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NEC Player of the Week: Jasmine Nwajei, WAG
NEC Rookie of the Week: Jessica Kovatch, SFU
Previous NEC Releases: Nov. 30 | Nov. 23 | Nov. 16 | Preseason Poll Release
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JASMINE NWAJEI, WAGNER
Jr., G, 5-8, Rockaway Park, NY/Murry Bergtraum
WEEK 4 STATS: 24.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 6.5 apg, 2.0 spg, 39.0 mpg
Nwajei showed she is way more than just a scorer last week. The junior guard, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore, averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per outing during a two-game sample that featured a home win and a road loss. The 5-foot-8 guard became one of seven NCAA Division I players to record a triple-double this season. Spearheading the Seahawks triumphant effort against Atlantic Sun member New Jersey Tech, Nwajei tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals during 38 minutes of floor time. Recording the second triple-double of her career, the New York City product became the first NEC player to reach double digits in assists this season. Nwajei followed up her memorable performance in the 76-53 win over NJIT by reaching the 30-point mark for the first time this season during a visit to Ivy League member Yale. The dynamic guard, who scored 30 points or more on 11 occasions last season, led an injury-depleted lineup by poured in 32 points, on 14-of-29 shooting, in a 78-60 setback to the Bulldogs.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
JESSICA KOVATCH, SAINT FRANCIS U
Fr., G, 5-9, Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg
WEEK 4 STATS: 16.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 spg . pct.
Kovatch continued to pace Saint Francis in the scoring department last week, averaging 16.0 points per contest during a two-game road swing. The 5-foot-9 freshman exceeded the 20-point mark for the fourth consecutive outing during the Red Flash’s matinee at Ivy League member Columbia. Shooting 44 percent from the floor, Kovatch totaled 24 points, eight steals and four rebounds in the 82-78 setback. The Red Flash’s rookie guard fell into foul trouble during a visit to Ohio, but still managed eight points and three rebounds against the MAC member. Kovatch hit a pair of three-pointers in each contest last week, running her league-leading total to 26 triples (3.7 3FGM/g). She owns the NEC scoring lead (21.7 ppg) and ranks first amongst all NCAA Division I rookies in the latest national rankings report.
OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT DURING HOLIDAY HOOPS SEASON
Sipping some cider fireside along with the chance to eat well and enjoy loved ones’ company.
The holiday season present us all with so many welcoming opportunities.
The same can be said for the NEC women’s basketball schedule. As the month of December unfolds, plenty of opportunities await #NECWBB teams when it comes to making a statement in non-conference play.
Holiday hoops will provide all 10 NEC members the chance to close out their non-conference slates on high notes. The chance for a quality victory that will impress the NCAA Selection Committee come March awaits.
Sal Buscaglia’s NEC preseason favorite Robert Morris Colonials came close to one of those resume-padding wins during a recent trip to Big Ten member Iowa.
RMU sprinted out to a 10-0 lead over the host Hawkeyes, leaving many of the 4,000+ persons in attendance stunned.
Iowa responded, however, and went on to grind out a 69-50 victory, sealed by a dominant fourth-quarter showing.
Still, Robert Morris’ head coach did not sound discouraged by his team’s effort in the slightest.
“Respect is a big thing for me and I think we earned a lot today as we have done in the past against big name opponents,” said Buscaglia as his team dropped to 4-4 overall.
The veteran head coach, who has three #NECWBB championship rings and is set to retire at season’s end, sees plenty of benefit in scheduling members of BCS power conferences.
“As I’ve done in years past, I believe playing these high level teams is a win-win situation for us and something we look forward to,” Buscaglia said prior to the Iowa game.
Robert Morris has another opportunity to take down a team from a juggernaut FBS conference. The Colonials visit SEC member Florida on December 13. The last meeting between the two teams came in the 2007-08 season opener with the Gators eking out a 67-63 victory.
