NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jordan Minor, Merrimack
6’8”, 240 lbs.
Sr., F, Kingston, MA/Brimmer and May
Honored for the second time in three weeks, Minor put up huge numbers in a Merrimack sweep that stretched its win streak to six games and vaulted the Warriors into first place with a 10-4 mark. The junior from Kingston, MA averaged 20.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.5 steals in a pair of double-double performances. Of his 32 rebounds, 16 came on the offensive glass and his career-high 20 boards in Saturday’s 67-55 conquest of Sacred Heart was the highest total in an NEC game in more than two years. Minor, who had 15 points in the win over the Pioneers, also dropped 25 points - equaling his season-high - and pulled down 12 boards in Thursday’s 67-59 win over Sacred Heart on CBS Sports Network. Minor upped his league-leading double-double total to 12, and he also leads the NEC in rebounding (9.3) and blocks (2.4), and ranks third in scoring (17.1) and field goal percentage (.523).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
R.J. Greene, LIU
6’6”, 207 lbs.
Fr., G, Bronx, NY/Iona Prep
Greene did it all for the Sharks in winning his second weekly rookie accolade. He finished the week with 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and shot a blistering 75.0 percent from the field. Greene hit 4-6 shots on his way to a 12-point, six-rebound night at Stonehill on Thursday. Two days later he followed with a career-high 21 points on 8-10 shooting, and added six rebounds, seven assists and two steals against Saint Francis U. The Bronx, NY native has contributed 15.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg over his last four outings. Greene ranks second in the NEC with 3.6 apg and his 9.0 is the second-leading mark among conference freshmen.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jay Rodgers (CCSU, Jr, G)
Rodgers provided CCSU with 15.0 ppg and 2.0 rpg, and shot 50.0 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the line in a 2-0 week that evened the Blue Devils’ record at 7-7 in NEC play. In Saturday’s triple overtime win over Stonehill, Rodgers recorded a career-high 24 points (8-15 FG), including four points and an assist in the third extra session. He ranks third on the Blue Devils with 9.8 ppg.
Demetre Roberts (FDU, Gr, G)
Roberts was firing on all cylinders in FDU’s split, compiling 23.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 4.5 apg while hitting at a 60.7 percent clip from the field. He finished one shy of a career-high with 27 points on 11-16 shooting in an OT setback at SHU, then came back with a game-high 20 points and five assists two days later as the Knights downed Wagner, 66-48, in Staten Island. Roberts, who leads the NEC with 4.3 apg, also ranks second in scoring (17.4), eighth in made 3P (1.8/game) and fourth in free throw percentage (.791).
R.J. Greene (LIU, Fr, G)
Greene stuffed the stat sheet last week, contributing 16.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.5 spg. He shot a red-hot 75.0 percent from the floor. Greene’s 21 points on 8-10 shooting against SFU on Saturday established a new career-high, and he also added six rebounds and seven assists. The Bronx native ranks second in the NEC with 3.6 apg and his 9.0 is the second-leading mark among conference freshmen.
Andre Washington (LIU, So, G)
Washington erupted for a career-high 37 points in Saturday’s loss to Saint Francis U. The 37 points were the most in an NEC game this season and eclipsed his previous career-best by 18 points. The soph made 15-26 from the field, 6-11 from downtown and grabbed four boards. Washington is LIU’s second-leading point producer at 11.9 ppg.
Jordan Minor (MC, Sr, F)
Minor was a rebounding machine last week as Merrimack extended its win streak to six and claimed first place. His career-high 20 rebounds in Saturday’s win at SHU was the most in an NEC game in over two years. Minor posted a pair of double-doubles that boosted his conference-leading total to 12 on the season. The senior also had a season-high matching 25-points, and added 12 rebounds in Thursday’s win at Hartford. Minor also paces the NEC with 9.3 rpg and 2.4 bpg, and ranks third in scoring (17.1) and field goal percentage (.523).
