Big South/SoCon Challenge announced

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

The Big South and Southern Conference has always featured regional rivals that play each other on a regular basis.

Now, there are even more bragging rights on the line, because the two conferences recently announced a scheduling alliance for both men’s and women’s basketball programs beginning in the 2026-2027 season.

Functionally, it will operate much like the ACC/SEC challenge, except this scheduling alliance will feature a home-and-home series between two teams during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

“This scheduling alliance underscores our continued commitment to strengthening basketball in the Big South Conference,” Big South commissioner Sherika Montgomery said in a release. “Our basketball coaches and directors of athletics were united in the need for an intentional scheduling approach, one that balances competitive excellence with regional relevance. The partnership with the Southern Conference enhances competitive opportunities, preserves regional rivalries, and delivers quality home games that strengthen the Big South’s basketball profile while enriching the experience for student-athletes and fans alike. This forward-looking initiative represents a strategic approach to scheduling and positions both conferences to further elevate their basketball profiles and competitive impact.”

On the men’s side, matchups for the inaugural event will be held November 17-21, 2026. In order to ensure the most competitive matchups, the games will be determined by analytics, mainly NET rankings, after the transfer portal closes on May 31.

"Our athletic directors and basketball coaches continue to be proactive in addressing one of college basketball's most persistent challenges, Division I non-conference scheduling,” SoCon commissioner Michael Cross said. “This alliance with the Big South reflects a shared commitment to providing our student-athletes with competitive, geographically aligned scheduling opportunities that strengthen our programs and give fans the quality matchups they seek. By partnering with the Big South, we're taking a proactive approach to solving scheduling problems while creating games that will generate excitement across both leagues. This is exactly the kind of collaborative solution basketball needs and we’re looking forward to a long-standing partnership."

Coaches in both conferences eagerly anticipate facing off with one another regularly.

“I love the idea of the SoCon/Big South Challenge,” Gardner-Webb head coach Jeremy Luther said. “It makes sense with the proximity of all the schools. We have a lot of built in rivalries. I am look forward to seeing the matchups once they released!!! I hope we can keep this scheduling alliance for years to come.”

Western Carolina head coach Tim Craft says the event will boost already strong rivalries.

“The SoCon/Big South scheduling alliance is a good way for schools from both leagues to get regional home and home series,” he said. “It is exciting.”

JAKE’S TAKE

Like Coach Luther, I love this idea and have been advocating for it for years. The ACC/SEC Challenge is one of my favorite events in the college basketball calendar. It not only gives fans bragging rights over friends and neighbors when their team wins, you also have quantifiable proof of which conference is better. For those wondering, the Big South is 9-4 against the SoCon in matchups this season. Then you have potential dream matchups like Gardner-Webb vs. Western Carolina, which would feature Tim Craft against his former Runnin’ Bulldogs program. Both those fan bases know at least one person who went to the other school and in some cases, they attended both.

That doesn’t even account for the matchup of Luther versus Craft. The subplot of two childhood friends who were on the same staff together for 11 years, suddenly facing off on opposite sidelines? That’s the kind of subplot that fans and journalists dream about. If it were at a Power 5 program, College GameDay would be there and Dick Vitale would likely be on the call. I sincerely hope the basketball gods and the analytics do us all a favor and make it happen.

Quinnipiac falls to Merrimack in low-scoring defensive affair

Kevair Kennedy (5) led Merrimack with 24 points as Warriors defeated Quinnipiac to maintain two-game lead atop MAAC standings. (Photo by Merrimack Men’s Basketball)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

HAMDEN, Conn. — With the month of February officially past its halfway point, postseason play in college basketball is quickly approaching, perhaps even closer than you may think.

In March, the teams that can wear down their opponents with physicality and win close games are usually the teams that end up advancing in their conference tournaments and beyond. It may not always be the prettiest product, but once winning time comes, all that matters is coming out on top.

Sunday’s MAAC clash between Quinnipiac and Merrimack at M&T Bank Arena gave us a pretty good preview of what is to come, with two teams fighting for their lives in a one-bid conference, treating every possession like it was their last.

It was the visiting Warriors that were able to win the dogfight by a score of 56-49, behind some timely shotmaking from MAAC Rookie of the Year frontrunner Kevair Kennedy. Despite getting doubled up on the glass, Merrimack was able to find a way to pull it out.

“That was a rockfight,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora said. “I said to our guys, ‘let's get them again in the finals or semis and make a few shots, and it will be a different world.’”

Merrimack came out of the gates firing, knocking down three triples before the first media timeout. Little did they and everyone know that the Warriors would hit just four more field goals from the first-half U16 to the second-half U16, something that felt unprecedented after the hot start.

“The guys have just bought in to the final score,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said. “Every year, I tell my guys with seven or eight games to go that their stats aren’t going to change much unless you have a 40-point game or something, so the only thing that should matter is the final score.”

Even with those extreme struggles in the first half scoring the ball for the Warriors, Quinnipiac was unable to build any sort of substantial lead of its own due to the suffocating 2-3 zone from the visitors. What the Bobcats were able to do, however, was rebound the basketball. Quinnipiac was plus-18 on the glass in the first half, and had 16 offensive rebounds.

“When you hold a team to 34 percent (shooting) and outrebound them by over 20, you usually win,” Pecora said. “But because they’re such a hybrid in the way they play, they are comfortable like that.”

The Quinnipiac stars had very lackluster afternoons from the field. Amarri Monroe and Jaden Zimmerman combined to shoot 5-for-27 overall and 1-for-9 from three with 10 turnovers. That one three, drilled early in the second half by Zimmerman, was the lone triple that the Bobcats hit all game.

Down the stretch, a 9-0 run for the Warriors right around the midpoint of the second half proved to be the difference. Sixth man KC Ugwuakazi fueled the run with six points and some big-time slams. He also swatted six shots, controlling the area around the basket.

