #6 Southern Connecticut 82, #7 Saint Anselm 73
Championship – Saturday, March 9th (at highest remaining seed):
Game 11: #6 Southern Connecticut at #5 Southern New Hampshire - 1 P.M.
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.
