Regis (Mass.) athletics photo

The Regis (Mass.) Pride men’s basketball team crowned itself king of the New England Collegiate Conference on Saturday and did so by defeating the No. 1 seed Southern Vermont Mountaineers, who had breezed through conference play with a 16-0 record this season.

The Pride also ended the Mountaineers 16-game winning streak, which spanned nearly two months. Regis’ secret weapon was that tried and true late-game killer — made free throws.

Regis went a respectable 17-for-23 (73.9 percent) from the free-throw line for the game, but when most needed, the Pride were clutch, making five of six in the final 23 seconds.

Fouls plagued both teams as Regis collected 24 and SVC 21 in the game; but, it was the Mountaineers whose late-game fouls became their undoing. In the last 23 seconds, SVC fouled Regis, or junior guard Jordan Monts, three times and paid the price for it.

The Mountaineers certainly had their chances, though.

Off a Devante Jordan missed free throw with 1:01 remaining and the Mountaineers losing 69-64, they corralled the offensive board. The Pride’s Hector Heredia fouled SVC’s William Bromirski and, within 10 seconds, the Mountaineers were back at the stripe.

Bromirski, who finished with 16 points, made both free throws — his only two attempts of the evening — and cut the Pride’s lead to 69-66.

From there until Monts’ free-throw show, it seemed that no one wanted to take the game or that both teams had assumed the boxer’s strategy of clinching, as to lazily wear the other guy down until a perfect opportunity presents itself.

For 26 seconds, during which there were three fouls committed (two of which by the Pride), one turnover by Regis and five free throws attempted, the teams and the score seesawed.

Of the four free throws SVC took during that span, Casey Hall made one and DeShawn Hamlet made two to even the score at 69.

Hamlet, team leader in points (19.4) and rebounds (7.6) on the season, had a strong game, with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Hamlet also made 11 of 14 free-throw attempts, single-handedly keeping SVC in the game until the last 23 seconds.

At that mark, Jordan Monts, who tallied 12 points and five assists in the game, went to the line after a Hamlet foul. Monts made both free throws to bring the Pride’s lead back to two points.

In an obvious dual of somewhat dubious proportions, Hamlet was fouled, made 1 of 2 and then fouled Monts again. Monts made 1 of 2 to clinch onto a 72-70 lead.

After two Hall free-throw makes and the score even again, Hall sent Monts to the line with 4 seconds to go. The junior guard, shooting 70.8 percent on the season, sank both.

Hamlet’s final 3-pointer missed and the No. 2 seed, which had lost both regular season games to the Mountaineers, prevailed.

The win marked Regis’ first NECC tournament championship and gave the Pride their first appearance in the Men’s Division III NCAA tournament. Regis will take on Dickinson College, the Centennial Conference tournament champs, at the Red Devils’ place Friday.

With the loss, Southern Vermont was not given a NCAA Tournament bid but will play Anna Maria of the GNAC in an Eastern College Athletic Conference semifinal game.

“We got a first-timer over here”

Of the 16 teams from the East and Northeast regions selected to the 2015 Division III NCAA Tournament, four are first-timers: Bates, SUNY Cobleskill, Regis (Mass.) and Wesleyan (Conn.).

Bates and Wesleyan are both from the New England Small Athletic Conference, giving the conference four total tournament teams. Bates finished second in the league at 7-3 (and 19-8 overall), which somewhat guaranteed it a bid, given the history and competitiveness of the conference. The Bobcats will host St. Vincent, of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, on Friday in a first-round game. The Bearcats won their third straight PAC tournament championship Saturday. 

Wesleyan, on the other hand, was 19-8 overall and a mediocre 5-5 in the NESCAC, but of course the Cardinals won the NESCAC tournament over Amherst and received the automatic bid that comes with such a feat accomplished. Wesleyan will play Skidmore, a regionally familiar school, Friday at Johns Hopkins’ home court (Goldfarb Gymnasium) in Baltimore. The Thoroughbreds were 19-7 overall and 14-2 in Liberty League play and won their first LL tournament since the 2011-12 season.

The game should be a good one, although Wesleyan plays in a better league — seeing better competition consistently — and is hot, right now. The Cardinals have won five straight games, three of which — their last three games — were against three tournament teams.

On the women’s side, Skidmore and Johnson and Wales (R.I.) got their first NCAA nods. 

The Thoroughbreds, who won their first Liberty League tournament title, take on St. John Fisher at Tufts University on Friday in their first-round matchup.

The Wildcats, winners of the Great Northeast Atlantic Conference tournament, will play at Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham on Friday and try to knock off the Freedom Conference champ.