Ziggy Reid (MC, Sr, G/F)
Reid was in can’t miss mode last week, shooting 65.0 percent from the field, 85.7 percent (made 6-7) from three-point land and 87.5 percent from the line. He averaged 19.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.5 spg. Reid dropped a season-high 24 points and shot 5-6 from deep in Thursday’s win at Hartford. Reid is now 10th in the league in scoring (13.5), fifth in FT shooting (.770) and ninth in blocks (0.8).
Nico Galette (SHU, Jr, F)
Galette supplied SHU with yet another starring performance on Thursday, when he made clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch and in OT to lead the Pioneers to a 94-86 win over FDU. He tallied a career-high 27 points, making 12-20 shots. On the week, he put up 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and shot 53.6 percent. Galette is all over the NEC leaderboard, ranking fourth in scoring (16.0), seventh in rebounding (6.9), sixth in steals (1.8) and blocks (1.0), and seventh in double-doubles (four).
Josh Cohen (SFU, R-Jr, F)
Cohen scored his 1,000th career point on Thursday and wrapped a 2-0 week on the road for the Red Flash with 18.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 bpg and 1.5 spg. Cohen posted his fifth double-double of the season in Thursday’s 72-64 win at SFBK, amassing game-highs of 21 points and 12 boards. With an NEC-best 21.7 ppg, he also ranks 11th nationally in scoring. Cohen paces the circuit in field goal percentage (.584) and is sixth in rebounding (8.1).
Maxwell Land (SFU, Jr, G)
Land supplied SFU with 18.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg during the Red Flash’s Brooklyn sweep. Land’s team-best and NEC career-high matching 21 points matched his season-best during a 93-82 victory over LIU on Saturday. The junior is averaging 12.3 ppg to rank 12th in the conference, and he’s also ninth in rebounding (5.7).
Zion Bethea (SFBK, R-Fr, G)
Bethea dropped a career-high 20 points on 8-12 shooting and added six boards and three steals off the bench in Thursday’s setback to SFU. Bethea extended his double-digit scoring streak to nine games and boosted his season average to 10.4 ppg. He is third in the NEC in three-point percentage at 40.3 percent.
Josiah Harris (SFBK, Jr, F)
Harris posted his seventh double-double of the season after finishing with 15 points and a team-high 11 boards against SFU on Thursday. It was his fifth double-double over his last six outings, during which he has averaged 14.0 ppg and 11.8 rpg. Harris is third in the league in rebounding (8.7) and blocks (1.3) and fourth in double-doubles.
Max Zegarowski (STO, Gr, F)
Zegarowski rang up a career-high 30 points in Thursday’s win against LIU, and he did it from long distance where he dialed up six triples in 11 attempts. For the week, he registered 22.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and made 50.0 percent of his field goal attempts. Zegarowski moved up to 11th on the list of the NEC’s top scorers with 12.8 ppg. He’s second on the loop in 3P (.418) and free throw accuracy (.873), and third in made trifectas (2.5/game).
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK 15
Here’s all you need to know from the 15th week of the 2022-23 season...
AND DOWN THE STRETCH WE COME
With the final week of conference play upon us, the NEC Tournament picture has finally come into crystal clear focus.
Just kidding.
With all eight eligible teams receiving an invitation to the postseason dance this season, some of the traditional drama may be missing with the qualification aspect removed, but there’s still plenty to unpack as teams make their final seeding push.
What do we know for sure?
LIU is the No. 8 seed.
Beyond that, it’s pure speculation in some respects, but we’ve turned the lights on in the tiebreaker lab, so let the calculus begin...
Life At The Top
The battle for the regular season title and top seed in the NEC Tournament could go down to the final day, a fitting end to a year that has featured widespread parity throughout the league.
At 10-4, Merrimack remains in the driver’s seat for the #1 seed and the program’s second regular season crown since its magical inaugural campaign back in 2019-20.
