For Immediate Release

February 26, 2012

Additional reporting help provided by Northeast-10 Member Athletics Communications Staffs

Each of the top four seeds advanced to the semifinal round of the 2012 Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championship this afternoon.  Top-seeded Franklin Pierce will host fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Lowell in one semifinal matchup, while second-seeded Adelphi University will host third-seeded Stonehill College in the other semifinal game.

Both semifinal matchups will take place Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

Game Recaps

#1 Franklin Pierce 55, #9 Assumption 50

Top-seeded Franklin Pierce led by as many as thirteen points in the second-half but had to survive a serious comeback effort by ninth-seeded Assumption, as the Ravens advanced to the Northeast-10 Semifinals with a 55-50 win today in Rindge, N.H.

Assumption pulled to within three with less than a minute to play and had a chance to tie, but Ronson Quick's three-point attempt with eight seconds remaining just missed off the side of the rim, and NE-10 Conference Player of the Year Eric Jean-Guillaume hade two free throws to cement the win for Franklin Pierce.

With the win the Ravens will host fourth-seeded UMass Lowell in one Thursday semifinal game Wednesday night at 7 p.m.  Ellis Cooper and Ryen Vilmont had fourteen points apiece in the win, leading the Ravens offensively.

#2 Adelphi 54, #10 New Haven 51

Second-seeded Adelphi knocked off tenth-seeded New Haven 54-51 during a hotly contested Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinal earlier this afternoon in Garden City, N.Y.  The low-scoring grind-it-out battle was decided over the game's final seconds as Adelphi knocked down eight straight free throws and Richard Harkins knocked down a big three-point shot to help the Panthers advance.

Harkins, a senior guard, led all scorers with 15 points, all of which came in the second half. He also pulled down seven rebounds in the win. Jeffery Adkins led a balanced New Haven attack with twelve points, one of three Chargers' players in double figures.  Adelphi advances to the semifinals, where they will play host to Stonehill Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

#3 Stonehill 85, #6 Merrimack 66

Third-seeded Stonehill College enjoyed a milestone day in posting an 85-66 triumph over sixth-seeded Merrimack College in quarterfinal round action of the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball tournament at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Stonehill (19-8, 15-7 NE-10) advances to Wednesday's semifinal round of the NE-10 Championship and will visit second-seeded Adelphi University (20-7, 16-6 NE-10) in Garden City, N.Y., at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks victory snaps a string of four-straight NE-10 Tournament defeats dating back to 60-47 victory over Pace University in the quarterfinals of the 2008 tournament. Merrimack now awaits word on an NCAA Tournament bid with a 15-12 record overall, 12-10 in NE-10 play.

Stonehill saw a pair of milestones accomplished with today's win as head coach David McLaughlin became the winningest head coach in program history with his 172nd career win, surpassing Hall of Famer Ray Pepin who posted a 171-141 (.548) record over 11 years at the helm from 1984-1995. McLaughlin is now 172-83 (.675) over his nine seasons at Stonehill. Skyhawks seniors Patrick Lee, Sean Lowry and Andre Tongo also established history by becoming the winningest class in program history with an 86-30 (.741) mark over their careers, surpassing the previous mark of 85-36 (.702) set by their former teammates from the Class of 2011.

#4 UMass Lowell 86, #5 So. Connecticut 68

Sophomore guard Akeem Williams scored 19 points – including the 1,000th point of his career – to lead No. 4 UMass Lowell over No. 5 Southern Connecticut State, 86-68, Sunday afternoon in the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinal at the Costello Athletic Center.

Williams converted 7 of 13 field goal attempts and all four free throws and also dished three assists. He reached the milestone with 12:21 left in the game when he sank a pair of free throws to give the River Hawks a 64-41 lead. Williams is the 36th player in University history to reach 1,000 points.

Senior guard Robbie Walton added 17 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting 7-9 from the field while sophomore forward Antonio Bivins came off the bench to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds on 6-10 field goal shooting in 21 minutes.

Northeast-10 Championship - Semifinals

Wednesday, February 29 - 7:00 p.m.
#4 UMass Lowell at #1 Franklin Pierce
#3 Stonehill at #2 Adelphi

For updates throughout the Northeast-10 Championship, be sure to follow the Northeast-10 on Twitter (@TheNortheast10).

The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 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 5,500 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. 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.

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