Quinnipiac continued to struggle against the zone, even after snapping its scoring skid with a basket from Keith McKnight. Over the final 14 minutes, the Bobcats could only muster 14 points, surrendering 29. 

“I thought we got great looks inside the zone,” Pecora said. “We missed a lot of elbow jumpers, missed a couple layups, and it kind of bit us in the tail a little bit.”

Kennedy and Tye Dorset iced the game in the closing minute at the foul line as Merrimack was able to escape with a hard-fought win, while Quinnipiac saw its four-game winning streak snapped.

“We needed a game like that before March, so when it presents itself, which I guarantee it will, we’ll be ready for it,” Gallo said.

Looking bigger picture, the Warriors are in the driver’s seat to win their first MAAC regular-season title since joining the league with a 14-2 record, while the Bobcats end the day in fourth place in the league with an uphill battle for second place, 1.5 games behind Saint Peter’s with Siena in the middle.

“I told them that we have to win out now and try and battle for second place so we can get that bye,” Pecora said. “We’ll see what the next couple of weeks bring.”

Up next, Quinnipiac has a much-needed bye on Friday before returning to action on Sunday at home against Fairfield. Merrimack returns to North Andover for a pair of home games on Friday against Siena and Sunday against Iona.

UConn nearly gives away double-digit lead, but holds on to defeat Georgetown

Alex Karaban exults as UConn holds off late Georgetown rally to defeat Hoyas Saturday. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

STORRS, Conn. — According to KenPom, UConn never had less than a 91.9 percent chance to defeat Georgetown over the course of their 40-minute game.

The Hoyas never led Saturday, only ever tied the game at 3 and 25, but it still came down to the final moments.

You can add another notch on the list of games where the Huskies made it closer than they needed to, but walked away with the win. Alex Karaban made two crucial free throws, finishing with 18 points, 13 coming in the second half, to cement himself as the UConn program’s all-time wins leader. His 116th win as a Husky was a 79-75 Valentine’s Night victory over Georgetown.

Karaban only came down with three rebounds on the night, but his last one, reaching across the lane and snaring Kayvaun Mulready’s missed free throw with one hand, securing the ball and drawing the foul, all but sealed the game. It sent him to the foul line with ten seconds to play, ahead by two, and the career 84 percent foul shooter delivered, like he always does in big moments.

Mulready probably never should have been at the line in the first place, though, as UConn (24-2, 14-1 Big East) gifted Georgetown the possession and chance to tie the game. With Vince Iwuchukwu guarding Karaban inbounding the ball from the sideline, the four other Huskies on the floor couldn’t get open. Karaban, needing to get the ball in, bounced it between Iwuchukwu’s legs, and KJ Lewis picked it up for the Hoyas, entered the frontcourt, and Ed Cooley called timeout.

It’s the latest in a series of struggles for UConn to inbound against pressure in key late-game situations throughout the last two seasons.

“We’ve faced pressure for a while now,” Karaban said. “We practice against it every single day so we see it, we’re prepared for it. We just gotta do a good job of executing it, and for some moments, we did, but towards the end of the game, we definitely didn’t execute what the coaches wanted.”

On the ensuing Georgetown possession, Braylon Mullins got caught a half-step behind Mulready, and fouled him just before he rose to to attempt a three-pointer. With 11 seconds left, it was a little early for a foul-up-three situation, but when Mulready missed the second, it functioned as the Hoyas’ last real opportunity.

The free throws were one of the simple things that Cooley thought his team needs to do better.

“We gotta find a way to do the little things to get us over the hump,” he said. “We’ve gotta make free throws. We missed eight free throws, we lost by four. I thought we had some untimely fouls, just small things in the game.”

UConn can also leave the game thinking it needs to do some of the small things better. The game was only at a one-possession margin when Mulready went to the line because of a four-point play from Lewis, which fouled out Tarris Reed, Jr., on the prior possession.

“You can’t foul him there,” Dan Hurley said. “You just have to have the discipline to not do that. It just sets off a chain of events there. He’s now fouled out of the game, he’s a big screener for us when we’re trying to get the ball in versus pressure. That reared its head today.”

Reed played what was probably his worst game of the season, with just four points and one rebound in 17 minutes of action. Against Georgetown’s big frontcourt, Reed didn’t have a significant physical advantage, so the Huskies didn’t feed the ball into him a ton, instead relying on the outside shot.

UConn took a season-high 64 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, just the third time all season — all within the last five games — that the Huskies have taken at least half of their shots from three.

The three-pointer is how UConn built its lead. Karaban, Mullins, and Solo Ball all made treys within the first 150 seconds of the contest. UConn made seven of its first 13 attempts from three, including four from Ball, who had 16 points in the first half, but then went cold.

From the five-minute mark of the first half to the 11-minute mark of the second half, the Huskies missed 12 consecutive triples. Of course, as it always is, it was Karaban breaking the drought, followed immediately by Ball 30 seconds later to force a Georgetown timeout, quickly extending the lead from six to 12.

Karaban made his biggest shot of the night, a third triple of the second half, with just under three minutes left, giving UConn a seven-point cushion. It’s approximately the 700th time in his career that he’s made a shot like that in that spot.

“All he’s done is won and come up with clutch performances,” Hurley said.

Queens survives Lipscomb rally in Saturday home victory

 

Queens forward Avantae Parker dunks home a ball in Saturday's win over Lipscomb. (Photo:  Queens Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – For Queens basketball, Saturday’s first half must have felt like a perfect Valentine’s Day date, with a five-star meal and a great celebration. The second half was more like getting a Happy Meal and getting ghosted.

In the end, the Royals had a happy Valentine’s Day, if not a satisfying one.

Forward Avantae Parker booked a career-high 22 points and swatted away six shots, including a key rejection late, to help fend off a tough Lipscomb team and claim an 87-81 victory at Curry Arena.

