Men's Tournament Game Recaps


Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
March 3, 2000/Sovereign Bank Arena/Trenton, N.J.

Game #1
#4 St. Francis (NY) 86, #5 Monmouth 70 
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Trenton, NJ -- Junior forward Richy Dominguez (Choco, Colombia) scored 33 points on 13-of-17 field-goal shooting and guard Steven Howard (Jr.; Watertown, N.Y.) added 24 as fourth-seeded St. Francis (N.Y.) overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 5 Monmouth, 86-70 in the first of four quarterfinal round games at the 2000 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“I’m very pleased with the turnaround at halftime,” said St. Francis Head Coach Ron Ganulin. “We really got after them. Monmouth is a very precise halfcourt team. We turned the game into a scramble and got our rhythm going in the second half.”

St. Francis (18-11) advances to the semifinals against either top-seeded Central Connecticut State or UMBC despite an NEC tournament record 40 points by Monmouth guard Rahsaan Johnson (So.; Germantown, Md.). Johnson, a second-team All-NEC performer this past regular season, broke Jamie Latney’s (Fairleigh Dickinson) previous league tournament record of 39 points set on March 10, 1988, in a game against Monmouth.

Monmouth, which finishes its season 12-16, led 44-35 at halftime, but St. Francis used a 9-2 run to open the second half and tie the game at 46 with 16:07 left. The Terriers took their first lead (and the lead for good) at 50-49 with 15:13 to go on a jumper by Angel Santana (Sr.; Las Palmas, Canary Islands) and never trailed after that. A three pointer by Henry LaLane (Jr.; Vista, Calif.) and back to back Terrier steals led to two more baskets, by Howard and Dominguez, and an eventual 11-0 Terrier run and St. Francis led 57-49 with 13:45 remaining. The 16-point final differential represented the Terriers’ largest lead of the game.

“We knew we had to step it up in the second half,” Howard said. “And that’s what we did. We did a better job helping out on defense.”

The Hawks shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half as Johnson, who converted eight of 11 field goal tries and five of six from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes, scored 21 of the team’s first 29 points and at one point was outscoring St. Francis by himself 24-20. The Terriers, on the other hand, shot 64.3 percent from the floor in the second half, while Monmouth missed 19 of 26 field goal attempts in the second half.

“We didn’t handle their pressure in the second half,” said Monmouth coach Dave Calloway. “At times, we had four guards on the floor, but we still weren’t able to protect the basketball.”

Said Johnson, “I wanted to show St. Francis that we could play with them. We felt pretty good (at the half) aside from giving up some easy baskets.”

Reported by Marty Galosi, Sports Information Director, Robert Morris College

Game #2
#1 CCSU 63, #8 UMBC 55
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Top-seeded Central Connecticut State (23-5) took a convincing initial step toward its first Northeast Conference men’s basketball tournament title with a 63-55 victory over No. 8 UMBC (11-18) in the second quarterfinal round game. The Blue Devils advance to the semifinals where they will take on fourth-seeded St. Francis (N.Y.) at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. St. Francis was an 86-70 winner over Monmouth in the first of four quarterfinal round games on Friday in Trenton’s Sovereign Bank Arena. This marks the second year in a row that CCSU has eliminated UMBC from the NEC championship. Last year, Central upset then-top-seeded UMBC in the semifinals.

“The first game of a tournament is always the most difficult,” said Central Connecticut head coach Howie Dickenman. “We played good defense - which has been our trademark all season - and we rebounded extremely well.”

NEC Player of the Year, CCSU guard Rick Mickens (Sr.; Newington, Conn.) led all scorers with 19 points, while two other Blue Devil starters – forwards John Tice (Jr.;Bayville, N.J.) with 15 and Victor Payne (Sr.; Grazettes, Barbados) with 14 -- scored in double figures, while Payne added 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Junior guard Terence Ward (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) paced the Retrievers with 18 points, and Kennedy Okafor (Jr.; Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 15.

“They did a nice job of handling our zone,” said UMBC head coach Tom Sullivan. “We weren’t able to establish our inside game.”

 The Blue Devils scored 11 of the second-half’s first 13 points, a run culminated by a steal and breakaway dunk by John Tice (Jr.; Bayville, N.J.) at 16:40, to open a 39-27 lead. While CCSU was making five of its first seven field goals attempts to open the second 20 minutes, the Retrievers were missing four of their first five after Central Connecticut led 28-25 at halftime.“Defense has been our trademark all season, and we’re going to have to come out and make stops,” said CCSU guard Rick Mickens.

