MANCHESTER, N.H.- The eighth seeded Caldwell University men's basketball team shocked the region as they upset the East Region's top seed and host Saint Anselm College 80-71 in the 2023 NCAA Division II East Region Quarterfinals.
The Cougars improve to 22-9 and advance to Sunday's East Region semifinals on Sunday night. Saint Anselm's season ends at 22-8.
Caldwell's win marks the third time in the history of the East Region that an eight seed has knocked off the top seed. In 2016, #8 Southern New Hampshire University defeated top seed Holy Family University and it happened again the following season as #8 Merrimack College defeated top seed Le Moyne College in the opening round.
Caldwell led the vast majority of the game, trailing for only 52 seconds after the Hawks scored the first two points of the game in the first minute of play. After trailing 2-0, sophomore
Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) scored the Cougars first nine points to help them build a 9-5 lead.
Saint Anselm rallied to pull even at 15 at the 11:36 mark but the Cougars answered with a 16-4 run to take a double-digit lead. Heber and freshman
Kirk Parsons (Newark, N.J.) drained triples, while sophomore
Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) and sophomore
Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) each scored buckets. Freshman
Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) scored four points, capping the run with a steal and fast-break lay-up to put Caldwell ahead 31-19 with 6:12 left in the half.
The Hawks trimmed the score to eight points but the Cougars stretched their lead to 41-27 at halftime.
Caldwell pulled ahead by 15 points at 48-33 early in the second half. The Hawks battled back as they got as close as one point at 57-56 with 6:40 remaining in the game. The Cougars answered the call once more with 10 straight points as part of a 15-2 game-changing run. Evans netted five points, while Bueno scored four points as part of the 10-0 run. Heber drained a free throw with 1:21 left to close the run and put Caldwell ahead 72-58. The Cougars outpaced the Hawks down the stretch, connecting on all eight free throws with Evans hitting six from the line to help seal the upset victory.
Evans led the way with 22 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Heber tallied 19 points and eight boards, while Bueno delivered 17 points, three rebounds and two steals.
The Cougars magical run continues in Sunday, March 12 where they face #4 seed University of New Haven in the 2023 NCAA D2 East Region Semifinals on the Saint Anselm campus at 7:30 pm.
Post Game Press Conference
