2014 NCAA Second Round Game Notes (.pdf)



NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team, ranked No. 2 by Bennett Rank and No. 4 by the NABC, hosts Franklin Pierce in NCAA East Regional second round action.

REGIONAL HOSTS
This is the second time in program history that Moore Field House will host a NCAA regional. The 1999-2000 team also earned the hosting honors.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Owls, 4-5 all-time, are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history. Past results are:
• 1981-82: Second Round (1-1)
• 1982-83: First Round (0-2)
• 1996-97: Elite Eight (2-1)
• 1999-00: Second Round (0-1)
• 2013-14: First Round: Defeated Bridgeport 89-73

ALL-TIME AGAINST FRANKLIN PIERCE
Franklin Pierce leads the all-time series 26-15. SCSU defeated the then-No. 21 nationally ranked Ravens 106-95 on Jan. 25.

PROGRAM RECORD
Southern Connecticut extended its school-best winning streak to 17 on Saturday. The Owls set a program record with their 13th straight victory, 99-73, versus AIC on Feb. 25. SCSU has not lost since it fell at home to Southern New Hampshire, 99-90, on Jan. 8.

IN THE BENNETT RANKINGS
SCSU checks in at No. 2 in Division II in this week's Bennett Rank poll.
•BennettRank is the only unbiased, algorithm-based college basketball ranking system in the nation that covers all 2,200 Division I, Division II and Division III men's and women's basketball teams. The organization ranks based on wins, losses, point difference per game and strength of schedule.

OWLS RANKED FOURTH IN NABC POLL
SCSU is ranked No. 4 in the March 11 edition of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll. The Owls broke into the rankings at No. 19 on Jan. 28.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Greg Langston hit the game-winning three-pointer with 6.5 seconds left as the No. 3/6 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team rallied from an eight-point second half deficit to defeat New Haven, 73-71 in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on March 8.
• The scene was set when Jeffrey Adkins, the contest's leading scorer with 28 for UNH, answered a Luke Houston trey with a running layup with 46 seconds left.
• Southern Connecticut brought the ball down and worked a three-pointer for Deshawn Murphy. The sophomore's attempt clanged off the iron into the arms of Tylon Smith. With the shot clock off, the Owls' tri-captain brought the ball out to run the clock and give Langston his moment at the top of the key.
• The ensuing running floater by Adkins was off the mark.
• The Owls earned their first NE-10 title in one of the most emotionally-charged games, which had 15 lead changes and six ties, in Moore Field House history.
• SCSU trailed seven, 58-51, with nine minutes left and the contingent of Chargers' faithful were feeling it. Not three minutes later the game was tied for the fourth time at 60 on a Murphy three-pointer, a second chance shot made possible by Houston soaring to haul in the rebound, and the Blue Crew was rocking. Michael Mallory had four of the home team's nine points during the run.
• Four Owls scored in double figures, led by 22 from Smith. The Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player had seven assists and four rebounds.
• Mallory, the 2014 NE-10 Rookie of the Year, scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The freshman earned a spot on the NE-10 All-Tournament team.
• In addition to his stellar work on defense, Houston had 13 points, while Murphy tallied 12.
• Langston, the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, was significantly hindered by the Chargers' Eric Anderson. The forward showed why he was selected the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, holding Langston to a mere six points on two-of-13 shooting.  The senior, also on the NE-10 All-Tournament Team, crashed the boards hard for the Owls securing eight rebounds, two of them offensive.
• The Owls jumped out to an early lead, leading 20-11 nine minutes in. From there, the visitors got right back into the game, going on a 10-2 run over the next 270 seconds.
• At the half, SCSU led 36-35.  Smith topped the hosts with 16 first-half points, while Adkins had 10.
• UNH had three players, Adkins, Justin Exum and Cyrus James, hit double figures. James and Adkins each had nine rebounds in the loss.
• With the victory, the Owls improved to 27-2 on the season and earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of the Conference title win.

