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GOING DANCING
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team has earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls will travel to Holy Family, the host school, to play St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday at 12 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of St. Anselm and Philadelphia U. on Sunday, March 13.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
The Spartans are winners of the East Coast Conference and have not lost a game since December 19.
• The Owls and Spartans have played eight games against six common opponents. Southern Connecticut is 7-1 in those games, STAC is 6-2.
• St. Thomas Aquinas has three players who average double figures in points. Justin Reyes averages 17.1 ppg on 60-percent shooting and 10.2 rebounds. Chaz Walter puts up 15.2 ppg and Shaquille McFarlan scores 10.6 ppg.
• The Spartans score an average of 81.5 ppg, fourth in the ECC. That would place them fifth in the NE-10. Southern Connecticut shoots a slightly lower percentage from the eld but averages 11 more shots per game than STAC.

ALL-TIME vs. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
The Owls are 2-0 all-time against the Spartans, with the last game being played in the 2010-11 season.

BACK TO BACK TO BACK
This is the third straight year the men's basketball team has earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, a program first.

THREE YEARS OF SWEETNESS
The Owls are looking to make it to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.

FOUR OWLS EARN CONFERENCE HONORS
• Desmond Williams has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year. He is the second Southern Connecticut State player to be honored with the award (Greg Langston in 2014). Williams was among the conference leaders in both points and rebounds and nearly averaged a double-double as a senior with 22.3 ppg and 9.9 rpg. He recorded the seventh-best single-game point total (40) in program history and also put up double-doubles in 16 of the Owls' 29 games this season.
• Michael Mallory was named First-Team All-Conference, the third straight year he has received a Conference honor. He finished second in the conference in regular season points per game (22.5), fourth in assists per game (4.5) and first in three-pointers made (87). He also owns the best and fourth- best single-game program scoring records with 47 and 43 points, respectively, and is the program's all-time leader in three-pointers.
• Austin Carter earned the Defensive Player of the Year Award. He averaged 9.6 ppg (third on the team), 7.4 rpg (second on the team) and 2.1 bpg (second in the conference). He also posted new single-game career highs in points (20), rebounds (18) and assists (5).
• Joey Wallace earned a spot on the All-Rookie team after averaging 7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.3 apg. He saw his assist numbers spike in the second half of the year after seeing more time as a point guard. He recorded a double-double on 1/20 against Southern New Hampshire with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

NE-10 SOUTHWEST DIVISION THREE-PEAT
This is the third straight season the Owls have been Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division Champions.

ECC AGAIN?!
This will be the third consecutive season Southern Connecticut will face a team from the East Coast Conference in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Owls picked up first round wins in each of the last two seasons.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Owls, 8-6 all-time, are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh 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
  • Second Round: Defeated Franklin Pierce, 79-77
  • Sweet 16: Defeated Saint Anselm, 78-72
  • Elite Eight: Lost to Central Missouri, 98-88
• 2014-15: First Round: Defeated Bridgeport, 88-75
  • Second Round: Defeated AIC, 86-65
  • Sweet 16: Lost to Southern NH, 75-58

DESMOND WILLIAMS JOINS THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
Desmond Williams is the 29th player in program history to score 1,000 points in his career. After transferring to Southern before his junior year, he put up 357 in his first year and 660 so far in his second and final season with the Owls.

D. WILLIAMS CLOSE TO ANOTHER HISTORICAL MARK
Desmond Williams is six rebounds away from becoming the 14th player in program history with 500 career rebounds.

LOOKING BACK AT THE NE-10 TOURNEY
The Owls dropped their opening round game in the NE-10 Conference Tournament against Southern New Hampshire, 107-104, in overtime.
• Desmond Williams and Michael Mallory each scored over 30 points, and Williams added 11 rebounds. Twenty-nine of Mallory's points came in the second half.
• The Owls held a nine point lead at the half and extended it to as much as 17 in the second half, but the Penmen tied it up at 84 with 5:17 remaining.
• An Austin Carter dunk gave SCSU a three point lead with four seconds left, but SNHU's Rodney Sanders hit a game- tying three pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
• In the extra frame, there were eight lead changes and four ties. Down one late in OT, Southern New Hampshire's Adrian Oliveira nailed a three to give the Penmen a one point lead. Mallory missed a three on the other end as time wound down.

