PDF Release
NEC Co-Players of the Week: Keith Braxton, SFU & Ty Flowers, LIU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Larry Moreno, SFBK
Previous NEC Releases: February 3 | January 27 | January 22 | January 13 | January 6 | December 30 | December 23 | December 16 | December 9  | December 2 | November 25 | November 18 | November 11 | Preseason Poll Release

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Keith Braxton, Saint Francis U
6’5”, 210 lbs.
Sr., G, Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)
Braxton earned his second NEC Player of the Week honor of the season and eighth of his career after leading Saint Francis U to an east coast sweep that extended the Red Flash’s win streak to four games. He averaged 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals, and shot 64.0 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point territory. Braxton was also a perfect 9-9 from the line. The reigning NEC Player of the Year once again delivered in the clutch, sinking the game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds to play in Thursday’s 70-68 win at Sacred Heart. He finished with a game-high 23 points and six boards. Two days later, he tied for game-scoring honors with 22 points on just eight shots as the Flash downed Wagner, 85-68, in Staten Island. The Glassboro, NJ product ranks among league leaders in scoring (17.2, third), rebounding (6.8, 11th) and assists (3.7, sixth).

Ty Flowers, LIU
6’9”, 200 lbs.
R-Jr., F, Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)
It was a historic day for Flowers on Saturday, as the redshirt junior set a school record and broke the NEC’s 37-year old single-game rebounding mark with 27 boards as LIU snapped Merrimack’s nine-game win streak with a 67-64 overtime win in Brooklyn. Former LIU great Carey Scurry had set both standards with a 26-rebound effort against Marist on February 8, 1983. The 27 rebounds were also an NCAA single-game season-high, tied for 22nd in the NCAA’s modern-era history and marked only the seventh time this century that a player snared at least 27 in a game. Flowers also scored 25 points and blocked three shots in the victory. For the week, he averaged 20.0 points, 18.0 rebounds and shot 40.0 percent from outside the arc. Flowers, who hails from Waterbury, CT, ranks second in the NEC in rebounding (10.2) and double-doubles (12), third in blocks (1.7), and eighth in scoring (14.7).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Larry Moreno, St. Francis Brooklyn
5’11”, 165 lbs.
So., G, Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn High School For Law & Technology
Entering the game with just four career points, Moreno exploded for 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench on Saturday to help spark St. Francis Brooklyn to a 70-67 win over Mount St. Mary’s. The Brooklyn native, who missed his freshman season with an injury and had not appeared in a game since December 7, drilled 5-6 from three-point range and hit 7-9 overall from the floor. His three-pointer with 2:37 to play extended SFBK’s lead to eight points, and after the Mount cut the lead to two, hit steal and layup with :56 seconds remaining gave the Terriers breathing room.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
 
Patrick Harding (BRY, So, F)
Harding posted his ninth and 10th double-digit rebound game of the seasons in Bryant’s 2-0 week. He contributed 10.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 3.0 rpg and shot 66.0 percent from the field. In Thursday’s win over SFBK, he made all seven of his shots from the floor, and recorded 14 points and 15 boards. Harding, who ranks third in the NEC with 9.3 rpg and is fifth nationally in defensive rebound percentage (.313), moved up sixth on the program’s career rebounding list with 381 boards.

Raiquan Clark (LIU, R-Sr, G/F)
Clark became LIU’s all-time leading scorer in Saturday’s overtime win over Merrimack with 1,874 career points. He averaged 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 bpg, 1.0 spg, and shot 50.0 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range. Clark finished with 20 points, eight boards, five assists and a pair of blocks against the Warriors. He remains the NEC leader with 20.3 ppg.

Ty Flowers (LIU, R-Jr, F)
Flowers posted his 12th double-double of the year in historic fashion on Saturday, breaking the NEC single-game rebounding record with 27 as LIU snapped Merrimack’s nine-game win streak with a 67-64 overtime victory. The 27 boards were one more than former LIU star Carey Scurry pulled down back in 1983. Flowers scored 25 in the win and added three blocks. For the week, he averaged 20.0 ppg, 18.0 rpg, 2.0 bpg and shot 40.0 percent from outside the arc. He ranks second in the conference with 10.2 rpg.

