GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – The 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament had three home teams securing victory with one squad scoring an upset on the road on Tuesday (Feb. 20). The four advancing teams will compete in the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 22.

The one road win came from No. 5 seed Norwich at the disappointment of No. 4 seed Lasell as the Cadets scored the game-winning basket in the waning seconds of the contest to take home a 68-67 win. No. 3 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) also pulled out a one-point victory as it defeated No. 6 seed Emmanuel, 74-73. In the other quarterfinal matchups No. 1 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) took down No. 8 seed Rivier, 97-65, while No. 2 seed Albertus Magnus defeated No. 7 seed Regis, 79-67.

In Thursday semifinal round, USJ will welcome Norwich, while Albertus entertains Saint Joseph's (Maine). Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. tip offs.

The two semifinal winners will then faceoff for the GNAC title in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 24. The winner of the GNAC Championship game will be named the 2024 GNAC Men's Basketball Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) 97, #8 Rivier 65

Full recap to follow.

#2 Albertus Magnus 79, #7 Regis 67

Recap courtesy of the Albertus Magnus Athletic Communications Department.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Justice Washington notched his 17th double-double with 10 rebounds and 22 points as the No. 2 Albertus Magnus College men's basketball zoomed past No. 7 Regis College, 79-67, on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal game of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament in The Nest. The Falcons extended their conference postseason run with a 13-1 record, while the Pride's season concluded with an 8-6 GNAC record.

Washington was joined by Tazhon Daniels and Antonio Bonilla in double figures with 18 and 19, respectively. Coming into this postseason game, Albertus moved up one spot to fifth in the NCAA Men's Basketball Region I Rankings and has won 13 of its last 14 games. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Malcolm Duncanson converted a jump shot in the paint off the quick pass from Daniels and drew first blood for the Falcons 58 seconds into the first half.
• Staying neck and neck in points, Bonilla connected for a driving layup to even the playing field at 16 apiece before a three-minute scoring drought for either team. Bonilla snapped the scoreless run with another layup off an offensive board to put the hosts up, 18-16.
• The teams battled throughout the first half as the momentum went back and forth on several occasions. Down 20-16 midway through the half, Regis pulled ahead off consecutive three-pointers from Russell Rau, but Albertus Magnus answered with 10 straight points over the next three minutes, capped by a layup from Deivone Tanksley. Bonilla ignited the run with a three-pointer from deep for the final lead change of the contest as Albertus led, 24-22, with 7:08 remaining in the first half.
• Rau hit another three-pointer to stop the Falcon run, and then Justin Evelyn converted a layup to bring the Pride within three points at 30-27. Albertus Magnus put together a 7-2 scoring run to increase its lead back to eight points before Cameron Wilkins hit a layup on Regis' final possession of the half to close the Pride deficit to six points at halftime, 37-31.
• After Washington opened the scoring in the second half with a dunk, Evelyn made two free throws and then fed Jamir Harvey for a layup to bring the Pride within four points. The two teams traded points for the next eight minutes before the Falcons started to pull away with six straight points, starting with a traditional three-point play from Washington.
• As the game moved into the final five minutes, Albertus Magnus put together a 7-2 scoring run, beginning with a three-pointer from Bonilla and capped by a steal and layup from Tanksley. Rau made two free throws and a three-pointer to bring the Pride back within seven points at 67-60, but the Falcons scored 10 unanswered points, starting with another three-point play from Washington, to put the game away.

 NOTEWORTHY

• The Falcons have recorded five games with at least five steals as Tanksley posted a career-high and game-high of five.
• Albertus has an all-time record of 10-1 against Regis, after defeating them once in the regular season.
• The home team never trailed or tied in the second half.

#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 74, #6 Emmanuel 73

Recap courtesy of the Saint Joseph's (Maine) Athletic Communications Department.

STANDISH, Maine – No. 3 seed Saint Joseph's College (17-9) tipped No. 6 seed Emmanuel College (12-13), 74-73, in a hard-fought Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball tournament quarterfinal on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the triumph, Saint Joseph's moves on to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament for the second-consecutive season and will play at No. 2 seed Albertus Magnus College in a second round contest on Thursday at 7 p.m.. Albertus Magnus outlasted No. 7 seed Regis College, 79-67, in other quarterfinal action tonight.

For Emmanuel, tonight's loss signals the end of the 2023-24 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks and Saints played through four lead changes and a pair of tie scores in the first 15 minutes of play, but St. Joe's registered a 10-2 run to turn a one-point game into a 36-27 cushion after junior Teagan Hynes closed the surge with a three-pointer with 3:22 before the break.

Saint Joseph's headed into intermission with a 41-33 advantage and secured a game-high 12-point lead after junior Julian Llopiz put his team on top 54-42 with a layup and 11:24 remaining. The Monks led by at least three points until Cameron Snowden hit a pair of freebies to make it a one-point game, 74-73, with 20 seconds left.