One week later, Saint Francis U heads to Gainesville to face Florida (Dec. 20) in the opening game of the Gator Holiday Classic. Depending upon Saturday’s results, SFU will battle either ACC member NC State or Eastern Kentucky from the Ohio Valley Conference the following day (Dec. 21).
Bryant will face a pair of power conference opponents in the coming weeks. The Bulldogs visit head coach Mary Burke’s alma mater – Big East member Providence – on December 9. They’ll wrap up their out-of-conference schedule with a bout against ACC member Boston College in Chestnut Hill on December 30.
Sacred Heart, which gave Big East member St. John’s a scare on December 3, has a chance to earn a Big Ten victory. The Pioneers visit Penn State on December 20.
In three of the season’s first four games, Wagner faced opponents from the SEC (Mississippi), ACC (Pittsburgh) and Big Ten (Ohio State).
“I believe the best way to prepare our team for NEC play is to compete against elite programs and this year’s non-conference schedule certainly fits that bill once again,” said Lisa Cermignano during the preseason. “Our goal is to win a conference title and facing top competition excites our players and serves our program well.”
The holiday season will give Cermignano and the Seahawks the opportunity to spend some time closer to home.
Wagner, which has already traveled to Pittsburgh, Norfolk and Columbus, stay local for its next five contests. Only two of the five games will unfold within the friendly confines of the Spiro Center on Grymes Hill, but the furthest trip the Seahawks will make is down the New Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia.
It’s quite clear that the holiday season brings the gift of opportunity to #NECWBB teams looking to pad their resumes and tune up for conference play.
The coming weeks will tell us which teams will seize that opportunity.
AROUND THE ARC
? Bryant has dropped three straight game following back-to-back wins over America East members Vermont and UMass Lowell. After facing Big East member Providence, which is head coach Mary Burke’s alma mater, on December 9, the Bulldogs will play two consecutive contests with AEast teams – at Maine (Dec. 12); vs. New Hampshire (Dec. 20).
? Central Connecticut has played two of its first eight games away from home, but Beryl Piper’s Blue Devils’ next contest will come within the friendly confines of Detrick Gymnasium. CCSU, which suffered a setback at Big Ten member Maryland on December 5, ends a six-day hiatus by hosting Massachusetts (Dec. 12). The Blue Devils are 1-1 at home this season.
? Fairleigh Dickinson dropped a pair of road games last week, falling at Bucknell and West Virginia. Good news awaits FDU, however, as the schedule feature an eight-game homestand. The Knights tip off their long stay at the Rothman Center by hosting MAAC member Saint Peter’s on December 9.
? LIU Brooklyn entered the season with no double-digit scorers on its roster. Four weeks into Stephanie Oliver’s tenure as head coach, three Blackbirds are scoring more than 10.0 points per game on average – Shanovia Dove (14.0), Shanice Vaughan (11.7), Paris Jones (11.7). Dove was the Blackbirds’ leading returning scorer heading into the 2015-16 campaign after averaging 8.0 ppg last year.
? Mount St. Mary’s topped Maryland-Eastern Shore, 57-50, on the road (Dec. 2) for the 695th victory in the program’s history. No. 696 was within reach a few days later as the Mount battled Patriot League member Loyola in Maryland’s annual Catholic Clash. The Mountaineers went on a 20-5 fourth-quarter run to trim a 16-point deficit down to a 64-63 margin with 00:09 remaining in regulation. Loyola added a free throw and the game-tying shot attempt rimmed out for Mount in the 65-63 setback.
? Robert Morris have had eight or more players score in all but one game this season and have received scoring from 11 or more players in the same game on three occasions. The Colonials’ balanced scoring attack features seven players who are averaging at least 6.0 points per outing.
