NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jalen Jordan, St. Francis Brooklyn
6’3”, 160 lbs.
So., G, Conyers, GA/Rockdale County
Jordan collected his second NEC Player of the Week honor following two strong all-around efforts in a sweep for the surging Terriers. He averaged 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists, while shooting 53.8 percent from three-point territory and a near perfect 94.4 percent from the line, making 17-18 over two games. Jordan established a pair of career-highs with 28 points and six assists, and sank 13-13 at the stripe in Saturday’s 92-85 win over Sacred Heart in a battle of early season NEC contenders. Two days later, he helped lift the Terriers to a 79-70 road victory over neighborhood rival LIU Brooklyn. The Conyers, GA product hit 4-7 from three-point range and led SFBK with 20 points and seven rebounds. Jordan is the league leader in three-point accuracy (.453), and ranks second in made triples (3.05/gm) and fifth in scoring (16.5). He is averaging 18.8 ppg in NEC play and the Terriers are 6-1 this season when he scores 20+ points.

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Vado Morse, Mount St. Mary’s
6’0”, 155 lbs.
Fr., G, Suitland, MD/Bullis School
Morse was awarded NEC Rookie honors for the third time in the last four weeks after he helped lead the Mount to their first conference win of the year on Saturday. For the week, he averaged 16.0 points and 4.0 assists, and shot 90.9 percent from the line. He was at his best in the Mount’s 70-56 win at Wagner, tallying 16 of his career-high 20 points in the second half. Morse followed with 12 points and four assists at FDU on Monday. He has now scored in double figures in each of the past eight games to lift his season average to 12.6 ppg, which ranks second among conference freshman. Morse, who hails from Suitland, MD, is the NEC’s tenth-leading scorer in league play with 14.8 ppg.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Jamir Coleman (CCSU, Jr, G/F)
Coleman paced the Blue Devils with 22.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the stripe. He established a new career-high with 27 points on 10-19 shooting against Robert Morris on Monday.

Kaleb Bishop (FDU, Jr, F)
Bishop comes off a productive week that saw him average 18.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg for the Knights, who split two games. He converted 61.9 percent of his shot opportunities and was a scorching 7-11 (.636) from three-point range. Bishop made 5-8 from outside the arc and finished with a career-high 21 points in Monday’s victory over the Mount.

Darnell Edge (FDU, Sr, G)
Edge once again caught fire from long range, hitting 8-12 in a 1-1 week for the Knights. The senior averaged 21.5 ppg, shot 65.2 percent from the floor and made all five of his free throws. He drained 5-7 from downtown and scored a game-high 23 points in Monday’s 87-69 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark’s scoring spree shows no signs of slowing down. He has scored 20+ points in five-of-six NEC games and averaged 24.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg and 3.5 apg in a 1-1 week for the Blackbirds. Clark, who leads the league with 21.7 ppg, posted a pair of double-doubles, including 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists in a two-point win over FDU on Saturday. He recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 29 points and 14 rebounds vs. SFBK on Monday.

Malik Petteway (RMU, Sr, F)
Petteway posted strong all-around numbers for the Colonials who pulled off a road sweep to remain in first place with a 5-1 mark. Petteway contributed 12.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 spg, 1.5 bpg and 1.5 apg while hitting at a 50.0 percent clip from the floor. He tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and tied a career-high with four steals in 19 minutes as Bryant on Saturday. Petteway has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games, averaging 12.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.4 spg and 2.0 bpg during that span.

E.J. Anosike (SHU, So, F)
Anosike played big in a 1-1 week for the Pioneers, averaging 19.0 ppg on 66.7 percent shooting to go along with 9.5 rpg. He scored a game-high 19 points on just eight shots and snared eight boards in SHU’s 62-38 triumph over Wagner on Monday.

Sean Hoehn (SHU, Sr, G)
Hoehn led Sacred Heart with 20.0 ppg and did much of his damage from the stripe, where he was a perfect 17-of-17 on the week. He added 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.0 spg. Hoehn led the Pios with 25 points in Saturday’s game at SFBK.

Chauncey Hawkins (SFBK, So, G)
Hawkins came off the bench to drop 23 points, and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Terriers’ seven-point victory against Sacred Heart on Saturday. The elite sixth man hit 3-5 from distance in his fourth 20+ point scoring effort of the year.

