NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Keith Braxton, Saint Francis U
6’5”, 208 lbs.
Jr., G, Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)
Braxton did it all for the Red Flash last week en route to his second NEC Player of the Week honor of the season. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals, and shot 48.3 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the line. Braxton matched his season-high with 25 points on 9-13 shooting, and added three steals in a four-point setback to Wagner on Thursday. He went on to post 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in Saturday’s 79-78 comeback win over Sacred Heart. The Glassboro, NJ product came up big in the clutch, hitting back-to-back buckets in the paint in the final 90 seconds to extend SFU’s lead from one to five points. Braxton paces the NEC with 9.8 rpg and ranks second with 1.8 spg. He’s also ranked in the top-10 in scoring (15.8, sixth), assists (3.6, eight) and assist-to-turnover ratio (sixth, 1.41).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYER & ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Vado Morse, Mount St. Mary’s
6’0”, 155 lbs.
Fr., G, Suitland, MD/Bullis School
Morse continued to play like anything but a freshman, pouring in 24.0 points per game last week. He added 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing, while converting at a 50.0 percent clip from the floor and 45.0 percent from three-point range. In doing so, he became just the fourth freshman in league history to be named NEC Player of the Week, joining Wagner’s Miladin Mutavdzic (2/2/92), CCSU’s Corsley Edwards (11/30/98) and Sacred Heart’s Cane Broome (12/8/14). He also took home his second straight NEC Rookie of the Week honor and fourth in the last five weeks. Morse scored a career-high 24 points in a 74-72 win over LIU Brooklyn, hitting 4-9 from downtown. His two free throws with 23 seconds to play gave the Mount a five-point cushion. Two days later, he matched his personal-best with 24 points and helped lead a furious comeback that came up just short in a setback to St. Francis Brooklyn. Morse hit three of his five trifectas in the last four minutes, the last of which brought it to a one possession game with 49 seconds to play. The Suitland, MD native leads all NEC freshman and ranks 13th overall with 13.8 ppg on the season. He is the fourth-ranked NEC scorer in league play with 17.1 ppg.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

SaBastian Townes (BRY, Jr, F)
Townes averaged 18.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg in a split for the Bulldogs. He knocked down 5-8 (.625) from outside the arc and shot 52.2 percent overall. Townes hit 3-4 from downtown - including the game-winner with 7.4 seconds to play - and led all scorers with 18 points in Bryant’s 63-60 win over CCSU on Thursday.

Jahlil Jenkins (FDU, So, G)
Jenkins rang up 12.5 ppg, 7.0 apg and 3.5 rpg while shooting 56.3 percent from the field as the Knights extended their win streak to three with victories over SFBK and Bryant last week. He hit 6-7 shots and finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 60-58 win over the Terriers on Thursday.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark posted his 12th and 13th games of 20+ points on the year in LIU’s road split. He contributed 21.5 ppg on 60.0 percent shooting, and added 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.5 spg. Clark scored a game-high 21 points, converting 9-14 from the floor in Saturday’s victory at CCSU. He remains the NEC scoring leader at 21.7 ppg.

Vado Morse (MSM, Fr, G)
In winning his first NEC Player of the Week and fourth NEC Rookie of the Week award of the season, Morse put up 24.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.0 apg. He shot at a 50.0 percent clip from the floor and made 9-20 (.450) from long range. Morse, who scored a career-high 24 in each of the two games in a 1-1 week for the Mount, now leads all NEC freshman with 13.8 ppg.
 
Matty McConnell (RMU, Sr, F)
McConnell posted strong all-around numbers for first place RMU, averaging 13.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 2.0 spg. He scored a season-high 19 points on just eight shots, and snared six boards in Thursday’s 72-64 win over SHU, then recorded eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds as the Colonials improved to 7-1 in NEC play with a 57-51 triumph over Wagner.

Jare’l Spellman (SHU, Jr, F)
Spellman’s impact defensively has been well documented, but he’s starting to heat up on the offensive end as well. Last week he sank 73.3 percent of his shot attempts and averaged 12.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 2.5 bpg for the Pios. Spellman leads the NEC with 2.9 bpg.