“Lipscomb is a really veteran team. They didn’t go away,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said. “I thought we did a lot of things uncharacteristic of us – not taking care of the ball and committing 18 turnovers and missing free throws. That kind of kept it a game and kept it interesting.”

Queens (15-12, 10-4 ASUN) charged out of the gate in the battle for third place in the league. The Royals seized the lead three-and-a-half minutes into the game on a Parker layup and clutched it like the last bag of Valentine’s candy. The Royals scored 20 of the next 31 points to seize a double-digit lead, then used a personal 5-0 burst from Chris Ashby to stretch it to 14.

The Royals continued making shots, hitting well over 70 percent for much of the half. A Kam Clark bucket swelled the advantage to 20 with 3:47 to play in the opening stanza. Lipscomb (16-11, 9-5) began to set the tone for its second-half charge, closing the opening half on an 8-2 run to slice the Queens lead to 52-38 at the interval.

“I think you have to give a lot of credit to them,” Lipscomb coach Kevin Carroll said after the game. “Their ability to switch one through five takes away a lot of the advantages that we often are able to create. Offensively, I thought we had no answer for them in the first half. They were just scoring at will. They shot like 74 percent or something in the first half. They had really good schemes.”

“I thought we were not as physical as we needed to be on the ball and that created a lot of advantages for them. To their credit, they made the most of them.”

Queens continued to take advantage early in the second frame. Parker, Nas Mann, and Yoav Berman made consecutive buckets to again swell the lead back to 20. The Royal lead remained mostly consistent through the early portion of the period, before the Bisons began capitalizing on Royal miscues and hitting shots. Lipscomb used a 7-0 charge with three straight makes and an and-one from Kennedy Okmara to cut it to 10 with 6:30 remaining.

Shortly thereafter, Lipscomb used a Mateo Esmeraldo bucket and two Ross Candelino free throws to clip the Royal lead into single digits for the first time in 23 minutes of game action at the 4:39 mark. Lipscomb then capped scoring 11 of the next 15 with a Charlie Williams three over Carson Schwieger’s outstretched arms to make it 84-81 before Leonard burned a timeout with 10 seconds to play.

Berman calmly stepped to the line – on a day when Queens battled inconsistency with shooting free throws – and knocked home a pair to essentially ice the game. Parker intercepted a long Lipscomb pass under the basket and sank a free throw to produce the final score.

“(I’ve been doing) what the team needs,” Berman said. “We have two amazing shooters in the starting lineup in (guard) Chris (Ashby) and Carson (Schwieger). We need another guy that is going to attack the rim. I’ve just been trying to do that. (It’s just) knowing my role.”

Parker blocked six shots on the day, including one on Grant Asman that prevented the Bisons from trimming the lead to four and gaining further momentum. The Columbia, S.C., native played the entire day without foul trouble, which helped contribute to his playing nearly 31 minutes and being a dominant factor on both ends of the floor.

“I think the biggest thing for him is that he’s been in less foul trouble,” Leonard said. “He didn’t have a foul in the first half. That’s elite. Avantae is an unbelievable player. When he’s disciplined and he’s on the floor, he’s even better. He’s way better on the floor than he is on the bench.”

“Ther eare times where you can get greedy with Avantae because of his energy and accept the fouls, and I told him we were not going to do that. We’re going to stay disciplined. Even though he blocked six shots, I didn’t think he was fouling at all today. I was really proud of him for that.”

The Queens defense notably provided a stout effort against Lipscomb on the perimeter. The Bisons came into the game shooting 37 percent from distance and hitting almost 11 threes per game. The Royals held Lipscomb to 7-for-27 (25.9 percent) from beyond the arc.

“I think they’re the best three-point shooting team in our league, percentage-wise, and we held them to 26 percent,” Leonard said. “I thought we were exceptionally bought in on the gameplan.”

“Our team’s starting to build an identity defensively to get teams to play in isos, which is not the most efficient play in basketball. Our guys are starting to buy in and trust each other to not overhelp. When they need to help, they do. When they don’t need to help, we build walls and we take away the three-point line. In our league, the three-point line is dangerous. Everyone’s got shooters.”

Carroll credited the Royals for their perimeter perseverance.

“They have the ability – unlike every team – to switch one through five,” Carroll said. “They guard everybody with all the players on the floor. They’re very versatile defensively. When that happens, you don’t have as many solutions and we didn’t create as many advantages for ourselves. Now, instead of getting a good look from three, you’re getting a contested three because they’re not having to help as much. They can create problems with their length and their athleticism on both ends of the floor.”

Carroll offered an assessment of the slow start and the fervent finish.

“I was very happy with the fight (we showed),” Carroll said. “The problem is that you can’t be chasing those points like we did. In the beginning, we missed some shots around the paint that fueled their transition offense. They had 14 points in transition in the first half and zero in the second. Some of that was due to their having the ability to alter shots around the rim. Some of that had to do with our shooting it, falling down, and creating five-on-fours on the other end.”

“When you get down 21, you’re scrambling. I think they kind of fell asleep a little bit. I don’t think the score is indicative of how well they played and how poorly they made us play.”

Parker’s 22 led Queens and all scorers. The Georgia Southern transfer hit 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. Berman added 16, hitting 5-of-7 from both the field and line and snagging six caroms. Mann and Ashby booked 11 apiece, hitting a combined 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. Queens shot 56.5 percent (31-of-53) from the deck and 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the line. The Royals bagged nine triples in 22 tries (40.9 percent).

Asman paced the Bisons with 16, hitting 7-of-16 from the field despite knocking down just 1-of-8 from distance. Williams hit 5-of-7 while contributing 12 points, with Esmeraldo scoring 10 and grabbing five boards. The Bisons shot 44.9 percent (31-for-69) from the field while equaling the Royals’ 66.7 percent (12-for-18) from the stripe. Lipscomb hit 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from the perimeter. The result was the Bisons’ third-lowest three-point percentage this season, trailing 22.6 percent at Asheville and 23.1 percent at Vanderbilt.

