FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2014
Sunday's regional action sees Saint Anselm take down
Bloomfield, Southern Connecticut outlast Franklin Pierce in thriller
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Tylon Smith's floater with less than three seconds to play gave host and top-seeded Southern Connecticut State University a 79-77 win over fourth-seeded and Northeast-10 Conference adversary Franklin Pierce University Sunday night in the semifinals of the 2014 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional.
In Sunday's other semifinal, third-seeded Saint Anselm College defeated fourth-seeded Bloomfield, 82-68, to earn its spot in the regional title game.
Tipoff for Tuesday night's regional title is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Moore Field House in New Haven, Conn., with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.
#3 SAINT ANSELM 82, #7 BLOOMFIELD 68
Five finished in double figures for Saint Anselm, which shot 52 percent overall and 44 percent from three-point range in the first half of Sunday's win.
Dominic Borelli had a monster game with 16 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench for the Hawks, while Mike McCahey totaled 16 points and eight rebounds. Point guard Dino Mallios had 11 points, eight assists and just two turnovers in a full 40 minutes of action.
#1 SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT 79, #4 FRANKLIN PIERCE 77
A 30-point, 16-rebound performance from Franklin Pierce's Ellis Cooper was not enough for the Ravens Sunday night, as the host Owls broke a 77-77 tie with under five seconds left on a Smith layup to bounce the defending East Region champions.
Smith (pictured) finished with 21 points and eight assists for the Owls, while Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year Michael Mallory chipped in with 17 points. Luke Houston added nine points and 10 rebounds in the narrow victory.
Cooper shot 10-of-20 from the field and added four assists in the loss, which also saw Ryen Vilmont score 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Teammate Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris registered his second double-double in as many nights with a 10-point, 13-rebound performance.
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 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 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.
NCAA Men's Basketball East Regional - VIDEO | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | LIVE STATS| BRACKET
Saturday, March 15 - Quarterfinals | RECAP
Game 1: #3 Saint Anselm 73, #6 Le Moyne 62 | BOX
Game 2: #7 Bloomfield 59, #2 New Haven 57 | BOX
Game 3: #1 Southern Connecticut 89, #8 Bridgeport 73 | BOX
Game 4: #4 Franklin Pierce 66, #5 Philadelphia 65 | BOX
Sunday, March 16 - Semifinals
Game 5: #3 Saint Anselm 82, #7 Bloomfield 68 | BOX
Game 6: #1 Southern Connecticut 79, #4 Franklin Pierce | BOX
Tuesday, March 18 - Regional Final
Game 7: #3 Saint Anselm vs. #1 Southern Connecticut
– #NE10 –