MALLORY PASSES FORMER TEAMMATE SMITH ON ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
After scoring 33 points against SNHU, Michael Mallory passed his former teammate Tylon Smith for eighth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,768 points.

AMONG THE REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE LEADERS
• Desmond Williams finished the regular season ranked third in the Northeast-10 in scoring (22.3 ppg), second in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and first in steals (2.4 spg). Williams also posted 4.0 assists per game, sixth in the conference.
• Michael Mallory edged out Williams in points, averaging 22.5 per contest, second in the conference and 0.2 behind first place. Mallory also averaged 4.5 assists a game, good for fourth in the NE-10, and made more three-pointers (87) than any other player in the conference.
• Mallory and Williams finished first and second in the most total points this season with 629 and 624, respectively.
• Stefon Williams recorded the highest shooting percentage at 59.2-percent for the year.
• Austin Carter finished second in blocks per game at 2.1.

D. WILLIAMS EARNS NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME
Desmond Williams was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week after he recorded a double-double in all of Southern Connecticut's final three regular season games. He averaged 24.3 points and 10.7 rebounds for the week as he finished the regular season with 16 double-doubles. Williams' best line was 30 points and 11 boards on 52-percent shooting from the eld in a win at Pace.

D. WILLIAMS NAMED ECAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Desmond Williams was named ECAC DII Player of the Week on March 1 after averaging 33.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a 1-1 week for the Owls. He scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds in a win in the regular season finale at Pace. On Sunday in the NE-10 quarter finals against Southern New Hampshire, he scored 36 points and hauled in 11 rebounds. Williams hit on 23-of-50 eld goals, 5-of-11 three-pointers and 15-of-18 free throws over the two games.

CLOSING OUT THE REGULAR SEASON WITH A WIN
Southern Connecticut had a come-from-behind 74-69 win over Pace on Tuesday, February 23. The Owls trailed most of the second half but tied the score at 66 with 3:09 remaining in the game. A Desmond Williams layup put SCSU up two, and free throws by Williams and Michael Mallory sealed the eventual win over the Setters.
• Southern Connecticut recorded 20 offensive rebounds in the game which led to 21 second chance points. The team also had 46 points in the paint.

EARNING THE TOP SEED ON SENIOR DAY
Southern Connecticut came away with an 83-70 win over Le Moyne on Senior Day on February 20. Desmond Williams posted his fifteenth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Mallory had a game high 27 points. Austin Carter also had a double-double, the second of his career, with 13 points and 10 boards, making all six of his shots.
• The Owls were up 36-34 at the half but would take control in the second half. They shot 62-percent from both the eld and beyond the arc in the second frame, while holding Le Moyne to 43-percent shooting.

DEFEATING RIVAL NEW HAVEN
Southern Connecticut earned the 86-71 win over the Chargers behind Michael Mallory's 29 points. He went 11- of-18 from the eld and 5-of-10 from deep.
• Desmond Williams posted his 14th double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Owls committed four turnovers - tied for the lowest amount all season.
• SCSU held UNH to 39-percent shooting from the floor - the fifth time the team has held an opponent to under 40-percent this season.
• Southern went on a 12-0 run to take a 51-34 lead at halftime. It extended its lead to as much as 20 in the second half en route to the win.

WILLIAMS' BIG ENDING SEND OWLS PAST AIC
Desmond Williams scored the final 13 points for the Owls as they held on to seal an 89-77 win over AIC. It was the second time SCSU defeated the Yellow Jackets this season. Williams finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, his 13th double- double of the year.
• Austin Carter added 18 points and 18 rebounds - that tied his rebounding high and was two points shy of his career high.
• AIC cut Southern's lead to five with 3:51 left. Then, Williams scored seven straight points as the Owls regained momentum. After the Yellow Jackets hit a eld goal and some foul shots, Williams nailed a three-pointer and some free throws to close out the game.
• Joey Wallace added nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists (a career high) for arguably his best game as an Owl.
• The Owls were down 42-40 midway through the first half until Scott Burrell's bench sent them on a 10-2 run. Isaiah McLeod, Brett Buser and Eric Ross all hit shots to give SCSU a 50-44 lead at the half.