Damian Chong Qui (MSM, So, G)
Chong Qui produced 16.5 ppg and 8.0 apg, while converting at a 55.6 percent clip from outside the arc in a 1-1 week on the road for the Mount. He also hit 16-17 (.941) from the line. Chong Qui was outstanding in Saturday’s three-point setback at SFBK with 20 points, seven assists and 4-7 shooting from downtown. The sophomore also dished for a career-high nine assists to spark Thursday’s win over LIU. He leads the Mount with 12.7 ppg and ranks fourth with 4.0 apg.

Unique McLean (SFBK, Gr, G)
McLean led the Terriers with 18.0 ppg and pulled down 4.0 rpg last week. In Saturday’s 70-67 victory over the Mount, he led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on 8-16 shooting, and chipped in with four rebounds and four assists. McLean is averaging 11.7 ppg, and his 7.4 rpg ranks ninth in the league.

Larry Moreno (SFBK, So, G)
Moreno broke out on Saturday with a career-high 19 points outing in just 20 minutes off the bench for the Terriers in their win over Mount St. Mary’s. He drained 5-6 from three-point territory and 7-9 overall, and helped seal the win with a steal and layup with a minute to play. Moreno had scored four points all season prior to his game-changing performance.

Keith Braxton (SFU, Sr, G)
Braxton delivered a pair of red-hot shooting efforts as the Red Flash swept their road swing to make it four straight wins. He averaged 22.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg, and shot 64.0 percent from the floor, 57.1 percent from three-point land and a perfect 100.0 percent from the stripe. Braxton hit the game-winner in Thursday’s 70-68 win at Sacred Heart on a layup with 1.6 seconds to play. He ranks among league leaders in scoring (17.2, third), rebounding (6.8, 11th) and assists (3.7, sixth).

Isaiah Blackmon (SFU, Sr, G)
Blackmon helped SFU to a pair of wins with 18.0 ppg on 46.7 percent shooting from long range, and added 4.0 rpg. He tied for game-scoring honors in Saturday’s triumph at Wagner with a 22-point showing that included a 4-7 mark from distance. Blackmon is second in the NEC in scoring (18.4) and three-point accuracy (.422).

TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 14

COLONIALS MAKE THEIR MOVE TO THE TOP AS NEC RACE HITS HOME STRETCH
 
Six weeks down, three to go and the drama has started to build with March just around the corner.
 
First and foremost, following a three week stay alone atop the NEC standings, Merrimack finally has some company.
 
While the Warriors split a pair of away games last week, Robert Morris earned itself a road sweep to extend its win streak to five and tie Merrimack for first with a 10-2 NEC record.
 
Defense was the name of the game for the Colonials, who forced 26 turnovers at Wagner, held Sacred Heart to 0.86 PPP and yielded just 60.0 ppg in the two tightly contested wins. During its five-game win streak, RMU opponents have averaged just 59.4 ppg, shot 39.8 percent from the field and turnover the ball over 16.8 times per game.
 
Merrimack came ever so close to extending its win streak to 10 games, but were picked off by LIU on Saturday in overtime. Senior guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony)sent the game to OT on a three-pointer with ten seconds to play in regulation, but the Sharks ran off the first seven points of the extra session and held on for the 67-64 win.
 
With Merrimack ineligible for the NEC Tournament, Robert Morris holds a game and a half lead over surging Saint Francis U, which has won four straight following its own sweep of the Wagner/SHU swing.
 
The Red Flash were involved in a barnburner with the Pioneers on Thursday, and it came down to a final possession with 2018-19 NEC Player of the Year Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) winning for SFU on a layup with 1.6 seconds to play (see note). Two days later, SFU jumped out to a 19-point lead at the half and never looked back, averaging 1.15 PPP while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor in a 85-68 win at Wagner.
 
