PDF Release
NEC Player of the Week: Chauncey Hawkins, SFBK
NEC Rookie of the Week: Benson Lin. BRY 
Previous NEC Releases: December 9  | December 2 | November 25 | November 18 | November 11 | Preseason Poll Release

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chauncey Hawkins, St. Francis Brooklyn
5’8”, 165 lbs.
Jr., G, Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional
Hawkins was the offensive catalyst in a pair of Terrier home wins last week. The junior from Spring Valley, NY averaged 19.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shot 80.0 percent from the line. He scored 17 points and a registered a career-high five steals as SFBK edged Presbyterian, 64-63, on Tuesday. The five steals were the most by a Terrier since Rasheem Dunn recorded five against CCSU on February 24, 2018. Hawkins followed with a team-high 21 points in a 73-71 win over NJIT on Saturday. He scored 17 in the second half, including five free throws in the final 35 seconds to help preserve SFBK’s slim lead. The Terriers are now 3-0 on the year when Hawkins has scored 20+ points. He leads the team and ranks sixth in the NEC with 15.9 ppg.

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Benson Lin, Bryant
6’4”, 180 lbs.
Fr., G, New Taipei City, Taiwan/St. Andrew’s (RI)
Lin repeated as NEC Rookie of the Week for his performance in Bryant’s 69-61 win at Fordham last Tuesday. He tied for game scoring honors with 15 points, drained 3-6 from long range and chipped in with three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. With Fordham looking to chip away at Bryant’s lead, the native of New Taipei City, Taiwan assisted on Michael Green’s layup, then hit a layup of his own on the next possession to build the Bulldogs’ lead to nine with under three minutes to play. Lin has averaged 13.7 points in three December games to lift his season average to 8.8 ppg.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Benson Lin (BRY, Fr, G)
Lin continues to shine for the Bulldogs. Last Wednesday he tied for game scoring honors with 15 points, and added three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in Bryant’s 69-61 win at Fordham. He hit 3-6 from three-point range. The two-time NEC Rookie of the Week is averaging 8.8 ppg on the year and 12.5 ppg over his last four contests.

Greg Outlaw (CCSU, Fr, G)
Outlaw scored a game and career-high 18 points, and matched personal-bests with seven rebounds and three steals at Boston College on Sunday. Outlaw has averaged 14.0 ppg on 51.0 percent shooting from the field over his last four games. He ranks second among NEC freshman with 11.0 ppg.

Jahlil Jenkins (FDU, Jr, G)
Jenkins averaged 18.5 ppg, 4.0 apg and 4.0 spg, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 93.3 percent from the stripe last week. He finished with 19 points on 6-9 shooting and matched a career-high with five steals at Saint Peter’s on Wednesday as a prelude to his 18-point outing vs. Princeton on Saturday. Jenkins is 30 points away from becoming the 29th 1,000-point scorer in program history.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, Sr, G/F)
Clark led all scorers with 21 points and snared nine caroms at Rider on Saturday. He made 7-13 from the floor. Clark leads the league with 20.6 ppg and 55.0 percent shooting from distance, while ranking second in field goal accuracy at 59.3 percent.

Juvaris Hayes (MC, Sr, G)
Hayes checked off all the boxes with 14 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals in Merrimack’s 69-60 win over Army on Wednesday. With 817 career assists, he is nine away from setting a new school record. Hayes leads the NEC in steals by a wide margin and ranks fifth in the nation with 3.2 per game.

Mikey Watkins (MC, So, G)
Watkins dropped 15 of his season-high 17 points in the second half of Merrimack’s victory over Army on Wednesday. He made 6-9 shots, including 3-4 from outside the arc, and added two assists and two steals.

Jare’l Spellman (SHU, Sr, C)
Spellman recorded his third double-double in just 23 minutes of play with game-highs in points (14), rebounds (10) and blocks (two), to go along with three assists at UCF on Sunday. He shot 5-8 from the floor and was 4-4 at the free throw line.

Chauncey Hawkins (SFBK, Jr, G)
Hawkins provided the spark for the Terriers in a 2-0 week with 19.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.5 apg. He recorded 17 points and a career-high five steals as SFBK edged Presbyterian, 64-63, on Tuesday. Hawkins went on to pace the Terriers with 21 points in a 73-71 victory over NJIT on Saturday. He scored 17 in the second half, including five free throws in the final 35 seconds. The NEC Player of the Week leads the team and ranks sixth in the NEC with 15.9 ppg.

Alex Morales (WC, Jr, G)
Morales shared game scoring honors with 19 points on 7-13 shooting at Hartford on Saturday. He grabbed seven boards, and added three assists and three steals. Morales made four straight buckets in a 57-second span late in the contest to pull Wagner within five points with 54 seconds to play. He ranks second on the Seahawks with 13.0 ppg.
   
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 6

Here’s all you need to know from the sixth week of the 2019-20 season...

ROAD WARRIORS (AND BULLDOGS, PIONEERS & RED FLASH)
 
Winning on the road is no small task.
 
NEC teams haven’t backed down from the challenge.
 
After this past week’s games, the NEC continues to lead the nation with 18 true road wins.
 