Both teams hit the road Wednesday to continue ASUN play. Queens ventures to CB&S Bank Arena in Florence, Ala., to square off with North Alabama. That game is slated for a 7:00 (Eastern) tip, with ESPN+ streaming the contest. Lipscomb heads to Freedom Hall to take on Bellarmine. That game will start at 7:30, with ESPN+ providing the coverage.

QUEENS 87, LIPSCOMB 81

LIPSCOMB (16-11, 9-5 ASUN)

Ashkenazi 0-3 0-0 0, Williams 5-7 0-0 12, Asman 7-18 1-3 16, Esmeraldo 3-6 3-4 10, Candelino 3-10 2-2 8, Sargiunas 2-4 4-6 9, Middleton 3-4 0-0 6, Duncan 3-7 0-0 8, Boylan 2-3 1-2 5, Okpara 3-5 1-1 7. Totals 31-69 12-18 81.

QUEENS (15-12, 10-4)

Parker 9-13 4-5 22, Schwieger 3-7 0-0 9, Mann 5-9 0-0 11, Ashby 3-6 2-2 11, Berman 5-7 5-7 16, Watford 2-3 5-9 9, Jabriel 3-7 0-1 7, Larson 0-0 0-0 0, Henry 0-0 0-0 0, Clark 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-53 16-24 87.

Halftime:  Queens 52-38. 3-Point goals:  Queens 9-22 (Schwieger 3-7, Mann 1-3, Ashby 3-4, Berman 1-3, Jabriel 1-5), Lipscomb 7-27 (Williams 2-3, Asman 1-8, Esmeraldo 1-1, Candelino 0-6, Sargiunas 1-3, Duncan 2-5, Okpara 0-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Lipscomb 35 (Candelino 8), Queens 29 (Mann 7). Total fouls:  Lipscomb 22, Queens 19. Technicals:  NA.

 

St. John’s avenges loss to Providence as tempers flare and emotions run wild

Dylan Darling (0) flipped emotional game against Providence with eight straight points after bench-clearing brawl following a foul by Duncan Powell on St. John’s Bryce Hopkins, as Red Storm avenged its lone Big East loss with win over Friars. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Bryce Hopkins made his long-awaited return to Providence Saturday, coincidentally Valentine’s Day.

But as the fifth-year senior would soon find out, the reaction he and his St. John’s teammates would receive was not an amorous one. To add to the anticipation, the Red Storm went into Friartown intent on exacting a measure of revenge for its lone conference loss six weeks ago.

And after a fight — one that took on a literal tone early in the second half following a hard foul that ignited an already hostile Amica Mutual Pavilion — the 17th-ranked Johnnies finished the job.

Trailing by one with 14:25 remaining in regulation when Providence forward Duncan Powell clotheslined a defenseless Hopkins from behind on a fast-break layup attempt, St. John’s found itself in a full-fledged brawl that would ultimately see six players ejected in its aftermath. But the visitors would respond with eight unanswered points when play resumed to take the lead for good, not looking back on the way to a 79-69 victory over the host Friars.

“You’re not supposed to come off the bench, but you can’t let your players get beat up,” head coach Rick Pitino said in defense of the Red Storm (20-5, 13-1 Big East), which won its 11th consecutive game Saturday behind 23 points from Dylan Darling, who started the game-changing run after the fracas. “The crowd, I think, lost objectivity of what they’re here for. If they’re just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars I remember in ’87. So I think you’ve gotta try to win, and we’re excited to get a W because we were without a lot of players. We still came away with a victory, so I’m proud of our guys.”

Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey and Sadiku Ibine Ayo were all ejected following the dustup Powell and Hopkins, the latter of whom retaliated for the hard foul with a shove of his own. Powell then appeared to throw a punch at Mitchell, while Providence’s Jaylin Sellers shoved St. John’s guard Oziyah Sellers (no relation) from behind and was ejected for that incident. Odih, Prey and Ibine Ayo were ejected for leaving the bench during the scuffle, an automatic disqualification. The Big East is presently reviewing the incident to determine any additional penalties, per a statement issued by the conference.

“We didn’t initiate anything,” a firm Pitino reiterated. “We talk toughness as not turning the ball over, creating steals, getting offensive rebounds. That’s what we believe toughness is, and that’s all we talked about throughout the entire time.”

Darling, who has drawn plaudits from his coach and teammates in recent weeks for raising his game amid the Johnnies’ win streak — now the longest in the nation for a power conference program — swung the pendulum with a personal 8-0 run to put St. John’s ahead, 47-40, a lead it would never relinquish.

“I feel like we responded in the best way possible,” Zuby Ejiofor said, expounding on Pitino’s point. “We’re out three of our players and Dylan does what Dylan’s been pretty much doing for a big stretch now. This is always a tough, tough place to play in, especially when you get a win, so we did exactly what we came here to do.”

“You try not to think about it, but definitely, some of us needed to step up,” Darling said after the Johnnies were left with a thin bench. “Somebody needed to step up and I just tried to bring energy. We were fired up from the exchange, but I just tried to bring energy. We knew we needed to focus on every small detail to win the game.”

Providence had capped a 13-point comeback before the incident, overcoming a 15-4 run by St. John’s to start the game. But with Sellers ejected and Jason Edwards unavailable due to injury, the Friars were left without a primary ball handler for the remainder of the second half, allowing Darling to go to work against reserve guard Nilavan Daniels. The Red Storm defense also made its presence known down the stretch, consistently forcing Providence to work the shot clock to get an attempt off.

The tenor of the game remained chippy for its duration, with Providence freshman Jamier Jones also ejected for shoving Ejiofor after a play, and St. John’s Joson Sanon getting rung up for excessive trash talk. Still, Providence attempted to climb back into the contest. A pair of Stefan Vaaks free throws brought the Friars within nine points late, but the hosts would get no closer as St. John’s answered on the opposite end of the floor to snuff out any hope of a comeback.