The Warriors can guarantee themselves at least a share of the regular season championship with a win against either CCSU or LIU, or if both Stonehill and FDU lose drop a game.
Merrimack’s magic number to clinch the #1 seed is two. The Warriors can snag the top seed with two wins, a split and an FDU loss or two losses and two FDU setbacks.
Merrimack cannot be seeded lower than #2 in the NEC Tournament, so the Warriors are guaranteed a semifinal home game should they advance through the quarters.
FDU (9-5 NEC) has an ace up its sleeve via its season sweep over Merrimack, so the match is simple for the Knights: pick up a game to claim the #1 seed. The pathway is either a split against SFU and SFBK and two Merrimack losses, or a sweep and one Merrimack defeat.
FDU will win any two, three or four-way tiebreaker that involves any combination of Merrimack, Stonehill and Saint Francis U. The Knights are also guaranteed a quarterfinal home game.
Stonehill (10-5), which is ineligible for the postseason this year and next but figures in all seeding tiebreakers, will close out its first year as an NEC member at Wagner on Thursday. To earn at least a share of the NEC title, the Skyhawks need a win at Wagner coupled with a Merrimack loss. Alternately, Stonehill can lose at Wagner and win a share of the championship if Merrimack loses twice and FDU falls once. The road an outright NEC crown is a win over Wagner, two Merrimack defeats and one FDU setback.
With a perfect hand, Saint Francis U can also lay claim to a share of the NEC regular season championship. It would take an SFU sweep, two Merrimack losses and a Stonehill loss. However, the Red Flash cannot earn the #1 seed.
The Hosting Blueprint
Saint Francis U (8-6) can assure itself of a home playoff game with a win against either FDU or Wagner. The Red Flash can also conceivably host with a pair of losses, but it will depend on other results as there are a slew of combinations at this point.
SFU can be seeded as high as #2 with wins against FDU and Wagner coupled with an FDU loss to SFBK. The Flash can also be seeded as low as #6.
Red hot CCSU (7-7) and Sacred Heart (7-7) control their own destiny as two wins and a 9-7 record will assure a top-four spot. The two teams play each other, however, so one is guaranteed at least eight losses.
A path exists to the #2 seed for Sacred Heart if the Pioneers beat both SFBK and CCSU, FDU loses twice and SFU falls vs. Wagner.
CCSU can reach as high as #3 if the Blue Devils can beat Merrimack and Sacred Heart, FDU loses twice and SFU comes up short against Wagner.
St. Francis Brooklyn (6-8) and Wagner (6-8) both remain alive for a top-four seed, but need to win out and receive help.
Things get a bit murky if one or two more teams don’t make it to nine wins, which would assure a top-four spot. Eight victories could conceivably push two teams across the finish line having earned top-four seeds, which may cause a power failure in the tiebreaker lab. In fact, there exists a possibility that five teams (SFU, CCSU, SHU, SFBK & WC) finish 8-8 in the standings! The last time a .500 team hosted a QF game was back in 2007 when a 9-9 Robert Morris team hosted 9-9 Mount St. Mary’s.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how the lower half of the bracket will shake out with so many moving parts, however LIU is locked into the #8 seed.
Tiebreaker Mania
To sort everything out, the NEC will utilize tiebreaker procedures as outlined here:
https://northeastconference.org/sports/2021/2/22/MBB_TiebreakerPolicy_2021.aspx?path=mbball
Hunger Games
While they won’t fight until the death, the final weekend of NEC regular season play has plenty at stake when it comes to seeding and tournament survival.
All games this week will air live on NEC Front Row and the NEC on the Run series of mobile and streaming apps aside from FDU at Saint Francis U on Thursday, which is an ESPN3/SNY broadcast.