Deniz Celen (SFBK, Jr, F)
Celen has been on an upward trajectory as of late, and last week averaged a double-double with 15.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.0 bpg. He also hit 60.0 percent of his field goal attempts. Celen totaled 15 points, matched a career-high with 10 rebounds, and added four assists and a pair of blocks in the Terriers’ victory at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday. He is the first SFBK player this season to record back-to-back double-doubles since Antonio Jenifer in 2015-16.

Rosel Hurley (SFBK, Jr, G)
Hurley comes off his best week of the season with 17.5 ppg on 66.7 percent shooting, while adding 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg for the Terriers, who split a pair of road games. Hurley tallied 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in SFBK’s 74-67 win at the Mount on Saturday and had a career-high 19 at FDU two days earlier on 8-9 shooting.

Keith Braxton (SFU, Jr, G)
Braxton filled the box with 20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.5 spg in a 1-1 week for the Red Flash. The NEC Co-Player of the Week hit two key shots late in SFU’s comeback win over SHU on Saturday, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Braxton paces the NEC with 9.8 rpg and ranks second with 1.8 spg.

Romone Saunders (WC, Sr, G)
Saunders posted his typically strong all-around numbers with 17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.5 spg in a Wagner split. He dropped 18 points, five rebounds, a career-high tying six assists and three steals in the Seahawks’ 83-79 road win over SFU on Thursday. Saunders remains in the NEC top-10 in scoring (18.2, second), rebounding (7.1, fourth) and assists (3.7, seventh).

TOP STORYLINES FROM AROUND #NECMBB

Here’s all you need to know from the 12th week of the 2018-19 season...
 
RMU START IN PERSPECTIVE
 
The beat goes on for Robert Morris.
 
Utilizing a suffocating defense, the Colonials squeezed out a pair of home wins last week over a pair of tough opponents in Sacred Heart and Wagner.
 
And in doing so, RMU (7-1 NEC) has built itself a tidy little two-game cushion over the rest of the field just eight games into conference play.
 
The 7-1 start is the best for the Colonials since opening the 2013-14 campaign with a 14-1 mark before dropping their final regular season game of the year.
 
Even more impressive, RMU went 4-0 over a busy eight-day stretch, a fact that wasn’t lost on head coach Andrew Toole.
 
“A gutty effort by our guys,” Toole said after Saturday’s 57-51 win over Wagner. “I’m super proud of their ability to play four games in a week and have that kind of defensive effort and rebounding effort. It wasn’t pretty offensively, but that’s what you get when Wagner and Robert Morris play each other. There’s always a lot of effort and intensity in the game, and our guys responded, especially down the stretch when we needed to get key stops.”
 
RMU has allowed a league low 61.1 ppg against NEC competition, and also ranks first in steals (8.5), turnovers forced (16.8) and defensive efficiency (91.0).
 
Last week, the Colonials limited SHU and Wagner to 50.0 ppg on 34.0 percent shooting from the field.
 
RMU also held a 16-rebound edge on the glass against a Seahawk team that leads the NEC in rebound margin. The +16 was the highest margin for RMU against a DI opponent this season.
 
RMU DID YOU KNOW?
 
Robert Morris has trailed for a total of 37 seconds during its four-game winning streak.
 
RMU DID YOU KNOW #2?
 
Robert Morris has won 16 consecutive games dating back to the 2016-17 campaign when holding opponents under 60 points. Included in that stretch is an 8-0 record in 2018-19 with four of those wins coming against NEC rivals.
 
TRAFFIC JAM!!
 
With Robert Morris firmly ensconced in first place with a 7-1 NEC mark, its closest competitor at this point is a St. Francis Brooklyn team off to a 5-3 start.

After that, we have a free-for-all.
 
Heading into play this week, no less than six teams are tied for third place with 4-4 records. In that group are the teams picked first (Saint Francis U), second (FDU), third (LIU Brooklyn) and fourth (Wagner) in the NEC preseason poll.
 
The Colonials were picked fifth by the league’s head coaches and the Terriers were tabbed seventh in the annual poll.
 
HOME COOKING? NOT SO MUCH
 
Home teams are just 22-18 (.550) after four weeks of NEC play.
 