Conferences With Most Road Wins In 2019-20
NEC                  18
MAC                  17
Southern             17
ACC                  16
Patriot              16
Mountain West        15
Sun Belt             14
WCC                  14
America East         13
CAA                  13
CUSA                 13
Ivy                  13
 
The NEC is also the only conference that sports four teams with three true road wins. In fact, only one other league (Patriot) has three teams with three wins away from home. Bryant, Merrimack, Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U have all recorded three road victories.
 
Conferences With Teams That Have 3 Or More Road Wins In 2019-20
NEC                   4 teams
Patriot               3
Ivy                   2
MVC                   2
Mountain West         2
Southern              2
America East          1
Big East              1
Big South             1
CAA                   1
Horizon               1
MAC                   1
MEAC                  1
OVC                   1
Summit                1
WCC                   1
 
NEC TEAM OF THE DECADE ANNOUNCEMENT
 
The votes are in.
 
With 2020 just around the corner, we will be revealing the NEC Team of the Decade this Thursday.
 
A crack voting panel consisting of current NEC coaches, media members, announcers and conference staff whittled a 25-player list down to a 10-member team with the highest vote-getter being named the NEC Player of the Decade.
 
The conference will also invite fans to send in their picks with a prize pack going to fan who comes closest to selecting the correct team.
 
BULLDOGS BITE RAMS
 
It was the signature win thus far of the Jared Grasso era.
 
With the second year head coach returning to his old stomping grounds last Tuesday, Bryant put a stranglehold on Fordham in the second half on its way to a 69-61 win in the Bronx. It marked the program’s first-ever victory over an A10 foe.
 
The Bulldogs held the Rams without a field goal for a 14:59 stretch in the second stanza to help turn a seven-point deficit into an eventual double digit lead. Fordham was limited to 23.3 percent shooting after intermission, including a 1-13 mark from distance.
 
With Bryant up six and under two minutes to play, senior guard Adam Grant (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) delivered the dagger with a wing three late in the shot clock.
 
Freshman guard Benson Lin (New Taipei City, Taiwan/St. Andrew’s (RI)) led the Bulldogs with 15 points and four assists. The NEC Rookie of the Week hit 3-6 from beyond the arc.
 
The game served as a reunion of sorts for Grasso, who served as Fordham's head coach for 23 games during the 2009-10 season.
 
It was also a homecoming for freshman guard Michael Green III (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy), who scored 11 second half points in his return home to the Bronx.
 
NEC RECORDBOOK CHECK
 
The NEC record for most non-league wins is nine, shared by five different teams. St. Francis Brooklyn was the last team to turn the trick back in 2013-14. With seven victories, Bryant has a chance to match the mark, but would need wins on the road at Dartmouth and #7 Maryland in its final two outings.
 
NEC Most Non-Conference Wins*
St. Francis Brooklyn*       9-6       2013-14
Robert Morris               9-4       2011-12
Wagner                      9-2       2011-12
Robert Morris               9-4       2007-08
Monmouth                    9-3       1991-92
 
* Does not include postseasons wins/losses. Including postseason games, RMU holds the record with 11 wins in 2011-12 (+2 wins in CIT)
 
 STAT OF THE WEEK
 
With a +6.55 turnover margin after 11 games, Merrimack could land itself in the NEC recordbook by year’s end.
 
If the Warriors maintain that number, it would be the highest single-season turnover margin by an NEC team since Wagner finished at +6.4 back in 1999-00.
 
Highest NEC Turnover Margins Over Last 25 Years
1. LIU                      +9.9          1996-97
2. LIU                      +9.1          1997-98
3. Wagner                   +6.4          1999-00
4. Mount St. Mary’s         +5.2          2015-16
5. Wagner                   +5.0          2000-01
 
CHARITY STRIPE KIND TO PIONEERS & FLASH
 
With a late game lead, it never hurts having a lineup stacked with reliable free throw shooters.
 
Stacked may be an understatement when talking about this year’s Sacred Heart squad.
 
The Pioneers are shooting a league-best 81.5, rank fourth nationally from the line and feature three of the top-six and four of the top-12 free throw shooters in the conference.
 
The NEC single-season free throw accuracy record is 78.2 percent, set last season by CCSU.
 
Sophomore guard Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) is second in the NEC at 89.2 percent, followed by junior forward E.J.Anosike (East Orange, NJ/Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More) ranked fifth (.846) and sophomore guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) sixth (.839). Sophomore guard Koreem Ozier (Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports) is 12th on the circuit (.758).
 
Saint Francis U is no slouch from the line either, shooting 78.8 percent with senior guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) third in the league (.889), senior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) seventh (.838) and sophomore swingman Tyler Stewart (Silver Spring, MD/St. Andrew’s Episcopal (Binghamton)) ninth (.826). The Red Flash are 11th in the country in free throw percentage.
 
GRANT CRACKS TOP-20 ON NEC 3P LIST
 
We continue to track Bryant senior guard Adam Grant’s (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) climb up the NEC career three-pointers made chart.
 
