Box Score

BROOKLINE, Mass. -- The University of New England's improbable run through the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Tournament came to an end Sunday afternoon when the third-seeded Newbury College Nighthawks ran away late for a 75-61 win over the eighth-seeded Nor'easters in the championship game played at Hellenic College.

Trailing 53-52 with just under nine minutes remaining, the Nighthawks ended the contest on a 23-8 run to earn the victory.  The Nor'easters had dropped behind by 10 (44-34) early in the second half, but rode the hot shooting of Johnnie Jefferson '09 (Dallas, Texas) to recover and eventually take the lead.

Tournament Most Outstanding Player Arch Mitchell '08 (Framingham, Mass.) had 20 points for Newbury.  Javon Mathis '10 (West Hartford, Conn.) contributed a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Kevin Cleveland '09 (Lynn, Mass.) had 18 points and seven boards.  Steven Morris '08 (Somerville, Mass.) scored 18 points

Jefferson scored a game-high 23 points to pace the Nor'easters.  He was 9-for-16 from the floor, including a 5-for-11 performance from beyond the arc.  Jaykyri Simpson '09 (East Cleburne, Texas) had 16 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists.

The Nor'easters shot just 33 percent (10 of 30) in the second half and committed an uncharacteristic 24 turnovers for the game.

Newbury made half (26 of 52) of its field goal attempts, including 59.4 percent in the first half.

The Nor'easters made their way to the ECAC title game by earning road wins at No. 1 Emerson College and No. 5 Husson College.  In the opening-round win at Emerson, Jefferson poured in a career-high 43 points to lead the Nor'easters to a thrilling 104-99 overtime triumph.

In winning its first ECAC tile, Newbury ends it season with a record of 21-9.  The Nor'easters finish at 15-12, a 10-win improvement over last season and the program's highest win total since the University of New England merged with Westbrook College in 1996.

(posted March 9, 2008 | 16:07 ET)