MALLORY SETS NEW PROGRAM RECORD IN WIN
Michael Mallory scored an SCSU high 47 points in the Owls' 113-111 double overtime win at Bentley on January 30. Twenty-two of those points came in the overtime periods and 30 of them came from three-point range.
• Desmond Williams and Stefon Williams are the only other players with points in overtime - they each had two. • D. Williams quietly posted his 11th double-double with 36 points and 15 boards.
• There were 12 ties and 10 lead changes in the game. Mallory hit back-to-back treys to give the Owls a six point lead with 2:10 left. The Owls held on after Keegan Hyland missed a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

MALLORY - ONE OF DII's BEST
Michael Mallory scored 47 points against Bentley on January 30- the second highest point total in Division II at that point in the season. He was also the first of five DII players with two 40+ point games this season.

PROGRAM RECORDS BROKEN AGAINST BENTLEY
• Michael Mallory's 47 points is a new program high.
• Mallory's 16 made eld goals are third most all-time, and 41 field goals attempted are the most in program history.
• 113 points is the eighth most in program history.
• 43 field goals made is tied for the fourth most in program history, and 102 team field goal attempts is the second most in program history.
• 37 three-pointers attempted is the third most in program history.

MALLORY BECOMES SCSU ALL-TIME THREE-POINT KING
Michael Mallory is first in program history in both career three-pointers made and attempted. He passed T.J. Trimboli for first on the list in three-pointers made on January 20 against Southern New Hampshire.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Isaiah McLeod and Joey Wallace both averaged over 20 minutes per game in Southern's rst two games this season. McLeod averaged 15 points and three assists in two games, while Wallace had an average of nine points, two and a half rebounds and two assists.
• McLeod had a big game against Dominican on Saturday, scoring 19 points in 18 minutes of 7-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from deep.
• Wallace scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Bridgeport on Sunday, including 10 points in the close second half.

RECAPPING LAST YEAR
The Owls are coming o a year in which they went 24-8, finished first in the NE-10 Conference Southwest Division and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. It was the second straight year and the third time in program history Southern Connecticut made it that far in the national tournament. The Owls were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national rankings last season.

PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Owls were ranked No. 19 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Poll. The team is also ranked first in the Southwest Division in the NE-10 Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll and 13th in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll.

OWLS WELCOME STATE STAR
To replace Mike Donnelly who left to become the head coach at Florida Southern College, Southern Connecticut hired Scott Burrell, who spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University. Burrell was a first-round draft pick (20th overall) of the Charlotte Hornets in the 1993 NBA Draft and played for a total of four teams in the NBA over a fourteen year professional career. He also spent five years playing professionally in Japan, Spain, the Philippines and China before becoming an assistant coach with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Developmental League. In his eight years at Division I QU, the Bobcats won 143 games and made it to the postseason four times. Quinnipiac also moved conferences from the Northeast Conference to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference during Burrell's tenure.

MALLORY PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Michael Mallory has been named a preseason All-American by The Sporting News and The Basketball Times. Mallory earned Third-Team All-Conference honors last season and set a single-season program record of 90 three-pointers made.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Southern Connecticut went 11-3 at Moore Field House this season, improving on their 10-4 home record from last season. The Owls also did not drop a home conference game, going 9-0 against NE-10 opponents.

STARTING OFF STRONG
The Owls have not lost a season opener in six seasons. In that time, Southern has beaten Chestnut Hill, Post, Goldey- Beacom, Molloy, Dowling and Dominican.

NEWCOMERS
The Owls welcomed five new players to the team this year, including transfers Eric Ross and Brett Buser and freshmen Isaiah McLeod, Joey Wallace and Toby Christensen.

WELCOME BACK
Southern Connecticut returns nine players from last year's squad - seniors Desmond Williams, Stefon Williams and Jack McCarthy, and juniors Michael Bozzuto, Austin Carter, Michael Mallory, Dominic Migliaro, Jonathan Paul and Lucas Van Nes.

THRIVING IN THE CLASSROOM
All nine returning members of last year's team were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during the course of the 2014-15 academic year. Student- athletes must maintain a semester average of at least 3.0 in order to be eligible for this honor.