TRIO ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Three Owls earned spots on the All-Northeast-10 Conference Tournament team.
• Tylon Smith, the team's leading scorer in two games, was named the Most Outstanding Player.
• Michael Mallory, who averaged 15.7 points during the Tournament, recorded his second career double-double in the NE-10 Semifinals versus Le Moyne on March 5.
• Greg Langston, who averaged 12.0 points and 8.3 rebounds a night during the Tournament, made the game-winning shot in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game.

HOME COURT EDGE
The Owls went 11-1 at Moore Field House in the regular season and are now 15-1 on its home court this year. SCSU won the Northeast-10 Conference Championship last weekend, playing all three games wearing the home whites.

DRIVE INTO THE TOP FIVE
Greg Langston eclipsed the 1,700 career points mark against Le Moyne on Feb. 8. The Owls' tri-captain broke the 1,500 career points mark versus Southern New Hampshire on Jan. 8. The senior currently ranks fourth on the Owls' all-time scoring chart.
1. 1,936 – Rich Radicioni, 1985-87, 1988-90
2.  1,888 – Jerritt Lewis, 1994-98
3. 1,854 – Don Perrelli, 1956-60
4. 1,848 – Greg Langston, 2010-present
5. 1,805 – T.J. Trimboli, 1996-2000

DONNELLY BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Owls' coach Michael Donnelly is in his fourth season at the helm of the SCSU men's basketball program in 2013-14. Over the course of his first four years, he has guided the Owls to steady win total improvements. Donnelly inherited a team that won just two games the year prior to his arrival and has since followed up campaigns of 12, 14 and 17 with 28 victories so far this year. The 2014 NE-10 Coach of the Year has a 71-40 record as head coach at SCSU, which includes four straight trips to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, a program first. Prior to his hiring at SCSU in May, 2010, Donnelly spent seven years as the head coach at Post University.

STREAKING
The Owls are in the midst of a school-record 17-game winning streak. SCSU won seven in a row earlier this season (Dec. 4, 2013-Jan. 8, 2014). Before this year, the last win streak of 10 games or more was in the 1999-2000 season (12).

SMITH HITS MILESTONE
Junior Tylon Smith surpassed the 1,000 career points mark on Feb. 19 versus Pace. The guard has totaled 1,101 points in his career. 

WRAPPING UP A GREAT NE-10 TOURNAMENT RUN
The Owls punched their ticket to the NE-10 Championship with a 62-55 victory over Le Moyne in the Northeast-10 Semifinals on March 5. Michael Mallory recorded his second career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds).  The Conference Rookie of the Year, who scored 15 points in the second half, effectively ended the game by completing a three-point play with 16 second left; turning a two-point lead into a five-point game.
• SCSU, in the postseason for the fourth straight season, earned their first Northeast-10 Conference Tournament victory with a 75-63 victory over Southern New Hampshire on March 2. Tylon Smith led SCSU, now 3-4 all-time, with 25 points.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Owls' head coach Michael Donnelly was named the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year on Feb. 28.

THREE OWLS ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Three players earned spots on the Northeast-10 All-Conference squads.
•Greg Langston was selected as the Conference Player of the Year.  The senior topped SCSU with 21.1 points per game.
•Tylon Smith joined Langston on the First Team. The junior finished second on the team in scoring (18.3) and led the Owls with 4.8 assists per game.
•Michael Mallory, the Conference leader in freshman scoring (15.8 ppg), was named the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year.

ON THE GLASS
Entering the NCAA Tournament, SCSU averaged 43.1 boards per game, tops in the Northeast-10 Conference. Greg Langston tops the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.

OWLS AMONG NCAA LEADERS
• Greg Langston ranks 33rd in Division II averaging 20.7 points per game (as of March 6).
• Luke Houston ranks 16th in total steals (63).

ONE OF A KIND
Tylon Smith is the only player in Division II with 18.5+ points per game, 5.0+ rebounds per game and 4.5+ assists per game. (As of March 3).

DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Southern Connecticut won its first NE-10 divisional title this year, winning the Southwest Division by four games. SCSU went 18-2 in Conference play.

SENIOR SENDOFF
Playing his final regular season home game, Greg Langston set a new career-high with 35 points to help the Owls defeat AIC, 99-73. 
•The senior, who tallied the team's first 16 points, knocked down his first six shots.
•At the half, the Owls' tri-captain had 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting as Southern Connecticut led 55-36.
•SCSU, winners of a school-record 13 straight, had five players in double figures in the contest.
•Michael Mallory had 13 points, while Tylon Smith, Jose Cruz and Deshawn Murphy each scored 11 points.

CRUZZZZZZZZ
Jose Cruz set a new career high with 11 points versus AIC on Feb. 22. The forward also grabbed five rebounds in the win.

MALLORY SCORING OFF THE BENCH
Michael Mallory scored more than 20 points in four straight games (Feb. 1-Feb.15). The freshman had 20 in both the home win over Assumption on Feb. 1 and the road win at New Haven on Feb. 4, before setting new career-highs with 27 versus Le Moyne on Feb. 8 and 30 at Adelphi on Feb. 15. For the four contests, Mallory, who has netted at least 10 points a night during the Owls' 17-game winning streak, averaged 24.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The Northeast-10 selected Mallory as its Spalding Rookie of the Week for two straight weeks, following the games against New Haven and Le Moyne and and the contest at Adelphi.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
Many Owls finished among the NE-10 leaders in the regular season statistics.
•Greg Langston placed second in scoring average (21.1).
•Tylon Smith was fifth in scoring (18.3) and fourth in both shooting percentage (55.5%) and assists (4.8).
•Michael Mallory led all freshmen (16th overall) with 15.8 points per game.
• Luke Houston finished second in steals per contest (2.3).

SMITH NAMED TO CoSIDA ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Tylon Smith was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II basketball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Feb. 19.  The recreation and leisure studies major holds a 3.68 GPA.

LANGSTON EARNS NE-10 HONORS
Greg Langston has been named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll 13 times this season (date honored in parentheses):
• Averaged 27.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in pair of victories (March 3).
• Averaged 17.0 points and 4.0 steals in a 2-0 week for the Owls (Feb. 23).
• Surpassed the 1,700 career points mark vs. Le Moyne on Feb. 8 (Feb. 10).
• Averaged 26 points per game in a pair of Owls wins.  Pours in a game-high 33 points in road win at No. 21 Franklin Pierce on Jan. 25 (Jan. 27).
• Averaged 18.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game as SCSU goes 2-0 for the week (Jan. 20).
• Leading scorer versus Southern New Hampshire and at Bentley (Jan. 13).
• Averaged 21.5 points per game as the Owls won both games at the Clancy Tournament (Jan. 6).
• Recorded his seventh career double-double: grabbing 15 rebounds to go along with a game-high 27 points, in the Owls' come from behind overtime victory against New Haven on Dec. 22 (Dec. 23).
• Totaled 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half in the Owls' 76-65 win over Saint Rose on Dec. 4, a few days before leading all scorers with 24 at AIC on Dec. 7 (Dec. 9).
• Against Pace on Nov. 26, the senior recorded a double-double in defeat. Langston, who led all scorers with 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and was one of five players to score in double figures for Southern Connecticut (Dec. 2.).
• In the Owls' 80-52 victory over Adelphi on Nov. 20,  Langston topped all scorers with 24 points. The Owls' senior, who went 12-for-19 from the floor, also grabbed six rebounds (Nov. 25).
• In the Owls' 98-74 victory over Concordia on Nov. 15,  Langston led all scorers with 28 points. The senior guard also had six rebounds and dished out three assists (Nov. 18).
• Averaged 25.0 points per game at the Bridgeport Classic (Nov. 11).

20 WINS
This is the sixth time in program history that SCSU has won 20 games in a season. The Owls have earned a spot in the postseason (NCAA five times, ECAC once) every time it previously hit that total.

