Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. -- Thanks to a career-best 43 points by Johnnie Jefferson '09 (Dallas, Texas), the eighth-seeded University of New England Nor'easters came away with a 104-99 overtime victory over top-seeded Emerson College in opening-round action from the 2008 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Tournament.

The Nor'easters (14-11) advance to Saturday's semifinal round and will travel to No. 5 Husson College, which earned an 80-71 victory over No. 4 Fitchburg State College.  Saturday's game time has yet to be determined.

Jefferson was red-hot all evening, making 15 of 23 shots from the floor, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.  He also converted 9 of 11 free throw attempts.  His 43 points tie him for the second-best single-game scoring output in the history of the program.  Derek Vogel (Westbrook College '96) tallied 45 points versus Green Mountain College during the 1994-95 season.

UNE trailed by 10 on four separate occasions during the second half, but would get seven points from Jefferson during a 10-0 run to tie the game at 69-all with just under seven minutes to play.

After Emerson would reclaim the lead, the Nor'easters rallied and eventually took an 82-77 advantage with 1:29 remaining.  The hosts would not go down quietly, however, tying the contest (86-86) on a deep 3-pointer by Will Dawkins '08 (Springfield, Mass.) with seven seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

A Jefferson lay-up got UNE on the scoreboard first in the extra session, and the Nor'easters would lead the rest of the way.  UNE made 9 of 16 free throw attempts in overtime.

Isaac Stickney '08 (Rumford, Maine) had 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the winners, while Chas Rentrope '11 (Peoria, Ariz.) chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.  Franco Foti '11 (Cross River. N.Y.) came off the bench to contribute a career-high 12 points to go with five offensive rebounds.

The Nor'easters shot a solid 52.5 percent (32-for-61) from the floor and converted 33 of 46 free throw attempts.  UNE made 36 trips to the charity stripe after halftime.

Dawkins scored 33 points to lead Emerson.  Jeremy Shannon '10 (Lowell, Mass.) had 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Bryan Rouse '10 (East Greenwich, R.I.) netted 17 points.

Emerson (24-5) enjoyed some accurate shooting of its own, converting 56.3 percent (36 of 64) of its shots from the field and half (10 of 20) of its tries from three-point land.

Saturday's game at Husson will feature two former Maine Athletic Conference rivals.  The Nor'easters and Eagles have not met since the 2000-2001 season.

(posted March 5, 2008 | 22:15 ET)