NEC Player of the Week: Kendall Bresee, MSM

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NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KENDALL BRESEE, MOUNT ST. MARY’S
Jr., F, 5-10, Frederick, MD/Urbana
Week 5 Stats: 2 starts, 21.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.5 spg, .536 FG pct.
Bresee put up back-to-back double-doubles against a pair of Patriot League members last week. The transfer, who logged 47 career appearances with George Washington prior to arriving in Emmitsburg, averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds per outing. Shooting from the field 53.6 percent from the field, posted team-high scoring totals in games against Loyola (MD) and Lehigh. Powering the Mount past Loyola in the annual Catholic Clash, Bresee poured in a game-high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds during an 81-75 triumph. She played all 40 minutes, hitting four three-pointers along the way.  Two days later, Bresee went for 17 points and 10 rebounds in a last-second loss to Lehigh. The 5-foot-10 small forward, who scored eight fourth-quarter points, sank a pair of free throws to give the Mount a seven-point edge with 00:26 remaining. Beginning with a start at Indiana on November 7, Bresee has produced seven straight double-digit scoring totals.
 
 
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
NEVENA DIMITRIJEVIC, ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
Fr., G, 5-3, Kragujevac, Serbia
Week 5 Stats: 1 start, 23 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, .538 FG pct., .800 3FG pct.
Dimitrijevic’s near triple-double powered St. Francis Brooklyn past Division II member East Stroudsburg in the Terriers’ lone action last week. The freshman floor general posted game highs in points (23) and assists (8) during the 84-62 triumph. Dimitrijevic also secured seven caroms and committed only one turnover over 36 minutes of floor time. She shot 53.8 percent from the field, including a 4-for-5 clip from three-point distance. Helping St. Francis Brooklyn build its lead to 15 points, the 5-foot-3 guard tallied eight points and two assists over the final 5:35 of the third quarter. Dimitrijevic, who hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season, has scored in double figures in five straight starts. Her 15.3 points per game lead all NEC rookies while her 7.4 assists per contest pace the entire circuit.



PRIME PERFORMERS (WEEK 5)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...

KENDALL BRESEE (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
2 starts, 2 double-doubles, 21.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 2.5 spg, .536 FG pct. (vs. Loyola; vs. Lehigh)

NEVENA DIMITRIJEVIC (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN)
1 start, 23 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, .800 3FG pct. (vs. East Stroudsburg)

ASHLEY BERUBE (CENTRAL CONNECTICUT)
2 starts, 14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg, .579 FG pct., 0.5 point per minute (vs. New Hampshire; vs. UMass Lowell)

MICHAELA HARRISON (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
2 starts, 14.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.5 bpg, .500 3FG pct. (vs. Loyola; vs. Lehigh)

KIARA BELL (LONG ISLAND U)
2 starts, 12.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 2.5 spg (vs. Army; vs. UMass Lowell)

DAHOMEE FORGUES (ROBERT MORRIS)
1 start, 14 points [career high], 4 rebounds, .462 FG pct. (vs. Delaware)


TWEET SHEET
@CoachAngSzumilo
(Dec 6) Huge thank you to @lo_frannn family for hosting our team tonight! Great food, great family! Always enjoy getting to know the families of our players ???????? Also, S/O to our senior  class who convincingly beat everyone in the 3 rounds of the HeadsUp game! #KnightsInDC #KnightsVision

@CoachCoscia
(Dec 4) HUGE s/o to @coachcim on her 200th career win tonight. ?? Great night celebrating this huge milestone with @sfbkad & @sfcprezmiguel !! We are so lucky to have such an amazing support system at SFC. #family #brooklyntough

@coachcim
(Dec 5) Patrick Ewing’s Niece Now Coaching Hoops at St. Francis College - The Tablet

@RMUWBasketball
(Dec 3) Had a great time tonight at the Ferris Boys and Girls Club in McKees Rocks!! Always greatful for the opportunity to give back to the community. #ColonialPride

@Bryantwbball
(Dec 3) We would like to take this time to officially congratulate @SydneyHollowayy for breaking our Division I Scoring Record last night! Holloway sits at 1,401 career points after surpassing the 1,395 mark previously held by Breanna Rucker ‘16!

