#1 LIU 79, #8 Chicago State 75
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Brooklyn, NY — In a fight to the finish, top-seeded LIU (22-10) prevented the first-ever 8-over-1 upset on Thursday, as the top-seeded Sharks held off a pesky Chicago State (7-25) squad to come away with a 79-76 win and secure a spot in the NEC Tournament semifinals for the second time in as many seasons. With the Sharks clinging on to a one-point lead and 3:00 to go, graduate guard and All-NEC first teamer Jamal Fuller single-handedly sealed the win with a personal game-ending 8-0 run that featured a 4-for-4 effort from the free-throw line.
 
Fuller was one of four Sharks to notch double figures in scoring with 15 points, while Mason Porter-Brown led the way with 21 points.

The Sharks will remain home to play host to fellow Big Apple opponent Wagner, the #7 seed.

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#7 Wagner 70, #2 Central Connecticut 60
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New Britain, CT — Wagner (14-16) became the eighth #7 seed in NEC annals — and the first since 2018 — to oust a #2 seed in the NEC Tournament on Thursday when the Seahawks stunned Central Connecticut (18-12) by a 70-60 final inside Detrick Gymnasium. The two squads exchanged punches throughout the entire game, but with the score knotted up at 40-all, it was a three-pointer by All-NEC second team member Nick Jones with 11:12 left in the second half that proved to be the final blow. It was all Wagner from there, as the Seahawks pushed their lead into double digits with 2:34 remaining to pull off the upset.
 
Knocking down 4-of-7 from long range, John Awoke paced a balanced Wagner attack with 18 points to guide Wagner back to the semifinals for the second time since 2024. The Seahawks silenced a red-hot Blue Devils’ squad that began the game 6-of-9 from three by holding the home team without a triple for the entire second half. 

The Skyhawks look to advance to the NEC title game for the second time in the past three years on Saturday when they head to top-seeded LIU.

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#3 Mercyhurst 70, #6 FDU 61
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Erie, PA — Third-seeded Mercyhurst (16-16) made history on its home court on Thursday. In the program’s first-ever NEC postseason appearance, the Lakers came away with a 70-61 win over #6 FDU (11-21) to earn a spot in the conference tournament semifinals. Recently-named NEC All-Stars Bernie Blunt III (First Team) and Jake Lemelman (Third Team) combined for 40 points after dropping 20 apiece to lead Mercyhurst to the wire-to-wire victory. 
 
The Lakers pushed ahead by as many as 13 in the second half before the Knights made things interesting down the stretch. An 8-0 run fueled by five points from Arthur Cox slashed the FDU deficit down to five with 12:28 to go before Joey Niesman ultimately tied up the game at 57-57 with 6:08 remaining. Mercyhurst quickly recovered, though, scoring 13 of the final 17 points to keep its season alive.

Mercyhurst remains home to play host to #5 Stonehill, which upset #4 Le Moyne in Thursday's quarterfinals.

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#5 Stonehill 81, #4 Le Moyne 71
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Syracuse, NY — Fifth-seeded Stonehill (12-20) drilled 15 three-pointers to take down #4 Le Moyne (15-17) on Ted Grant Court and pull off the second upset of the 2026 NEC Tournament quarterfinals. With his team holding on to a one-point edge at the 3:15 mark of the second, junior Davante Hackett, who was one of two Skyhawks to hit the 20-point mark, contributed 10 points to his team’s game-ending 11-2 run to seal the victory. 
 
Hackett put up a game-high 26 points while Ethan Meuser netted 20 to lead Stonehill to its first-ever postseason victory as an NEC member.

The Skyhawks head to Erie on Saturday to take on Mercyhurst in the NEC semifinals.