Thursday, Feb. 23
FDU at Saint Francis U, 7 pm
Stonehill at Wagner, 7 pm
SFBK at Sacred Heart, 7 pm
CCSU at Merrimack, 7 pm
Saturday, Feb. 25
Sacred Heart at CCSU, 1 pm
SFBK at FDU, 1 pm
Merrimack at LIU, 1 pm
Wagner at Saint Francis U, 4 pm
Hoop Dreams
It’s all about having a chance to dance, and this year’s NEC Tournament will be an all-comers affair for second year in a row following a 25-year stretch of needing to qualify for the event.
Quarterfinal action begins on Wednesday, March 1, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, March 4 and the championship in its traditional 7:00 pm time slot on Tuesday, March 7. Teams will be reseeded in between the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
SFU’S COHEN IS LATEST NEC MILLENNIUM MAN
It’s been a year to remember for Saint Francis U redshirt junior forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA), and the Oscar Robertson Watch List candidate added another bullet to his burgeoning resume last Thursday.
With his first bucket of the game, Cohen scored his 1,000th career point, and he finished the week with 1,035 points under his belt.
Historically, Cohen became the 249th player in NEC history to reach 1K for his career. He is also the 43rd SFU player to hit the plateau.
“People see the points and the see the rebounds and the see what he does from a production standpoint, but the thing I am most proud of is how he has grown as a leader, how he has grown as a young man, both on and off the court,” said SFU head coach Rob Krimmel after the game. “He has really embraced that leadership role. To celebrate 1,000 points after a win is much more enjoyable.”
Merrimack senior forward Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer and May) is the NEC’s leading active scorer with 1,254 points, and his teammate and classmate Ziggy Reid (Baltimore, MD/St. Paul’s School) is second on the list with 1,088 points. They became the first and second Warriors to reach the millennium mark exclusively at the DI level.
With 1,041 points, St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) is the only other current NEC player who holds membership in the 1K club.
NICO’S NIGHT
Our NEC Big Shot of the Week was an easy pick.
Sacred Heart junior forward Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) has hit so many clutch shots this year, it’s getting hard to track, but his performance down the stretch of the Pioneers’ 94-86 OT win over FDU on Thursday was at another level.
The Preseason All-NEC pick drilled three high degree of difficulty jumpers in the final minute of regulation, including what appeared to be the game-winner with four seconds to go, before FDU’s Demetre Roberts (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (St. Thomas Aquinas)) took matters into his own hands, going coast-to-coast for a layup just before the buzzer to send it to OT.
Galette delivered again in the extra session, hitting another fadeaway as the shot clock expired with 48 seconds to play that extended SHU’s lead to six points.
Galette finished with a career-high 27 points on 11-16 shooting.
NEC TV WILDCARD PICK IS...
The NEC TV crew heads to Loretto on Thursday when Saint Francis U hosts FDU for a 7:00 pm tip in the league’s annual wildcard game. The game will air live on ESPN3 and SNY.
Dave Popkin (PxP), Joe DeSantis (color) and Paul Dottino (sideline) are on the call.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, an NEC quarterfinal game has been added to the ESPN3/SNY schedule on March 1 at 7:00 pm. The NEC semifinals are set to be carried on ESPN3 and SNY on March 4 at 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and the final on ESPN2 at 7:00 pm on March 7.
CCSU WINS 3OT THRILLER
It’s been a minute since the NEC has had a game extend to three overtimes, so Saturday’s back-and-forth battle between CCSU and Stonehill in Detrick Gymnasium was a welcome sight.
And when the dust settled after 55 minutes of drama, the Blue Devils secured their signature win of the year and knocked the Skyhawks out of first place in the process.
It took some clutch shotmaking on both sides to get there.
Trailing by three with under a minute to play in regulation, CCSU sophomore guard Davonte Sweatman (Boston, MA/Lawrence Academy) converted a conventional three-point play to close out the scoring in regulation.
Stonehill fifth year senior guard Josh Mack (Winchester, VA/Saint Maria Goretti) tied things up on a layup with 27 seconds to play to send it to a second OT.
