No. 1 Saint Anselm 90, No. 4 Assumption
Box Score
The No. 1 seeded Saint Anselm Hawks are advancing to the Northeast 10 Men's Basketball Championship final, presented by Visit Central Florida. The Hawks will host the title game on Saturday March 7th.
Saint Anselm was led by two stellar performances by Josh Morissette, who led the game with 24 points, and Jovan Ristic, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds. The Hawks offense started hot and never slowed down, shooting 55.5% from three, and 63.6% from the field in the first half. At halftime, Saint Anselm led 49-38.
The top seeded Hawks had a well-balanced attack, as three other players had double digit points. Will Davies (17 pts, 3 rebs, 5 ast), Paulius Rapolis (10 pts), and Isaiah Griffin (11 pts) were a large part in keeping Saint Anselm ahead all game. Saint Anselm had just eight turnovers, while dominating inside, with 44 points in the paint. Despite 20 points from Barilugbene Mawo, and four three pointers and seven rebounds from Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton, Assumption did not lead after the first 12 minutes of the game.
Saint Anselm's 90-77 win puts them their 16th NE10 final, as they look for their lead leading 11th NE10 title, and their first since the 2022-23 season.
No. 6 Saint Michael's 81, No. 7 SNHU 72 (OT)
Box Score
The Saint Michael's Purple Knights advance to the Northeast 10 Men's Baskebtall Championship final, presented by Visit Central Florida, after a comeback overtime victory over SNHU. After upsetting Pace in the first round and tonight's victory, Saint Michael's will play in their first NE10 title game since the 2000-01 season.
Saint Michael's had four players in double figures, led by Quintin Floyd with 22 points. Greg Kenney and TJ Henaghen each scored double figures and pulled six rebounds as well.
It was an off-and-on shooting battle all game. Saint Michael's made seven three's, while SNHU shot just 36% from the field in the first half, and that propelled the Purple Knights to leading by 10 at the half. However, the second half turned the opposite direction, as SNHU shot 48% from the field, while Saint Michael's made just seven field goals in the entire second half. With about four minutes to go, SNHU took the lead. TJ Morris hit a jumper with 1:41 to go, and SNHU led by four.
Greg Kenney made two free throws with 26 seconds to go to tie the game. SNHU's JoJo Wallace, who led the game with 26 points, got a great look at the buzzer but missed, and the game went to overtime. Once again, the shooting momentum swung back to Saint Michael's. The Purple Knights made three shots from behind the arc, by three different players while SNHU only made one three pointer in the extra period, and that was the difference as the Purple Knights win 81-72.
Saint Michael's will be looking for their third NE10 title, their first in 25 years, as they travel to Saint Anselm on Saturday March 7th for the Northeast 10 Championship, presented by Visit Central Florida.
First-Round – Saturday, February 28th:
Game 1: #7 SNHU 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: #1 Saint Anselm 90, #4 Assumption 77
Game 5: #6 Saint Michael's 81, #7 SNHU 72
Championship – Saturday, March 7th:
Game 6: #6 Saint Michael's at #1 Saint Anselm - 1:00 PM
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 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.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast 10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.