Later, the Devils opened a 49-32 lead when Mickens was fouled by Kerry Martin (Sr. Mays Landing, N.J.) at the 12:23 mark and Mickens subsequently knocked down all three free throws. Bryan Finley’s (Sr.; Saugus, Calif.) three-pointer at 10:59 gave CCSU its largest lead of 18 at 52-34.

Reported by Marty Galosi, Sports Information Director, Robert Morris College and Jim Hoffman, Sports Information Director, St. Francis (N.Y.) College

Game #3
#3 Robert Morris 72, #6 St. Francis (PA) 52
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Number three seeded Robert Morris (17-11) jumped out to an early 22-6 lead and never looked back in posting a 72-52 victory over number six St. Francis (PA) (10-18) in the third quarterfinal game of the NEC Tournament. The Colonials now advance to the semifinals where they will face the winner of this evening’s final quarterfinal match-up, which pits #2 Fairleigh Dickinson versus #7 Mount St. Mary’s.

“Our guys were alert and focussed coming into this game, which helped us get out a good start,” explained Robert Morris head coach Jim Boone.

Senior guard Gene Nabors (Beckley, WV/Beckley) spearheaded the Robert Morris attack with a school record 38 point performance.  Nabors shot a blistering 7-10 from 3-point range, on his to breaking Mike Morton’s previous school record of 36 points, which had stood since 1980.  Sophomore center Matt Smith (Mansfield, OH/Ontario) also chipped in with a double-double, posting 12 points and 11 boards.

“Credit Robert Morris, they were determined to win this game” said St. Francis (PA) coach Bobby Jones.  “I guess Gene Nabors was upset he didn’t get the player of the year award and took it out on us,” he further stated.

Robert Morris used a stifling defense to hold SFPA to just 35% shooting for the game, while not allowing the Red Flash to get within ten points in the second half.

St. Francis (PA) was paced offensively by junior guard Earl Foreman (Philadelphia, PA/Frankford), who recorded 17 points.

Reported by Andrew Alia, Asst. Director of Operations, Northeast Conference

Game #4
#2 Mount St. Mary's 73, #7 Fairleigh Dickinson 68
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Mount St. Mary’s (9-19) became just the second number seven seed in NEC Tournament history to knock off a number two seed, as they toppled Fairleigh Dickinson (17-11) by a final score of 73-68.  The upstart Mountaineers will face #3 seeded Robert Morris at 8:15 in Saturday’s second semi-final contest.

“Our intensity level was up tonight higher than its been all season,” said Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jim Phelan.

Second team NEC all-star Gregory Harris (Washington, D.C./DeMatha Catholic) had a standout performance for MSM, leading all scorers with 24 points, while also recording 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Sophomore forward Terrence Wilson (Suffolk, VA/Nansemond River) had a strong offensive game, as well, registering 14 points.

“My hat’s off to Mount St. Mary’s,” stated FDU head coach Tom Green.  “They have a bunch of guys who are tournament tested and they stepped up against us tonight,” Green explained. 

The Mount, who owned a 34-27 advantage at intermission, pushed the lead to 64-48 with 5:18 remaining in the 2^nd half after junior guard Aaron Herbert (Randallstown, MD/Calvert Hall College) drained a pair of free throws .  FDU showed some grit, as they closed the gap to within three twice late in the game, the last being at the :11 mark.  However, FDU could get no closer as some clutch free throw shooting by the Mount’s Harris preserved the upset bid.

“We put together two solid halves tonight, though it did get a little wild-and-wooley at the end,” said Phelan.

Junior forward Chris Ekwe (Douala,Cameroon/Lycee de Technique) led FDU in scoring with 14 points.

Reported by AndrewAlia, Asst. Director of Operations, Northeast Conference

Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Semifinals
March 4, 2000/Sovereign Bank Arena/Trenton, N.J.

Game #5
#1 Central Connecticut State 83, 4 St. Francis (NY) 73
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Trenton, NJ - Central Connecticut State (24-5) never trailed and beat St. Francis-N.Y. (18-12) for the second time in two meetings this year, 83-73. The win sends the Blue Devils, who were 4-22 two years ago, to their second consecutive Northeast Conference championship game. That game will be Monday night at 9:30 p.m. against third-seeded Robert Morris or seventh-seeded Mount St. Mary’s.