The Red Storm picked up a tenth consecutive win on the road Saturday, setting a program record that it looks to extend in its next contest, which comes Tuesday against Marquette. No matter the distraction or adversity that comes with it, one thing remains clear after Saturday’s latest challenge, that St. John’s is undeterred and locked in on a greater prize at the end of the road.

“That’s just who we are,” Ejiofor said of his team’s cohesiveness and united front. “We know exactly what we’re playing for. We’re playing for a championship, and that’s a one game at a time mentality. Our biggest thing was to stay composed, just worry about everything in between the lines and not focus on anything else. It’s just us, and I’m really proud of the guys for how we fought through everything that was thrown our way.”

Smith’s career-high 40 propel CCSU to third straight win

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

WEST HAVEN, Conn. — Whatever Darin Smith, Jr. ate for breakfast on February 1, can I get some of what he had?

The Central Connecticut forward closed the month of January with his worst five-game scoring slump of the season during a stretch where the Blue Devils dropped four of five. That being said, he still put up a respectable 12.3 points per game to close the month, but that was far from what he had proven he was capable of during the non-conference and early NEC slate.

In three games since the calendar turned to February, including Thursday’s 81-76 win on the road over New Haven, Smith has averaged 29.7 points per game, headlined by a career-high 40 against the Chargers at the Hazell Center.

“I wake up every day on game day just ready to go and win the game,” Smith said. “This game was just a little different.”

Smith’s recent outburst has, not by coincidence, been mirrored by three CCSU victories. The Blue Devils are certainly much more than just the redshirt sophomore on the offensive end, but having him at his best has seen the team near its best.

“He was in such a groove and a rhythm, we were just calling his number, and after a while, players were just looking for him,” head coach Patrick Sellers said. “Kudos to him, he’s in the gym constantly and nonstop. Tonight, he didn’t feel great, and still ended up with 40 points.”

Hit with the obstacle of having Swiss army knife wing James Jones out with an illness, Sellers counted on Smith even more on the defensive end. Smith felt that same added weight on his shoulder to be a leader on the defensive end, and delivered.

“Overall, for sure, James is a big part of our defense and we had to do a good job in his absence,” Smith said.

Smith scored 18 of his 40 points in the first half, setting the tone early with a quick seven. Since he’s rejuvenated his scoring, quick starts have been a common trend. Jay Rodgers added nine in the first half with some impressive drives to the rim, while reigning NEC Rookie of the Week Roddy Jones knocked down a pair of threes.

What’s more impressive is the defensive job the CCSU bigs did on New Haven big man Andre Pasha in the first half, holding him to a mediocre 2-for-12 from the field in the first 20 minutes.

“In the first half, Jayden Mott, Daniel James and Max (Frazier) did a good job getting their chest into him and making him turn, getting him off balance,” Sellers said.

If you thought the efficiency that Smith had in the first half was impressive, he started the second half with 14 points in just over six minutes before heading to the bench for a breather. During his less than three minutes on the pine, New Haven went on a 8-0 run to trim a 15-point deficit down to seven at 58-51.

When Smith re-entered? An immediate 7-0 run to get the lead back into double digits, headlined by a near logo-triple from Jones, his fourth of the game.

“When we recruited him, I saw him play against Jalen Duren on the Pistons and teams like that, and Roddy would come in the game and bang threes from right inside the NBA line,” Sellers said. “What we’ve been working on with him is his defense, and it's getting better and better.”

New Haven would continue to stick around, getting it as close as four in the final minute, but some timely free throws and a key offensive rebound by rookie Elijah Parker was the difference. At the 1:40 mark, Smith connected on his, at this point, signature turn-around jumper from 12 feet away to hit the 40-point milestone, the first time he’s hit that number in any organized basketball game.

“Darin Smith is very unique because he can get to 15 or 17 (feet from the basket) and, for most players, that’s a bad shot, but for him, it's a great shot,” New Haven head coach Ted Hotaling said. “Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about that.”

For housekeeping, Smith had the first 40-point game for Central Connecticut since Kyle Vinales had 42 at Wagner on February 14, 2013, nearly 13 years to the day.

The win puts CCSU up to 8-5 in the NEC season, tied for second place with Le Moyne, whom the Blue Devils host in a crucial clash on Thursday. Up next for Central is a road trip to Hackensack for a game against FDU on Saturday.

As for the Chargers, their third straight loss drops them to 5-7 in the league. With them not being eligible this year for the NEC Tournament, New Haven only has six games left in its inaugural season at the Division I level, next hosting conference leader LIU on Saturday. 

Winthrop hits century mark in win over Gardner-Webb

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Gardner-Webb had its second-highest scoring output of the season Thursday, with 85 points.

The only problem was the defense surrendered 103 to Winthrop, falling to the Eagles in a Big South shootout at Paul Porter Arena.

“When you give up 85 on the road, that usually spells trouble,”  Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “But tonight, we had our inside-out game working. Logan Duncomb commands so much respect in the post that it opens things up for our shooters, and we were able to make shots tonight.”

Gardner-Webb started out making its first three shots from the floor, and when Colin Hawkins hit a three, the Runnin’ Bulldogs led, 7-4. Kareem Rozier hit a pair of triples for the Eagles, starting an 11-0 run that saw them go in front, 15-7. Jacob Hudson broke the run with a three-point play, but Winthrop could not miss from deep. The Eagles hit their first four shots from beyond the arc. Spence Sims and DJ Jefferson kept GWU close with threes of their own as the Runnin’ Bulldogs only trailed, 22-18.