Jalen Jordan (SFBK, So, G)
Jordan filled it up last week with 24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 4.5 apg in a SFBK sweep. The NEC Player of the Week shot 53.8 percent from three-point territory and a near perfect 94.4 percent from the line, making 17-18. Jordan set new career-highs with 28 points and six assists in Saturday’s 92-85 win over Sacred Heart.

Keith Braxton (SFU, Jr, G)
Braxton posted his typically strong all-around numbers with 15.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 5.0 apg in SFU’s road split. He amassed 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists - all game-highs - in the Red Flash’s 80-69 win at CCSU on Saturday. Braxton remains the NEC leader with 10.2 rpg.

TOP STORYLINES FROM AROUND #NECMBB

Here’s all you need to know from the 11th week of the 2018-19 season...
 
COLONIALS CLAIM TOP SPOT
 
After six NEC games, Robert Morris does not sport a single player who scores more than 12.5 points per contest in league play.
 
What the Colonials do possess the NEC’s top-ranked scoring defense (62.3 ppg) and the league’s top-rated adjusted defensive efficiency (92.5).
 
While the Colonials may lack high scorers and individual accolades, they more than make up for it with workrate and synergy on the court, which has yielded tangible benefits...in the form of a 5-1 NEC record heading into play this week.
 
Fresh off a road sweep of Bryant and CCSU last week, RMU claimed sole possession of first place in the NEC, one game in front of Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
Even more impressive is that fact the Colonials went 3-1 over a four-game road trip. And with the next three games and five of its next six in the cozy confines of the North Athletic Complex, RMU has an opportunity to cement its status as a top NEC contender.
 
This marks RMU’s second straight 5-1 start in league play.
 
In the end, it always comes back to defense for head coach Andy Toole, who spoke  after Monday’s 80-69 win over the Blue Devils.
 
“They’re all good wins, they’re all big wins. I thought we started the game with great defensive intensity, and on offense we got some good shots that we just didn’t make. Malik (Petteway) got us going a little bit, but our defense really helped us in the first half, holding them to 28 points.”
 
RMU forced 38 turnovers in the two victories, piling up 23 steals in the process.
 
“Turning people over isn’t something we always talk about as coaches. We talk about being in the right spot, defending the right way and making it difficult for your opponent to score.”
 
MAJOR BRAXTON MILESTONE
 
The NEC currently sponsors a club whose admission requirements rival that of Harvard.
 
The only way to join is by securing 1,000 points, 750 rebounds and 250 assists over the course of your career.
 
In 38 years, only two have made the cut.
 
Saint Francis U junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) received his membership card on Saturday.
 
And while this won’t be the last of his accolades, it will certainly go down as one of the most impressive and a testament to his elite all-around game.
 
With the necessary point and assist totals already in hand, Braxton crossed the 750-rebound plateau in the Red Flash’s 80-69 win at CCSU on Saturday.
 
Heading into play this week, Braxton has amassed 1,237 points, 763 boards and 268 assists in just two and one-half seasons.
 
The only other NEC player to reach the milestone?
 
That would be former Robert Morris star guard Tony Lee, who played for the Colonials from 2004-08 and was the 2007-08 NEC Player of the Year.
 
Lee compiled 1,489 points, 751 rebounds and 487 assists during his time in Moon Township.
 
How rare is this feat nationally?
 
Only two other active players can claim membership in the 1,000/750/250 club: Wisconsin All-American Ethan Happ (1,897/1,061/356) and Purdue-Fort Wayne’s John Konchar (1,827/1,058/476). Both are seniors.
 
This may be just the beginning for Braxton.
 
The Jersey native is about to enter the NEC career top-25 in rebounding as is on pace to finish his career as the league’s first-ever 2,000-points, 1,000-rebound performer.

SPELLMAN’S BLOCK PARTY
 
Sacred Heart redshirt junior Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) arrived in Fairfield with a well-deserved reputation as a rim protector. 
 
He set a school career record with 196 blocks in just two seasons playing at Florida Southern, and was named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17.
 
Let’s just say that Spellman hasn’t missed a beat in the move from DII to DI.
 
The Glen Allen, VA native not only leads the NEC and ranks seventh nationally with 2.89 blocks per outing, but is coming off his signature game in a Pioneer uniform.
 