RMU and SFU have yet to meet and will play in Loretto on February 18 before ending the regular season in Moon Township on February 29. The Red Flash have won the last eight meetings between the two Keystone State rivals.
 
Lurking just behind in striking position for first round NEC Tournament home games are Sacred Heart (7-5), Mount St. Mary’s (6-5) and LIU (6-5).
 
The Pioneers had won four straight before dropping two at home last week to SFU and RMU by a combined five points. SHU hosts Bryant in a CBSSN game this Thursday.
 
The Mount knocked off LIU on the road last Thursday, then nearly erased a 14-point second half deficit at St. Francis Brooklyn, but came up just short in a 70-67 setback at the Pope Center. It’s a big week ahead for the Mountaineers, who host RMU in an ESPN3-televised affair on Thursday, then entertain SFU on Saturday.
 
LIU’s win over Merrimack couldn’t have come at a better time. The Sharks had dropped three straight, but redshirt junior Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) took matters into his own hands, setting a new NEC single-game rebound record (see note) with 27 boards as the Sharks took down the first place Warriors in the aforementioned OT thriller.
 
There’s a logjam behind those teams in the standings with St. Francis Brooklyn (5-7), Bryant (4-7) and Fairleigh Dickinson (4-7) all looking to jockey for position in the NEC Tournament field.
 
Behind an incredible 19-point performance off the bench from unheralded sophomore Larry Moreno (Brooklyn High School For Law & Technology), SFBK improved to an NEC-best 9-2 at home with its win over the Mount on Saturday, and will look for win number ten when Merrimack pays a visit on Thursday.
 
Bryant received some much-needed home cooking last week, defeating SFBK and CCSU behind two of its best defensive efforts of the season (allowed 0.82 PPP vs. SFBK, 0.87 PPP vs. CCSU) to snap a three-game losing streak. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Bryant, which plays five of its last seven on the road with the two home games against Merrimack and Sacred Heart.
 
FDU dropped a tight game to Merrimack on Thursday and was off on Saturday. The Knights play four of their next six at home, but have to face RMU twice in a nine-day span.
 
Wagner and CCSU are very much alive for one of the eight NEC Tournament spots, but have work to do sitting two and three games, respectively, behind the field and time running short.
 
TY GAME! FLOWERS SETS NEC REBOUND MARK
 
It was a day for the ages for LIU’s Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart HS (UMass)).
 
The redshirt junior forward took down one of the longest standing NEC single-game records when he pulled down an astounding 27 rebounds in LIU’s 67-64 overtime win over first place Merrimack on Saturday. He broke the LIU school record as well.
 
Flowers, whose previous career-best was 17 boards against Delaware State back in November, snared 10 rebounds in the first half and had 25 at the end of regulation before pulling down the record-breaking carom with 1:36 to play.
 
Interestingly, Flowers eclipsed the school and conference record set by LIU legend Carey Scurry, who set the record 37-years ago to the day on February 8, 1983. In that game, Scurry grabbed 26 rebounds in a 92-70 win over Marist.
 
How rare is a 27-rebound game?
 
- Flowers became the first player in the country this season with more than 24 rebounds in a game.
- The 27 boards are the most in the nation since Delaware State’s Kendall Gray recorded 30 vs. Coppin State on March 5, 2015.
- The 27 rebounds mark the seventh-highest single-game rebounding total since 2000.
- Flowers’ total tied for 22nd in the NCAA modern era (since 1973) and he is one of 37 players with at least 27 rebounds in a game in that time span.
 
The NEC Co-Player of the Week also scored 25 points in the win. In doing so he became the second player in the last decade to post a 25/27 game vs. a DI team, joining Gray, who rang up 33 points in the game referenced above.
 
Flowers ranks second in the NEC in rebounding (10.2) and double-doubles (12). On a national scale, he is 23rd in rebounding, seventh in defensive rebounding (8.0) and 42nd in defensive rebound percentage (.257).
 
