Herkimer, NY (March 18, 2023) – The Northern Essex Community College men's basketball team picked up its 33rd win of the season on Saturday afternoon, rolling past the College of Dupage by an 89-66 final to finish with a 2-1 record in the national tournament and claim fifth place in the Knights inaugural trip to the 12-team national championship tournament. NECC finished the season with a 33-2 overall record while claiming Massachusetts Community College Athletic Conference, NJCAA Region 21 and NJCAA East District Championships.
For the 28th time on the season Luis Reynoso (Lawrence) recorded a double-double as he scored a game high 19 points, to go along with 13 rebounds and 3 blocked shots to pace the Knights on both ends of the floor.
NECC had a strong performance from its bench as they outscored DuPage 51-24 in bench points, led by the double-digit performances of Darlin Santiago (Salem) and Phillip Cunningham (Haverhill) who tossed in 18 and 10 respectively.
Mehmet Asik (Ankara, Turkey) grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with six points in his finale in a Northern Essex uniform.
All 14 Knights who saw game action found the scoresheet with at least two points. The Knights led by 13 points at the break 49-36, before outscoring the Chaprels 40-30 in the second half.
The 33 wins and nationals appearance wrap up the most successful season in program history for NECC in its 20th season under head coach Darren Stratton, while the programs history dates back to the late 1960's.