#1 CCSU 86, #8 Le Moyne 57
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New Britain, CT -- For the second time in as many years, top-seeded Central Connecticut (24-6) has advanced to the NEC Tournament's semifinals. Behind a balanced attack led by 19 points from NEC Player of the Year Jordan Jones, the top-seeded Blue Devils took down #8 Le Moyne (9-23) by an 86-67 final. With the victory, Central Connecticut extended its winning streak to 13, the longest in the nation. The threes were falling for a Blue Devil squad that came out of the gates red hot. Draining 10 of their first 14 attempts — incluidng four-in-a-row — Central Connecticut shot a blistering 64.7 percent during in the first half to take a 51-35 advantage at the break. Le Moyne clawed into its deficit, pulling with eight on a 12-2 run that began late in the opening stanza, but the Blue Devils countered with a 13-2 run of their own to stave off the comeback. Joining Jones in double figures was Jaelen McGlone (18 points), Devin Haid (14) and Davonte Sweatman (10). Dwayne Koroma went 10-of-12 from the field for Le Moyne to lead all scorers with 24 points.

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#2 LIU 68, #7 Chicago State 57
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Brooklyn, NY -- Behind a stellar performance from All-NEC first team member Malachi Davis, #2 LIU (16-15) scored a 67-57 victory over #7 Chicago State (4-27) in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Davis was a human highlight reel for the Sharks, pouring in 35 pionts on 15-of-28 shooting from the field while adding seven rebounds and seven dimes. With their seventh-straight triumph, the Sharks, who lead all active NEC programs with 38 postseason wins, are back in the semifinals for the first time since 2022. Both teams went back-and-forth to open the game, but an 8-7 Chicago State advantage thanks to a Gabe Spinelli layup with 15:16 left to play proved to be the Cougars' last of the night. Gaining the lead on back-to-back buckets, the Sharks pushed ahead by as many as 11 in the opening half. The Cougars pulled within seven at 45-38 with 15:34 remaining, but LIU quickly put the game out of reach with a 15-1 run. Shadrak Lasu netted a double-double for the Sharks, contributing 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Chicago State, which made its postseason debut in its inaugural season as an NEC member, was led by 17 points from Jalen Forrest.

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#3 Saint Francis U 58, #6 Wagner 55
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Loretto, PA -- Behind three last-second free throws, #3 Saint Francis U (13-17) is back in the NEC semifinals for the second time in the past three years. All-NEC first teamer Riley Parker, who got fouled on a three-point attempt with two seconds left, sank all three free throws to break open a tied game and lead the Red Flash to the 58-55 win over visiting #6 Wagner (14-15) on Wednesday. Parker, who nabbed a game-high four steals, went 5-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line to tie Wagner's Zaire Williams for a game-high in scoring with 16 points. In a tightly-contested first half that saw the two teams play to a 25-25 tie, Parker stole the ball and put Saint Francis U in front with a buzzer-beating halfcourt heave. With 7:40 left to play in the second, the Red Flash held what seemed to be a comfortable 47-35 lead, but eight-straight Wagner points quickly cut that advantage in half with 4:24 to go. The Seahawks continued to chip away at their deficit, and behind a 9-of-10 effort from the free throw line, Javier Ezquerra knotted up the game at 55-all with 12 seconds to go. The comeback bid would be spoiled, though, as Wagner was unable to get a shot off after Parker's game-clinching free throws.

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#4 FDU 71, #5 Stonehill 56
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Hackensack, NJ -- #4 FDU (12-19) held off a late charge by #5 Stonehill to make its return to the NEC semifinals with a 71-56 win. Holding the Skyhawks to 29.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half while turning in a 52.0 percent clip during that stretch, the Knights built a 30-20 advantage at the break. FDU's hot shooting continued after halftime, but Stonehill also heated up in the second half to make things interesting. Trailing by 10 at 45-35 with 13:13 left, Ethan Meuser capped an 8-0 run with back-to-back triples to pull the Skyhawks withiin two with 10:13 to go. The two sides exchanged blows for the next three minutes to the tune of a 52-49 FDU edge, but Stonehill was never able to come any closer for the remainder of the contest. Dylan Jones drained a three to make it a 55-49 lead before a 9-1 run featuring a Terrence Brown dunk followed by a three-point play put the contest out of reach. Brown, who was pegged the NEC Most Improved Player on Tuesday, dropped a game-high 23 points while dishing out a game-best six assists. He was one of three Knights to net double figures, as Bismark Nsiah and Jo'el Emanuel recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively. Louie Semona led Stonehill in its first-ever NEC postseason game with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field.