Spellman blocked a school DI record nine shots in SHU’s 62-38 win over Wagner on Monday, to go along with eight points and eight rebounds in a near triple-double effort.
 
The nine blocks were the most by an NEC player in nearly five years. St. Francis Brooklyn’s Amdy Fall - a two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year - rejected 10 shots against Bryant on February 27, 2014.
 
Likewise, his nine rejections tied for the second-most in the nation this season.
 
He’s also just the fourth player in the nation this season to finish a game with at least eight points, eight rebounds and nine blocks.
 
Due in part to his intimidating defensive presence, the Pioneers limited Wagner to 38 points and 18.0 percent shooting from the field in the victory. The 38 points yielded matched a SHU single-game record that had stood for over 31 years.
 
NEC GAMECHANGER: RMU’S MALIK PETTEWAY
 
Sacred Heart’s Jare’l Spellman isn’t the only player in the NEC this season to dominate a game via his play on the defensive end of the court.
 
Robert Morris senior forward Malik Petteway (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (Northwest Florida State)) has been a defensive force on a first place Robert Morris team that ranks atop the NEC’s key defensive metrics.
 
Petteway has posted at least two steals in each of his first six NEC games, averaging a league-best 2.7 per game over that span. At the same time, the Waterbury, CT native is second in the league with 1.7 blocks per game.
 
Petteway ranks 21st nationally in steal percentage (4.5) and 61st in block percentage (8.2).
 
At the same time, he’s given the Colonials a lift offensively both as a high flyer and an on-the-block presece.
 
Petteway is contributing 12.0 ppg in league play to go along with 7.0 rpg. Last week, he averaged 12.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 spg, 1.5 bpg and shot 50.0 percent from the field in a pair of RMU wins.
 
TERRIERS TAKE ROUND 1 OF BROOKLYN BATTLE
 
While the actual Battle of Brooklyn takes place at the Pope Center on Valentine’s Day, the opening salvo in the NEC’s fiercest rivalry was fired on Monday in an MLK Day special at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
 
On a game that aired nationally on ESPN3, St. Francis Brooklyn jumped out to a 19-point lead at the break over LIU Brooklyn and held off a strong Blackbird second half charge for a 79-70 win and neighborhood bragging rights for at least the next few weeks.
 
And while SFBK star Jalen Jordan (Conyers, GA/Rockdale County) was front-and-center as always with 20 points and seven rebounds, it was a Terrier role player who stole the show on this day.
 
SFBK junior forward Deniz Celen (Ankara, Turkey/özel gürçag okullari (Fairfield, Harcum College)), who is averaging 6.1 ppg on the year, recorded a career-high 18 points on 8-10 shooting and pulled down five rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
 
After a Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) fueled rally cut the lead to seven points with 8:29 to play, Celen scored eight of his team’s next 11 as the Terriers rebuilt the lead to 12 with under four minutes remaining.
 
The win kept the Terriers a game out of first place with a 4-2 mark and improved their overall record to 12-7 on the year. It was also the fifth road win this year for SFBK.
 
LIU’S CLARK SOARS EVEN HIGHER
 
After a terrific non-conference campaign, LIU Brooklyn senior guard/forward Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) has taken his game to new heights over the first six games of NEC competition.
 
Clark is averaging 24.8 ppg on 54.7 percent shooting to go along with 7.7 rpg and 1.7 spg against league rivals.
 
Last week, he posted the first 20/10/5 game of his career in Saturday’s 79-77 win over Fairleigh Dickinson, then recorded 29 points and 14 rebounds vs. St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday. He is one of 18 players in the country to record at least 29/14 in a game this season.
 
Overall, he leads the NEC and ranks 19th nationally in scoring.  
 
NEC-TV SEASON DEBUT ON ESPNU AROUND THE CORNER
 
As prelude to a busy February, the NEC-TV crew will close out the month with two games on January 31 to air on the ESPN family of networks.
 
FDU hosts LIU Brooklyn at 5:00 pm in the first of two NEC games to air on ESPNU this season. Kevin Brown (PxP) and Seth Greenberg (color) are in the booth.
 
After the conclusion of the first game, fans can switch over to ESPN+ to see Bryant visit Wagner at 7:00 pm. Paul Dottino (PxP) and Terry O’Connor (color) have the call in Staten Island.
 