CLARK SETS LIU SCORING MARK
 
From walk-on to superstar, LIU senior swingman Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) has cemented his status as an all-time great in a program with a storied history.
 
In Saturday’s win over Merrimack, Clark broke LIU’s career scoring record, passing recently named NEC Player of the Decade and 2012-13 NEC Player of the Year Jamal Olasewere. He ended the day with 1,874 points, while Olasewere amassed 1,871 from 2009-13. In recent weeks, Clark passed two other NEC Player of the Year honorees in Joe Griffin (1994-95) and Charles Jones (1996-97 and 1997-98).
 
Clark moved up to 13th on the NEC career scoring chart as well.
 
NEC Career Scoring Leaders
7. Ken Horton             CCSU         1,966        2007-12
8. Myron Walker           RMU          1,965        1990-94
9. Rik Smits              MAR          1,945        1984-88
10. Keith Braxton         SFU          1,916        2016-20
11. Desi Wilson           FDU          1,902        1988-91
12. Jeremy Chappell       RMU          1,875        2005-09
13. Raiquan Clark         LIU          1,874        2016-20
14. Junior Robinson       MSM          1,872        2014-18
15. Jamal Olasewere       LIU           1,871       2009-13
 
MERRIMACK WINNING THE NUMBERS GAME
 
Sometimes the numbers just speak for themselves.
 
So let’s go with the latest on Merrimack in 3...2...1...
 
- Merrimack’s nine-game win streak tied for the longest in the NEC since LIU won 13 in a row in 2010-11.
- Warriors are 6-1 in NEC road games after dropping their first of the year at LIU on Saturday. The last team to run the table away from home was Robert Morris, which went a perfect 9-0 in 2007-08.
- Merrimack is 5-1 in NEC games decided by five points or less and 7-2 overall on the year.
- MC has given up 70 points in a league game just once this year, and that was in a double overtime win over FDU where it allowed only 71. The last team to allow 70 points or less just one time in a season was Mount St. Mary’s in 2009-10. That year the Mount yielded 73 to SFU in its second game and no more than 67 thereafter.
- The Warriors have conceded less than 60 points five of their last seven outings, allowing just 57.8 ppg in that span. Both games in which MC allowed more than 60 were overtime contests that ended 57-all (vs. FDU) and 58-all (vs. LIU) in regulation.
 
WARRIORS EARN VOTES IN MID-MAJOR POLL
 
Merrimack’s season has become a national story with pieces in The Athletic, the Washington Post and Boston Globe.
 
Now coaches across the nation are starting to take notice.
 
The Warriors received four votes in last week’s College Insider Mid-Major Poll, the equivalent of ranking 40th nationally.
 
The last NEC team to end a year ranked was Robert Morris, which finished 25th in the final 2012-13 poll.
 
KELLOGG EARNS MILESTONE WIN
 
On a night that saw Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart HS (UMass)) set a new NEC single-game rebounding standard and Raiquan Clark (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) break the school scoring record, there was yet another LIU milestone.
 
Derek Kellogg won his 200th game as a head coach and it came against NEC leader Merrimack.
 
“It was a really good night to be a Shark,” said Kellogg after the game.
 
Kellogg has won 45 games at LIU after piling up 155 victories as the head coach at UMass from 2008-17.
 
RARE FEAT FOR SFBK’S MORENO
 
When St. Francis Brooklyn’s Larry Moreno (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn High School For Law & Technology) hit 5-6 shots from 3P range in Saturday’s win over the Mount, it was a rare feat to say the least.
 
In doing so, he became just the second NEC rookie over the last six years to shoot at least 80 percent from downtown with at least five makes. The other player? That would be Moreno’s teammate Stevan Krtinic (Novi Sad, Serbia/Carnegie Schools Riverside), who made 5-6 from long range at Hampton on March 21, 2019 in a CIT game.

