WBB: Little East

[7express]

Sat results:

Complete opposite in the LEC today.  On the men's side the "closest" game was Western's 18 point win over Dartmouth.  On the women's side, take out RIC's beating of Boston, the other 3 games were decided by a combined 8 points.  Lets start with 1 of those 3...

Plymouth 55-53.
Saved their season, and its sad to watch this Eastern team right now.  What a mess!  I think they still may make it anyways, but it just made their life tougher.  Tiffany Lewis won the game for the Panthers with a 3 with 34 seconds to play for the eventual winner.  Shannon McCourt recorded another double double (14 and 12), but the team shoots just 1-12 from 3 point range. 

Keene 49-46 over USM.
How does Keene score 49 points and shoot only 27.7% from the field yet they still won??  Keene still alive to sneak in the backdoor and steal the conference from RIC, especially when they play the final game of the season, and RIC heads up to Gorham Saturday.  USM needs a lot of help now.

Dartmouth 60-57 over Western.
5 of our 8 losses, and 3 of our 5 in conference have been by 5or less including the last 2 and 3 of the last 4.  The only game that wasn't was when he had a 6 point lead with I think 8:30 left to play and we somehow ended up losing by double figures.  I'd rather lose by 30 than lose by 3 which is what's been happing lately: 1) because it takes its toll on the players.  I'm sure they'd say they can rebound better by getting blown out then by losing 4 straight, 3 of which were by 2, 3 & 3 points.  Last year we lost by 22 @ USM in Mid January, and our next loss wasn't until the first weekend of March.  You can tell this team is playing conservative their waiting for the proverbial other shoe to fall which brings up point #2 why I think losing by 30 is better then losing by three 2) If you lose by 30, you just admit the defeat and move on, losing those close games can cause you to go back and say what if which I think is why their playing conservative: Our first loss to Mount St. Mary we turned the ball over underneath our own basket in a tie game late in regulation, and MSM won it at the buzzer. 4 days later Stephanie Slonski had completed an and-1 attempt which tied up the first USM game with 26 seconds left.  The free throw would've given Western the lead and more than likely the win especially the way USM was shooting in the 2nd half; Steph misses the free throw, Courtney Cochran takes over in overtime scoring 10 of USM's 13 points and we lose by 1.  Starting off this current 4 game losing streak against RIC, we foul Courtney Burns in a tie game; she hits both free throws, we can never get off a good look at our end, lose by 2.  Last Thursday at Bridgewater, have the ball with a chance to tie after trailing by 8 just sends earlier and Caroline Brasa turns it over on a double dribble; lose that game by 5.  Unfortunately, that's the problems were faced with.  Were not gonna blow out many teams with the style we play, and likewise with our defense and ability to shoot the 3, were also hardly ever gonna get blown out either.  I've already given up hope catching Keene for the 2 seed (3 up with 4 to play), I just hope there's someway we can pass USM and end up 3rd so we won't get paired with RIC in the semi's.  Give me Keene anyday of the week; like us a team that plays good defense and is very inconsistant at scoring the ball.  Caroline Brasa leads the Colonials with 20 points.  She's listed as a sophmore, but wa injured all of last year, does she still qualify for rookie of the year??  if so, she'd be right there in the running with Shannon McCourt, Kristina Forsman, and Kirsten Morrison for rookie of the year.

RIC 70-43.
I think this team may even be better then last year's Colonial team, I'd like to see them face off.  Either way, they'll get a chance to prove it @ USM next Saturday.  Looking at the boxscore, their starters didn't much at all, if anything yet they still won by almost 30, that's scary.  Rachel Riley couldn't even hit double figures in points or rebounds (finished with 8 and 5).  Cynthia Gaudet got held way below her average with only 12; Stephanie Coro had 16, but took her 17 shot attempts to get there.  Nicole Girard finished with more turnovers then assists (albeit 2 to 1).  Kirtsen Morrison had 14 for the Beacons.

Tuesday schedule:
Eastern @ Western
Keene @ Plymouth
RIC @ Dartmouth
Boston @ USM.  I'll have predictions Monday.

