PDF Release
NEC Player of the Week: Mike Aaman, WC
NEC Rookie of the Week: Sabastian Townes, BRY
Previous NEC Releases: Preseason Poll Release | Preseason All-NEC Release | NEC-TV Release

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike Aaman, Wagner
6’8”, 260 lbs.
R-Sr., F, Hazlet, NJ/Raritan (URI)
Aaman was a force in the paint for the Seahawks, who opened the 2016-17 season in style with a 67-58 win over #18 UConn at Gampel Pavillion in one of the biggest wins in program history. Aaman finished with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds as Wagner held a 37-33 edge in the battle of the boards. The redshirt senior came up big down the stretch, assisting on Corey Henson’s three-pointer then following with six straight points to give the Seahawks a 64-56 edge with 44 seconds on the clock. The last two of those points came on a layup as Wagner broke UConn’s full court defensive pressure and Michael Carey spotted Aaman for the bucket and foul. Aaman added a pair of assists and made 5-6 from the stripe.|

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sabastian Townes, Bryant
6’6”, 240 lbs.
Fr., F, Norfolk, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School
Following in the footsteps of 2015-16 NEC Rookie of the Year Marcel Pettway, Townes delivered the goods in his first collegiate game on Saturday. The Norfolk, VA native finished with 16 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor in 20 minutes off the bench. He added four rebounds and an assist in an 89-64 setback at Notre Dame that was a single digit game midway through the second half. The 16 points tied for the most by a Bryant freshman in his debut in the program’s DI history.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Austin Nehls (CCSU, So, G)
Made 4-7 from distance and finished with 18 points to tie for game-high honors in a 75-60 season-opening win over Hartford on Friday. He shot 6-12 from three-point range for the week.

Darian Anderson (FDU, Jr, G)
Preseason All-NEC pick tied for game scoring honors with 27 points against Seton Hall on Friday. Made 11-17 from the field, including 4-7 from deep.

Isaiah Still (RMU, So, G)
Averaged 20.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg last week. He netted a career-high 26 points in a 78-72 setback at DePaul, including 11 in the last 5:25 to key a late comeback that came up just short. Still has now reached double figures in scoring in each of his last 10 games dating back to last season.

Quincy McKnight (SHU, So, G)
Recorded a career-high 25 points on 9-18 from the field and 6-6 from the line vs. Fairfield on Friday.

Jamaal King (SFU, So, G)
Netted a team and career-high 21 points, to go along with three assists and two rebounds vs. St. Bonaventure on Saturday.

Mike Aaman (WC, Sr, F)
NEC Player of the Week tallied 15 points and a game-high nine boards in Wagner’s 67-58 win over #15 UConn on Friday.

PERFORMANCES OF NOTE

Nisre Zouzoua (BRY, So, G)
Led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 7-14 from the floor against Notre Dame on Saturday.

Jerome Frink (LIU, Sr, F)
Finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds in 25 minutes of action in 78-40 win over John Jay on Friday. He shot 8-11 from the floor.

SEAHAWK STATEMENT! WAGNER KNOCKS OFF #18 UCONN IN OPENER
To say that Wagner’s opening night win over preseason #18 UConn was a stunner would be an understatement. That is to anyone but those who took part in the landmark win.
 
“This is huge for the kids and I think it’s the biggest win in school history,” said Mason. “We had a game plan, we stuck to it. No one thought we could do this except me, our coaches and our players.”
 
The Seahawks, coming off a 23-win season that included the program’s second NEC regular season title and a win over #1 seeded St. Bonaventure in the Postseason NIT, controlled the game from the start and managed to stave off run after run from the perennial national championship contenders.
 
Using it’s trademark smothering defense, Wagner held UConn to 35.7 percent shooting from the floor and won the battle of the boards by a 37-33 final margin.
 
“They played a great game,” Huskies coach Kevin Ollie said. “They’re a veteran team and they were poised and it seemed like every time they needed a bucket they made a big-time play.”
 
Wagner led by as many as ten points in the first half, but the Huskies chipped away and pulled to within 38-35 at intermission.
 
Once the teams returned to the court, the Seahawjs took over, opening the second stanza on an 11-2 run over the first seven minutes sparked by a pair of three-pointers from junior guard Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac (Mt. Zion Prep)).
 
With Wagner holding a 49-37 lead, UConn began to extend its perimeter defense, and the Seahawks struggled to find open looks. A near seven-minute scoring drought sparked a 12-0 Huskies run that tied the score at 49-49 with 6:46 left on the clock.
 