BRAXTON’S ALL-AROUND EFFORT
 
Not a week goes by without Saint Francis U junior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) making waves in a good way.
 
On Saturday, the NEC Co-Player of the Week hit two clutch shots on back-to-back possessions in the final 90 seconds to help spark the Red Flash’s 79-78 comeback win over Sacred Heart.
 
He finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block.
 
In doing so, he became just the fourth player in the nation this season to post an 18/8/8/2/1 game. Interestingly, one of the others is Murray State’s breakout star Ja Morant, who had 34 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block against Eastern Kentucky on January 5. The other two are Illinois-Chicago’s Tarkus Ferguson (22/8/10/2/3 vs. Bradley on November 17) and Wofford’s Cameron Jackson (19/8/9/2/1 vs. Samford on January 24).
 
The eight assists were a season-high for the Glassboro, NJ native.
 
FDU ON THE UPSWING
 
Don’t look now, but here come the Knights.
 
After opening the NEC season with a 1-4 mark, Fairleigh Dickinson has won three straight to pull into the massive six team pileup that sits in third place. The Knights were predicted to finish second in the conference by the league’s head coaches.
 
Over the three-game stretch, the Knights are shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 79.2 percent from the line and have turned the ball over just 9.7 times per game. At the same time, FDU has limited opponents to 63.3 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting.
 
FDU head coach Greg Herenda couldn’t hide the pride in his team’s performance following Saturday’s 78-63 win over Bryant.
 
“That was a very solid road conference win and it started with Mike (Holloway) and Kaleb (Bishop) in the paint on both sides of the ball,” said Herenda. “When our bigs play that way we can be a very special team. We just beat a team that has been playing really good basketball. I’m very proud of how this team took care of business after a tough battle on Thursday night. It is not an easy turnaround game, especially traveling up here and preparing within 43 hours -- it’s a testament to our conditioning and toughness. Now we need to rest and get ready for another week in the NEC.”
 
NEC-TV SEASON DEBUT ON ESPNU
 
As prelude to a busy February, the NEC-TV crew will close out the month with two games on the ESPN family of networks this Thursday.
 
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.
 
Saturday brings 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. 
 
TERRIER NEWBIES ON DISPLAY
 
St. Francis Brooklyn has no shortage of star power.
 
We’ve heard plenty from senior guard Glenn Sanabria (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s), along with sophomore guards Jalen Jordan (Conyers, GA/Rockdale County) and Chauncey Hawkins (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional) this season. The trio has combined to average nearly 40 ppg on the year.
 
But as we learned on Saturday, the Terriers possess plenty of other weapons that can beat you.
 
In SFBK’s 74-67 win at the Mount, three newcomers flexed their collective muscles.
 
Junior forward Deniz Celen (Ankara, Turkey/özel gürçag okullari (Fairfield, Harcum College), who has come on strong as of late, posted his second straight double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. 
 
Junior wing Rosel Hurley (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights (Kent State, New Mexico Military Institute) wrapped up a big week of his own with 16 points and six rebounds, and converted two layups in the final four minutes.
 
And if that wasn’t enough, freshman guard Stevan Krtinic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Carnegie Schools Riverside) played the best game of his young career with 15 points on 5-7 shooting, and added seven boards. He hit a key bucket with under three minutes to play that maintained the Terriers’ double-digit lead.
 
The win pushed SFBK’s record to 5-3 and gave the Terriers sole possession of second place in the conference.
 
RED FLASH RALLY TO REMEMBER
 
Staring down the barrel of a 3-5 start, Saint Francis U made its move.
 
Trailing Sacred Heart at home by 14 at the half and by five with under four minutes to play, the NEC preseason favorites gave their fans something special.
 
Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, OH/Saint Ignatius) hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:18 to play, Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) followed with back-to-back buckets on the block and suddenly the Flash had a five-point lead with the Stokes Center rocking. A steal on the next possession led to a Myles Thompson (Camden, NJ/Camden) breakaway slam with 31 seconds to play, and the Red Flash hung on for a 79-78 win.
 
The win allowed SFU to pull into the six-way tie for third place heading into Thursday’s showdown with Keystone State rival Robert Morris.
 