Conf standings:
1) RIC 19-2 (10-0)
2) Keene 14-5 (8-2)
3) USM 16-5 (7-3)
4) Dartmouth 14-7 (5-5)
4) Western 13-8 (5-5)
6) Boston 5-15 (2-8)
6) Eastern 6-15 (2-8)
8) Plymouth 5-15 (1-9).

On the tournament front: RIC can do worse then the 3 seed, and can clinch the top seed and home court advantage that comes with it with a win on Tuesday against Dartmouth coupled with 1 Keene loss during the week: either @ Plymouth or @ Western.  RIC can also clinch it going 2-0 this week OR Keene going 0-2 AND USM losing at least once.  I'm not sure what the tiebreakers in the LEC are, but Dartmouth and Western CANNOT be separated via winning percentage against each other or against any of the other teams in the conference (each are at 0% against Keene, RIC & USM while at 100% against Eastern, Boston & Plymouth).  Chances are it's not staying that way, so luckily I don't have to figure that out  .  Boston won the first meeting between them and Eastern, and also hold the tiebreaker over Plymouth, so Boston is in control of their destiny.  USM, RIC & Keene have all clinched playoff spots, Western & Dartmouth can both clinch spots with wins Tuesday.

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Tuesday predictions:

Eastern 48 @ Western 62.
These 2 teams along with Boston playing the worst basketball is the conference at the moment.  Eastern hasn't scored more then 55 points since January 12, while Western has only given up more than 60 points 3 times in their last 12 games.  3 of 5 Western's conference losses, and 5 of 8 overall losses have been by 5 points or less including 3 of the last 4.  3 weeks ago in Willamantic, Western won by 4.

Keene 67 @ Plymouth 42.
Plymouth has won 3 straight, but Lesley, Johnson state & Eastern Connecticut shouldn't be confused for Keene state.  Keene is still in the running for the #1 seed in the LEC tournament, and a loss here would pretty much eliminate them.  Keene has won 6 straight since coming off back to back losses to Worcester state & RIC; that streak started with a 27 point home win over Plymouth.

RIC 67 @ Dartmouth 50.
This RIC team is too good and too talented to lose games like this.  RIC won by 39 and held the Corsairs to 23 points their last meeting in Providence.  I know I'm going on a limb here, but I say the Corsairs are going to do slightly better this time around.

Boston 51 @ USM 90.
Boston has lost 5 straight, starting with a 23 point loss to the Huskies at home, while USM is undefeated at home.  Looks like a total mismatch.

Massey ratings:
RIC 71-56 (92%)
USM 74-47 (99%)
Keene 68-47 (97%)
Western 69-54 (93%)

[7express]

Tuesday predictions:

Keene 77-51 over Plymouth.
Sarah Phelan lead the Owls with 16 points.  Since getting pasted at home by RIC by 31 points, Keene has won 7 straight.

Western ends their 4 game losing streak, beats Eastern 66-53.
Only 6 players played for Eastern, and Taylor McBride, Danielle Rodriguez, Kristina Forsman, and Shannon McCourt started and played all 40 minutes.  Haley Roberts came off the bench and subbed Jaymie Sommers for only 4 minutes, so the entire Eastern starting 5 played at least 36 minutes.  You think their happy they only have 3 games left??  Luckily Denise Bierly has some room on the team for a lot of first year players, get some depth at least.  Sam Riccio is out with what looks like a knee injury, I doubt we'll see her again this year.  Really sad what's happened to them the second semester.

USM 67-55 over Boston.
Kirsten Morrison with 25 and 13 to lead the Beacons.  Will be an interesting race for rookie of the year; it turns out Caroline Brasa is still eligible (she's a sophmore, but missed all of last season), because she just won the rookie of the year.  Morrison has been the most consistant all year (mainly because Caroline's been in an out), but when Caroline plays, I think she's the best freshmen in the league, and right now if the season ended today she's winning the West Conn team MVP.  Also, can't count of Dani Rodrigiuez, Shannon McCourt, Kristina Forsman, and Taylor McBride from the Warriors.  Haley Jordan and Courtney Cochran combined for 31 for the Huskies.  I know it's almost impossible, but I'd LOVE to get USM again in the tournament on a neutral court.

