NEC Player of the Week: Brandy Thomas, LIU
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NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BRANDY THOMAS, LONG ISLAND U
So., F, 5-10, Baldwin, NY/Christ The King
Week 13 Stats: 1 start, 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, .480 FG pct.
Thomas poured in a season-high 29 points, powering LIU to its first NEC road win. The sophomore forward also recorded seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block during the 68-60 triumph over Merrimack on Saturday. She shot 60.0 percent from two-point range, sinking 12 field goals during the Sharks’ lone game last week. Thomas exploded after the break, totaling 21 points in 18 second-half minutes. The Empire State product nailed four free throws over the final 00:40 to salt away the victory. Matching the second-highest single-game scoring total in NEC play this season, Thomas exceeded the 20-point mark for the third time in nine conference contests.
NEC CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
ANIYA BELL, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Fr., G, 5-9, Washington, DC/ Bishop McNamara
Week 13 Stats: 2 appearances, 14.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, .706 FG pct.
Bell rung up team-high point totals in back-to-back games. The freshman guard scored 14 points during each half of Fairleigh Dickinson’s split weekend. Coming off the bench against Mount St. Mary’s and at Wagner, the first-year Knight averaged 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per outing while shooting a sizzling 70.6 percent from the floor. She hit seven two-point field goals and dished out four assists while playing a season-high 30 minutes during Saturday’s 69-61 setback to the Mount. Two days later, the 5-foot-9 Bell led the Knights with 14 points in 19 minutes at Wagner. She was 5-for-6 shooting in the last-minute road win.
NEC CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
JAYME DECESARE, MERRIMACK
Fr., G, 5-5, Johnston, RI/La Salle Academy
Week 13 Stats: 2 starts, 15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, .500 FG pct., .556 3FG pct.
Decesare shot 50.0 percent from the field and accounted for an 8:3 assist-to-turnover ratio while taking on the NEC’s Brooklyn-based contingent. The 5-foot-5 freshman averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per outing. Decesare poured in a season-high 19 points over 23 minutes of action during Monday’s victory over St. Francis Brooklyn. She also grabbed five rebounds and made all three of her three-point field goal attempts in the 80-54 triumph. Decesare jumped out to a sizzling start against SFBK, hitting her first six attempts from the field while scoring 15 first-quarter points that allowed the Warriors to hold a 30-11 advantage after 10:00. On Saturday, Decesare was one of four Warriors to score in double figures. She tallied 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and one block in a narrow loss to LIU.
PRIME PERFORMERS (WEEK 13)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...
ALLY LASSEN (ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN)
2 starts (vs. SHU; at MER), 20.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5 bpg, .500 FG pct.; 30 points [season high] vs. Sacred Heart
BRANDY THOMAS (LONG ISLAND)
1 start (at MER), 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, .480 FG pct.
ADRIANNE HAGOOD (SACRED HEART)
2 starts (at SFBK; vs. MSM), 17.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, .500 FG pct.; 26 points at St. Francis Brooklyn
MICHAELA HARRISON (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
2 starts (at FDU; at SHU), 16.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, .542 FG pct., .462 3FG pct.
KATE MAGER (MERRIMACK)
2 starts (VS. LIU; vs. SFBK), 19.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .571 FG pct., .529 3FG pct.; 29 points [season high] in won over St. Francis Brooklyn
EMILIJA KRISTA GRAVA (WAGNER)
1 start (vs. FDU), 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, .500 FG pct.
IREKPITAN OZZY-MOMODU (ROBERT MORRIS)
2 appearances (vs. CCSU; vs. BRY), 2 double-doubles, 12.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg, .833 FG pct.
TWEET SHEET
@CraigCD13
(Feb 3) The average margin of victory in NEC games of the 4 perfect teams in the 18 game schedule era of #NECWBB history
1994 MSM 18-0 (18.1)
2004 SFU 18-0 (18.7)
2009 SHU 18-0 (14.7)
2013 QU 18-0 (16.8)
RMU’s current margin of victory in NEC games with 8 still to go = 20.7pts
@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 3) .??@RMUWBasketball?? moves to 10-0 in ??@NECsports?? with 69-39 rout of Bryant. Ire Ozzy-Momodu with 14 points, 10 rebounds. Made all 6 of her FG attempts, both FTs.
@EthanWoy
(Feb 3) 10 consecutive wins, 7 straight by double-digits - not too shabby. ?? #ColonialPride | #HoopTownship
@NelCastNY
(Feb 1) #LIUWBB won their second straight today at Merrimack 68-60 to go to 4-5 in #NECWBB. Soph Brandy Thomas finished w/ a season-high 29 points. LIU will play their next 4 gms at home w/ some winnable gms. A good homestand could put them in very nice shape for a return to NEC tourney.
@CoachAngSzumilo
(Feb 1) Losses are not failures...they’re lessons! Learning how to win is the first step!