? Sacred Heart will see a six-game road swing come to a close at Temple (Dec. 9) this week. The Pioneers last played at home on November 18. SHU is 1-4 during this segment of the schedule, which included a pair of neutral site games at the San Juan Shootout, and two of those losses came by a two-point margin. … Senior forward Alissa Tarsi (Clinton, NJ), who recently recorded the first two double-doubles of her career, led all players on the boards in the two-point loss to Vermont (Dec.6) as she pulled in a career-high 12 caroms.
? Saint Francis U embarks on a five-day hiatus for final examinations before resuming action against Pitt-Johnstown (Dec. 12) at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The Red Flash then head south. They visit Marshall (Dec. 17) before arriving in Gainesville for a two-day tournament at Florida (Dec. 20-21).
? St. Francis Brooklyn received a spark from sophomore guard Becky Pund (Audubon, NJ) during its trip to Patriot League member Lafayette (Dec. 4). The Garden State product scored a career-high 12 points, on 5-for-7 shooting, and dished out a career-best four assists in 24 minutes off the bench.
? Wagner was without the services of three guards during its most-recent contest at Yale (Dec. 6) due to injury. Senior Jordyn Peck (Shaker Heights, OH), fifth-year senior Alexis Smith (Medford, NY) and freshman Julia McClure (Secaucus, NJ) had been playing well of late, but were unavailable in New Haven. Peck (1,243 pts) is the 14th-leading scorer in program history. Smith, a transfer from Illinois, was coming off of a season-best 16-point outing in the 76-53 victory over NJIT. McClure had played in the Seahawks’ first five games this season, coming off the bench before being injured.
QUOTABLE
SAL BUSCAGLIA (Robert Morris), Head Coach
“We faced the 24th-ranked team in the country, and, for three quarters, we gave them everything they had and were only down six. Respect is a big thing for me and I think we earned a lot today as we have done in the past against big name opponents. In the fourth quarter, we just ran out of gas. ... I feel that if we can put 40 minutes together, and our bench can raise their level of play, it’s going to turn out to be a very exciting season. “
- following a road loss at Big Ten member Iowa
more from Coach Sal...
“We must still learn that we have to play steady throughout the entire game and not just in spurts.”
- on what the team must improve upon following a win over Morgan State
JOHN THURSTON (St. Francis Brooklyn), Head Coach
“They were much more aggressive than us in the first half and really put the game away in the first half, we responded a little bit better in the second half and outscored them, but basically they lost their edge by that time. I just think that we are making the same mistakes and until you avoid those things, until you avoid the mistakes – it’s tough. In this case you caught a team that shot the ball extremely well and wanted the game. You had two teams with one win and it looked like they wanted the game more than us.”
- following a double-digit loss at Patriot League member Lafayette
JOE HAIGH (Saint Francis U), Head Coach
“Ohio is a great team, we knew that going in, a tournament team from a season ago who brought nearly everyone back. It was a tougher day than I would have liked and would have thought. I give Ohio a lot of credit, they made it tough for us offensively, a lot of our players had tough shooting days and that is something that we have to fight through. It didn’t go our way today but I think we can look at the film and take a lot away from this game. I liked how we played through the physicality of the game at times, but that is something we will get better at going forward.”
- following a double-digit loss at MAC member Ohio U
TWEET SHEET
@RMU_WBasketball
(Dec 6) Colonials open 3-of-3, lead #24 Iowa, 8-0. Hawkeyes call a TO after a three by Ravelli.
@CoachWhitMSM
(Dec 5) Great pre-game motivation having @jenncarney32 stop in the office to chat!!! #MountFamily
@NelCastBHJ
(Dec 2) Undermanned @LIUwbb has show plenty of fight to start the season 2-3 w/ just 8 players due to injuries.
@RMU_WBasketball
(Dec 2) Happy Birthday to @mina_ball88 Yasmyne Salhia! And her first career points today, too.
@CoachWhitMSM
(Dec 2) Great defensive effort tonight.....
@RMU_WBasketball
(Dec 2) Shakema Dashiell hits an 18 footer giving the Colonials 10 players to score in a game for the third time this season