BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Devin Thompson's (Winthrop, Mass.) jumper with 5:53 remaining would give the University of New England men's basketball team a 53-51 lead it would not relinquish as the seventh-seeded Nor'Easters would hold on to upset second-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology, 61-58, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference quarterfinal round game.
The University of New England (14-12) pulled off its second consecutive quarterfinal upset and will travel to sixth-seeded Roger Williams for one semifinal on Thursday as the Hawks knocked off third-seeded Eastern Nazarene, 68-67. Wentworth sees its season come to an end with a 15-11. The Nor'Easters also snapped a 13-game series losing streak to Wentworth, winning for the first time since Feb. 4, 2009.
Big Blue gained the early, six-point lead at 16:26 for the first and last time of the first half before Wentworth went on an offensive tear, using an 18-5 run and led 23-16 after a pair of sophomore Ben Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) free throws. The Leopards had taken their first lead of the game in the 14th minute on a jumper by sophomore Sam Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.), followed by back-to-back three-point buckets from sophomores Cesar Fulcar (Watertown, Mass.) Kizel to put the score at 21-16.
With the University of New England's offense held to just seven points within the final minutes of the first, Wentworth was able to extend its lead to 42-27 thanks to a deep three-point bucket from the hands of senior Ian Therriault (Auburn, Maine) at the top of the key.
In the second half the Nor'easters began to peck away at the 16-point lead held by the Leopards in the early stages of the frame. UNE used a 13-0 run to cut the lead to three on a freshman Blake Swanson (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) three. Thompson scored five points during the run. After Wentworth pushed the lead back to six on a junior Dan DeVaux (Wethersfield, Conn.) basket with 10:47 left, the Nor'Easters used a 10-2 run which was capped off by Thompson's basket.
UNE led by no more than three points at any time and the Leopards would keep battling back to pull within one, including on two free throws from DeVaux with 11 seconds left. On the inbounds pass, junior C.J. Autry (Standish, Maine) was fouled and hit both free throws with just under nine seconds left. Looking for a chance to tie the game, Wentworth worked the ball around, however would throw the ball away just as the buzzer sounded.
After shooting 48.3 percent from the floor in the first half the Leopards were held to 14.8 percent in the second half, including going 0-for-11 from behind the arc, and shot 32.1 percent for the contest.
Three players scored in the double digits for the University of New England. Autry led the way for the Nor'easters, scoring 14 points with five rounds and going a perfect 7-7 at the foul line. Thompson netted 11 points of his own with two rebounds and five assists, while freshman Evrim Ozkan (Istanbul, Turkey) contributed 10 points and went 4-for-6 on the floor.
Therriault netted 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his final collegiate contest. Ganley added 11 points of his own, including going 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Kizel contributed nine points, and senior Kyle Romich (Groton, Mass.) ended his career with six points and four assists.
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February 22, 2016
Romich Notches Third Player of the Week Honor
February 22, 2016
Romich, Ganley, Galloway Take Home CCC Honors
February 21, 2016
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February 20, 2016
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February 16, 2016
Ganley's Heroics Lift Men's Basketball Past Endicott
February 13, 2016
Men's Basketball Sneaks Past Salve Regina
February 11, 2016
Academic All-District Honors Bestowed on Romich
February 10, 2016
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February 6, 2016
Eastern Nazarene Fends Off Late Men's Basketball Rally
February 2, 2016
Men's Basketball Streak Snapped by Western New England
January 30, 2016
Men's Basketball Rolls Past Curry for Second Straight Win
January 27, 2016
D3Hoops.com, ECAC Honor Ganley With Weekly Honors
January 27, 2016
Men's Basketball Cruises Past UNE
January 25, 2016
Ganley Named CCC Player of the Week
January 23, 2016
Strong Second Half Lifts Nichols Past Men's Basketball
January 18, 2016
Romich Earns CCC Player of the Week Honors
January 16, 2016
DeVaux's Hot Shooting Helps Men's Basketball to Second Straight Win
January 14, 2016
Men's Basketball Fends Off Late Endicott Charge
January 9, 2016
Fast Start Helps Roger Williams Get Past Men's Basketball
January 7, 2016
Strong Second Half Lifts Men's Basketball Past Eastern Nazarene
January 5, 2016
Men's Basketball Gets Back on Winning Track
December 30, 2015
Worcester State Pulls Away From Men's Basketball
December 29, 2015
Men's Basketball Outlasted by Clark
December 12, 2015
Balanced Attack Lifts Men's Basketball to Second Straight Win
December 8, 2015
Men's Basketball Rallies Past Curry
December 7, 2015
Romich Named CCC Player of the Week
December 5, 2015
Nichols Holds on to Defeat Men's Basketball
November 21, 2015
Strong First Half Pushes Tufts Past Men's Basketball
November 17, 2015
Men's Basketball Falls at Northeastern
November 14, 2015
Romich, Knollmeyer Pace Men's Basketball Past Emmanuel
November 13, 2015
Men's Basketball Picked Fourth in CCC Preseason Poll
November 13, 2015
Men's Basketball Edged in Season Opener
September 23, 2015
Men's Basketball Completes Schedule With Game at Northeastern