The game moved to a third OT after CCSU junior swingman Kellen Amos (Houston, TX/St. John XXIII College Prep (Binghamton)) drained a jumper at the 31 second mark.
CCSU salted away the game in a wild closing sequence in the third extra session. Nursing a two point lead, the Blue Devils broke the Stonehill trap and senior guard Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena (Niagara County CC)) spotted Tre Breland (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day School (Missouri State West Plains)) down the court for an emphatic two-handed slam with just two seconds on the clock.
CCSU was 15-15 from the foul line in the win. It marked the first time the Blue Devils were perfect from the stripe with 10+ shots since going 12-12 against LIU on January 26, 2019
Junior guard Jay Rodgers (Pickerington, OH/Cochise College) scored 24 points on 8-15 shooting and made all six of his free throws to lead the Blue Devils.
Senior Andrew Sims (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape Regional) netted a game-high 26 points for the Skyhawks.
It marked the first overtime game of the season for both teams.
It was also CCSU’s first triple overtime contest since a 90-82 win at Mount St. Mary’s on January 12, 2004, and Stonehill’s first since a 101-100 setback to New Haven in the 2020 NE10 semifinals.
NEC fans had last witnessed a 3OT game back in 2017 when Sacred Heart edged Bryant, 112-110, in an all-time classic in Smithfield.
BLUE DEVILS BOLT UP STANDINGS
CCSU has made its move, so let’s drop some facts on the Blue Devil surge.
- The Blue Devils have won four straight for the first time since January 13-25, 2018.
- CCSU has won three straight at home for the first time since a four-game streak spanning two seasons from Feb. 24 to December 18, 2018.
- CCSU is .500 or better through 14 games in NEC play for the first time since 2012-13 when it was also 7-7.
- The Blue Devils have compiled 10 overall wins for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
- CCSU lost its first six games of the season decided by five points or less, but has now won three straight games all by five or fewer points.
NEC NUMBERS BY CLASS
With the regular season winding down to its conclusion, these players have emerged as the NEC’s class leaders in the three major statistical categories.
Scoring Rebounds Assists
Freshman Zion Bethea, SFBK (10.4) C.J. Delancy, LIU (4.2) R.J. Greene, LIU (3.6)
Sophomore Marko Maletic, LIU (15.9) Andre Snoddy, CCSU (8.2) Javier Ezquerra, WC (3.1)
Junior Josh Cohen, SFU (21.4) Josiah Harris, SFBK (8.7) Delonnie Hunt, WC (3.0)
Senior Jordan Minor, MC (17.1) Jordan Minor, MC (9.3) Nigel Scantlebury, CCSU (3.3)
Graduate/5th Demetre Roberts, FDU (17.4) Isaiah Burnett, STO (4.6) Demetre Roberts, FDU (4.3)
5 YEAR FACTS
As we get ready to put a wrap on the regular season, let’s look backward on which programs have done the best job in sustaining success over the last half decade.
Wagner (.547) edges out Sacred Heart (.536) for the top league mark since the start of the 2018-19 season.
It’s worthy to note the parity across the NEC over this span, with just a nine-win difference between the top-ranked and sixth-ranked teams.
Merrimack has posted an impressive 43-25 (.632) slate in its first four years as a member of the conference.
School 5-Year NEC Record Win Percentage
WC 47-39 .547
SHU 45-39 .536
FDU 43-43 .500
SFU 43-43 .500
LIU 40-47 .460
SFBK 38-48 .442
CCSU 25-61 .291
MC 43-25 (4 years) .632
STO 10-5 (1 year) .667
MINOR CLIMBING BLOCKS & REBOUNDING CHART
This week’s Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer and May) update sees the Merrimack star continuing his rise up the NEC career blocks and rebounding lists.