BRAXTON DOES IT AGAIN
 
In a battle of NEC contenders on Thursday night, Saint Francis U and Sacred Heart lived up to the hype in a game that went right down to the wire.
 
After SHU sophomore guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) tied things up on a corner three with 31 seconds to play, the Red Flash called timeout.
 
The call was simple enough.
 
When you need a bucket, place it in the hands of an NEC Player of the Year award winner and let him go to work.
 
Senior guard Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) dribbled the clock down, then made his move with five seconds on the clock. The Glassboro, NJ native waved off a screen, attacked the rim from the right side and scooped the ball high off the glass to beat the Pioneer weakside help and win it with 1.6 seconds to play.
 
For Braxton, a three-time NEC all-star who finished with a game-high 23 points on 10-17 shooting from the field, it was his humble nature that came through after the win.
 
“The time was just ticking down. We wanted to get the last shot. I just want to give credit to my teammates trusting to me to go make a play at the end of the shot clock. Luckily I did. As Coach Krimmel always says, it’s hard to win a basketball game on the road. Everybody was just focused and we were communicating and just making sure everyone was together and playing hard.”
 
And this wasn’t the first time that Braxton stunned a road crowd.
 
Rewind back to his freshman season and the NEC semifinals when he hit one of the most iconic shots in conference history.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPCxjy-WyOI
 
As Braxton looks to end his career on a high note, there will be plenty of more time for heroics as the season marches toward March.
 
BRAXTON CRACKS SECOND NEC TOP-10
 
The weekly Keith Braxton (Glassboro, NJ/Delsea (Lawrenceville School)) chart update saw the Saint Francis U senior reach the top-10 on the NEC career scoring list.
 
With 1,916 points to his credit, Braxton moved past RMU’s Jeremy Chappell and FDU’s Desi Wilson for 10th place all-time.
 
NEC Career Scoring Leaders
5. Alex Francis           BRY          2,085         2010-14
6. Shane Gibson           SHU          2,079         2008-13
7. Ken Horton             CCSU         1,966         2007-12
8. Myron Walker           RMU          1,965         1990-94
9. Rik Smits              MAR          1,945         1984-88
10. Keith Braxton         SFU          1,916         2016-20
11. Desi Wilson           FDU          1,902         1988-91
12. Jeremy Chappell       RMU          1,875         2005-09
13. Raiquan Clark         LIU          1,874         2016-20
14. Junior Robinson       MSM          1,872         2014-18
15. Jamal Olasewere       LIU          1,871         2009-13
 
And with 1,058 boards, Braxton moved within 85 of Jalen Cannon of St. Francis Brooklyn, the NEC career leader who snared 1,159 boards from 2011-15.
 
NEC Career Rebounding Leaders
1. Jalen Cannon           SFBK         1,159         2011-15
2. Keith Braxton          SFU          1,074         2016-20
3. Justin Rutty           QU           1,032         2007-11
4. Ron Robinson           CCSU         1,022         2000-04
5. Carey Scurry           LIU          1,013         1982-85
6. Alex Francis           BRY          990           2010-14
7. Obie Nwadike           CCSU         980           2003-07
8. Eric Taylor            SFU          967           1994-98
9. Corsley Edwards        CCSU         966           1998-02
10. Jamal Olasewere       LIU          963           2009-13

On the Braxton 2K/1K watch, the Glassboro, NJ native needs 84 points to hit 2,000 for his career. No player in NEC history has ever recorded 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
 
He is one of two players in the league’s history to be ranked in the career top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, joining Bryant’s Alex Francis (2085, 5th in scoring; 990, 6th in rebounding).
 
GRANT SETS BRYANT 3P RECORD
 
We continue to track Bryant senior guard Adam Grant’s (Franklin, VA/Norfolk Collegiate School) movement up the NEC career list for made three-pointers.
 
With two last week, Grant broke the school record held by all-time great Dyami Starks and is now sixth in conference annals with 282 trifectas.
 