I wanted to take the time to thank all the ??@FDUKnightsWBB?? alums who came today and shared their stories with us! It was truly special to meet all of you! #KnightsForLife
@maryschwalm
(Feb 3) That’s rebound #1000 for @MerrimackWBB Denia Davis-Stewart. She becomes the second player in Merrimack College women’s basketball history with 1,000+ points and 1,000 rebounds! Congrats Stixx!
@CoachMoLeBlanc
(Feb 3) So proud of our Stixx! What an amazing accomplishment!! She has been on a rebounding mission all year and has really earned this.
@TheMackReports
(Feb 4) Davis-Stewart Recognized as a Her Hoop Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist
@CoachAngSzumilo
(Feb 5) Super proud of you Aniya! Keep working hard #KnightVision
QUOTABLE
CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (Robert Morris), Head Coach
“You’re not going to go up 14-4 early in the game and get Bryant to stop playing. They’re going to continue to go hard and attack the basket. I had a lot to say at halftime about the shot chart and how often they were touching our paint. We tightened up some screws defensively in the second half and gained some one-and-done stops, and then found our flow offensively.”
- after the Colonials out-scored Bryant by a 31-13 second-half margin in a 69-39 triumph.
“Central (Connecticut) came out with a lot of energy and pushed us early on, and we had to find our pace. We missed from the outside early on, but were doing well around the basket and that set the culture of the game. On the defensive end, our backbone, we did really well in the second half.”
- after RMU posted its largest margin of victory this season, topping CCSU by an 80-42 count
ANGELIKA SZUMILO (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“I think this is a huge confidence boost for us. We’re playing with a lot of underclassmen, so for them to come out with a win, it’s huge for their confidence and for the future. We’re going to get our rest and certainly focus on ourselves and the things we need to get better at. Taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and we’ll get ready for Merrimack.”
- after FDU’s one-point win over Wagner evened the Knights’ NEC record at 5-5
RMU'S RUNAWAY TRAIN
The recent results leave no hints of slowing down.
Robert Morris, the lone remaining NEC unbeaten, tipped off its February schedule by posting back-to-back 30-point victories.
The wins moved RMU’s NEC record to 10-0, one victory shy of the program-record 11-0 start to the 2018-19 conference slate.
The Colonials' 10-game surge is the fifth of its kind in school history, joining the 2007-08 (17), 2009-10 (13), 2014-15 (11), and 2018-19 (11) teams who all pieced together double-digit win streaks.
Facing Central Connecticut and Bryant, Robert Morris allowed only 82 combined points over its most-recent two-game span.
The Colonials recorded their largest margin of victory this season with an 80-42 triumph over CCSU on February 1 and they followed up that performances with a 30-point win over Bryant.
RMU has won each of its last seven games by double-digit margins – a first in the program’s history.
For the season, Robert Morris’ scoring defense limits opponents to 55.9 points per game. That mark ranks 24th overall on the NCAA DI team leader board, one spot ahead of Big Ten member Northwestern.
Charlie Buscaglia’s Colonials come away with 21.6 takeaways per game – the nation’s 13th-highest average.
PRIME DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY
Robert Morris has only once allowed 60+ points to a NEC opponent this season.
Only Merrimack broke the 60-point barrier against the Colonials, doing so in a 68-62 home loss on January 4.
RMU has held its conference opponents under 45 points during four of its last seven games.
NEC teams are shooting a combined 33.3 percent from the field against RMU, which permits a league-low 50.1 points per game in league play.
STIXX CEMENTING LEGACY
It was her 17th double-double of the season and it featured Career Rebound No. 1,000.
Merrimack senior forward Denia Davis-Stewart’s first season at the Division I level has been nothing shy of spectacular. One week into February, she leads the circuit in scoring (18.2 ppg), rebounding (13.6 rpg) and blocked shots (4.62 bpg).
Davis-Stewart’s blocks per game average stands as the highest amongst NCAA DI leaders and her 17 double-doubles are second most only to Auburn’s Unique Thompson (19).
Following Monday’s win over St. Francis Brooklyn, Davis-Stewart can also claim to be one of only two Merrimack players ever to amass at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Davis-Stewart, who has 1,014 career caroms, stands 215 boards away from the Merrimack program record that Stacy Knapp set in 2002.
She was also recently named a national semifinalist for the Her Hoop Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award.
BRESEE’S BACK
Mount St. Mary’s lineup received a boost with the return of junior guard Kendall Bresee (Frederick, MD).
The 5-foot-10 transfer from George Washington started the Mount’s first 13 games this season before completely missing five straight conference contests due to injury.
Bresee, who averages 10.6 points per game, returned to the court as a reserve in a loss to Bryant on January 25. She re-entered the starting lineup for road wins against FDU (Feb. 1) and Sacred Heart (Feb. 3), scoring 11 points in each game.
While her scoring average ranks 19th overall amongst NEC leaders, Bresee owns the seventh-highest rebounding average (6.9 rpg) on the circuit.