With one triple in the Bulldogs’ 69-61 win at Fordham on Tuesday, Grant upped his career total to 240 to tie him with LIU’s Kyle Johnson for 20th all-time.
 
Grant needs just 30 more to reach the top-10 and 46 to make the top-five. Former CCSU star Tristan Blackwood holds the league’s all-time record with 328 trifectas from 2004-08.
 
NEC Career Three-Pointers Leaders
10. Ryan Litke           SHU         270        2006-10
      Dedrick Dye        WC          270        1999-03
12. Landy Thompson       MSM         267        2002-06
13. Kevin Booth          MSM         265        1989-93
14. Dave Calloway        MU          260        1987-91
15. Rob Monroe           QU          253        2001-05
16. Ben Mockford         SFBK        252        2011-14
17. John Hilvert         SFU         247        1987-91
18. Jeremy Chappell      RMU         243        2005-09
19. Julian Norfleet      MSM         242        2010-14
20. Adam Grant           BRY         240        2016-20
    Kyle Johnson         LIU         240        2007-11
 
DEFENSIVE MINDED WARRIORS SHINE IN DI HOME DEBUT
 
Playing in front of a sellout crowd against a DI opponent for the first time as a member of the NEC, Merrimack did not disappoint.
 
With 1,500 fans in attendance, the Warriors broke open a nip-and-tuck affair with a 15-4 run in early in the first half and stayed comfortably ahead on its way to a 69-60 win over Army last Wednesday.
 
Sophomore guard Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden) paced Merrimack with 17 points, including 3-4 from long range, and added two steals. Senior guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) did it all with 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals.
 
The Warriors’ defense, which ranks seventh nationally in turnover margin, sixth in steals per game and seventh in steal percentage, forced at least 16 turnovers for the fifth straight game and the eighth time this season.
 
Hayes leads the NEC and ranks fifth in the country with 3.2 spg, while Watkins is second with 2.4 spg. The duo has combined for more steals (61) than four NEC teams have compiled this season.
 
Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo gave his two defensive-minded guards plenty of credit for Wednesday’s win and the Warriors’ early season success. 
 
“(Army) had a big (center) but if you look at it, they are smaller and play three guards,” said Gallo. “They tried to force the ball inside but it’s hard to get the ball inside when we have (Watkins and Hayes) on the outside. They’re ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NEC in steals, and there’s not a close second. Our best post defenders are these guys because of the way they deflect passes.”
 
TERRIER NAILBITERS
 
The sign of a good team is its ability to close out close games.
 
In that respect, St. Francis Brooklyn is a team to keep an eye on as we head into league play.
 
The Terriers won a pair of games last week by a combined total of three points with victories over Presbyterian (64-63) and NJIT (73-71).
 
In fact, SFBK’s four DI wins this season have come by a combined total of 10 points. The Terriers knocked off Lafayette, 73-72, back on November 9 and also claimed an 84-78 win at Hartford on December 5.
 
PARKER ASSIST UPDATE
 
After dishing six helpers at UCF on Sunday, Sacred Heart sophomore guard Cameron Parker (Beaverton, OR/Tilton School) remains the national leader with 9.3 apg on the year. He holds a slim lead over Stanford’s Josh Sharkey, who has compiled 9.1 per game.
 
FRESHMAN FACTS
 
CCSU freshmen combined for 74.5 percent of the team’s scoring at Boston College on Sunday. First-year classmates Greg Outlaw (Chicago, IL/Rezin Orr Academy) and Trey Tennyson (Mansfield, TX/Mansfield Legacy) tallied 18 points and 10 points, respectively, with each setting career-highs. Outlaw leads all NEC freshman with 1.7 spg and is second with 11.0 ppg.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn freshman guard Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) came off the bench to drop a career-high 19 points on 6-13 shooting and dished out three assists in Saturday’s 73-71 win over NJIT. He scored 14 of his points in the first half as he went 5-9 from the floor. It was the fifth time this season that Higgins has scored in double figures.
 
NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
 
Name                    School         Category       Rank       Value
Hall Elisias            BRY            Blocks         16th       2.82
Adam Grant              BRY            3PFG           22nd       3.27
Patrick Harding         BRY            Reb.           8th        11.2
Patrick Harding         BRY            Def. Reb.      17th       7.73
Raiquan Clark           LIU            PPG            25th       20.6
Ty Flowers              LIU            Def. Reb.      7th        8.20
Ty Flowers              LIU            Dub-Dub.       20th       5
Juvaris Hayes           MC             Steals         5th        3.18
E.J. Anosike            SHU            Reb.           17th       10.6
Cameron Parker          SHU            Assists        1st        9.3
Curtis Cobb             WC             FT%            8th        .947
Curtis Cobb             WC             3PFG           7th        3.67
 
Team                    Category        Rank          Value
Bryant                  Rebounding      8th           43.27
Bryant                  Def. Reb.       17th          30.18
LIU                     3PFG            14th          10.3
Merrimack               TO Margin       7th           6.55
Merrimack               Steals          6th           10.55
Sacred Heart            FT%             4th           .815
Sacred Heart            Rebounding      15th          42.09
Saint Francis U         FT%             11th          .788