John Tice (Bayville, N.Y.) scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, while Corsley Edwards (Baltimore, Md.), who made six of seven first-half field-goal attempts to help stake the Blue Devils to a commanding 42-23 lead at intermission, added 19 and NEC Player of the Year Rick Mickens (Newington, Conn.) 15 points and five steals. For St. Francis, point guard Greg Nunn (Inwood, N.Y.) had 19 points and Angel Santana (Las Palmas, Canary Islands), who played the last 15 minutes with four fouls, added 16. Central ended the first half on a 12-0 run in the last 4:12.

“John stepped up, and Corsley played well,” said CCSU coach Howie Dickenman. “That was the best half of basketball we played all year.”

CCSU committed just one turnover in the first 20 minutes and made 20 of 37 field goal attempts in the first half (54.1 percent), while the Terriers were just 9 of 31 from the floor (29 percent) and 2 for 14 (14.3 percent) from three-point land. CCSU eventually stretched the lead to 45-23 in the second.

But, with the Devils in front 47-28 with 17:29 to play in the game, the Terriers turned up the heat with a full-court pressing defense and ran off 13 unanswered points to cut the Central lead to six (47-41) with 13:47 remaining. Central Connecticut State regrouped, however, and when Edwards converted a conventional three-point play by rebounding a missed three pointer by Mickens, the Blue Devil lead was back to 10 at 53-43 at the 12:33 mark. Later, CCSU stretched lead to 14 at 57-43.

The Terriers hung tough. Heberth Reyes’ (San Antonio, Venezuela) jump hook in the lane made if 69-60 with 4:04 left. After the teams traded baskets, Santana was fouled while shooting a three pointer and made two of three free throws to cut it to 71-64 at the 2:35 mark. With 59.6 seconds remaining, Steven Howard’s (Watertown, N.Y.) layup made it 72-66 Central after Mickens made a free throw.

But on CCSU’s ensuing possession, Henry LaLane (Vista, Calif.) was called for an intentional foul near midcourt. Afterward, two technical fouls were called on the Terriers, one on LaLane, who was subsequently ejected from the game, and one on Richy Dominguez (Choco, Colombia). Tice went to the line for the Devils and made six straight foul shots to push the lead to 78-66. Two more free throws by Dean Walker (Toronto, Ontario) made it 80-66 with 52 ticks left.

“We kept our composure and stayed calm,” Edwards said. Added Tice about the aforementioned sequence, “I was just going for the ball and got pushed. After that, I don’t know what happened.”

For the game, St. Francis missed 24 of 30 three-point field goal attempts.

“We got in a hole and couldn’t find our way out of it,” said St. Francis Head Coach Ron Ganulin. “They did whatever they wanted in the first half, and we were lucky to cut it to six (later, in the second half). We have to scrap, dive on the floor and play with emotion. We had no ball movement. We were just standing still.”

Game #6
#3 Robert Morris 80, #7 Mount St. Mary's 61
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Trenton, NJ - The seventh seeded Mountaineers went toe-to-toe with the third seeded Colonials for the first 20 minutes, trailing by only three, 32-29, at the half.

The Mount opened the second stanza with a 7-1 run, taking their first lead of the game on a Greg Harris (Washington, DC/DeMatha) three-pointer with 18:57 remaining.  Robert Morris regrouped, thanks in large part to Gene Nabors (Beckley, WV/Woodrow Wilson), who scored 25 of his game-high 35 points in the second half.   The Colonials used a 22-4 run over a 5:21 span to put the game out of reach, as they went on to the 80-61 victory.  Steve Pettyjohn (Wooster, OH/Wooster) added 11 points for RMC.

Robert Morris (18-11) will move on to face top-seeded Central Connecticut State University in Monday night’s final at 9:30 pm (ESPN2).

“We were able to get Gene [Nabors] open off some strong screens in the second half and he did a good job knocking down his shots,” said Robert Morris head coach Jim Boone.  ”The team has worked exceptionally hard since losing to Mt. St. Mary’s in last year’s tournament and they’ve approached their work in the right way.”

The Colonials will be making their first appearance in the NEC championship game since 1992, when they captured the title with an 85-81 victory over Marist.  They split their two meetings with CCSU this season, suffering a 73-52 setback on January 22 in New Britain, while handing the Blue Devils one of only three conference losses, a 71-64 OT win at home on February 17.