The Kingston, MA native swatted a pair of shots last week to up his career total to 186, tying him with SFBK’s Heberth Reyes for 14th all-time.
NEC Career Blocks Leaders
10. Ken Horton CCSU 195 2007-12
11. Gerben Van Dorpe MSM 195 1994-98
12. Nana Opoku MSM 194 2018-22
13. Frantz Pierre-Louis WC 188 1994-99
14. Jordan Minor MC 186 2019-23
Heberth Reyes SFBK 186 1997-01
After averaging 16.0 rpg last week, Minor jumped up six spots to move to 43rd on the career chart.
The senior forward enters play this week with 742 career caroms.
NEC Career Rebounding Leaders
30. Desi Wilson FDU 780 1988-91
31. Jermaine Hall WC 777 1999-03
32. Fernando Sanders MU 775 1985-89
33. Frantz Pierre-Louis WC 758 1994-99
34. E.J. Anosike SHU 757 2017-20
35. Devin Sweetney SFU 754 2006-10
36. Anthony Dickens RMU 751 1985-90
37. Tony Lee RMU 751 2004-08
38. Kaleb Bishop FDU 749 2016-20
39. Darwin Purdie SFBK 748 1985-89
40. Russell Johnson RMU 746 2009-13
41. Michael Watson MSM 746 1992-95
42. Malik Jefferson MSM 743 2018-22
43. Jordan Minor MC 742 2019-23
44. Damari Riddick FDU 737 1984-88
45. Mychal Kearse MSM 725 2003-07
46. Kennedy Okafor UMBC 725 1998-01
47. Ike Aztoam QU 716 2010-13
48. Mark Flagg SFU 711 2017-22
49. Jeff Hamilton SFU 711 1981-85
50. Dan Garvin BRY 710 2013-17
With 1,254 points, Minor is vying to become just the fourth player in NEC history to compile 1,000 points, 750 rebounds and 200 blocks, joining the following list of conference luminaries:
Rik Smits MAR 1,945 pts/811 rebs/345 blks 1984-88
Carey Scurry LIU 1,413 pts/1,013 rebs/291 blks 1982-85
Alan Tomidy MAR 1,508 pts/838 rebs/267 blks 1992-96
SINGLETON AUTOMATIC FROM LINE
FDU’s Grant Singleton (Sumter, SC/Lakewood (St. Thomas Aquinas)) hasn’t missed a free throw in exactly three months.
The sharpshooter has now made 38 in a row from the stripe and has converted 50-of-53 on the year for a 94.3 percent success rate.
Singleton is six makes away from qualifying for the NEC leaders, which requires a minimum 2.0 makes per game.
ZIGGY STAR(DUST)
Who’s been the NEC’s hottest shooting star from deep in recent weeks?
Raise your hand Ziggy Reid (Baltimore, MD/St. Paul’s School).
Over his last six games, the Merrimack senior swingman has made 19 of his last 37 from three-point territory, a scorching 51.4 percent mark.
Last week he made 6-7 (.857) outside the arc on his way to posting an eye-opening .625/.857/.875 shooting line on the week.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Wagner’s one-point setback to CCSU on Thursday marked the fifth time this season that the Seahawks cut a double-digit deficit to one possession or less in the second half.
Wagner completed these comebacks and earned victories against Temple in its season-opener and in the first matchup against FDU.
NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
Each week throughout the 2022-23 season, NEC Overtime! blogger and NEC on the Run podcast collaborator Ryan Peters (@pioneer_pride) will contribute a series of analytically based tidbits covering NEC hoops.
In its decisive victory at Sacred Heart on Saturday, Merrimack posted its second best Bart Torvik Game Score of the season with a mark of 79. It’s the third time the Warriors have climbed above 75 in any game - they posted a 81 at Wagner and 77 versus Stonehill - this conference season. Merrimack’s current five-game Game Score average of 53 is the highest five-game average achieved by any NEC squad this season. Two things they had in common with those three aforementioned victories were efficient defense and an ability to make outside shots. In those triumphs over Wagner, Stonehill and Sacred Heart, the Warriors converted 42.9 percent of their three-point attempts. Merrimack is 6-2 in games this season when they make at least 40 percent of their long distance shots.