The game’s key bucket came at the 3:14 mark when junior sharpshooter and preseason All-NEC pick Corey Henson  (Upper Marlboro, MD/DeMatha Catholic) drained a left wing three-pointer to extend Wagner’s lead to 58-53.
 
At this point, senior center and NEC Player of the Week Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan (URI)) took over, scoring six straight points on four free throws and a layup with 44 seconds left that proved to be the nail in the coffin.
 
“This is one of the biggest wins in history,” said Aaman. “The win in the NIT was big, but this was against a ranked team to start out our season, so it was a very big win for us.”
 
“He played the way you expect a senior to play,” said Mason on Aaman. “He really played tough and was as good as anyone in the country.”
 
Wagner limited UConn to five points over the final 3:38, ending the game on a 12-5 run.
 
“This is a testament to our kids,’ said Mason, whose club travels to UMass Lowell on Monday. “We showed heart, fight and desire.”
 
Aaman led the Seahawks with 15 points and nine boards, while Saunders adding 15 and Henson 10.
 
Reaction from social media was fast and furious, with Wagner trending nationally on Twitter.
 
EJ @EJ_Brooklyn_Own
Shout out to Wagner doing it big for the NEC tonight. Northeast Conference in the house!
 
ESPN @espn  Nov 11
November madness? One night in and we have our first upset of the college basketball season: Wagner 67, No. 18 UConn 58.
 
Seth Davis @SethDavisHoops
UConn loses at home to Wagner by 5. College basketball is officially underway.
 
Cormac Gordon @SI_CormacGordon
After upsetting #UConn, maybe Wagner College is really this good
 
Nolan Long @NolanLong32
Proud of my @Wagner_MBB for knocking of UCONN!!!!
 
Dave Weast @ThorLilBro_
Wagner beating UCONN is a come together moment
 
Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
so psyched! #NECMBB fans like myself are beaming with pride
 
WAGNER WIN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wagner’s win over UConn will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest in the league’s 36-year history.
 
It was the first NEC victory over a ranked opponent since Wagner downed #15 Pittsburgh, 59-54, on December 23, 2011.
 
Prior to that you have to go all the back to December 18, 1995 when Mount St. Mary’s knocked off #21 Georgia Tech, 71-69.
 
NOTABLE VICTORIES AGAINST MAJOR CONFERENCE OPPOSITION
Wagner 67, #18 UConn 58 (11/11/16)
Saint Francis U 73, Rutgers 68 (12/20/14)
Robert Morris 89, St. John’s 78 (3/18/14 - Postseason NIT)
Fairleigh Dickinson 73, Rutgers 72 (11/25/13)
Fairleigh Dickinson 58, Seton Hall 54 (12/01/13)
St. Francis Brooklyn 66, Miami 62 (OT) (11/8/13)
Robert Morris 59, Kentucky 57 (3/19/13)
Bryant 56, Boston College 54 (11/25/12)
Wagner 59, #15 Pittsburgh 54 (12/23/11)
Robert Morris 57, Boston College 51 (1/7/08)
Fairleigh Dickinson 76, Seton Hall 71 (11/18/06)
St. Francis (NY) 53, St. John’s 52 (11/23/04)
Monmouth 81, Vanderbilt 67 (11/24/01)
CCSU 54, Providence 50 (12/21/99)
Long Island 76, St. John’s 73 (11/23/96)
Mount St. Mary’s 71, #21 Georgia Tech 69 (12/18/95)
Fairleigh Dickinson 55, Providence 53 (12/19/84)
Long Island 72, Providence 65 (12/23/83)

DONYELL MARSHALL ERA AT CCSU OPENS ON HIGH NOTE
Donyell Marshall won plenty of big games during his 15-year NBA career, but last Friday’s 75-60 win over Hartford in his first game at Central Connecticut head coach had to rank right up there with any of them.
 
“For me to be able to come in and get a good quality win against a good quality team takes a lot of the pressure off me right away,” said Marshall. “Now we can go in here and just coach and try to get out here and get as many wins as we can this season.”
 
The Blue Devils led by ten at the half and were never threatened the last ten minutes of the game.
 
CCSU was paced by sophomore guard Austin Nehls (Tucson, AZ/Cheshire Academy), who hit 4-7 from three-point range and finished with a game-high 18 points. Senior guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) added 14 and Tidel Pierre (Hempstead, NY/Garden City CC) came off the bench to contribute 12 points and nine boards in just 21 minutes.
 