RMC will be making their seventh appearance in the title game, having won five of their first six.   Monday’s meeting will mark the first matchup between the two schools in conference tournament history with the Blue Devils holding a 4-2 all-time lead in regular season conference play.

Harris finished with a team-high 27 points for Mt. St. Mary’s (9-20).  He finishes his collegiate career with 1760 points, good for 10^th all-time in Northeast Conference history.

“We had high hopes coming into this year, but losing Melvin Whitaker hurt.”, explained Mt. St. Mary’s head coach Jim Phelan, whose career record now stands at 809-463.  “Sometimes you just have to turn the page and move on.”

Reported by Jason Fein, Northeast Conference Correspondent

Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship
March 6, 2000/Sovereign Bank Arena/Trenton, NJ

Game #7
Central Connecticut State 63, Robert Morris 46
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Trenton, NJ - Top-seeeded Central Connecticut State University received a game-high 17 points from Northeast Conference Player of the Year Rick Mickens (Newington, CT/Newington) and earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Robert Morris, 63-46, for the NEC Championship at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ.

“Our team played as hard as we could for 40 minutes,” explained CCSU Head Coach Howie Dickenman.  “We worked so hard to get here.  This team has so much mental toughness.  When they charged at us [cutting the lead to three] we came back.  We played this game to win.”

The Blue Devils started out strong using a 10-2 run to take a 22-9 lead with 7:32 remaining in the first half.  CCSU held the Colonials to just seven points over the game’s first 11:25 and took a 29-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.  RMC shot just 26.9% from the field over the first 20 minutes.

Mickens opened the scoring for Central in the second half, scoring the Blue Devil’s first four points.  The Colonials cut the lead to three at 43-40 with 8:25 remaining in regulation using a 13-4 run which spanned nearly six minutes.  But the Colonials could muster only two points over the next six minutes, as CCSU went on an 13-2 run of their own, inflating the lead to 14, and sealing the victory.  Five CCSU players scored in double figures as the team shot 41.8% from the field for the game, while holding RMC to 28.8%.  John Tice (Bayville, NJ/Central Regional) tallied 12 points while Victor Payne (Grazettes, Barbados/Lodge School) and Corsley Edwards (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton Eastern) scored 11 apiece and Dean Walker (Toronto, Canada/Oakwood Collegiate) added 10.

Gene Nabors (Beckley, WV/Woodrow Wilson), the conference’s leading scorer, was held to just five points on the night.  Steve Pettyjohn (Wooster, OH/Wooster), the Colonials’ second leading scorer and leading rebounder was held scoreless for the entire first half and didn’t score until nailing a short jumper with 14:46 remaining in regulation.  Pettyjohn finished with four points and a game-high 12 rebounds.  Brandon Welsch (Muscatine, IA/Kirkwood CC) led the Colonials with 13 points, all coming in second half.

“This is the cherry on top from being 4-22 two seasons ago,” said Mickens, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.  “John Tice had been to the tournament before and his experience really helped carry us through the tounament, being the number one seed as everyone was gunning for us.”

The Blue Devil family atmosphere is a tribute to the supporters of Central,” added fourth year head coach Dickenman.  “It was evidenced by the seven busloads of people that traveled down here.  That shows the affection they have for this team.”

Along with Mickens (17.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg.), named to the All-Tournament Team were teammates Edwards (11.7 ppg., 5.7 rpg.) and Tice (16.3 ppg., 5.0 rpg), as well as RMC’s Nabors (26.0 ppg., 5.7 rpg.).  Rounding out the honorees were Mount St. Mary’s Gregory Harris (25.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and Monmouth’s Rashaan Johnson, whose 40 point performance in the quarterfinals set a tournament record.

Reported by Jason Fein, Northeast Conference Correspondent. 

Women's Tournament Game Recaps

Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
March 3, 2000/Monmouth University/West Long Branch, NJ

Game #1
Long Island 78, Monmouth 69 (OT)
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West Long Branch, NJ —Freshman guard Kim Mac Millan (Toms River, NJ/Toms
River East) scored 21 points as fourth-seeded Long Island University defeated fifth-seeded Monmouth University, 78-69 in overtime, in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament Friday afternoon at Boylan Gymnasium at Monmouth University.

