Northeast Conference - 2008 NEC Men's Basketball Tournament

2008 NEC Men's Basketball Tournament

Semifinal Recaps - March 9, 2008

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Semifinals
#4 Mount St. Mary's 83, #1 Robert Morris 65

Moon Township, PA -- Jeremy Goode scored 23 points to lead fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary’s to an 83-65 win at top-seeded Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference semifinals. With the victory, the Mount advances to the Northeast Conference Championship for the third time in school history, while Robert Morris sees its 14-game winning streak come to an end.

Leading 44-40 with 16:37 remaining, the Mount (17-14) went on a 9-1 run to take a 53-41 advantage with 12:28 on the clock. The Mount was able to maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way, stretching the margin to 72-53 after a pair of Kelly Beidler free throws with 2:51 on the clock. The Mount hit nine free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Goode was 6-for-8 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line for his game-high 23 points. Beidler came off the bench with 15 points and six boards while Jean Cajou added 13 points off the bench as well. Sophomore Will Holland had 11 points and three steals in the victory for the Mount. Jeremy Chappell scored 20 points to pace Robert Morris while A.J. Jackson added 16 in the loss.

"Our guys were really focused on what we were trying to do both offensively and defensively," said Mount coach Milan Brown. "We played with a sense of urgency. Our goal was not to win tonight, but to get to Wednesday and have a chance to win then. We talked about being up early and being able to sustain our energy and focus on the offensive and defensive end."

The Mount shot 54.3 percent from the floor in the game while holding the Colonials to 40.4 percent shooting.

The Mount has won seven of its past eight games to advance to the NEC finals for the first time since 1999. The Mount is 2-0 all-time in NEC Championship games, winning the title in 1995 and 1999.

The Mount will play at the winner of tonight’s Sacred Heart vs. Wagner game in the NEC Championship on Wednesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m.

Robert Morris has earned the NEC's automatic bid to the Postseason NIT, which begins with first round games at campus sites on March 18-19.

Semifinals
#3 Sacred Heart 55, #2 Wagner 49

Staten Island, NY -- Sacred Heart earned a return trip to the Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship game by outlasting No. 2 Wagner, 55-49, in a semifinal contest on Sunday night at the Spiro Sports Center. The third-seeded Pioneers have an opportunity to avenge their four-point road loss at Central Connecticut State in last year’s tournament final when they host No. 4 Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday, March 12 at 7:00 pm.

Wagner had an opportunity to take its first lead of the game with 32 seconds remaining in regulation, but Jamal Smith’s (Baltimore, MD/Towson Catholic) three-point attempt bounced off back iron. Sacred Heart senior Drew Shubik (Stoystown, PA/North Star), who totaled 13 points and 14 boards, corralled the long rebound and nailed the two ensuing free throws to up the Pioneers’ lead to 53-49 before sophomore Chauncey Hardy (Middletown, CT/Xavier) hit two more from the charity stripe to provide the final margin.

Hardy scored all 12 of his points in the second half to stifle the Wagner’s comeback bid.

Trailing 26-15 at the half, the Seahawks used numerous big shots to claw their way back into the game. Junior Joey Mundweiler (Olathe, KS/Olathe East) cashed in two three-pointers on consecutive Wagner possessions down the stretch, but the Pioneers had an answer each time.

"Give them credit, they outplayed us," said Wagner head coach Mike Deane. "We deserve some credit too for the way we battled back."

After Mundweiler hit the first of his two clutch triples with 7:36 remaining in the half to cut the SHU lead to 41-36, Sacred Heart sophomore Ryan Litke (Windsor, CT/Windsor) answered right back with a three-ball of his own to move the advantage back to eight at the 7:08 mark.

Only 18 seconds after Mundweiler’s second three cut the lead back down to five, Hardy converted a driving lay-up for a 46-39 SHU edge with 6:28 left.

Attempting to avenge their two regular season losses to Wagner, the Pioneers jumped out to an 18-4 lead during the game’s opening 9:15.

Senior Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) hit his lone three-pointer of the night with 9:16 remaining in the opening half to halt the Pioneers’ run. A first team all-NEC selection, Porter tallied a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds for Wagner.

"We have so much respect for Porter," said SHU head coach Dave Bike, who guided the Pioneers to a Division II National Championship in 1986. "We needed to keep the ball out of his hands."

Sacred Heart earned its fourth NEC Tournament win since joining the league in 1999 thanks to keeping the Seahawks’ shooting at bay. The Pioneers held Wagner to 30.2 percent from the field, including a 5-for-25 clip in the first half, as they look for their first NEC crown.

"We won four games my freshman year, but we didn't put our heads down," said Shubik. "We went to work and didn't know we'd be at home for a championship game."

First team all-NEC selection Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) contributed nine points and 14 boards for Wagner, which was in search of its first title game appearance since it fell to Fairleigh Dickinson there in 2005.