FDU sustains momentum with NEC quarterfinal win over Stonehill

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

TEANECK, N.J. — March Madness. The second season. Call it what you will, it’s a win or go home proposition.

The Northeast Conference tournament began Wednesday, with the quarterfinals at campus sites. Fourth-seeded FDU hosted Stonehill at Bogota Savings Bank Center to begin the festivities, which continued following a 71-56 win that advanced the Knights into the semifinals, where they will face top seed Central Connecticut on Saturday.

The final score, though, was deceptive, considering the competitiveness of this matchup. Stonehill attempts 46 percent of its shots from beyond the 3-point arc, which leads the NEC. Early on, the Skyhawks relied on the perimeter. FDU, meanwhile, was the opposite. The Knights attacked the basket, with Terrence Brown penetrating from the guard spot. The opening half had five ties and three lead changes before FDU closed strong to take a

30-20 lead into the break.

The second half saw the Skyhawks concentrate on

getting considerably closer to the rim. That alteration in shot selection, plus a concerted effort on defense to stop Brown’s penetration, were some of the reasons Stonehill got within two with a long ten minutes remaining.

“Part of getting back into the game was having our guys take better care of the basketball,” Stonehill coach Chris Kraus said. “We were able to take care of it to open the second half, then the turnovers started. You have 15 turnovers and you are not going to win a game at this level this time of the year.”

Regardless, the Skyhawks stayed around until late in the game. With just over four minutes remaining in regulation, FDU was clinging to a 55-51 lead. A few prior trips saw Stonehill extend possessions by rebounding on the offensive end. The Knights needed a clean stop. At a most crucial time, they got that and more.

Brown came up with a steal near halfcourt. The theft resulted in an uncontested dunk and a Stonehill timeout. Following the stoppage, FDU’s defense was

able to get another one-shot stop. On the other end, Brown broke down the Skyhawk defense and scored inside. Suddenly, FDU owned a nine-point lead and the momentum. In those final minutes, Stonehill was unable to mount a comeback of any significance as FDU punched its ticket to the semifinals behind Brown, who finished with a game-high 23 points.

“I thought my performance was great,” Brown said. “But my team helped me. They helped me play the way I did.”

“Tonight was a great example of what he has in his future and how special he can be,” FDU coach Jack Castleberry added.

Points of Emphasis:

Well deserved praise: Kraus was very impressed with Brown, whom he faced three times this season.

“His quickness is really impressive,” the Stonehill mentor praised. “He’s one of the quickest kids in the league, maybe the country. To see what he did in non-conference play, he’s just a handful, especially with what they are running and the things that they’re doing to allow him to get downhill.”

“He’s faced with, ‘how do I balance scoring effectively, yet being the primary ball handler to get other people involved?’” Castleberry said of Brown. “It’s a difficult process and he’s been unbelievable.”

Looking back: A season that saw Stonehill finish fifth in the NEC with a 7-9 record had several positive points.

“We got everybody’s best shot night in and night out,” Kraus said. “Our guys played at a level where they earned the respect of other teams. We showed we are capable of playing in this league. In our non-conference games, we had wins against Quinnipiac,

who has a chance to win the MAAC, and Bryant, who last night won the America East.”

Central Connecticut, who defeated Le Moyne in its quarterfinal matchup Wednesday, awaits FDU. The Knights dropped both games against the Blue Devils this season, but Castleberry insists his team is much improved since its last showdown with CCSU, a 21-point loss in February.

“I don’t think they’ve gotten our best effort yet,” he said. “They are an incredibly good team and you need your very best effort when you meet them. Coach (Patrick) Sellers does an unbelievable job with that program and it’s going to be an absolute challenge for us, but one that we are looking forward to.”