@Be_Br33zy
(Dec 3) Congratulations Sydney! You’ve been fun to watch the last 3-4 years so keep it up!



AROUND THE ARC
BRYANT freshman Alana Perkins, who owns the fifth-highest three-point field goal percentage on the circuit, is responsible for 19 of the Bulldogs’ 51 three-pointers this season (37.3 %).
 
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT, which has out-rebounded its last two opponents, will not play at home again until NEC competition tips off on January 2.
 
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON, which will play its next three non-conference games in its home state of New Jersey, looks to improve its 8-4 series record against North Jersey rival NJIT in Newark on December 10.

LONG ISLAND, which owns the fourth-best team offensive rebounding average (18.6 orpg), is in the midst of a 12-day hiatus and will close out the non-conference schedule with two home games later this month – vs. Vermont (Dec. 21); vs. NCCU (Dec. 28).

MERRIMACK, which commits a league-low 14.4 turnovers per game, owns the top-ranked field goal percentage defense (.341) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.266) on the circuit.

MOUNT ST. MARY’S, which looks to improve its all-time 14-3 series record against UMES (Dec. 14), will embark on a three-games-in-three-days stretch at the Anne Donovan Classic in Norfolk, VA (Dec. 19-21).

ROBERT MORRIS, which will play its final three non-conference games on the road, makes a league-high 12.1 steals per game and boasts the top turnover margin (+9.00/g) on the circuit.

SACRED HEART, which hosts Patriot League member Holy Cross on December 14, will go nearly three weeks without a home game, not returning to the Pitt Center until the start of NEC play on January 2.

SAINT FRANCIS U, which tipped off its home schedule on December 7, will remain in the state of Pennsylvania for the remainder of the month.

ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN, which will contest the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic (Dec. 19-20), tips off a three-game pre-Christmas road swing with a date at America East member Albany (Dec. 14).

WAGNER, which is 4-0 at the Spiro Sports Center, will end a 14-day hiatus by hosting America East member Stony Brook.



DOUBLE-DIGIT DIMES
Central Connecticut junior Ashley Forker achieved a career first during a two-point setback to UMass Lowell (Dec. 5). The Keystone State product dished out 10 assists, reaching double digits for the first time in two-plus seasons with CCSU.

Forker’s performance marked only the second time this season that a NEC athlete has reached the 10-assist plateau in a game. St. Francis Brooklyn freshman Nevena Dimitrijevic accounted for 12 helpers against NJIT (Nov. 26).

Forker’s 3.6 assists per game lead all CCSU Blue Devils. Dimitrijevic paces the NEC with 7.4 assists per outing.


NINE GAMES NEXT SEVEN DAYS
Game days are sparse during the middle weeks of December with exams in full swing and the fall semester winding down.

Only nine teams will compete this week with no team playing more than once. Bryant and LIU are idle.

Merrimack, whose men’s team defeated Northwestern earlier this season, will face a Big Ten member for the first time ever. The Warriors, who have already posted wins over members of the A-10, Ivy League and America East during their inaugural DI season, visit Illinois on December 10.

Looking to land a win for its first-year head coach Angelika Szumilo, Fairleigh Dickinson visits Newark for a North Jersey battle against NJIT (Dec. 10).

Robert Morris, which outlasted LaSalle on November 9, gets a look at a second Atlantic 10 team when it visits Rhode Island (Dec. 15).

Sacred Heart (Dec. 14 – Holy Cross) and Wagner (Dec. 15 – Stony Brook) are the lone NEC teams with home games this week.


BELL’S RINGING
LIU sophomore forward Kiara Bell (Cherry Hill, NJ) has been making plenty of noise for the Sharks in recent weeks.

Initially coming off the bench, Bell owns the team’s second-best scoring average (10.4 ppg), a number that has increased significantly since November 20.

The Garden State product has scored at least 11 points in four of her last five appearances dating back to last month.

Bell, who notched a double-double in a start against Army, is averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 caroms per contest over the five-game surge. She’s shooting 54.5 percent from the floor during that span. Most recently, she played a season-high 25 minutes while tallying 11 points and nine boards at UMass Lowell.

As a rookie, Bell made 18 appearances and averaged 3.4 points per outing.