Speaking of Merrimack’s shotmaking, guard Devon Savage (Washington, D.C./Riverdale Baptist (James Madison)) was lethal in the left corner during the Warriors’ victory at Sacred Heart. The sophomore made 7-of-9 from deep, with five of those makes coming from the left corner. Not only has Savage made 3s with more consistency over his team’s latest stretch - he’s made at least one triple in nine consecutive games and his 3-point percentage of 45.9 percent in league play ranks first - but the James Madison transfer also has been solid in taking care of the basketball. His turnover rate of 10.4 percent ranks 104th among all players in college basketball.
The Blue Devils are playing their best basketball of late, and part of that lies with the emergence of sophomore Davonte Sweatman (Boston, MA/Lawrence Academy). In CCSU’s two wins at home against Wagner and Stonehill, Sweatman scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting while dishing out seven assists against one turnover. For the season, Sweatman has been Pat Sellers’ most efficient scorer, posting a team high KenPom offensive rating of 109.5. Per Syngery, Sweatman lies in the top 14 percentile of Division I in catch-and-shooting situations, scoring 1.23 points per possession with a 62 percent effective field goal percentage. When unguarded behind the arc, Sweatman has made 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) of his rhythm jumpers.
Once a barely used option off Sacred Heart’s bench, football star and basketball walk-on Kenneth Womack (Upper Marlboro, MD/Bishop McNamara) has injected the Pioneers with life off the bench on both ends of the floor. While his quickness and athleticism have been optimal on defense, it was Womack’s offense that assisted Sacred Heart in edging FDU in a tight OT battle last Thursday. Not only did Womack register a career high 15 points and eight assists, but he was efficient doing so, making 6-of-7 shots at the rim according to Hoop Math. Of his eight assists, five resulted in 3-pointers, two were at the rim and one produced a mid-range make. In a small sample this season, the guard has posted an assist rate of 30.2 percent, which would be the second best mark among NEC players if he qualified with enough minutes.
BY THE NUMBERS
CCSU senior guard Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena (Niagara County CC)) played a career-high 41 minutes with ten points, six rebounds and six assists in Saturday’s win over Stonehill. All ten of his points came in the second half and overtime, and his runner with 18 seconds to play in the third OT put CCSU up 92-89. He also scored six points in the final 1:20 of Thursday’s 58-57 win against Wagner.
CCSU sophomore forward Andre Snoddy (Melville, NY/St. Thomas More (CT)) posted two games with 10+ rebounds last week, giving him eight in NEC play this year. He had 15 rebounds in the Blue Devils’ win over Stonehill, his second game of 15+ after he grabbed a career-high 18 at Wagner on January 20.
FDU has won the turnover margin battle in 13 straight NEC games and posted a league-best +4.43 TO margin in conference play.
In its win over Wagner on Saturday, FDU allowed a season-low 48 points and .347 defensive field goal percentage. Likewise, its 0.74 PPP allowed was the Knights’ best mark against a DI opponent this season.
LIU sophomore guard Andre Washington’s (Staten Island, NY/Williston North Hampton) 37-point explosion against Saint Francis U on Saturday was the highest total in an NEC game since former teammate Eral Penn dropped 36 against FDU on February 26, 2022. It was also the fifth-highest single-game point production in a conference tilt over the last five years.
LIU shot 53.3 percent from the floor in its 93-82 loss to SFU on Saturday, it’s high water mark in an NEC game this season.
Merrimack continues to rank first in the nation in turnover rate (26.4) and steal rate (16.4).
