NEC Player of the Week: Denia Davis-Stewart (MER) & Nneka Ezeigbo (RMU)
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NEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DENIA DAVIS-STEWART, MERRIMACK
Sr., F, 6-1, Dorchester, MA/New Mission
Week 17 Stats: 2 starts, 2 double-doubles, 20.5 ppg, 16.5 rpg, 6.0 bpg, .515 FG pct.
Davis-Stewart did the spectacular again. The senior forward, who opened Merrimack’s inaugural Division I campaign by logging a triple-double in a win over Massachusetts, hit double digits in points, rebounds and blocks during a triumphant regular season finale. Powering the Warriors to a 72-54 road win over St. Francis Brooklyn, Davis-Stewart poured in 25 points, secured 18 caroms and blocked 10 shots. The 15th triple-double in NEC history was part of a two-win week that upped Merrimack’s conference record to 13-5. Davis-Stewart, who is only the third woman in NEC annals to record two triple-doubles during the same season, averaged 20.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per victory. She shot 51.5 percent from the field. The 6-foot-1 veteran played all 40 minutes in Saturday’s 56-46 triumph over Central Connecticut, tallying 16 points and 15 rebounds. Davis-Stewart’s 23 double-doubles are the most amongst all Division I players this season.
NEC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NNEKA EZEIGBO, ROBERT MORRIS
Sr., C, 6-3, Ewing, NJ/Notre Dame HS
Week 17 Stats: 1 start, 1 double-double, 24 points, 11 rebounds, .615 FG pct., .889 FT pct.
Ezeigbo rose to the occasion, dominating the paint during a battle for first place at Mount St. Mary’s. Going up against the only NEC team to have defeated RMU this season, the Colonials’ senior center spearheaded a 57-52 victory by pouring in a game-high 24 points and securing 11 rebounds. Helping Robert Morris secure an outright NEC regular season crown, Ezeigbo shot 61.5 percent from the field while recording her seventh double-double of the season. The Garden State product was nearly perfect from the charity stripe, sinking 8 of 9 free throw attempts. Ezeigbo was sensational coming out of the break, single-handedly scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter to erase a 27-19 halftime deficit.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
NEVENA DIMITRIJEVIC, ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
Fr., G, 5-3, Kragujevac, Serbia
Week 17 Stats: 2 starts, 13.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.5 rpg, .500 3FG pct., 1.000 FT pct.
Dimitrijevic led all NEC freshmen in scoring (13.5) while pacing the circuit in assists (4.5) again last week. The 5-foot-3 floor general also pulled down 4.5 rebounds per outing. Dimitrijevic hit the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season during Saturday’s visit to Sacred Heart. The first-year Terrier shot 66.7 percent from the field against the Pioneers while producing a 6-for-6 clip from the free throw line. She finished the 84-63 setback with 20 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal. Two days later, Dimitrijevic tallied seven points, six rebounds and five assists against Merrimack. For the season, her 14.2 points per game are sixth most amongst NEC leaders while her 6.2 assists per contest top the chart.
PRIME PERFORMERS (Week 17)
Nneka Ezeigbo, RMU
Denia Davis-Stewart, MER
Emilija Krista Grava, WAG
Haley Thomas, SFU
Ally Lassen, SFBK
Michaela Harrison, MSM
Jayla Davis, SHU
Lauren Francillon, FDU
TWEET SHEET
@ChrisKingAD
(Mar 2) Congrats to ??@RMUWBasketball?? and ??@CoachB_RMU?? on their 4th consecutive regular season title with a win tonight at Mount St. Mary’s! #1 seed in upcoming ??@NECsports?? tournament! All games will be at home at the ??@UPMCEventsCtr?? ! #ColonialPride ????
@Coach_Morita
(Mar 2) Great job ??@RMUWBasketball?? ! Continue to work hard and get better each day, step by step!
@BaltSunSports
(Mar 2) In battle for first, Mount St. Mary’s women’s basketball comes up short in 57-52 loss to Robert Morris
@EdwardLeeSun
(Mar 2) Q1, 4:10-??@RMUWBasketball?? 9, ??@Mount_WBB?? 0. The Mountaineers’ first 10 possessions have ended in five missed shots, three turnovers and two blocks. Not the type of start you need to defeat the ??@NECsports?? leader. C Nneka Ezeigbo has four points and five rebounds for the Colonials.
@PohlAdam
(Mar 2) Oh we have a BIG one tonight at The Mount!! The game of the year in the @NECsports in Women’s BBall! @Mount_WBB (14-2) hosting Robert Morris (15-1). 6:40 pm broadcast start for 7 pm tip! Interview with @CoachMarchesano pregame. Watch on @NECFrontRow!
@CraigCD13
(Mar 2) In her last NEC game, Stixx is a block away from a triple double. Currently she’s at 23/16/9 and counting. Man, I hope this isn’t it for Merrimack this season. Hopefully, a postseason tournament somewhere will pick them up.
@cigeiger
(Feb 29) Played 9 games in February, won 9 games in February. ??
@NelCastNY
(Mar 1) Convincing win yesterday for #LIUWBB over Wagner on Senior Day. LIU has clinched a NEC tournament spot with 2 gms left. LIU at 7-9 in #NECWBB are in a 4-way tie for a #4 seed. Their 8 wins this season doubles the win total from last season.
@GardellaDan
(Feb 29) What a first quarter for ??@SacredHeartWBB??:
- 6-11 from three
- 7 different players score
- Adrianne Hagood: 9 points (3-4 3PT)
Pioneers lead St. Francis Brooklyn 27-18.
THE FINAL 8
Robert Morris will be the No. 1 seed and Mount St. Mary’s owns the No. 2 slot.
The remainder of the seeding for the 2020 NEC Tournament is to be determined, but the eight-team participant list has been finalized.
Saint Francis U, Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson, Bryant, Long Island U and Wagner will join RMU and Mount in the championship field.
Sacred Heart, which has qualified for the NEC Tournament every year since joining the league in 1999, owns the longest active streak of consecutive appearances. Bryant has also qualified for the event every year since gaining Division I postseason eligibility in 2013.
Robert Morris has been the NEC Tournament’s top seed on four prior occasions. The Colonials won it all three of those four times and they own a 10-1 record in NEC Tournament games as the No. 1 seed.
The eight-team tournament, the winner of which will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Big Dance, will follow a high-seed, home-site hosting format. The four quarterfinal games are set for March 9 with the semifinal round to follow on March 12.
The 2020 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Game will reach a live national television audience for the 13th consecutive year on Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 pm ET.
The quarterfinal round matchups will materialize following the final regular season games on Thursday, March 5.