RIC 70-52.
If this team doesn't lose Saturday @ USM, their finishing undefeated because I doubt they lose at home to Keene or Western.  Rachel Riley just missed a double double finishing with 15 and 9.  Stephanie Coro is finally starting to turn it on (though it seems like Cynthia Gaudet is regressing); Coro had 19 points on 7-15 shooting, and lead the team in rebounds with 13 out of the guard spot.  RIC outscored them 38-20 in the 2nd half after it was tied at 32 at halftime.

No games Thursday, so next action is Saturday:
Keene @ Western
RIC @ USM
Boston @ Plymouth (virtual elimination game for Plymouth.  They lost the first meeting in Boston earlier this year)
Dartmouth @ Eastern
Best game: RIC @ USM most important: Boston @ Plymouth.  Worst game if your an offensive fan: Keene @ Western.  Both teams play good defense, and both have trouble consistantly scoring, especially Western if the 3 ball isn't falling.  That may not be a very pretty game on Saturday, points will probably be at a premium.

Standings:
1) RIC 20-2 (9-0)
2) Keene 15-5 (9-2)
3) USM 17-5 (8-3)
4) Western 14-8 (6-5)
5) Dartmouth 14-8 (5-6)
6) Eastern 6-16 (2-9)
6) Boston 5-16 (2-9)
8) Plymouth 5-16 (1-0)
Boston has the tiebreaker over Eastern due to their 1-0 season series record.  Eastern has a win over USM from back in December when they had their full compliment of players which will come in handy if they tie either Plymouth or Boston.

Tournament:
RIC would host, Keene joins them in the semi's.  Boston @ USM (3 vs 6) and Dartmouth @ Western (4/5 game) open up the tournament.

[7express]

My predictions for the rest of the season:
RIC beats Western & Keene, loses to USM finishes 13-1
Keene beats Eastern loses to Western and RIC finishes 10-4
USM beats RIC, Plymouth and Dartmouth finishes 11-3
Western beats Keene and Plymouth loses to RIC finishes 8-6
Dartmouth beats Eastern and Boston, loses to USM finishes 7-7
Eastern loses to Dartmouth, Keene and Boston finishes 2-12
Boston beats Eastern loses to Plymouth and Boston finishes 3-11
Plymouth beats Boston loses to USM and Western finishes 2-12.

Race for the last spot (between Boston, Plymouth & eastern), the final bye (Keene & USM) and the final home game in round 1 (Dartmouth & Western) are the races to keep an eye on.  RIC needs to lose to USM, somehow lose to Keene and or Western at home, winning both previous meetings on the road (including in Keene by 31) AND Keene winning @ Western.  Even though they haven't officially clinched yet, and may not even clinch it on Saturday (need to beat USM AND have Keene lose), I think we can safely say the tournament is going through Providence, because as I said they need to lose BOTH games in Providence, something they haven't done all year, and haven't won a home contest by less than 9 (haven't won an LEC home game by less than 23).  HOWEVER, if I'm RIC I want this thing over with Saturday, if I'm them I'm a big Western fan on Saturday.  Western gave them by far their toughest win of the season, and even though we don't shoot the ball particularly well, if were shooting the 3 it can wind up being a long night, and even if we don't, our defense is enough to keep us into the game until the end, and how will RIC be respond if somehow the conference is tied going into the last day of the season, especially considering they were running through it the whole year??  Keene would have abolsutely nothing to lose that game either if both went into that game with identical 11-2 conference marks.

[7express]

Regional rankings released today and 3 LEC teams in the ranking, RIC at 2, USM at 7, Keene at 9.  I find it funny how RIC is #2 in New England (one of the strongest regions in the country if not strongest) yet their not in the top 25 and up until 2 weeks ago hadn't even recieved a single vote for the poll.  Judging by the rankings RIC is fine for a pool C, USM is on that cusp (6 to 8 is usually the magic number between who's in and who's out).  Keene is heading back to the ECAC (if they take the bid).  Only chance they have at getting a bid is if they beat RIC AND make the LEC championship game and even then it may not be enough.
My opinions: RIC is all but a lock to get into the field, if USM can finish the regular season unbeaten their more then likely in, just because they would've had wins over Bowdoin (even though they only rank 10 Bowdoin's probably 11th), Colby (#10), RIC (#2) and Babson (#3).  Keene has to beat RIC and make the championship game.

