Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week
Matt Hunter, Central Connecticut
6-5, 190lbs
Jr., G, Detroit, MI/Odessa JC
Hunter capped off his best week in a Central Connecticut uniform with a career-high 40 points in a setback at undefeated and No. 1-ranked Indiana, an effort that earned him Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week. The Detroit, MI native not only set the mark for most points by an NEC player in a game this season, but he also recorded the third-highest point total in CCSU history and tied the Assembly Hall record for most points by an opposing player. Additionally, it was the first 40-point game by a Blue Devil since Tristan Blackwood went for 40 against Sacred Heart during the 2007 campaign. After recording 14 points in the first half, Hunter completed his big night that saw him go 13-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc with 26 in the second stanza. He also went 8-of-8 from the charity stripe and added seven boards and two assists in 39 minutes worth of work. Earlier in the week, Hunter scored 18 and pulled in eight boards in a three-point triumph over New Hampshire, 87-84. He was perfect from the free-throw line in that game as well, hitting all six attempts. Hunter, who averaged 29.0 points and 7.5 rebounds on the week, is now second in the NEC in scoring (19.9), and third in rebounding (7.6) and steals (2.4). He is also one-half of the nation's highest scoring tandem along with NEC leader Kyle Vinales (23.5).
Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week
Shivaughn Wiggins, Mount St. Mary’s
5-10, 160lbs
Fr., G, Charlotte, NC/North Mecklenberg
Wiggins knocked down eight points and handed out six assists as the Mountaineers defeated Navy, 72-65, at home for their third straight win. Coming off the bench, the 5-10 point guard played 26 minutes and proved clutch down the stretch. With 5:47 to play, he blocked a fast-break lay-up that kept the score 60-55 in favor of the Mount. He then setup a 3-ball that expanded the score to 66-58 with under four minutes to play. Wiggins, a key reserve for Mount St. Mary's this season, ranks second on the team in assists (2.1 per game) and sports an impressive 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Fantastic Finishes & Stellar Individual Efforts Highlight Wild Week Of NEC Hoops
It was a crazy week for sure. Comebacks galore, wild finishes, buzzer beaters, unlikely heroes, highlight reel plays deemed worthy by the Worldwide Leader and one performance for the ages. Welcome to the wonderful world of NEC hoops!
Booker & The Comeback
A 30th straight win at the WRAC didn't appear in the cards for LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds trailed Hofstra by 16 with just over 12 minutes to play on Saturday and the crowd was getting restless.
"We were playing terribly, it was 16, but there was so much time left," said LIU coach Jack Perri, whose team trailed 62-46. "I said, ‘Guys, we’ve been here before. We’ve got to get stops and got to keep playing together.'"
Still trailing by 14 under the seven minute mark, LIU senior forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) scored six points in a 13-3 run to cut the lead to 74-70 with 4:08 on the clock. Down six, senior guard Brandon Thompson (San Antonio, TX/John Paul Stevens (South Plains College)) scored on a putback and junior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) hit two free throws prior to the game's key sequence. Off an inbounds play under the Hofstra basket, Brickman lobbed an an alley-oop pass to Boyd, who dunked and was fouled to give LIU an 81-80 lead. After the Pride scored on their next possession, an unexpected hero emerged for the Blackbirds. Playing in his first game of the year, senior forward Booker Hucks (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) took matters into his own hands, sinking a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining that gave LIU the lead for good and pushed the Blackbird win streak to three games.
“We don’t lose at home," remarked Hucks. "That was the only thing I was thinking.”
Hucks, who missed the first six games of the year with an injury, entered the game having made just eight three-pointers in his career, but hit both of his attempts from beyond the arc against the Pride in 10 minutes off the bench.
Boyd scored 19 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, including 15 over the last 10 minutes. After sitting out most of the first half with foul trouble, Brickman recorded all 12 of his points and all nine of his assists post-intermission.
The victory marked the first time that the Blackbirds erased a double-digit second half deficit since coming back from 11 points down in a 103-91 overtime triumph over Sacred Heart on February 16, 2012.
Hunter's Day To Remember
It was a game CCSU junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) will be telling his grandchildren about someday. Playing in one of the meccas of college hoops, Assembly Hall, and taking on the top-ranked team in the nation in Indiana, Hunter showed little in the way of nerves, but displayed plenty of moxy in going toe-to-toe with the Hoosiers on Saturday. The Detroit, MI native exploded for a career-high 40 points, and in the process matched an Assembly Hall record for an IU opponent shared by Michigan State’s Shawn Respert (1995) and Terry Furlow (1976).
The 40 points also represented an NEC single-game season-high and was the third highest total in CCSU history (second in DI annals). It was also the most points by a Blue Devil since Tristan Blackwood netted 40 against Robert Morris on February 22, 2007. The last NEC player to reach the 40-point plateau was Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly), who had 41 against Mount St. Mary’s on January 28, 2012. Likewise, Hunter's 40-point effort is the second-highest
Hunter, who scored 26 in the second half, shot 13-25 from the field, including 6-11 from three-point range, and hit all eight of his free throw attempts. He also pulled down seven boards and dished for two assists.
Hunter now ranks second in the NEC in scoring with 19.9 ppg, sitting only behind teammate and fellow Detroit native Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School), who averages 23.5 ppg. The duo form the highest scoring tandem in the nation, combining for 43.4 ppg.
The Tip Heard Round Hackensack
It is often said that rebounding is not about height, but about heart and desire. On Friday, FDU’s Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, SC/Burke (Polk State)), a 5’11” junior guard, would not be denied on the boards when it mattered most, and as a result, FDU came away with a thrilling 82-80 win over Lafayette in its home opener.