A steal and layup by Jacob Hogarth brought Gardner-Webb to within 22-20 midway through the half, but Rozier hit two more triples in a 12-0 Eagle run. Jefferson ended the spurt with a three, but Rozier hit another. By the time Rozier hit his fifth trey of the half, Winthrop led, 42-26. Former Bulldog Pharrell Boyogueno added a trifecta, answered by Hudson’s triple. Even so, Winthrop was able to build a 55-35 halftime lead.

Rozier hit another three to open the second half, but GWU made a bit of a push when Hudson hit a pair of free throws and Hogarth threw down a dunk. Ace Talbert hit a pair of threes as the Runnin’ Bulldogs cut the deficit to 63-49 at the under-16 media stoppage. Rozier stopped the bleeding with a three, and the teams began a long stretch of trading baskets.

Hudson cut the deficit to 72-62 with a pair of free throws, but Hogarth picked up his fourth foul on the next trip down the floor. As a result, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run that included five points from Kody Clouet, giving the visitors an 83-62 lead.

“Give GW credit,” Prosser said. “They were the better team for long stretches in the second half. They hustle and are well-coached. When they cut it to ten, we stayed calm in the huddle and were just focused on winning the next war (four-minute segment). I think we ended up winning the next two and that was huge.”

Hogarth came back in the game and hit a jumper, while Navuan Peterson canned a pair of threes. It was not enough, though, as GWU fell 103-85.

THE ROZIER & DUNCOMB SHOW: The duo combined for 57 of Winthrop’s 103 points. In addition, Duncomb collected his 11th double-double of the season, with 14 rebounds to go with 24 points, while Rozier had a game-high 33 points.

BOMBS AWAY; Winthrop hit 18 threes on the night, with Rozier doing most of the work with nine of those. The 18 threes by Winthrop is the most for the Eagles since they hit 17 against Hampton in 2019. GWU was not too shabby from beyond the arc, hitting 11. Both teams shot an identical 51 percent from the floor.

OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: Winthrop (19-8) has now won 11 games in a row, and sits atop the Big South Conference with the tiebreaker over High Point. Prosser is not watching the standings just yet, though.

“I couldn’t care less at what other teams are doing at this point,” he said. “I’m just happy we got the win because it’s been a while since we won here.”

Meanwhile, the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ struggles continue. They sit in the cellar of the Big South with a 3-21 mark and face another tough task Saturday, hosting High Point at 2 p.m. Winthrop will host USC Upstate the same day at 6:30 p.m.

Austin Peay retains top spot in ASUN after road battle at Queens

 

Austin Peay forward Collin Parker (center) attempts a shot in Wednesday night's victory at Queens. (Photo:  Austin Peay Athletics)

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CHARLOTTE – If numerology is your thing, there were plenty of numbers to enjoy Wednesday night in Charlotte.

32. Five. 21-for-34.

The 32 – worn by Austin Peay’s Collin Parker – easily eclipsed his career-high point total. The five – Rashaud Marshall – backed up his teammate with a 9-for-10 effort of his own. The 21-for-34 came from Queens, which was one of the main points Royals coach Grant Leonard wanted to address after the game.

Austin Peay held serve in Curry Arena, turning away Queens, 95-87, and extending its clutch on the top spot in the ASUN.

“We knew it would be a hard-fought game,” Austin Peay head coach Corey Gipson said after the game. “We knew we had to be the more physical team. And we were.”

Austin Peay (18-6, 12-1 ASUN) asserted its will almost from the opening tip. The Governors ripped off an 11-0 run after Queens took the lead on the first bucket of the game, then pushed the lead as high as 12 on a Parker triple. Queens (14-12, 9-4) gradually whittled away at the lead, snipping it to five on an Avantae Parker bucket at the 5:39 mark of the first half.

The Governors used a 5-0 burst to swell the lead back to 10 a minute later, only for the Royals to clip it to six. Queens then scored 11 of the final 18 points of the half, capped by a Nas Mann jumper at the horn to head to the locker room down 52-50.

Queens charged out of the intermission and landed a haymaker on Austin Peay, delivering a 10-0 killshot run to take a 60-52 advantage buoyed by a pair of Chris Ashby triples. As quickly as the Royals landed the blow, Austin Peay punched back with a killshot run of its own, taking a 62-60 lead. The Royals tied the game on a Jordan Watford jumper but surrendered a 20-8 run from there to put Austin Peay ahead by 12.

“I’ll have to study that stretch to see exactly what happened,” Leonard said. “I thought we came out (in the second half) with great energy. I thought (guard Yoav) Berman’s third foul kind of took some energy away, which was unfortunate. That’s kind of when they went back on their run.”

Austin Peay held Queens at bay through a team defensive effort and strong offense from Parker, Marshall, and others. Gipson had an interesting assessment of how the Governors weathered the storm.

“It’s hard to let the game be boring,” Gipson said. “Our guys really bought into it in the second half. We knew we had to go to a couple of people (on offense) because they would have a mismatch all night long. I thought the second half – and the latter part of the second half – our defense got better, even though it wasn’t predicated off the energy of (our players) getting a touch to score the ball.”

The trading of punches continued, despite the Austin Peay run. Queens responded by halving the Governors’ lead completely keyed by Jordan Watford’s seven points, then using a 7-0 burst to cut it to three on a Watford free throw with 1:38 to play. Austin Peay was able to salt away the game from the line, though, earning the final result in a true battle.

“The fact that we could go on the road and come away with one against a really good team is special,” Gipson said. “At the end of the day, it was just two solid teams getting after each other, making each other better.”

The 21-for-34 number on Leonard’s mind was the final Royal result from the free throw line. Queens had a lot of free throw opportunities circle off, including some in pivotal moments.

“When you’re playing a really good team, the margins are rail-thin,” Leonard said. “There were a couple of categories that I wasn’t really pleased with. Obviously, our free throw shooting kind of went awry. What we’ve got to do is (to) start making our free throws. We can’t go to the line 34 times and make 21, look down, and we’re at 60 percent and they’re at 80 percent, then think we’re going to win a high-stakes game. It’s just not going to happen like that.”