Only way I see the LEC being a 1 bid league is if RIC beats USM Saturday, USM loses to either Dartmouth in the season finale OR Keene state in the semi's, and Keene loses to RIC next Saturday and then loses again in Providence a week later.  I think either USM or Keene joins RIC in the tournament.

Here's the rest of the rankings btw:
Northeast
1 Amherst 20-0 22-0
2 Rhode Island College 19-2 19-2
3 Babson 17-2 18-2
4 Tufts 18-4 18-5
5 Williams 16-4 18-4
6 University of New England 17-4 17-4
7 Southern Maine 15-5 16-5
8 Connecticut College 15-4 16-4
9 Keene State 14-4 14-5
10 Colby 15-5 15-5

[7express]

Sat predictions:

Keene 52 @ Western 57.
Even though Western is eliminated from clinching the top 2 spots, were still in the running for that final home slot, as we sit 1 up on Dartmouth, and with this win would win the tiebreaker over Dartmouth and in essence be up 2 with 2 to play.  Keene has to win to stay within striking distance of RIC, who they play next weekend.  Neither team will shoot the ball exceptionally well, but I think Western makes more plays at the end. 

RIC 72 @ USM 74.
I hope RIC wins, but USM is  extremely tough up there in Maine.  An RIC win coupled with a Keene loss would clinch the league for RIC; somehow USM is still alive, they would win the tiebreaker against both if all 3 finished 12-3.

Boston 54 @ Plymouth 56.
Plymouth loses and their eliminated from playoff contention.  Assuming Eastern loses to Dartmouth, Boston, Plymouth and Eastern would have identical 2-10 league marks and sit in a tie for 6th.  More than likely that Eastern/Boston matchup the final day of the season decides the last spot.

Dartmouth 66 @ Eastern 42.
Eastern hasn't won a league game since January 7 and a game overall since January 12.  Dartmouth can ill afford to lose this if they want a home game in round 1.

[7express]

Big game for Western against Keene state tomorrow.  With the win, we would gain the tiebreaker over Dartmouth for that final home spot in round 1 (eliminated from finishing 1 or 2 however).  Comparing Dartmouth's and Western's schedule:
Dartmouth hits the road for Eastern Saturday, Boston Tuesday, and finishes at home with Southern Maine next Saturday.
Eastern plays Keene at home Saturday, hits the road for RIC and finishes at home against Plymouth.

I can't see Dartmouth losing to Eastern or Bosotn (Bostom more probably however) and likewise can't see them beating USM (though they are a terrible road team, so who knows).  That would leave them 7-7, just as I predicted in the preview.
Western Keene game is a tossup, but they should beat Plymouth and lose to RIC.  Those 2 would leave the Colonials 7-6.  Beating Keene not only would give the Colonials the edge in the final standings if the results go as planned (which they usually don't anyhow), BUT would give the Colonials the tiebreaker if they both finish with the same record (i.e. 7-7 or 8-6).  Losing the game vs. Keene would more than likely tie us in the final standings (once again, if the results go as planned) BUT losing to Keene would cause Dartmouth to win the tiebreaker, IIRC.  Not that it matters much where we go that Tuesday, because I have a feeling the men's team grabs 1 of the 2 bye's on the men's side, but I have Tuesday class until 2:15 and not looking forward to driving to Dartmouth on a Tuesday night.  Hopefully Providence on Tuesday is the final weekday trip I have to make this year, I'll have a difficult time getting there on time as it is.

[7express]

Looks like Western finally gets their whole compliment of players back.  Taking out Kayla Murkison, who wasn't in the regular rotation, and was going to be used sparingly, this is the first game since January 7 we'll have our full compliment of 9 players who played regularly in uniform; that was the last game Jackie Zilnicki played in before she got injured, but she'll be back today.  Without her, te team was only 4-5, but with her the team was 10-3.