SMITH NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tylon Smith was named the Spalding Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 3. The junior led the Owls in scoring in wins at Merrimack and versus Assumption.
• Deshawn Murphy was also named to the weekly honor roll.

ASSERTIVE SMITH
Heading into the final month of the regular season, Tylon Smith set a season-high in field goal attempts. The junior, who took 331 shots through March 6, had a previous season-high of 193 in 2012-13.

NE-10 COMMISSIONER'S HONOR ROLL
Six members of the team were named to the Fall 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.
• Freshman forward Austin Carter and junior guard Tylon Smith finished the semester with a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99.
• Student-athletes whose semester GPA fell between 3.00 and 3.49 were freshman guard Michael Bozzuto, junior forward Luke Houston, sophomore forward Deshawn Murphy and redshirt-freshman center Lucas Van Nes.

CAPTAINS CARRY THE LOAD
Owls' tri-captains Greg Langston, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith have carried the scoring load for the team. At the Bridgeport Tournament, the three guards accounted for just shy of 69% of SCSU's points.
• Langston, leads the Owls averaging 20.2 points per game, second in the Northeast-10 Conference.
• Smith, who set a team-high with 37 points versus Bridgeport on Dec. 16, leads the team with 4.8 assists per game.
• Houston, who recorded a double-double at Bentley, tops SCSU with 2.2 steals per game. (All stats as of March 9).

MALLORY MAKES A MARK
Freshman guard Michael Mallory has stepped right into the Owls' rotation this season. He finished with 17 points, along with six rebounds, in the season-opener against Molloy. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Mallory has averaged 15.8 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game.

100 NOTES
For the first time since the 1974-75 season, Southern Connecticut broke the century mark in consecutive games. The Owls followed up a 110-point showing in a win over Stonehill on Jan. 22 with 106 points in the road victory at No. 21 Franklin Pierce on Jan. 25.
• During the middle of January, the Owls surpassed the 100 point mark in three out of four contests.
• SCSU just missed triple digits in the 99-73 victory over AIC on Feb. 25.
• The extra made free throw versus the Yellow Jackets would have tied a program record set during the 1956-57 season.

WINNING SEASON
With the win over Stonehill on Jan. 22, the Owls secured their third straight winning season. The program last recorded three consecutive winning seasons from 1999-2000 to 2001-2002.

MALLORY NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
For the second time this month, Michael Mallory was selected as the Spalding Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week on Jan. 20. The freshman, who equaled a career-high with 26 points vs. Saint Michael's on Jan. 18, recorded his first career double-double, 17 points and 11 rebounds, in the win at Saint Anselm on Jan. 14.
• Tylon Smith and Greg Langston earned a selection to the NE-10 weekly honor roll for their efforts.

HISTORIC WIN
SCSU got back into the win column on Jan. 11 beating Bentley 88-76. This was the first road victory for the Owls in Waltham since the 1989-90 season.

BUCKETS AND BOARDS
Luke Houston recorded double-doubles in each of the Owls' games the week of Jan. 12. The junior had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the home loss to Southern New Hampshire on Jan. 8 and 15 points and 10 rebounds in the road win over Bentley on Jan. 11.  Houston earned Northeast-10 Conference weekly honors for his efforts.

CRUZ CONTROL
Jose Cruz set season-highs of eight points and seven rebounds at Bentley on Jan. 11.  The seven boards were also a career-best.

GREAT GREG
Greg Langston led the Owls in scoring against both Southern New Hampshire (27 points) and Bentley (26 points). The senior has topped the team in scoring in 13 contests this season.

MALLORY NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Michael Mallory was selected as the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week on Jan. 6. The freshman, who set a career-high with 26 points at Dominican on Jan. 4, averaged 21.0 points in the Owls pair of wins at the Clancy Tournament.