He needs just four to park himself in the NEC top-five and 18 more to become the third player in conference history to hit 300 for his career. Former CCSU star Tristan Blackwood holds the league’s all-time record with 328 trifectas from 2004-08.
 
NEC Career Three-Pointers Leaders
1. Tristan Blackwood        CCSU        328          2004-08
2. Joey Mundweiler          WC          312          2004-09
3. Chris McGuthrie          MSM         300          1993-96
4. Angel Santana            SFBK        294          1996-00
5. Shane Gibson             SHU         286          2008-13
6. Adam Grant               BRY         282          2016-20
7. Dyami Starks             BRY         281          2012-15
8. Stefan Perunicic         SFBK        280          2008-12
9. James Williams           LIU         277          2003-07
10. Justin Chiera           CCSU        274          2002-06
 
RMU DID YOU KNOW?
 
Robert Morris is 7-1 on the 2019-20 campaign and 72-8 in ten seasons under Andrew Toole when holding opponents to under 60 points.
 
HARDING PUTTING IN HARD TIME ON THE GLASS
 
Bryant sophomore forward Patrick Harding (Fairfield, CT/Suffield Academy) has been a handful for opponents on the boards all year.
 
He has compiled ten games of at least 10 rebounds, and has pulled down five offensive boards on five occasions.
 
What’s truly impressive is that he ranks third in the NEC in rebounding with 9.3 per game despite playing just 19.6 minutes per content. Over his last four games, he’s averaged 11.8 rpg in 21.8 mpg.
 
CHONG QUI DID YOU KNOW?
 
Mount St. Mary’s sophomore guard Damian Chong Qui (Baltimore, MD/McDonogh) has dished for 27 assists against just five turnovers over his last five games. The five turnovers have come while playing 179 of a possible 200 minutes.
 
At the same time, the Baltimore, MD native has been getting to the line at an increasing rate. Over his last three contests, Chong Qui is 26-30 (.867) from the stripe. His 124 trips to the line this season ranks second in the conference.
 
OZIER’S EFFICIENCY UPDATE
 
Sacred Heart sophomore guard Koreem Ozier (Racine, WI/Scotland Campus Sports) has posted an effective field goal percentage of at least .600 in each of his last five games. In that span, he’s averaged 16.2 ppg, while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from three-point territory.
 
BRAMAH STREAK CONTINUES
 
Robert Morris junior forward AJ Bramah (San Leandro, CA/San Leandro (Sheridan College)) has stretched his double-digit scoring streak to 20 games. He is the fifth player in school history to accomplish the feat, joining Maurice Carter (40), Rodney Pryor (30), Myron Walker (26) and Gabe Jackson (20).
 
WC’S FORD ON THE WAY UP
 
Wagner junior guard Elijah Ford (Newark, NJ/Weequahic (Barton CC)) scored a career-high 21 points in Saturday’s game vs. SFU, hitting 8-11 from the floor. After averaging 1.2 ppg over his first five NEC games, Ford has produced 15.0 ppg on 57.1 percent shooting over his last six contests.

HAYES THIEVERY UPDATE
   
Merrimack senior guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, NJ/St. Anthony) has just one player in his headlights in his attempt to become the NCAA’s all-time steals leader.
 
The ringleader of a Warrior defense that ranks among the nation’s best in terms of forcing turnovers, Hayes is now second all-time with 431 career steals.
 
The Paterson, NJ native is just 17 dimes behind Ramapo’s Tennyson Whitted, the NCAA’s career leader.
 
NCAA Players With 400 Career Steals
Tennyson Whitted    Ramapo              448         2000-03
Juvaris Hayes       Merrimack           431         2016-20
Jonte Flowers       Winona State        414         2005-08
John Gallogly       Salve Regina        413         1995-98
 
Hayes, who ranks first in the country with 3.8 spg and a 6.3 steal percentage this season, has racked up 95 steals in 2019-20 and is on target to become the seventh player in NEC annals to finish with 100 steals in a season. The NEC single-season record of 133 steals was set by RMU’s Chipper Harris in 1982-83.
 