Merrimack sophomore guard Devon Savage (Washington, D.C./Riverdale Baptist (James Madison)) was in the zone from three-point range in Saturday’s win at Sacred Heart. He drained 7-9 from downtown on his way to a career-high 21 points.
Merrimack freshman guard Javon Bennett (Orlando, FL/Trinity Prep), a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week, posted a career-high nine assists in the Warriors’ win at Hartford on Thursday and averaged 7.0 dimes for the week to go along with 11.0 ppg and 2.5 spg. He ranks second in the NEC and fifth nationally at 2.8 spg.
Sacred Heart junior guard Kenneth Womack (Upper Marlboro, MD/Bishop McNamara), who doubles as an outstanding wide receiver for the Pios - he caught 54 passes for 721 yards and three touchdowns last fall - has given the Pioneers a lift off the bench in recent weeks. He had the best game of his career on Thursday, setting new personal-bests with 15 points (6-7 FG) and eight assists against FDU.
Sacred Heart junior forward Bryce Johnson (Stockton, CA/St. Mary’s (Pomfret)) has registered double-doubles in three of his last four games and seven times in conference play.
Saint Francis U freshman guard Cam Gregory (Accokeek, MD/The Steward School (VA)) scored seven of his ten points in a decisive 15-4 run in the second half to break a 48-all standstill and give the Red Flash a 63-52 lead en route to a 72-64 win against St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday. He averaged 11.5 ppg on 69.2 percent shooting for the week.
Saint Francis U redshirt junior forward Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) needs three rebounds for 500 boards in his career. He will become the 29th player in program history with 500 boards and the 20th player with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. With 579 points this season, Cohen has also notched the most points in a single season under head coach Rob Krimmel. He also moved into 12th place on SFU’s all-time single-season chart.
Saint Francis U is 5-0 against the three New York City schools this season. It can sweep its Empire State league slate with a win against Wagner in its regular season finale on Saturday.
St. Francis Brooklyn junior guard Roy Clarke (Brooklyn, NY/John C. Freemont) has committed just nine turnovers over his last 241 minutes covering six games. The Brooklyn native has posted a 2:33 assist-to-turnover ratio over that stretch.
St. Francis Brooklyn junior forward Josiah Harris (Wilmington, DE/William Penn (Hutchinson CC/Cowley College)) has pulled down ten or more rebounds in seven consecutive contests, averaging 11.6 per game over that span. He ranks third in the NEC with 8.7 rpg.
St. Francis Brooklyn accumulated 14 steals against SFU on Thursday, the program’s highest total in an NEC game since swiping 14 in a 74-69 overtime win over LIU on February 26, 2015.
Stonehill fifth year senior guard Isaiah Burnett (Annapolis, MD/Glenelg Country Day (Navy)) piled up six more steals last week and leads the nation with 87 on the season. Burnett, who is third nationally with 2.9 spg, has recorded at least one steal in 36 straight games dating back to last season.
Stonehill shot 84.2 percent from the stripe last week, making 32-of-38 shots. The Skyhawks lead the NEC with a 76.2 percent mark from the line.
Wagner senior guard Brandon Brown (Memphis, TN/White Station (Arkansas Pine Bluff)) led the Seahawks with 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.0 spg last week. He is the NEC’s second-leading rebounder at 8.8 per game.
NEC IN NATIONAL LEADERS (TOP-25)
Team Category Rank Value
FDU TO Margin 9th 4.55
FDU TO Forced 18th 16.31
MC Steals 1st 11.00
MC TO Forced 7th 17.59
MC Scoring Defense 20th 62.2
SFU 3PFG% 17th .382
WC Off. Reb. 20th 12.60
WC Scoring Defense 21st 62.3
Individual Category Rank Value
Javon Bennett, MC Steals 5th 2.76
Jordan Minor, MC Blocks 11th 2.35
Isaiah Burnett, STO Steals 3rd 2.87
Josh Cohen, SFU Scoring 9th 21.4