On the ensuing in-bounds play with the Saints running a full court press, Ismani Cepeda intercepted an errant pass at halfcourt and launched a three-point attempt from the top of the key, but his attempt rattled off the front of the rim as time expired.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Team stats were nearly identical, but the Monks held the lead in points off turnovers (15-11) and bench points (25-15) in the victory. Depth played an important role, as the Monks rotated through nine different players while the Saints featured only seven players on the evening.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier was 5-for-9 from downtown with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals
• Freshman guard Remijo Wani netted 16 points with five boards and four steals
• Senior guard Camryn Yorke chipped in with 12 points, two caroms, and a pair of assists while going 4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 from deep, and 2-for-2 from the FT line
• Llopiz scored 11 points with two rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench

LEADERS – EMMANUEL:

• Senior Donte Pope notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and added five assists and a pair of blocks
• Sophomore Zaire Baines tallied 15 points, six boards, and five assists
• Snowden came off the bench to score 15 points and was 7-for-7 from the free-throw line
• Cepeda added 14 points and was 4-for-7 from downtown

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 22-10 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College.

#5 Norwich 68, #4 Lasell 67

Recap courtesy of the Norwich Athletic Communications Department.

NEWTON, Mass - The No. 5-seeded Norwich University men's basketball team rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit, capped off by a game-winning, go-ahead three-pointer from Kohlby Murray with 2.5 seconds left, to knock off No. 4-seeded Lasell University in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Four Cadets crossed into double-digit territory, led by Omarion Jett, who paced the effort with 18 points and nine caroms.  Jalen Olivero drilled four treys off the bench en route to a 16-point output, while Owen Liss and Murray rounded-out the double-digit performances, providing 14 and 11 points, respectively.

The win catapults the Cadets into the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2011, as Norwich will now travel to top-seeded University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) for a 7 p.m. bout on Thursday, Feb. 22, in West Hartford, Conn.

After an initial basket from Jett handed the Cadets an early 2-0 lead, the Lasers overcame a strong defensive battle, finally getting on the board over three minutes in and capturing their first lead on an Andy Madesko trey.

That three-pointer was enough to ignite Lasell's offense, as the hosts scored 10-straight to claim all momentum.  Norwich stayed close, whittling the lead down to six on three occasions and eventually down to five on a split trip to the charity stripe from Rodrick Pearson.

Lasell continued to create distance throughout the opening stanza, pushing the advantage back to double-figures before eventually taking a 29-20 lead at halftime.

The Norwich offense generated opportunities to kick off the second half, but the Lasers' offense also resumed its onslaught, gradually building a pair of 15-point leads to again maintain momentum.

Norwich's rally saw its first sign of life after Marcus Lewis gave Lasell a 14-point advantage, as back-to-back treys from Olivero and Jett brought the Cadets back to within single-digits.  Lewis and Gabe Qua kept the Lasers afloat, but another pair of treys from Murray and Jett continued to threaten Lasell's flow.

The Lasers proceeded to keep Norwich at bay, preventing the Cadets from dwindling their lead to single-digits.  Norwich came close over the ensuing stretch, with Liss and Olivero continuing the rally by bringing the lead down to four on a pair of occasions.

All momentum finally shifted into Norwich's favor in the closing minute-and-a-half, after a steal and layup from Jett brought Lasell's lead down to four, 64-60.  Both teams missed their next baskets, and, as Madesko hauled down a crucial rebound, he likewise committed a costly turnover underneath the Norwich basket to Pearson, who was fouled on a swift dunk attempt.

Pearson's 2-2 trip to the charity stripe finally pushed the Cadets into single-possession territory, but Che Hanks downed a seismic three-pointer to extend Lasell's lead to five, 67-62.

With 12 seconds remaining, facing a five-point hole, Murray capitalized on another costly Madesko mishap, getting the call on a three-point attempt and draining all three subsequent free-throws to make the game 67-65.

On the subsequent inbound, Hanks stepped out-of-bounds right in front of the Norwich bench, handing the ball back to the Cadets with just seconds left.  Murray, for the second time this season, granted Norwich victory on a step-back three, shaking off a Lasell defender to knock down the game-winning basket from the top of the key with 2.5 seconds remaining.  The Cadet defense held firm on Lasell's final attempt, preventing the Lasers from getting a last-second heave off.

The Cadets held advantages in points off turnovers (14-8), bench points (21-15), and fast break points (10-2).  Norwich kept Lasell contained from outside, allowing the Lasers to shoot just 26.1 percent from long range, while the Cadets finished 38.1 percent beyond-the-arc.

A Thursday night trip to the University of Saint Joseph awaits the Cadets in the GNAC Semifinals, as Norwich will look to avenge a 71-68 loss to the Blue Jays back in January.  USJ, who are receiving top 25 votes in the latest d3hoops.com national poll, has yet to lose to a GNAC foe all season.  Tip-off on Thursday is set for 7:00 p.m. in the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium at the O'Connell Athletic Center.

2024 GNAC Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule

Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#7 Regis def. #10 Dean, 88-61 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Colby-Sawyer, 98-70 | BOX

Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #8 Rivier, 97-65 | BOX
#2 Albertus Magnus def. #7 Regis, 79-67 | BOX
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #6 Emmanuel, 74-73 | BOX
#5 Norwich def. #4 Lasell, 68-67 | BOX

Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#5 Norwich at #1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 7 p.m.
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) at #2 Albertus Magnus, 7 p.m.

Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24

Semifinal winners, TBD

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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