[7express]

Western beats Keene 55-53 in overtime, USM beats RIC 72-68.  Dartmouth loses to Eastern somehow 66-54, and Boston beats Plymouth.
That means Western can do no worse than 4th (could tie Dartmouth, but Western wins the tiebreak) and no higher then 3rd (we'd win the tiebreak over Keene in that case), Dartmouth can do no better then 5th.  Plymouth is still alive somehow.  I'll post results next and then playoff seedings sometime later.

[7express]

Sat results:

Boston in overtime 75-69 over Plymouth.
The Beacons only have 3 wins, but at least their beating who their supposed to: Eastern and Plymouth (twice) teams their either tied with or sit below in the standings.  1 loss by Plymouth and their eliminated.  Actually scratch my last post; Plymouth is OFFICIALLY eliminated; Boston and Eastern play each other next week, so 1 of those teams is guaranteed a 4th conference win.  Kirsten Morrison with a monster game 22 points 16 boards on 7-18 shooting.  She may have to quit volleyball (what she was recruited for by Boston), because she's a damn good basketball player.

USM 72-68 over RIC.
Have to think this clinches a pool C bid for USM.  They take this win and combine them with Bowdoin, Babson & Colby, & Keene, 4 of the 5 in the regional rankings (probably 5 of 5 if the Northeast ranked more than 10).  I still think RIC needs these last 2 home games AND win their semifinal game to feel sure about a bid.  Still leaves USM in a posistion to host; they'd win tiebreakers over both RIC & Keene.

Western in overtime 55-53.
As expected no offense, strictly defense.  Bad loss for Keene, and what really could have been the difference for Keene in this game they were rebounding a missed/blocked Western jumper with about 5 minutes to go up 4, two Keene players ran into each other going for the rebound which left Caroline Brasa alone for an easy 2.  The Keene players don't bump into each other, Keene probably wins this game.  Courtney Cirillo had a great look from halfcourt which would have won the game, just came up a bit short.

Dartmouth with a bad loss at Eastern 66-54.
The Dartmouth bench played 21 minutes and the ONLY thing they contributed was 1 rebound, 1 assist and 4 turnovers.  How do the 4 players off the Corsair bench not even attempt 1 shot??  Shannon McCourt had 20 and 16 for the Warriors, while Kristina Forsman lead them with 24 points.

Standings and tournament:
1) RIC 20-3 (11-1)
2) USM 18-5 (9-3)
2) Keene 15-6 (9-3)
4) Western 15-8 (7-5)
5) Dartmouth 14-9 (5-7)
6) Eastern 7-16 (3-9)
6) Boston 6-16 (3-9)
8) Plymouth 5-17 (1-11)
USM wins the tiebreaker over Keene (2-0 vs. Western while Keene is 1-1), as mentioned previously Boston won the only meeting of the season against Eastern, so until they play again Boston will continue to win that tiebreaker.  Plymouth is eliminated so now we have 2 teams (Boston & Eastern) fighting for 1 spot; more then likely it comes down to the Eastern/Boston game on the 18th, next Saturday.
RIC would host, USM gets the other bye.  It would open on Tuesday with Boston @ Keene (3 vs 6 game) and Dartmouth @ Western in the 3/6 game.  I'm just happy it's official, we won't have to go on the road that Tuesday.

[7express]

