Men's Basketball

SNHU Upsets Bentley to Highlight First Round of Championship

Jojo Wallace Sets New Single-Game Scoring Record for NE10 Championship

No. 7 Southern New Hampshire 96, No. 2 Bentley 93 (OT)
Box Score

Southern New Hampshire's Jojo Wallace had a historic performance of 48 points on 19-of-37 shooting, leading the No. 7-seeded Penmen to a thrilling 96-93 double-overtime win over No. 2-seeded Bentley on Saturday in the first round of the NE10 Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Visit Central Florida. 

Wallace's 48 points is the most ever scored by a player in any round of the NE10 Championship - eclipsing Assumption's Drew Adderly, who netted 47 points against Stonehill on March 7, 1992. Wallace breaks a 34-year-old record with an all-time performance. 

Ugo Nwachukwu added 18 points in the winning effort for SNHU - the two-time reigning NE10 champions. Bentley's Cooper Farrall had a monster double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds, while Cash McClure tallied 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Falcons. 

Bentley trailed for a large portion of the second half - only tying the game with 20 seconds left in regulation on a layup from McClure to send the game to overtime. SNHU returned the favor in the first overtime, as T.J Morris tied the game with 14 seconds remaining to send it to a second overtime. Wallace took over from there - scoring 12 of SNHU's 14 points in the final overtime period to help the Penmen earn the upset victory.

SNHU will travel to play Saint Michael's on Wednesday in the semifinal round of the NE10 Championship. It is the fourth straight year that the Penmen have advanced to the semifinals. 

No. 4 Assumption 76, No. 5 Adelphi 63 
Box Score

Assumption's defense grabbed 12 steals and caused 21 turnovers on Saturday, as the No. 4-seeded Greyhounds defeated No. 5-seeded Adelphi, 76-63, in the first round of the NE10 Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Visit Central Florida.

The strong defensive effort resulted in 22 points off turnovers for Assumption, as six players recorded at least one steal. Zamareon McCown had a game-high 23 points with six assists and three steals to lead the Greyhounds to the semifinal round of the NE10 Championship for the first time since 2009. 

Assumption trailed at halftime, 33-32, but outscored Adelphi by 14 points in the second half, which included runs of 10-2 and 9-0 in favor of the Greyhounds. Adelphi's Patrick Burke led the way for the Panthers with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Greyhounds will travel to play at top-seeded Saint Anselm on Wednesday. 

No. 6 Saint Michael's 54, No. 3 Pace 48
Box Score

Three players scored in double-figures for No. 6-seeded Saint Michael's, as the Purple Knights earned a 54-48 upset win over No. 3-seeded Pace on Saturday in the first round of the NE10 Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Visit Central Florida.

Quintin Floyd had 14 points, Zocko Littleton had 12 points and Latiek Briscoe, Jr. had 10 points, as Saint Michael's held off Pace in the second half. Jabari Nurse had a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Setters in the losing effort. 

Neither team shot better than 35% from the floor, but it was an 8-0 run by the Purple Knights early in the second half that gave them separation. After that run, they never trailed by less than five points the rest of the game. 

Saint Michael's will host Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday in the semifinal round of the NE10 Championship. 

First-Round – Saturday, February 28th:
Game 1: #7 Southern New Hampshire 96, #2 Bentley 93 (OT)
Game 2: #6 Saint Michael's 54, #3 Pace 48
Game 3: #4 Assumption 76, #5 Adelphi 63
 
Semifinals – Wednesday, March 4th:
Game 4: #4 Assumption at #1 Saint Anselm - 7PM
Game 5: #7 Southern New Hampshire at #6 Saint Michael's - TBA
 
Championship – Saturday, March 7th:
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner (at highest remaining seed)
 
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