Two days later on February 2 comes the second NEC doubleheader of the year on ESPN3 when Mount St. Mary’s plays host to Saint Francis U. The women tip things off at 1:00 pm followed by the men at 4:00 pm. Paul Dottino (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (color) will provide commentary for both games.
 
SFBK’S MR. BIG SHOT STRIKES AGAIN
 
Just one week after he converted the game-winning layup in a 72-68 win over Saint Francis U, Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) was back at it again for St. Francis Brooklyn this past Saturday.
 
With the Terriers clinging to a two-point lead over Sacred Heart at the Pope Center, the veteran guard calmly dribbled the shot clock down and drilled an NBA range three-pointer with 44 seconds to play that gave SFBK the cushion it needed in a 92-85 win over the Pioneers.
 
These two instances are the norm for the graduate student, who has made a reputation delivering in the clutch for the Terriers.
 
For his signature moment, we flash back to last season’s game at Robert Morris.
 
With the back-and-forth affair reaching its final moments, the Terriers found themselves down six points with 4.1 seconds to play.
 
Sanabria hit a quick three-pointer to cut the deficit in half with 0.8 seconds on the clock. RMU tried to go long on the inbounds, but the ball deflected off a Colonial player and the Terriers regained possession with 0.6 seconds remaining.
 
Cue Sanabria once again.
 
Inbounding the ball 65 feet from the hoop, Jagos Lasic fired a pass to a curling Sanabria, who hit a rainbow trifecta from 30 feet as time expired to send the game to OT.
 
SFBK’s prime time performer currently ranks second on the Terriers with 12.6 ppg on the year.
 
FDU DID YOU KNOW?
 
FDU is the only NEC team and one of just 25 nationally with five double figure scorers on the year. Senior guard Darnell Edge (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) leads with 15.7 ppg, and he is followed by sophomore guard Xzavier Malone-Key (Philadelphia, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh (Rider)) (13.6 ppg), sophomore guard Jahlil Jenkins (Ranson, WV/Virginia Academy) (12.9 ppg), senior forward Mike Holloway Jr. (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick) (10.7 ppg) and junior forward Kaleb Bishop (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) (10.0 ppg).
 
STAT TRACKER
 
Bryant’s leading scorer Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) produced 16.0 ppg and 2.0 spg last week for the Bulldogs. The junior guard scored 15 points in Monday’s 76-67 win over Saint Francis U. With 1,103 career points, he moved within 73 of Frankie Dobbs for third on the school’s all-time DI list.
 
Bryant has won four home games this year in which they were trailing at the half (Saint Peter’s, New Hampshire, Dartmouth and Saint Francis U this past Monday). The Bulldogs have shot 57.3 percent after the break in those games.
 
CCSU freshman swingman Michael Underwood (Fort Worth, TX/Southwest) came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points against Robert Morris on Monday. He shot 5-9 from the field and hit his first four three-pointers of the game in the opening period when he poured in 14 points in 11 minutes.
 
CCSU junior forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder (Baltimore City CC)) scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game as a reserve with 11 points against Saint Francis U. He’s averaging 22.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg per 40 minutes this season.
 
FDU sophomore forward Elyjah Williams (Evanston, IL/Evanston) is shooting a league-best 64.5 percent from the field in NEC play. Last week he averaged 12.0 ppg at a 64.3 percent clip from the floor. Williams finished with 18 points and six boards against LIU on Saturday. 
 
Robert Morris senior guard Josh Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) put up 15.0 ppg while shooting 52.9 percent from the field, including 58.3 percent from deep, in leading the Colonials to a pair of road wins last week. He paces the Colonials with 13.8 ppg, and ranks first in the NEC and 22nd nationally with 3.42 three-pointers per game.
 
Sacred Heart freshman guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) averaged 11.5 ppg on 58.3 percent shooting last week for the Pioneers.
 
Saint Francis U junior Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) hit 4-7 shots from distance and poured in a career-high 26 points off the bench at Bryant on Monday.
 
Wagner redshirt senior Romone Saunders (Temple Hills, MD/Potomac) moved up three spots on Wagner’s all-time scoring list, and now sits in 27th place with 1,153 points. Next on the list is Ed Peterson (1953-56) at 1,172 points. Saunders has now scored 10 or more points in 16 straight games since opening the season with a seven-point effort at Seton Hall on November 6.