#1 Merrimack 91, #8 LIU 76 
Click Here For Boxscore
Click Here For Press Conference

North Andover, MA -- Behind the strength of a career day from senior Ziggy Reid, top-seeded Merrimack downed No. 8 LIU by a 91-76 final in NEC quarterfinal action inside Lawler Arena on Wednesday, and made history in the process. The Warriors, who became eligible for the conference tournament in 2022-23, earned the program's first-ever postseason victory as a member of the league.

Merrimack, which has won each of its past nine games, takes a 16-16 overall record into Saturday's semifinal match, while LIU ends the season with a 3-26 mark.

Reid was unstoppable for the Warriors, accounting for more than one-third of his team's offense, which produced a season-high 91 points in the 25-point defeat. Turning in a scorching 11-of-13 performance from the field -- including a sizzling 6-of-7 clip from behind the arc -- the junior racked up a career-high 33 points. 

A pair of NEC major award winners lived up to their names and delivered solid performances for the Warriors. Javon Bennett, the NEC Rookie of the Year, poured in 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting (4-of-5 from three), while Co-Player of the Year Jordan Minor, a senior, stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, five boards, five steals, four blocks and a pair of assists.

With Merrimack leading by a 29-23 count midway through the opening stanza, Reid bookended a 12-0 run that spanned over a 72-second stretch with a pair of threes to quickly stretch his team's lead to 41-23. A 10-4 Warriors run to close out the half would send the home team into the break with a commanding 54-33 lead. 

Merrimack remained in control in the opening part of the second half, but LIU, which slowly chipped away at its deficit, managed to pull within 11 with 3:14 to go on an 11-2 run. The Sharks wouldn't come any closer, though, as a 7-0 run capped by a Bennett jumper with 1:42 remaining pushed the advantage back to 18.

Five Sharks finished in double figures, led by redshirt sophomore Jacob Johnson, who netted 16 points and came one rebound shy of a double-double.   

#2 FDU 83, #7 St. Francis Brooklyn 75
Click Here For Boxscore
Click Here For Press Conference

Hackensack, NJ -- Second-seeded FDU began its NEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup on a 7-0 run and never looked back as the Knights raced past No. 7 St. Francis Brooklyn, 83-75, at Straits Arena inside the Rothman Center on Tuesday.

The Terriers, who came away with a regular-season sweep of the Knights, ended their season with a 14-16 record. 

FDU (18-14) reaped the benefits of a hot opening half that saw the Knights convert on 54.5 percent of their shots after knocking down 18-of-33 attempts. The Burgundy and Blue were rolling early, opening up a 16-point lead at 30-14 — their largest of the night — midway through the half on a Heru Bligen floater. 

Sophomore Ansley Almonor, the NEC's Most Improved Player, went 3-of-4 in that opening half as FDU took a 45-30 lead into the break. The guard finished the game with 18 points to match junior Sean Moore for a game-high point total. 

FDU remained in control and maintained its double-digit lead for most of the half. But with the Knights holding on to an 11-point advantage thanks to a Brayden Reynolds layup with 4:37 to go, redshirt freshman Zion Bethea sparked an 11-4 Terriers' spurt with an old-fashioned three-point play to slash the deficit to four with 1:48 on the clock. St. Francis Brooklyn wouldn't get any closer, though, as graduate students Grant Singleton and Demetre Roberts combined for a 6-for-6 effort from the free-throw line to close the door on the comeback bid.

Tedrick Wilcox Jr. and Bethea put up 17 points apiece to pace the Terriers. 

#3 Saint Francis U 83, #6 Central Connecticut 69
Click Here For Boxscore
Click Here For  Press Conference
 
Loretto, PA -- NEC Co-Player of the Year Josh Cohen had a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 3 Saint Francis U to an 83-69 win over No. 6 Central Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament on Wednesday. 

The Blue Devils (10-22) led for most of the first half before the Red Flash finished the stanza with a 15-2 run to take an advantage they would not relinquish. 

Saint Francis U improves to 13-17 with the victory.

Redshirt freshman Brody Limric knocked down a triple to put Central Connecticut ahead by a 26-24 margin with 5:08 remaining in the opening half, but that would be the Blue Devils' final advantage of the game. A three-pointer on the next possession from junior Ronell Giles, Jr. not only put the Red Flash in front, but it also ignited the half-ending, 15-2 run that gave the home team a 39-30 advantage heading into the break.

Giles contributed eight points to that pivotal stretch, including another triple and a pair of free throws. He finished the contest with 14 points, while classmate Maxwell Land contributed 23 in the winning effort. 

Saint Francis U continued to remain in control out of the halftime break, pushing ahead by 51-37 with 14:26 to play. The Blue Devils made a late charg, using six-straight points from sophomore Andre Snoddy and a dunk by sophomore Jayden Brown to cut the deficit to 78-67 with 2:01 to play, but Central Connecticut would get no closer.

Snoddy posted a double-double for the Blue Devils with 12 points and 12 rebounds. 

#4 Sacred Heart 67, #5 Wagner 55
Click Here For Boxscore
Click Here For  Press Conference

Fairfield, CT -- Fourth-seeded Sacred Heart handled fifth-seeded Wagner on its home court in NEC Tournament quarterfinal action on Wednesday and came out with a 67-55 victory. Four Pioneers scored in double figures, led by sophomore Tanner Thomas and junior All-NEC first teamer Nico Galette, who netted 14 points apiece. 

Sacred Heart improves to 16-16, while Wagner, which was led by a 15-point effort from Brandon Brown, closes out its season with a 15-13 overall record.

The Seahawks' tenacious defense was clicking early, as they held Sacred Heart to 1-of-6 start from the field to build a 10-3 lead in the process. The Pios' deficit was short-lived, though, as they heated up for a 14-6 run to take a 17-16 advantage with 5:32 left in the half. Junior Mike Sixsmith helped fuel the surge with two three-pointers. 

The two teams traded scores over the next 3:36 until back-to-back buckets by graduate student Raheem Soloman and Thomas gave Sacred Heart its largest lead heading into the break at 25-20.  

Sacred Heart opened the second half on fire, scoring eight of the first 10 points to build a 33-22 advantage. Senior Joey Reilly hit his first three of the contest during that run, which was capped by a Galette steal and a layup.

The Seahawks came storming back, though. Using a 14-7 spurt over the next 4:48, they pulled within two at 38-36 with 12:22 left to play. Wagner kept it a game and remained within striking distance for the next four minutes, until Sacred Heart delivered the final blow — a 10-2 run — to break open a 46-44 game and go up by 10 with 5:45 remaining.

Sacred Heart held on to the lead for the remaining of the game, with a Reilly hard-fought and-one with 1:28 left to play serving as the icing on the cake.