Playoff standings:
Easier then on the men's side, but still confusing.  I'll have more in depth after Tuesday games where things become clearer, but I'm posting these now to let you know where teams stand heading into the final weekend:
RIC: can finish no worse than 11-3.  They win 1 of their 2 games at home this week, their the regular season champion. 
Keene and USM can both finish 11-3 if they win out.  If RIC somehow loses both games at home, and USM and Keene win out, USM would be your champion (based on the 2-0 head to head record over Western while the other 2 would be 1-1).  RIC would be the 2 seed in this scenerio (more road wins than Keene, assuming thats the next tiebreaker after going down the standings).  IF Keene and USM end the season tied, USM wins the tiebreaker (2-0 record vs. Western while Keene was 1-1).  So, USM clinches no worse than a bye with a win over Plymouth Tuesday.
Western cannot do worse then the 4 seed: even if Dartmouth ties them, Western owns the tiebreaker (1-1 record vs. Keene while Dartmouth was 0-2).  However, Western can pass Keene and finish 3rd, if they win out and Keene loses out.  In that case Western would win the tiebreak over Keene (1-1 record vs. RIC while Keene would be 2-0).
Dartmouth cannot pass Western, but they can be caught by Eastern.  If Dartmouth loses out and Eastern wins out, Eastern would get the 5 seed based on being 1-1 vs. USM (though really that shouldn't count because they had a whole different team that game).
No matter what happens with Eastern and Boston on Tuesday, the winner of that Eastern/Boston game will be the final participant.  IF both teams have the same result: their tied for 6th going into the final day of the season and that will break the tie.  IF Eastern is 1 game up going in and Boston wins: Boston wins the Saturday game, they get in based on their 2-0 head to head record.  IF Boston is 1 up going in and Eastern wins: Eastern wins the tiebreaker due to that win they had around Thanksgiving against USM, which as I said shouldn't count because it was an entirely different team then.
Here they are by breakdown and where each team can finish:
#1 RIC or USM.  I could be wrong but from what I see Keene CANNOT finish 1st no matter what happens.  RIC gets 1st with 1 win OR 1 USM loss.  USM gets first with 2 wins AND 2 losses by RIC
#2 RIC/USM/Keene.  If RIC doesn't get 1st, they'll end up here.  USM needs 1 win AND 1 Keene loss to lock up at least the 2 seed.  Keene needs 2 wins AND 1 USM loss to finish 2nd.
#3 Keene/Western.  If Keene can't finish 2nd they may end up here.  Keene needs 1 win OR 1 Western loss to lock up the 3rd seed.  Western needs 2 wins AND 2 Keene loss to finish 3rd.
#4 Whoever doesn't get 3rd between Keene and Western will end up here.  No other team can finish in 4th.  Western is 4th with 1 loss OR 1 Keene win; Keene is 4th with 2 losses AND 2 Western wins.
#5 Dartmouth/Eastern.  Dartmouth is here with 1 win OR 1 Eastern loss.  Eastern jumps to 5th with 2 wins AND 2 losses by Dartmouth.
#6 Boston/Eastern/Dartmouth.  If Dartmouth doesn't finish 5th, they'll end up here.   Whoever wins next Saturday between Boston and Eastern will nab the final playoff spot.

[7express]

Tuesday predictions:

Western 52 @ RIC 58.
A few weeks ago in Danbury Courtney Burns hit 2 free throws with 30 seconds to play, and blocked Sciarra Brandt's 3 as time expired to escape Danbury with a 2 point win, in what was undoubtfully their toughest win of the season.  I said a few weeks ago that this team under coach Rybczyk will not blow out a lot of teams, but likewise will hardly ever get blown out themselves just because of the great defense they play.  We'll see how that second prediction pans out.  RIC is undefeated at the Murray Center, blowing almost everyone out of the water; their "closest" home victory was 9 points over Salve Regina back in early December when they turned the ball over 29 times, and their "closest" LEC victory??  23 points against Boston.  RIC is coming off a loss on Saturday, and them coming off losses, their almost dominant; after opening the season with a loss @ UNE, they won their next game by 16 @ Bridgewater state; coming off a loss to Emmanuel, they beat Plymouth by 29.  Western hasn't won a road game since January 17 (a 4 point win @ Eastern), and hasn't had a win on the road against a team with a .500 or better record since November 29 when they won @ Conn College.  I think we keep it close, but RIC is too talented to lose this game, and they clinch the outright title.

Plymouth 47 @ USM 80.
Plymouth is already eliminated so their playing spoiler.  USM is still fighting with Keene for the final bye and still in the running for the 1 spot if RIC blows both these games at home.

Eastern 53 @ Keene 72.
Keene has to win to keep pace with USM for that final bye.  This game means nothing to Eastern.  Win or lose, their game Saturday against Boston will decide whether they make the playoffs or not.