Parker’s 39 points were a career-high for the Govs, with the senior forward hitting 11-of-23 from the field (3-of-5 from distance) and 14-of-17 from the line. Parker’s total was his third 30-point outing in the Govs’ last four games.

“I knew (Parker) was going to be – he only shot 50 percent from the field. But I knew he was going to be good,” Leonard said. “We can’t put him at the foul line that much. The difference in the game was small things. If we want to win a championship, we’ve got to be cleaner.”

Marshall tallied 21, connecting on 9-of-10 from the field. Ja’Corey Robinson added 13 in 24 minutes of reserve duty, hitting 4-of-6 from the field and all five of his free throw tries. The Govs shot 56.1 percent (32-for-57) from the deck, with 35.7 percent (5-of-14) of their tries from distance finding the net. The 80 percent Leonard referenced from the line came on 16-of-19 (84.2 percent) from the stripe. Austin Peay also outrebounded Queens by 10, 38-28.

Watford turned in a career-high of his own, netting 26 in 27 minutes of play off the bench for the Royals. The freshman from nearby Lancaster, S.C., hit 8-of-13 from the field and 8-of-12 from the line.

“Jordan was able to get mismatches and get downhill,” Leonard said. “I was really proud of how he played and I thought he played well enough to put us in a position to win. Jordan keeps getting better and better. I know it’s going to keep happening.”

Four other Royals joined Watford in double figures. Chris Ashby scored 15 on 4-for-10 from the field, with Berman notching 13 on 4-for-9 from the field and 5-for-9 from the line. Mann and Avantae Parker tallied 12 apiece, shooting a combined 9-for-18.

Queens shot 51.6 percent (29-for-56) from the field, with 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) connecting from deep. The Royals shot 61.8 percent (21-for-34) from the line.

Austin Peay returns to F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tenn., to face Bellarmine Saturday afternoon. Tip time is set for 5:30 (Eastern), with ESPN+ handling the coverage. Queens welcomes Lipscomb to Curry Arena Saturday afternoon as the Royals close a small home stand. Tip time is set for 4:00 over ESPN+.

AUSTIN PEAY 95, QUEENS 87

AUSTIN PEAY (18-6, 12-1 ASUN)

McCubbin 3-8 2-2 9, Collins 2-5 2-2 6, Marshall 9-10 3-6 21, Brookshire 1-2 0-0 3, Parker 11-23 14-17 39, Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Morisch 0-0 0-0 0, Torain 2-3 0-0 4, Robinson 4-6 5-5 13. Totals 32-57 26-32 95.

QUEENS (14-12, 9-4)

Mann 5-11 1-2 12, Parker 4-7 4-8 12, Ashby 4-10 3-3 15, Schwieger 2-4 0-0 4, Berman 4-9 5-9 13, Watford 8-13 8-12 26, Henry 1-1 0-0 2, Larson 0-0 0-0 0, Jabriel 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 29-56 21-34 87.

Halftime:  Austin Peay 52-50. 3-Point goals:  Queens 8-22 (Mann 1-5, Ashby 4-10, Schwieger 0-1, Berman 0-3, Watford 2-2, Jabriel 1-1), Austin Peay 5-14 (McCubbin 1-4, Collins 0-3, Brookshire 1-2, Parker 3-5). Fouled out:  Collins (APSU), Schwieger (QUC).  Rebounds:  Austin Peay 38 (C. Parker/McCubbin 9), Queens 28 (A. Parker 7). Total fouls:  Austin Peay 24, Queens 23. Technicals:  NA.

 

5 Thoughts: Clark leads Seton Hall past Providence

Budd Clark took over in second half, scoring 21 of his 31 points after halftime as Seton Hall capped off season sweep of Providence. (Photo by Seton Hall Athletics)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

NEWARK, N.J. — After stumbling down the stretch in Omaha on Saturday and letting a big opportunity slip away, Seton Hall was in need of a bounce back as the Providence Friars came to town for a Wednesday night tipoff in Newark. It essentially amounted to a must-win situation for The Hall’s tournament hopes.

Luckily, the Pirates have Budd Clark, and the Friars don’t.

The junior point guard from Philadelphia dominated, scoring 21 of his 31 points in the second half to power Seton Hall to an 87-80 win at Prudential Center, leveling its Big East record at 7-7.

Here are the 5 Thoughts:

1. Triple Trouble

Creighton’s comeback on Saturday to stun the Pirates was achieved in large part due to the three-point line, as the Bluejays went 3-for-5 down the stretch, plus started their comeback out of the final media timeout by hitting all three shots afforded to them at the free throw line on a cardinal sin (fouling of a three-point shooter, for those not in the know).

That trend unfortunately continued for the Hall in the first half against the Friars, who nailed five of their first six attempts from deep, and proceeded to keep on hitting to the tune of a 9-for-17 mark to lead by four at the break. More than half their shots were from distance in the first 20 minutes, and six different players hit at least one, including recently-converted walk-on Nilavan Daniels.

“We did our job hitting our short roll,” Friars head coach Kim English said after the game. “We sprayed it to our guys, our shooters, and they took and made good shots.”

The second half started the same way, as Providence hit two of its first four shots from distance to up its total to 11-for-21 for the game. The Friars would also hit their final two three-point attempts in the game, but in between those two spurts, the outside makes dried up for the visitors, who went just 1-for-11 from the 17:46 mark of the second half until the 1:54 mark on the clock.

Credit a much-needed adjustment from Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway for some of what tilted the numbers in Seton Hall's favor.

“(In) the first half, we were hard hedging way too high, and they were short rolling and the big guy was catching and just throwing it out for threes,” Holloway said. “The second half, I pushed the big guy back a little bit more, we made the guards get over the screen. I thought that was the big difference.”