The Blackbirds, now 13-15 overall, will meet the winner of four-time defending champion and number one seed Saint Francis College of Pennsylvania and eighth-seeded Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. Long Island, which won its five straight game and seventh in their last eight, also received 12 points and 11 rebounds from senior Kelly Townsend (Columbia, MD/Columbia) and freshman Nicole Winston (Rahway, NJ/Bishop Ahr) added a career-high 16 points. Freshmen Sonrisa Garcia (Santa Fe, NM/Pojoaque) and Tamika Dudley (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge) had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Blackbirds, which defeated the Hawks for the third time this year.

Monmouth, which fell to 15-13, was led by junior Amanda Rosato (Old Bridge, NJ/St. John Vianney) with a game-high 23 points and sophomore forward Michelle Cappadona (Atlantic Highlands, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) had 20 points and 10 rebounds

“It’s a credit to my players,” said LIU head coach Patty Delehanty, the 1999-2000 NEC coach of the year. “I’ve never seen a young team do what they have over the last month. It’s been incredible.”

There were five lead changes and two ties in the first-half until Townsend sparked a 12-1 run with eight points that broke a 19-19 tie and gave the Blackbirds a 31-20 lead that stayed at 33-22 at intermission. Townsend finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in the first-half, but picked up three fouls.

Overall, Long Island shot 46.9 percent from the field and held a 22-12 rebounding advantage in the first-half. Monmouth, which was led by Rosato with nine points, shot only 32.0 percent (8 of 25) from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Mac Millan and junior forward Nisreen Wright (Pemberton, NJ/Pemberton) combined for 12 points as Long Island extended its lead to 50-36 midway through the second half. Cappadona then rallied the Hawks by scoring 10 points during a 24-10 run that sent the game into overtime.

Long Island took the lead for good by scoring the first six points in the overtime period on free throws by Dudley and Garcia and a 15-foot baseline jump shot by Mac Millan. Monmouth closed to within four, 68-64, with less than two minutes remaining on a free throw by senior guard Audrey Taylor (South River, NJ/South River) before Mac Millan hit\ a 3-pointer—her fifth of the game to set a new NEC single-season
record—to put the Blackbirds up by seven.

Mac Millan’s 97 3-point field goal this year broke the former mark of 96 set by Marist College’s Jean Marie Lesko during the 1995-96 season.

“That was one of my team’s best comebacks,” said Monmouth head coach Sue DeKalb. “They (LIU) made clutch shots in overtime and we missed a lot of easy ones. We just ran out of game towards the end.”

Report by Kevin Southard, Northeast Conference Game Correspondent

Game #2
#1 St. Francis (PA) 89, #8 Robert Morris 71
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West Long Branch, NJ -- Senior forward Jess Zinobile (Lock Haven, PA/Lock Haven) scored 24 points, including 10 in the final six minutes of play, to lead number one seeded Saint Francis College of Pennsylvania to an 89-71 victory over upset-minded and eighth-seeded Robert Morris College in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament Friday afternoon at the Boylan Gymnasium on the campus of Monmouth University.

The win, the 13th straight NEC playoff victory for the four-time defending champions, improved the Red Flash to 21-7 on the season.  Saint Francis will now meet fourth-seeded Long Island, who defeated fifth-seeded Monmouth University, 78-69 in overtime, on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.

Junior guard Beth Barnabei (Weirton, WV/Weir) and senior forward Jen DeFilippo (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) chipped in 16 points apiece for Saint Francis, which moved into the NEC semifinals for the seventh straight year. Robert Morris, behind the play of senior forward Keicha McCrae (Paterson, NJ/John F. Kennedy), who finished with a game-high 30 points and eight rebounds and senior forward Elise James (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) added 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, put the wraps
on a 12-16 season.

The Red Flash, behind 12 points by Barnabei and eight by Zinobile, took advantage of 27.6 percent (8 of 29) shooting from the field to open up a 36-25 lead at intermission. McCrae kept the Colonels within striking distance by scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds. Robert Morris also held a 25-16 rebounding margin in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Coloniels continued to whittle away at the Red Flash lead and cut the margin to six, 62-56, before Zinobile, Barnabei, and DeFilippo sparked Saint Francis on an 18-9 run to take a comfortable 80-65 lead with 1:32 remaining.

“When it got close in the second half, Jen (DeFilippo), Jess (Zinobile) and Beth (Barnabei) stepped up the defense and took it strong offensively,” said Saint Francis head coach Myndi Hill. “We overcame a good Robert Morris team that gave us a run in the second half.”