The Blue Devils moved the ball like a well-oiled unit rather than a team that sports six freshman, eight underclassmen and just two seniors.
 
“They’re playing with great intensity and they’re playing together, they really shared the ball against our zone,” Hartford head coach John Gallagher said. “The 24 assists on 30 baskets tells you Donyell is doing all the right things. Tip your hat to them.”
 
NEWCOMERS OF NOTE
A number of newcomers to the NEC made good first impressions last week. Here are the most notable ones.
 
Sabastian Townes (BRY, Fr, F)
The NEC Rookie of the Week recorded 16 points and four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against Notre Dame on Saturday. He drained 5-9 from the field.
 
Adam Grant (BRY, Fr, G)
Chipped in with 13 points, three rebounds and four assists against Notre Dame on Saturday. Hit 3-5 from outside the arc.
 
Tyson Batiste (CCSU, Fr, G)
Averaged 7.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 apg in his first two collegiate games, including 10 points on 5-9 shooting against Seton Hall on Sunday.
 
Greg Alexander (MSM, Jr, G)
The East Carolina transfer led the Mount with 15 points and four 3PFG against #20 West Virginia on Friday.
 
Miles Wilson (MSM, Fr, G)
Pitched in with 11 points and four rebounds against West Virginia.
 
Joseph Lopez (SHU, Jr, F)
Scored eight points and pulled down a game-high 14 caroms vs. Fairfield on Friday.

Rasheem Dunn (SFBK, Fr, G)
Recorded 12 points and hit 2-4 from three-point territory in SFBK’s opener at NC State on Sunday.
 
Keith Braxton (SFU, Fr, G)
Finished with 12 points and five rebounds in his debut vs/ St. Bonaventure on Saturday.
 
Randall Gaskins Jr. (SFU, Fr, G)
Earned a start and scored 12 points on 4-7 shooting vs. St. Bonaventure.
 
BACK HEALTHY
Two key NEC players made their returns over the weekend after battling back from shoulder injuries that sidelined them last season.
 
Sacred Heart redshirt junior forward De’von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) scored 12 points and snared five boards against Fairfield in his first game back. Barnett averaged 10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg and shot 57.1 percent from the field in 2014-15.
 
After missing all but the first six games in 2015-16, sophomore guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) returned on Sunday with a team-high 14 points against North Carolina State. Sanabria averaged 6.0 ppg, 2.1 apg and hit 31 three-pointers as a freshman in 2014-15.
 
QUICK HITTERS
Bryant newcomers finished with 60 of his team’s 64 points in a setback to Notre Dame on Saturday.
 
CCSU sophomore guard Eric Bowles (Fairfax, VA/WT Woodson) finished with eight assists and zero turnovers off the bench in CCSU’s 75-60 win over Hartford to open the season.
 
CCSU recorded assists on 24-of-30 made baskets in its win over Hartford on Friday night.
 
Preseason all-NEC pick Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding) of Fairleigh Dickinson did not play in the Knights’ season opener at Seton Hall due to an injury.
 
In RMU’s first two games of the season, 63.9 percent (78-of-122) of RMU’s points have come from underclassmen.
 
Robert Morris freshman center Braden Burke (Stevensville, MI/Lakeshore) became the eighth true freshman in program history to earn a starting spot in collegiate debut, including the fourth under seventh-year head coach Andrew Toole.
 
Of Saint Francis U’s 82 points against St. Bonaventure on Saturday, 66 came from underclassmen. Sophomore Jamaal King (Salisbury, MD/Bishop O’Connell (VA)) led the way with a career-high 21 points. King scored 35 points as a freshman a year ago.

TWEET DECK

Donyell Marshall @Dmarsh42
I appreciate all the love saying I got my first win. But in reality we @CCSU_MBB got OUR first win. We are a TEAM here no individuals. 

Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Nice performance by @RedFlashMBB today at St. Bonnie - lots of underclassmen played well in a 10 point loss. Jameel King w/ 21 pts!

Nelson Castillo @NelCastBHJ
Even if they lose, RMU has done a nice job on the offensive glass tonight. 15 offensive boards against a Big East team.

Bill Herenda @billherenda
I’ve successfully sneaked @FDUKnights v @SetonHallMBB into 2 west coast sports updates Never felt more productive @NECsports @YESNetwork