MORSE TRIVIA
 
When the Mount’s Vado Morse (Suitland, MD/Bullis School) became just the fourth freshman in conference history to earn NEC Player of the Week honors, he joined some elite company.
 
CCSU’s Corsley Edwards (11/30/98) and Sacred Heart’s Cane Broome (12/8/14) not only earned POW/ROW double recognition, but both went on to become NEC Player of the Year award winners. Edwards was honored in 2001-02, while Broome was recognized in 2015-16.
 
The other player to turn the trick was Wagner’s Miladin Mutavdzic (2/2/92), a two-time first team NEC all-star in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
 
CLARK MILESTONE
 
LIU Brooklyn senior guard/forward Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) pulled down his 500th career rebound in Thursday’s game at the Mount. He enters play this week with 508 boards, fourth among active NEC players. Clark is one of four active NEC players with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career (Braxton, Holloway & Saunders).

TOWNES TRIPLE THREAT

Coming into the 2018-19 season, Bryant junior forward SaBastian Townes (Chesapeake, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) was a career 4-24 (.167) shooter from three-point range.

How times have changed.

This season the Chesapeake, VA native has added a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal and did it ever pay dividends last Thursday.

With the Bryant and CCSU deadlocked at 60 and the shot clock running down, Townes drilled a trifecta with nine seconds to play to give the Bulldogs the 63-60 win.

Townes has now converted 7-12 (.583) from outside the arc over the last three games to up his season percentage to a team-leading 42.9 percent on the year.

He leads Bryant and ranks ninth in the NEC with 14.4 ppg.
 
STAT TRACKER
 
At 4-4, Bryant has already doubled its NEC win total from last year.

Bryant is 7-0 this season when holding its opponent to under 70 points.
 
CCSU junior forward Joe Hugley (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder (Baltimore City CC)) returned from a two-game absence to score a team-high 16 points in Saturday’s game with LIU Brooklyn. He has come off the bench to score in double-figures in six straight games.
 
CCSU senior swingman Tyler Kohl (Allentown, PA/Mineral Area College) averaged 14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.5 spg on the week. He led the Blue Devils in each of those categories last season and is on pace to repeat that feat this year, averaging a team-best 16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.7 apg and 1.4 spg. Kohl recorded his third double-double of the year with 14 points, 10 rebounds at Bryant on Thursday.
 
CCSU was perfect from the foul line (12-12) against LIU Brooklyn, on Saturday, marking the first time since December 6, 2017 that the Blue Devils finished perfect from the stripe. CCSU went 17-18 (.944) from the line in the two games last week to improve to 76.8 percent for the season, which is on pace to be the highest mark for an NEC team in a season since Wagner connected at a 77.2 percent clip in 2010-11.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson has made a league-leading 56.7 percent of its two-point shot opportunities in NEC play.
 
LIU Brooklyn sophomore forward Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy (MD)) registered four dunks in Thursday’s outing at Saint Francis U, an NEC-high for the year.
 
Robert Morris is 9-2 (.818) when senior guard Matty McConnell (Oakdale, PA/Chartiers Valley) reaches double figures this season, and over the last two years is 22-7 (.759) when he scores at least 10 points in a game. RMU’s leading active scorer with 981 points, McConnell is 19 shy of becoming the 25th member of the school’s 1,000-point club.
 
Robert Morris sophomore guard Jon Williams (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) became the fourth NEC player this season to register a double-digit assist game when he dropped a career-high 10 dimes in the Colonials’ 72-64 win over Sacred Heart on Thursday. RMU is 6-1 when Williams dishes out at least seven assists.
 
Sacred Heart boasts a pair of players who lead the NEC and rank in the top-10 nationally in their specialties. Junior forward Jare’l Spellman (Glen Allen, VA/Fork Union Military Academy (Florida Southern)) is seventh in blocks (2.86) and freshman guard Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) is eighth in assists (6.9). 
 
Saint Francis U ranks 37th nationally in offensive rebound percentage (.339).
 
Wagner ranks in the top-40 nationally in the percentage of points scored on three-pointers (.384, 39th) and free throws (.226, 28th), but the mid-range isn’t a big part of its arsenal. The Seahawks are 351th of the 353 teams nationally in the two-point bucket percentage (.390).