Junior guard Deanna Jubeck (Altoona, PA/Altoona Area) added 11 points for Saint Francis, which regrouped after shooting only 33.3 percent in the first half to knock down 55.3 percent (21 of 38) of its shots in the second half to finish 45.6 percent for the game. The Red Flash also converted 22 of 25 attempts (88.0 percent) from the free throw line.

Robert Morris, which out rebounded the Red Flash, 49-37, including 22 on the offensive end, was guilty of 26 turnovers.

“I think today was a perfect display of how our entire season went,”said Robert Morris head coach Kim Basick. “The game was never out of reach. We were able to knock on the door but couldn’t sustain our effort. To beat the number one seed, short of a miracle, is tough.”

McCrae’s 30-point effort was a career-high.

Report by Kevin Southard, Northeast Conference Correspondent

Game #3
#6 Wagner 59, #3 Sacred Heart 56
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West Long Branch, NJ -- Senior forward Nia Ryan (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth) scored a game-high 28 points, including 13 during a late second half stretch, to lift sixth-seeded Wagner College to a come-from-behind 59-56 victory over third-seeded Sacred Heart University in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament Friday evening at the Boylan Gymnasium on the campus of Monmouth University.

The Seahawks, now 14-14, will advance to face the winner of the second-seeded Mount St. Mary’s College seventh seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University game on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. in the semifinals at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. Sacred Heart, which lost three times this year to Wagner and ended its season at 14-14, was led by freshman guard Ashley Durner (Nashua, NH), who hit four of eight shots from beyond the 3-point arc to finish with 12 points.

“We missed some layups early, but I was confident that they were going to fall eventually,” said Wagner head coach Tara Gallagher. “Nia (Ryan) was huge. She knocked down some clutch free throws down the stretch.”

Both teams struggled shooting the basketball in the opening 20 minutes of play. Sacred Heart, which took a 25-20 lead at intermission behind six points by Werner, connected on only 31.0 percent of their attempts, while the Seahawks shot only 30.8 percent (8 of 26) from the field.

Sacred Heart extended its lead to 46-39 with 8:32 remaining on a layup by freshman center Tara Brady (Wescosville, PA), but went cold down the stretch allowing the Seahawks to get back into the game.

Ryan then scored 11 points during a 15-3 run to give Wagner a 54-49 lead with 2:18 remaining. Sacred Heart eventually cut the margin to one, 56-55, with 36.7 seconds remaining, but the Pioneers had trouble keeping the Seahawks off the boards on free throw situations in the closing seconds of play.

Ryan, who hit one of two free throws with 28.9 seconds left to make it 57-55, and sophomore forward Monique Lee (Amityville, NY) came up with big rebounds following missed Seahawk free throws. Sophomore forward Noelle Carter (Freehold, NJ) hit one of two charity tosses with 16.3 seconds to extend Wagner’s lead to three points.

Down 58-55 with 0:08 remaining, Sacred Heart junior forward Heather Coonradt (Interlaken, NY) missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer and Pioneer freshman forward Brooke Kelly (Medford, NJ) was fouled with 5.3 seconds remaining. She hit one of two free throws and Ryan added one for Wagner in the closing seconds to set the final score.

Wagner held on to win despite making only 17 of 41 free throw attempts (.415). Sacred Heart, which shot only 32.7 percent from the field, also had its problems at the free throw line, connecting on only 13 of 21 attempts (61.9 percent).

Ryan’s 28 points was a career-high. Sacred Heart held a 45-37 margin in rebounding.

Report by Kevin Southard, Northeast Conference Correspondent

Game #4
Mount St. Mary's 69, Fairleigh Dickinson 52
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West Long Branch, NJ -- Junior guard Kia Williams (Springdale, MD) scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead second-seeded Mount St. Mary’s to a 69-52 victory over seventh-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson University in the quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament Friday evening at the Boylan Gymnasium on the campus of Monmouth University.

The Mountaineers (20-8), who also received 19 points and 11 rebounds from junior forward Deanna Butters (Old Bridge, NJ), will advance to the semifinals on Saturday evening to take on sixth-seeded Wagner College, which defeated Sacred Heart, 59-56, at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey.

“I knew this game wasn’t going to be easy,” said Mount St. Mary’s head coach Vanessa Blair.  “We had a tough time getting rebounds and we wanted to establish an inside game.”

