Box Score NEWTON, NJ - The Northampton men's basketball stayed alive for a Region XIX playoff berth, downing Sussex County Community College 72-57 on Thursday night at the Skylander Dome. 

Faced with a must-win situation, the Spartans held Sussex to 21 first half points, taking a commanding 19 point lead into the locker room at halftime.  Northampton held Sussex star Frankie Rios to only 7 points in the first half, but Rios came alive in the second stanza, scoring 20 points to finish with 27 on the night, but it was too little too late for the Skylanders.

"Just a great defensive effort in the first half," stated Head Coach Brennan McCarthy, "we really did a good job pressuring the ball and rebounded extremely well.  Offensively, we followed our game plan and pounded the ball inside to our bigs, who were able to convert and take advantage of our size."

Alquinton McNeil (Northampton, PA/Northampton ) led Northampton with 14 points and pulled down 8 rebounds, while Justin Kusiappouh (East Stroudsburg, PA /East Stroudsburg North ) had a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds.   Edwin Lopez (East Stroudsburg, PA /Stroudsburg ) chipped in with 13 points and dished out a team-high 8 assists. 

The victory moves Northampton to 12-12 overall and 10-12 in Region XIX.  Teams must finish with a .500 record overall or in Region XIX play to qualify for the postseason.  The Spartans host Thaddeus Stevens College on Thursday in their regular season finale on Thursday at 7pm. 

The loss drops Sussex to 11-16 overall and 10-14 in Region XIX.