HADDONFIELD, N.J. – No. 2 Gwynedd Mercy and No. 4 Neumann advance to the Atlantic East Championship game after semifinal victories.
No. 2 Gwynedd Mercy defeated No. 5 Centenary after taking a first half lead of 37-31, before putting up 59 in the second half to come away with a 96-77 victory. No. 4 Neumann entered into the half against No. 1 Marymount, trailing by a score of 26-40, before scoring 49 and only allowing 28 in the second half, for the 75-68 road win..
Gwynedd Mercy will host the Atlantic East Championship match which will be held at the on Saturday, February 28 at 2pm. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic qualifier into the 2026 NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball Championship.
#4 Neumann, 75 at #1 Marymount, 68 |
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Recap courtesy of Neumann Sport Information Department.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Neumann University Men's Basketball team used a big second half to overcome a 14-point deficit and defeat Marymount University in Thursday night's Atlantic East Tournament semifinals by a score of 75-68.
Donte Dupriest led with 25 points as four Knights ended up with double digits.
Jayson Love had 16,
DJ Earl had 14, and
Bryan Etienne had 13 to go with six assists.
Marymount got out to an 11-4 over the first 4:23 of the game before the two squad traded buckets over the next few minutes. With the Knights trailing by four with 8-41 left in the half, the Saints fired off a 15-6 run over the next four minutes for a 32-19 lead. Over the last four minutes of the first, Neumann stayed close but found themselves down 40-26 at the break.
The second half was a completely different story as it started with an 11-4 run by the Knights over 3:30. By the time the second was eight minutes old, the game was tied at 49 on the strength of a 12-3 push by Neumann. The Saints again surged ahead but couldn't extend the lead to more than two. With six minutes left, Love hit two straight three-pointers to tie the game at 62 then take the lead for good. They extended the lead to 70-64 before Marymount mounted a rally. They hit four straight points to get within two with 16 seconds left but the Knights hit key free throw to clinch the game, and their spot in the championship game.
Neumann (18-9) will now advance to the Atlantic East Conference Championship Game at No.2 seeded Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday afternoon. The Knights will look for their second straight Atlantic East title starting at 2:00 PM
#3 Centenary, 77 at #2 Gwynedd Mercy, 96 | BOX SCORE
Recap courtesy of Gwynedd Mercy Sport Information Department.
Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (2/26/26) - #2 Gwynedd Mercy University (19-7) earned their spot in the 2025-2026 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Men's Basketball Championship with a commanding 96-77 semifinal victory over #3 Centenary University (11-15). While the Red and Gold held the lead for most of the game, a dominate second half performance pushed them past the Cyclones with ease. Senior guard
Jalen Snead (Philadelphia, Pa.) led all scorers with 28 points, including the first-half layup that put the Griffins in the lead (18-16, 10:36) and provided them with a momentum they never lost. Graduate guard
Dylan Harris (Bloomsburg, Pa.) followed with 24 points thanks six three-pointers (6-of-10, .600), while senior guard
D.J. Johnson (Norristown, Pa.) added a dozen (12) second-half points, six assists, seven rebounds, and a steal.
Griffin Highlights
- Gwynedd Mercy University established control early and brought a 37-31 (0:20) halftime advantage into the locker room with a few more shots (14-of-35; .400) a defensive performance that held Centenary University to 11-of-33 (.333) shooting and forced 10 Cyclone turnovers.
- Snead and Harris kept the Griffins afloat in the opening frame; the former was aggressive to the rim (5-of-9, .556 FG%| 2-of-3, .667 FT%), while the latter was clutch from long range (2-of-3, .667 3PT%).
- The Red and Gold shifted to offense in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 21 points, 94-73 (1:28) late in the contest.
- Junior guard Mazen Sayed (Chichester, Pa.) was a spark off the bench with 12 points, five assists, two blocks, and a steal. The Griffin bench outscored the Cyclones' 21-9.
- Johnson scored all 12 of his points in the second half, while grabbing four rebounds and dropping five dimes.
- Gwynedd Mercy University finished the contest shooting 35-of-71 (.493) from the field and 17-of-22 (.773) from the free-throw line.
- The Griffins collected 40 rebounds, distributed 20 assists, got 48 points in the paint, 14 on the fastbreak, and 13 off turnovers.
Gwynedd Mercy University will host #4 Neumann University on Saturday, February 28, in a 2:00 p.m. Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Men's Basketball Championship.
First Round
Tuesday, February 24th
#5 Marywood, 66 at
#4 Neumann, 84
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Semifinals
Thursday, February 26th
#4 Neumann, 75 at #1 Marymount, 68
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#3 Centenary, 77 at
#2 Gwynedd Mercy, 96
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Championship
Saturday, Febraury 28th
#4 Neumann at #2 Gwynedd Mercy, 2pm
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