Fairleigh Dickinson, led by senior center Marie Patrick (Salem, NJ) with 15 points and 11 rebounds, closed out the 1999-2000 season with an 11-17 record.   Karen Tiedemann (Fallston, MD) and Tommica Woods (Fairfax, VA) added 10 points for the Knights, who held a 44-37 rebounding edge but were guilty of 17 turnovers.

Butters hit six of nine shots from the field en route to a 17-point first-half effort as the Mountaineers took a 29-26 lead at intermission.    Melanie Prol (Sparta, NJ), Karen Tiedemann (Fallston, MD) and Tommica Woods (Fairfax, VA) kept the Knights within striking distance by combining for 18 first-half points.

Patrick scored seven straight points at the start of the second-half as FDU forged a 33-33 tie with 17:26 left.  After Butters picked up her fourth foul with 16:56 remaining, Williams took over the game and scored 17 points during a 25-9 run that turned a 37-34 Mountaineer lead into a 62-44 advantage with six minutes remaining.  Williams scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half.

“My first half was terrible,” said Williams.  “I knew I had to step up more.  We couldn’t depend on Deanna because she was on the bench with foul trouble.”

The Mountaineers shot 55.2 percent from the field in the second half to finish 47.4 percent (27 of 57) for the game. Mount Saint Mary’s has now advanced to the semifinals of the Northeast Conference for the 11th straight year.  Williams’ double-double was her ninth of the season, while Patrick of FDU registered her 12^th of the season and 23^rd of her career. 

“They (MSM) turned up the pressure a little bit and we didn’t answer the call,” said FDU head coach Sandy Gordon Gaglioti.  “Williams and Butters hit some big shots.  Any loss is tough, it’s disappointing because we were right there for 30 minutes.”

Report by Kevin Southard, Northeast Conference Correspondent

Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Semifinals
March 4, 2000/Sovereign Bank Arena/Trenton, NJ

Game #5
St. Francis (PA) 88, Long Island 76
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Trenton, NJ -   Jess Zinobile (Lock Haven, PA) tallied a school and conference tournament record 46 points in leading St. Francis (PA) College to its seventh consecutive Northeast Conference championship game appearance with an 88-76 win over Long Island University. Zinobile also added a game-high 16 rebounds and five steals for the Red Flash who will look to claim their fifth consecutive NEC title.

“We kept up the pressure from start to go and it paid off in the end,” said St. Francis head coach Myndi Hill. “Jess (Zinobile) and Jen (DeFilippo), like many times before, stepped up their games and led us to victory.”

The contest remained close throughout with the final margin being the biggest advantage for either team.

The Red Flash held a 37-29 halftime lead on the strength of 17 Zinobile points. Trailing 45-37 with 13:38 to go in the game, freshman Kim Mac Millan (Toms River, NJ) led the Blackbirds on a 21-13 run with 10 of her team-high 32 points to knot the game at 58-58 with 7:51 remaining. Zinobile then scored eight of the next 10 Red Flash points to open up a 68-62 cushion with 6:09 left to play. LIU would close to within four points on two occasions, but it would be as close as it would come the rest of the way.

The Blackbirds’ top three players - Mac Millan, Kellye Townsend (Columbia, MD) and Tamika Dudley (Woodbridge, VA) were all in early foul trouble and the Red Flash took advantage, converting 29 of their 37 attempts from the foul line with Zinobile going 15-of-17. Jen DeFilippo (Bethel Park, PA) contributed 21 points and nine rebounds for the Red Flash who will meet the winner of the Mount St. Mary’s - Wagner contest at 6:00 pm.

Dudley nearly delivered a triple-double for LIU with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before fouling out in the final minute. Mac Millan, who engaged in a scoring duel with Zinobile, added seven rebounds, including seven off the offensive glass.

“It was a great game and I have to give my team a lot of credit,” said LIU head coach Patty Delehanty. “I don’t  think anyone expected us to be here, being that we are so young. To go from 1-10 to where we are today is a credit to our team.”

The win improved the Red Flash to 22-7 while the Blackbirds fell to 13-16.

Game #6
Wagner 61, Mount St. Mary's 57
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Trenton, NJ - Nia Ryan (Brooklyn, NY) and Toni Roker (Baldwin, NY) led a balanced Wagner attack with 12 points apiece as the Seahawks rallied for a 61-57 victory over Mount St. Mary’s in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ. The Seahawks, who have already knocked off the number two and three seeds in the tournament, will take on top-seeded St. Francis (PA), who upended LIU, 88-76, earlier in the day, in the championship game on Monday night.