AT THE CLANCY TOURNAMENT
The Owls picked up a pair on victories at the Clancy Tournament, hosted by Dominican College.
• Five players scored in double figures as Southern Connecticut defeated Post, 90-73, in the opening game of the tournament on Jan. 3.
• SCSU, which scored 52 second half points to overcome a halftime deficit, received a game-high 21 points from Greg Langston and 18 from Luke Houston.
• Michael Mallory came off the bench to tally 16 points, while Tylon Smith and Deshawn Murphy chipped in with 14 and 12 points respectively.
• Southern Connecticut closed the game on a 29-8 run to open up what was a back and forth contest. Langston recorded eight of his points during the run. 
• The following night Mallory scored a game-high 26 points off the bench to help the Owls defeat Dominican, 83-75.
• The freshman, one of three Owls to eclipse the 20 point plateau, also grabbed five rebounds and had three steals with his career-high point total.
• Langston and Smith each tallied 22 points in the victory, while Houston grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

HISTORIC OPENER
This season marked the first time that the Owls have won 11 of their first 12 games this millenium. Southern Connecticut last had a record of 11-1 in the 1996-97 season.

MURPHY'S LAW
Deshawn Murphy averaged 20.4 points per game as Southern Connecticut had a perfect December.
• In the Owls' 70-69 Northeast-10 Conference victory at Le Moyne on Dec. 19. Murphy led all scorers with 30 points as SCSU rallied from a 13 point halftime deficit to escape. The sophomore recorded 25 points in the final period.
•Murphy scored 21 in the Owls' 82-74 overtime win versus New Haven on Dec. 22.
•The sophomore recorded his first career double-double, scoring 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds, in the Owls' win over AIC, 80-70, on Dec. 7. 
• Murphy was named to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll for his performance in NE-10 games against Saint Rose and AIC and again for the the three games versus Bridgeport, Le Moyne, New Haven.

LANGSTON LEADS OWLS BACK
Greg Langston scored 16 points in the second half in overtime to help the Owls erase a double digit second half deficit to defeat New Haven 82-74 in overtime on Dec. 22.

ON BOARD
Greg Langston's 15 rebounds in the win over New Haven on Dec. 22, were the most since Dexton Williamson grabbed 16 at Adelphi, on Dec. 1, 2010.

SMITH SETS CAREER-HIGH IN BRIDGEPORT WIN
Tylon Smith tallied a career-high 37 points to spur the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team to a 97-90 non-conference victory over Bridgeport on Dec. 16. The Owls' tri-captain went 12-of-15 from the floor and 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Smith also grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE
The Dec. 7 victory marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that Southern Connecticut won at AIC.

WELCOME BACK
Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy made an impact when they returned to the court in early December.
• Murphy scored 15 points off the bench against Saint Rose on Dec. 4 and then recorded a double-double, scoring 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds, when he started in the Owls win over AIC, 80-70, on Dec. 7.  It was the sophomore's first career double-double.
• McCarthy grabbed a career-high seven rebounds against Saint Rose on Dec. 4.

BALANCED ATTACK
The Owls had five players score in double figures in three of the first five games.

WILLIAMS CRASHES THE BOARDS
Stefon Williams recorded season-high 14 points and seven rebounds at Pace on Nov. 26. The sophomore had a team-high 10 rebounds in the exhibition against UConn.

LANGSTON DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Greg Langston tallied the sixth double-double (25 points, 14 rebounds) of his career at Pace on Nov. 26 and seventh versus New Haven (27 points, 15 rebounds) on Dec. 22.

HOUSTON EARNS NE-10 HONORS
Luke Houston was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Nov. 18.
• Houston recorded a double-double for the Owls against Concordia. The junior scored 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

SMITH NAMED NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tylon Smith, instrumental in SCSU earning two victories at the Bridgeport Men's Basketball Classic, was named the Northeast-10 Spalding Player of the Week on Nov. 11.
• In the Owls' 93-77 win over Molloy, the junior registered 22 points along with team-highs of 10 assists and eight rebounds. It was the seventh career double-double for the Owls' tri-captain.
• The following night, Smith had 12 of his 19 points in the second half to help SCSU earn the victory over Bridgeport, 77-73. The Owls' guard grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists.

