COLCHESTER, Vt. – The magical season for Post University Men's Basketball came to a close on Sunday evening in the NCAA East Region Semifinals as a furious late-game rally by the seventh-seeded Eagles fell short against three-seeded Southern New Hampshire at the Ross Sports Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College, 69-64.
THE BASICS
Post University 64, Southern New Hampshire University 69
Post University (21-10)
Southern New Hampshire University (23-10)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After scoring 31 points a day ago, junior forward Deng Deang would struggle in the first half of this game, as would much of the Post offense. Deang had just five points on 1-of-6 shooting with 1-of-4 threes made while junior point guard Bol Akot had a team-high six points on 3-of-7 shooting. Standing out the most from the first 20 minutes was the 11-of-31 (35.5%) shooting performance for the Eagles from the floor while only hitting 4-of-11 threes (36.4%) as well.
The seven-man rotation for the Penmen proved to work out well as they shot 13-for-26 (50%) with just under half of those made baskets coming from beyond the arc in which they were 7-for-15 (46.7%). All seven Southern New Hampshire players who got into the game scored points with senior guard Preston Santos and junior forward Jordan Brathwaite leading the way with seven each on a combined 4-for-7 shooting with three shots from three-point land made.
While the Eagles would get the opening basket with 19:10 left in the half to make it a 2-0 game, that was the only time they would lead in the first 20 minutes of play. Post would trail by as many as 13 points with 41 seconds left before senior forward Derrick Thomas II nailed a three to cut the deficit back to 10 points, 39-29, heading into the break. Eight first-half fouls for the Eagles led to nine free throws for the Penmen in which they converted on six shots compared to just six fouls for six free throws on the Post side resulting in three baskets.
Momentum to start the second half would heavily favor Post with an 8-0 run off the back of a pair of threes by junior point guard Robert Sanders and graduate forward Harrison Warnock as well as a basket by Deang. With a chance to tie following a steal by Sanders, the junior would go up for the dunk and miss off the back rim, shifting momentum back in favor of the Penmen. That missed dunk would be followed by a trio of threes from graduate guard Matt Becht and another from senior guard Noah Kamba that turned what was nearly a tie game into an eight-point lead, 51-43, for Southern New Hampshire.
An ensuing 6-0 run for the Eagles once again brought them within two, 51-49, with 8:19 left, but the Penmen continued to counter every punch that Post hit them with. After Sanders made it a one-point deficit, 53-52, a slow 9-0 run for Southern New Hampshire gave them a double-digit lead with under four to go in regulation.
But unrelenting, another 8-0 run for Post brought it back to a two-point game after Akot made one of his two free throws. Later on, Akot brought the Eagles to within three, 67-64, with 26 seconds left after his jumper and a steal by junior guard Quest Harris gave Post the opportunity to tie. Almost immediately, Deang would fire a three on the next possession and miss but two missed free throws by Kamba gave the Eagles one last chance.
The ball would go to Deang again for a chance to tie and it would be redirected in midair, falling short of the basket and going back to the Penmen who hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left to advance to the East Region Finals on Tuesday with a 69-64 win that ended Post's season.
BY THE NUMBERS
- In the defeat, Post shot the ball 22 more times from the floor than Southern New Hampshire and also missed six free throws – including a few crucial ones down the stretch in the loss
- When trailing at the half, Post University finished the season with a 7-7 record while going 14-1 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when tied
- With 21 wins this season, Post University Men's Basketball set a new single-season record for most wins since joining NCAA Division II (21 Wins in NAIA under Tom Curle in the 1998-99 season)
- Post University falls to 1-11 against Southern New Hampshire with the lone win coming on December 10th, 2022, a 71-61 win, on the road against the Penmen
WHO'S NEXT
Post University will await the winner of top-seeded Saint Michael's College and four-seeded Daemen University for the East Region Final set to take place on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. The Eagles faced the Wildcats in the regular season as well, falling 71-55 on the road which moved them to 0-2 in the all-time series. Against the Purple Knights, Post is 0-5 all-time having lost in their most recent matchup during the 2021-22 season up in Vermont, 83-77.