The Pirates have been one of the better teams in the Big East at limiting opponents from the three-point line. Like all teams, they have had bad stretches in that regard, but they have usually contained the damage from those spurts, and tonight, being able to thwart the Friars’ deep shooting was one of the key cogs to finally being able to break through after being kept at arm’s length for the majority of the game.

The other reason? Well, he wears 0 on his back.

2. Out..of..this..Woooooooorld

After Providence wrapped him up in the first meeting back in December, allowing the talented point to score just nine points in the game (albeit including the two that sealed the game), Budd Clark potted 10 points before halftime this evening, including a step-back three-pointer that made everyone watching wish he could add to his arsenal on a regular basis.

In the second half, he took over, scoring 21 points in the final 20 minutes to finish with an eye-popping 31 for the game, a total that was one point off his overall career-high of 32 (set at Merrimack) and was also the first 30-point game by any Seton Hall player since Jared Rhoden dropped 30 on Xavier in February of 2022.

It was a sensational performance: Efficient, deadly, and multi-faceted, as Clark also added eight assists to the mix to will his team to victory. It evoked a certain future hall of Famer in English’s eyes.

“Early in the game, we wanted to go under his ball screens,” the Providence skipper said. “(We) did it some early in the game, (but) didn’t do a great job of it in the second half. Late in the game, we tried to blitz him, get the ball out of his hands, (and) did a really poor job of that as well. He was spectacular. I mean, he looked like Chris Paul.”

“I think he’s understanding the mission, understanding what I’ve been preaching to him about making people follow you,” Holloway added. “He’s not vocal, he’s more follow by his actions, but I’ve been on him to be aggressive and don’t let the game come to you. I think he’s doing a better job of that now, understanding that as he goes, we go.”

But even more than that, Clark demonstrated that he could play through foul trouble tonight. He picked up his second personal foul with a little under eight minutes to play in the first half, and Holloway left him on the floor, something he hasn’t done a ton this year. Clark made him look good by playing the ensuing five or so minutes without picking up a third foul leading into halftime. 

Then, he kept right on doing it in the second half after a semi-early third foul, and then a fourth personal foul with around five minutes to play. 

“It’s money time right now,” Holloway said of trusting Clark tonight. “It’s money time, and this is no disrespect to anybody else on our team because everybody’s all good players, but he has such a rhythm going and the team has such a rhythm going. I went with my gut and it paid off.”

Add it all up, and as another Clark some may remember from local sports reports on Channel 7 back in the day would say, Budd was “Out..of..this..Woooooooorld.”

3. Wingmen

No man is an island, and very few basketball players can do it on their own. Tonight, A.J. Staton-McCray and Tajuan Simpkins took turns complimenting Clark's wizardry. 

For the former, he put up 18 big points, knocking down three of eight from three-point range, and helping to keep Providence’s defense from throwing everyone at Clark. He’s been an impactful shooter and scorer this season, but tonight was his highest-scoring effort since dropping 18 points on Rutgers two months ago.

Simpkins was one of the heroes in the first meeting at Providence, scoring 22 in that game (then the most he’d had as a Pirate). Tonight, he had 13 points off the bench, but nine of those 13 came in the second half, yet another critical element that led to Seton Hall breaking through and finally taking the lead for good.

It can be different guys every night for Seton Hall, but Simpkins and Staton-McCray have proven to be the most consistently able to help Clark shoulder the load on offense.

And sometimes, you can get a boost from the most-unlikely sources...

4. Gift from Godswill

It’s been an odd season for sophomore center Godswill Erheriene. It started late due to injury, and one of the few returning Seton Hall players from last season has not really had a chance to get his feet under him.

Having scored two points all season long, he was called upon at the 12:15 mark in the second half with Stephon Payne a bit banged up and Najai Hines having an off night, and he delivered one of the most unexpected lifts of the season for The Hall, scoring six points with a pair of rebounds in eight minutes.

His points were also impactful, with his first basket making a one-point Seton Hall lead three points, and his second (an and-1 off an offensive rebound) turning a two-point edge into four points. His final two points came at the free throw line, where Erheriene (a 30 percent career shooter from the charity stripe) made both ends of a 1-and-1, making a two-possession game a three-possession game.

“He works hard in practice,” Staton-McCray said after the game. “We just have to keep instilling confidence in him. He came out there, and he did what he had to do today. I’m happy for him, for real."

“When you’ve got good, positive energy, that’s contagious,” Holloway said. “(Godswill)’s such a great young man, everybody’s cheering for him, I’m cheering for him. I thought it was big, but like I said, for me — and you guys are different — I expect him to do this, right? Because he did it at a high level last year, meaning, as a freshman, he played a lot. So I expect him to play, and when he doesn’t, that’s when I get disappointed. Like, I’m disappointed because he doesn’t say, ‘put me in, Coach!’ It’s just more like, ‘Steph’s playing good, Najai’s learning.’ I need him to get that fire, and hopefully tonight starts something good for him, and for us.”

5. Every Game Matters

The loss at Creighton on Saturday essentially eliminated any margin for error Seton Hall had coming down the stretch. The Pirates have two remaining chances for a Quad 1 victory: At UConn, and home against St. John’s. Both will be extremely difficult to get, but they are still there ahead of the Pirates on the schedule.

They also can’t afford slip-ups in games like tonight, nor their remaining home games against DePaul and Georgetown, and not really even against Butler and Xavier on the road. It’s a critical and long stretch run for this Pirates team that came roaring into the new year, and if there’s one lesson to be learned, both Clark and Staton-McCray alluded to it after the game tonight.

“It’s going to be a tough game every night,” Clark said. “Just gotta be ready, and tie our laces tight.”

“Every game matters, so you have to come out with that mentality every game,” Staton-McCray added. “No days off.”

Seton Hall will look to take momentum into the weekend, with a trip to Butler on tap for Saturday and revenge on its mind from a loss to the Bulldogs in Newark a few weeks back.