SCSU WINS TWICE AT BRIDGEPORT CLASSIC
Southern Connecticut opened the 2013-14 season with two victories at the Bridgeport Men's Basketball Classic, defeating Molloy, 93-77, on Nov. 9 and host Bridgeport, 77-73, on Nov. 10.
• Against Molloy, five players scored in double figures, led by a double-double from tri-captain Tylon Smith. The junior guard registered 22 points along with team-highs of 10 assists and eight rebounds. Greg Langston led all scorers in the game with 24 points. Luke Houston and Michael Mallory each posted 17 for the Owls, while Stefon Williams added 10.
• The following night, Smith had 12 of his 19 points in the second half to help SCSU earn the victory over Bridgeport. The guard grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists. Greg Langston led all scorers with 26 points. The senior guard also grabbed six rebounds.

IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
In the release of the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll, the Owls were picked second in the Southwest Division. SCSU received 70 points, including one first place vote, tied for second with Saint Rose and behind the University of New Haven. 

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 28-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last four season openers, including an 93-77 win over Molloy to start this year.

A LOOK BACK AT THE URI GAME
SCSU held a one-point lead at halftime, but the University of Rhode Island outscored the Owls by a 52-35 margin the second half to claim a 93-77 win in an exhibition contest on Nov. 1.
• Greg Langston led the Owls with 21 points in the contest. Michael Mallory added 19 points and five rebounds, while Tylon Smith chipped in 12 points, along with team-highs of seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

A LOOK BACK AT THE UCONN GAME
Senior forward Greg Langston finished with 18 points, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team dropped a 93-65 decision to No. 18/19 nationally ranked University of Connecticut in an exhibition contest on Oct. 30.
• Michael Mallory also reached double figures in the contest as he scored 13 for the Owls. Luke Houston and Austin Carter added nine points each.
• After a jumper from UConn's Shabazz Napier to open the scoring, the Owls went in front on a three-pointer from Langston. The Huskies followed with an 8-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. Southern Connecticut countered with a spurt to cut the gap to 18-14 with just over nine minutes left in the opening frame. The lead was just 23-16 approaching the eight minute timeout.
• However, the Huskies closed the half on a spurt that allowed them to extend their lead to 44-28 at the break.
• The Huskies outscored the Owls by a 49-37 margin in the second half to make it a 93-65 final.

MAKING STRIDES ON THE GLASS
Southern Connecticut outrebounded UConn by a 48-43 margin in its exhibition opener.

NEW ARRIVALS
The Owls welcome five newcomers to the squad for the 2013-14 season - Michael Mallory, Austin Carter, Michael Bozzuto, Jonathan Paul and Dominic Migliaro.

HELLO AGAIN
Southern Connecticut returns eight players from last year's squad - senior Greg Langston, juniors Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith and sophomores Stefon Williams, Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy and redshirt freshman Lucas Van Nes.

THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Michael Donnelly announced that senior Greg Langston and juniors Tylon Smith and Luke Houston will serve as team captains for the 2013-14 season.

ON THE BRINK
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team just missed out in its first NCAA Tournament berth in more than a decade. The Owls were ranked as high as No. 4 in the region during the year and closed the campaign with a 17-10 overall mark. It marked the second straight year that the Owls posted a winning record. In addition, the team also finished in fifth place in the Northeast-10 Conference, matching its highest placement since joining the league.

SMITH NAMED TO NE-10 MEN'S HOOPS ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Tylon Smith was selected to the 2012-13 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball All-Academic Team for his work in the classroom and on the court. He averaged 10.2 points per game and had a team-high 6.8 rebounds.

UP NEXT
The NCAA East Regional final will pit the winner of SCSU/Franklin Pierce versus the winner of Saint Anselm/Bloomfield  Time of tip-off is slated for Tuesday at 7 p.m.