“I thought the difference was defense and offensive rebounding,” said Wagner head coach Tara Gallagher. “We played hard for 40 minutes and it paid off.”

The first half was played evenly with the largest lead being five points (24-19) by the Seahawks late in the first half.

Wagner opened up the lead to as many as nine points (46-37) in the second stanza before the Mountaineers came storming back. Trailing 50-42 with 8:56 to go, junior Deanna Butters (Old Bridge, NJ) led the Mount on an 11-2 run with five points as it claimed a 53-52 edge with 3:49 left, its first lead since the 18:00 minute mark of the first half.

Seahawk sophomore Meredith Kerns (Harrisburg, PA) then scored consecutive baskets to put Wagner back on top, 56-53, and the Mount was unable to re-claim the lead from that point on. Sophomore Erin Loeser drilled three free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal Mount’s fate.

“I thought our girls battled hard in the second half,” said Mount head coach Vanessa Blair. “We had some opportunities to take the game, but we just couldn’t convert some shots.”

Butters finished with a game-high 24 points and junior Kia Willams (Springdale, MD) contributed 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Mountaineers who shot only 33 percent (21-64) from the floor, including a 1-of-13 (.077) effort from three-point range.

Kerns ended the night with 10 points and matched Williams for game high honors with 14 boards. The Seahawks shot 35 percent (24-69) from the field and outrebounded the Mount by a 56-44 count.

Wagner improves to 15-14 overall while the Mountaineers’ 1999-00 campaign ends with a 19-9 mark.

Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship
March 6, 2000/Sovereign Bank Arena/Trenton, NJ

Game #7
St. Francis (PA) 74, Wagner 60
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Trenton, NJ - Seniors Jess Zinobile (Lock Haven, PA/Lock Haven) and Jen DeFilippo (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) led the Red Flash attack, as top-seeded St. Francis (PA) earned their fifth straight automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Wagner, 74-60, for the Northeast Conference Championship at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

“It was a great game, “ said St. Francis head coach Myndi Hill.  “Wagner played hard and never let us relax out there.”  Asked if there was pressure to win in her first year as head coach, Hill explained, “I won’t lie, there was pressure.  But with the caliber of players here, they take the pressure right off.  I’ve been very fortunate to coach this team and win in my first season.”

The Red Flash (23-7) jumped out to an early 21-13 lead, holding the Seahawks to just two points over a stretch of eight minutes.  But Wagner came back using an 8-2 burst over a 1:12 span and went into the locker room at halftime down by only four at 32-28.  In the second half, Zinobile scored seven straight points, stretching the Red Flash lead to 48-39.  Wagner could never cut the lead under five points the rest of the way.

Zinobile, the NEC Player of the Year, took over in the second half, scoring 21 of her game-high 32 points after the break.  She was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, averaging 34.0 points and 11.0 rebounds over three games.  “It’s been a great ride,” said Zinobile, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer, for either men or women, this evening.  “Coming into the playoffs, I know that I’ve got to raise my level of play and that of my teammates…I’m just having fun out there.”

DeFilippo, a fifth-year senior who has been a member of all five championship squads added, “I think it’s a big accomplishment.  The second year was huge because we had three freshman starters and we won and gave the program a championship history.”

Wagner (15-15) was led by freshman Toni Roker (Baldwin, NY/Christ the King) with 17 points and 9 rebounds.  NEC All-Star Nia Ryan finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds.  “We had a tough season and we weren’t able to be consistent,” explained Ryan.  “When we got to the tournament it was do or die and coach [Gallagher] said to just take it one game at a time.”

Wagner head coach Tara Gallagher tipped her hat to the five-time champions.  “Experience played a key role for them, having won four straight and this being our first time here [in the championship game].  Our kids knew that we could get to the championship game - it was just a matter of playing smart basketball.”

Along with Zinoble, named to the All-Tournament Team were teammate DeFilippo (19.3 ppg., 8.3 rpg.), Wagner’s Roker (12.7 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) and Ryan (18.7 ppg., 8.7 rpg.), LIU’s Kim Mac Millan (26.5 ppg., 8 rpg.) and Mt. St. Mary’s Deanna Butters (22.5 ppg., 8.0 rpg.).

Reported by Jason Fein, Northeast Conference Correspondent.

Men's All-Tournament Team

Women's All-Tournament Team