NEC-TV SCHEDULE

It’s a jam-packed NEC-TV slate this week with three men’s games on tap.
 
We tip off Thursday with a 5:00 pm start time on CBSSN when Bryant pays a visit to Sacred Heart. Dave Popkin (PxP), Tim Capstraw (color) and John Schmeelk (sideline) are in the booth.
 
The second half of our Thursday doubleheader features one of the NEC’s top rivalries as Mount St. Mary’s entertains Robert Morris on ESPN3, MASN and AT&T SportsNet. Tipoff is at 7:00 pm with Paul Dottino (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (color) bringing you the action.
 
The scene shifts to North Andover, MA on Saturday for the NEC’s first-ever televised games at Merrimack. With Wagner in the house, the women start things off at 1 pm on ESPN+ with the men following at 4:00 pm. John Fanta (PxP) and Tim Capstraw (color) have the call for the men’s game.
 
STAT TRACKER
 
CCSU freshman Xavier Wilson (Spring Valley, NY/The Hotchkiss School) swatted a career-high five shots at Bryant on Saturday. It was the first time in nearly three years that a Blue Devil recorded five or more blocks in a game. Mustafa Jones rejected six shots at Sacred Heart on February 11, 2017. Wilson leads CCSU with 1.0 bpg and has seven games of two or more blocks this season.
 
FDU’s emerging freshman guard Devon Dunn (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) has now made 7-12 from three-point range over his last two games, averaging 14.5 ppg. He hit 3-5 from downtown in Thursday’s game vs. Merrimack.
 
Robert Morris junior forward Charles Bain (Freeport, Bahamas/St. John’s Northwest Military Academy) averaged 11.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg in two victories last week. He scored a season-high 16 points and hit 4-7 from long distance in a 61-58 road victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday, including a dunk with 18 seconds remaining that helped seal the win.
 
Sacred Heart junior forward E.J. Anosike (East Orange, NJ/Paramus Catholic (St. Thomas More)) had a terrific all-around game against Saint Francis U on Thursday with 12 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high six assists and two blocks. Sophomore guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) set a new season-high for the second time in three games with 19 points vs. RMU on Saturday.
 
The Wagner-RMU stat line on Thursday was interesting to say the least. The Seahawks shot a season-high 58.5 percent from the floor, made 8-16 from outside the arc, dominated on the boards (+11) and limited the Colonials to 40.8 percent from the field, but also committed a season-high 26 turnovers and went to the line just six times. Wagner shot 70.0 percent in the first half and only took a three-point lead into intermission.
 
NEC in NCAA STATS (Top-25)
 
Name                School         Category        Rank       Value
Hall Elisias        BRY            Blocks          14th       2.77
Adam Grant          BRY            3PFG            11th       3.25
Raiquan Clark       LIU            PPG             21st       20.3
Ty Flowers          LIU            Reb.            23rd       10.21
Ty Flowers          LIU            Def. Reb.       7th        8.04
Ty Flowers          LIU            Dub-Dub         15th       12
Juvaris Hayes       MC             Steals          1st        3.80
Josh Williams       RMU            3PFG            17th       3.16
E.J. Anosike        SHU            Reb.            11th       10.88
E.J. Anosike        SHU            Off. Reb.       6th        3.96
E.J. Anosike        SHU            Def. Reb.       25th       6.92
E.J. Anosike        SHU            Dub-Dub         8th        13
Jare’l Spellman     SHU            Blocks          22nd       2.56
Isaiah Blackmon     SFU            3PFG%           19th       .422
Chase Freeman       WC             A/TO Ratio      25th       2.52
 
Team                Category       Rank       Value
LIU                 3PFG           21st        9.58
Merrimack           TO Margin      4th         5.48
Merrimack           Steals         4th         10.24
Merrimack           TO Forced      12th        17.68
Robert Morris       Assists        13th        16.44
Sacred Heart        Rebounding     19th        40.0