Dartmouth 67 @ Boston 64.
Pretty much meaningless as Dartmouth is pretty much locked in at #5; only way they drop to #6 is if they lose out and Eastern wins out.  Much like Eastern at Keene, this game means absolutely nothing for Boston in terms of making the playoffs, the game that counts for them is Saturday, at home, against Eastern.

[7express]

Massey ratings for Tuesday games:

RIC 69-54 (93%)
USM 83-50 (100%)
Dartmouth 62-56 (68%)
Keene 65-49 (94%).

Kinda funny how Western only has a 7% chance to win, yet were the second highest likely upset pick to happen.

[7express]

Tuesday results:

USM 74-52 over Plymouth.
I think for the first time all year someone other than Haley Jordan or Courtney Cochran lead the Huskies in scoring.  Nicole Garland scored 22 to help lead the way.  Cochran had 18 points and 15 boards.

Eastern 61-56 over Keene.
This result coupled with the above leaves USM locked in at 2 and Keene at 3.  As usual, the inability for Keene to put the ball in the basket is their downfall as they shoot only 34.8%.  There's no reason to lose this game especially at home, but I guess it makes up for Keene's win over USM a few weeks ago where they won despite only shooting 27.7% and scoring 49 points.  Western and Keene 2 proof's that defense can only get you so far.  Of course, both of those teams could easily end up playing for the tournament: Keene gets USM on a neutral court (they only lost by 7 in Maine and won by 3 at home), and Western is in RIC's half.  Even though we got blown out tonight, we couldn't play any worse than we did for the final 10 minutes, and for 80 minutes against RIC this year played them tough for 65.  I'd LOVE to get RIC again, I don't think RIC wants to see us again.  As I said Monday, this win for Eastern does them nothing, they STILL need to win Saturday to get into the tournament.

Dartmouth 56-47 over Eastern.
Need to beat USM at home and hope Western loses to Plymouth to get the final home spot.  Loss to Eastern last Saturday is a killer right now.  Much like Eastern, this loss doesn't keep Boston out of the playoffs, win Saturday and their in.

RIC 66-38 over Western.
Actually wasn't a bad as the score indicated.  Western was only down 10 after a Carly Murphy 3 (the only 3 we made the entire game) with 10:57 to play.  The rest of the game we scored 8 points on only 3 field goals as RIC outscored us 26-8 to end the game.  if we meet up in the semi's I doubt we play that bad again.  RIC clinches the outright title AND sets a school record for number of victories in a single season, congrats to the Anchorwomen senior class!

Standings/tournament:
1) RIC 21-3 (12-1)
2) USM 19-5 (10-3)
3) Keene 15-7 (9-4)
4) Western 15-9 (7-6)
5) Dartmouth 15-9 (6-7)
6) eastern 8-16 (4-9)
7) Boston 6-17 (3-10)
8) Plymouth 5-18 (1-12)
Top 3 are set they CANNOT change on saturday.  Eastern/Boston winner Saturday gets the 6th and final spot.  Western finishes 4th with a win OR Dartmouth loss.
RIC would host, USM joins them in semi's.  Eastern @ Keene (3/6 game) and Dartmouth @ Western (4/5) game on Tuesday.

Final OOC games take place Thursday, but not sure why were playing these games late in the season:
Lasell @ Keene state
Boston @ Suffolk.

Saturday is the final day of the regular season, order of games from most important to least important:
Eastern @ Boston
Plymouth @ Western
USM @ Dartmouth
Keene @ RIC

[7express]

Second Northeast regional rankings:
Northeast
1 Amherst 22-0 24-0
2 University of New England 19-4 19-4
3 Rhode Island College 20-3 20-3
4 Tufts 19-4 19-5
5 Southern Maine 17-5 18-5
6 Colby 18-5 18-5
7 Williams 17-5 19-5
8 Bowdoin 17-5 18-6
9 Babson 19-2 20-2
10 Emmanuel (Mass.) 16-5 17-6

Emmanuel replaces Keene, Bowdoin replaces Conn College.  Babson takes a huge drop because the NEWMAC sucks, and UNE rises to 2nd.  Aside from that not much else changed.  As long as USM & RIC stay in the top 5, and BOTH make the LEC championship game, they should both be in good shape for an NCAA tourney bid.