South Easton, Mass. – Adelphi University and Franklin Pierce University each earned a share of the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference regular season title, as both teams finished the league portion of their schedules with identical 16-6 marks. It is the first regular season title for both schools in the sport since they joined the conference.

By virtue of their 61-45 win over Adelphi earlier this season, Franklin Pierce was awarded the top seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference Championship. Adelphi will be the two seed when the championship gets underway.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship, follow the action on Twitter @TheNortheast10, and stay tuned to the NE-10 website for up-to-the-minute information, as well as live coverage of the semifinals and championship games.

The Ravens (20-6, 16-6 NE-10), who were picked to finish 15th prior to the start of the season by the conference's head coaches, have had a remarkable run during the 2011-12 campaign. Winners of seven of their last eight, and ten of their last twelve overall, Franklin Pierce was also the top-ranked team in the first edition of the East Regional Rankings when they were announced last week.

Franklin Pierce has been led by the inside-out combination of senior Eric Jean-Guillaume and sophomore Ellis Cooper, who have combined to average nearly 30 points and ten rebounds per game.

Franklin Pierce will play their first championship game in the quarterfinal round Sunday afternoon in Rindge, N.H. at 3:30 p.m.

Adelphi (19-7, 16-6 NE-10) finds itself in a very different spot this year, as opposed to a year ago. Last year, the Panthers were the 7th-seed going into the championships, and proceeded to win four games in a span of eight days, including three on the road, to claim the Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championship, and earn the automatic berth into the NCAA Men's Basketball Division II Championship Field.

This year's Adelphi squad has been arguably the most consistent team throughout an unpredictable NE-10 season of men's basketball. After dropping their season-opener, the Panthers ran off eight consecutive victories, and would remain at or near the top of the conference standings throughout the 2011-12 campaign.

Perhaps the most impressive note regarding this year's Adelphi team has been their play away from the friendly confines of Garden City, N.Y., as they are currently 8-3 on the road.

The Panthers feature a balanced attack, led by Rob Johnson, and will be looking to defend their league championship when they begin play Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

The Championship will get underway this Friday night, February 24th as two first round games will kick things off. Seventh-seeded Pace University will host the tenth-seeded University of New Haven in one semifinal, while eighth-seeded Bentley University will play host to ninth-seeded Assumption College in the other. Both of those games are scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.

For the full 2012 Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championship schedule and seedings, see below

The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

- NE-10 -

2012 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship
1. Franklin Pierce (20-6, 16-6 NE-10)
2. Adelphi (19-7, 16-6 NE-10)
3. Stonehill (18-8, 15-7 NE-10)
4. UMass Lowell (17-9, 13-9 NE-10)
5. So. Connecticut (14-12, 12-10 NE-10)
6. Merrimack (15-11, 12-10 NE-10)
7. Pace (13-13, 11-11 NE-10)
8. Bentley (15-11, 11-11 NE-10)
9. Assumption (13-13, 11-11 NE-10)
10. New Haven (14-12, 10-12 NE-10)

2012 Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

Friday, February 24th
First Round
Game 1: No. 10 New Haven at No. 7 Pace – 7:00 p.m.
Game 2: No. 9 Assumption at No. 8 Bentley – 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 26th
Quarterfinals
Game 3: Game 2 winner at No. 1 Franklin Pierce – 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 winner at No. 2 Adelphi – 1:00 p.m.
Game 5: No. 6 Merrimack at No. 3 Stonehill – 1:00 p.m.
Game 6: No. 5 Southern Connecticut at No. 4 UMass Lowell – 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 29th
Semifinals
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 7:00 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 3rd
Championship
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner – 1:00 p.m.

~Courtesy of Northeast-10 Athletic Communications