With the game tied at 80 apiece, the Knights inbounded the ball underneath the Lafayette basket. Sophomore guard Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/ Neumann Goretti (Hartford)) hoisted a three-pointer that was off the mark. Sanders, the smallest player on the court, maneuvered himself around 6’7” Seth Hinrichs, and stretched high to tip the ball in at the buzzer, giving the Knights one dramatic victory.
“Sidney Sanders made an incredible athletic play to win the game for us,” head coach Greg Vetrone said. “I am so elated about the way this team is playing right now.”
The victory was FDU's fourth of the year, one more than its 2011-12 season win total.
Karvel’s Encore
As if his 8-8 performance from three-point range in Robert Morris’s 84-76 win over Ohio University on December 1 wasn’t enough, junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Glen Oaks CC) delivered even more heroics in his next outing, a 61-58 win at Campbell last Tuesday. Anderson buried a pair of three-pointers in the final 42 seconds to help lift the Colonials to victory, including the game-winner with 4.5 seconds on the clock. In doing so, Anderson became the fourth active player on RMU to hit a game-winning bucket with less than five seconds to play, joining senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic), who has done it twice, senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) and junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School).
Anderson has now shot 16-23 from three-point range during RMU’s current three-game win streak, a 69.6 percent success rate. For the year, Anderson is fifth in the NEC in made three-pointers (2.6/game) and seventh in three-point accuracy (.433).
#SCTop10 Weekend For NEC
It was a high profile weekend for NEC men’s hoops, with three plays featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top-10. On Friday, FDU junior guard Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, SC/Burke (Polk State)) earned the #2 spot on the list for his tip-in at the buzzer to beat Lafayette. The following evening, LIU Brooklyn occupied the #2 spot with a Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) to Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) alley-oop dunk off an inbounds play that gave the Blackbirds the lead with a minute to play in their win over Hofstra. Coming in at #9 was Monmouth senior forward Gary Cox’s (Houston, TX/Nimitz (Panola College)) poster dunk over 6’9” Syracuse forward Rakeem Christmas.
NEC Fast Break…News You Need To Know
Dynamic Dyami
Across the nation, you would be hard pressed to find newcomers who have made a greater impact on their team than Bryant sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East). With Bryant off to a Division I best 5-3 start, the electric sharpshooter is piling up big scoring numbers. Last week, he averaged 23.5 ppg and hit 11-16 shots (.688) from beyond the arc. On Saturday, he scored all 25 of his points in the first half as the Bulldogs cruised to a 78-56 win over Binghamton. In those 20 minutes, he drained 6-7 shots from long range. The six trifectas were a career-high and the 25 points matched a career-best.
On the season, Starks ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring (18.3) and is the league-leader with 3.25 three-pointers per game.
"From sitting on the bench in a sweater vest and dress pants and boat shoes every game last year to being able to go out there and play, it's an unbelievable feeling,” said Starks, who is a Columbia transfer. “And then having success on top of it - it's a great feeling, can't describe it."
Wagner Turning Up The "D"
The old adage that defense wins games rings especially true for Bashir Mason and his Wagner College team. The Seahawks have held opposition under 50 points in all three of their wins this season, including a 52-44 road conquest of Hofstra on Tuesday. Wagner has yet to allow 70 points in a game this year and has limited its last five opponents to 58 points or less. As such, the Green & White lead the NEC in scoring defense (59.9 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.385) by wide margins.
“We take pride in defending,” said Mason said Wagner held Hofstra to 33.3 percent shooting. “Offense has been hard to find, but we are making it difficult for other teams, and that’s picking us up.”
CCSU Success From The Stripe
Central Connecticut could be on its way to obliterating the NEC record for season free throw percentage. The Blue Devils currently lead the nation by a wide margin, converting 83.3 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. The NEC record is held by Wagner, which converted 77.2 percent from the line in 2010-11. Junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) is the NEC leader in the category (.933) and sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is eighth (.833).
Mount’s Winning Ways
First year head coach Jamion Christian has not only brought “Mayhem” to Mount St. Mary’s, but has also compiled a fare share of wins thus far in the 2012-13 campaign. With a 72-65 triumph over Navy on Friday, the Mountaineers improved to 4-3 on the year, marking the first winning record for the program after seven games since the 2002-03 season. The Mount has also won three straight non-conference games for the first time since December, 2007, when the team won four in a row.
Junior guard Rashad Whack (Hyattsville, MD/Bishop McNamara (George Mason)) has played a huge role in the Mount revival, and his impact was certainly evident on Friday. Whack hit six of Mount’s NEC single-game season-high 13 three-pointers to finish with a game-best 18 points. He drilled a trifecta with 4:20 remaining to give the Mount a 63-58 lead after Navy had whittled a 17-point deficit to two. Whack then came away with one of his four steals on Navy's next possession, leading to junior guard Sam Prescott’s (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter (Marist)) trey that boosted the lead to 66-58 with under four minutes to play.
"It just seems natural to catch and shoot and then on defense it’s just playing hard," Whack said. "Whatever I need to do to help the team win."
The Mount paces the NEC with 9.0 three-pointers per game and leads the nation in percentage of points scored on three-point field goals at 43.6 percent. Whack is the team’s top scorer with 12.7 ppg and ranks first in the NEC with 3.0 steals per game.
Toole Time
Robert Morris third year head coach Andrew Toole picked up his 50th career victory in his 79th career game as the Colonials rolled to a 66-54 victory at Hampton on Saturday. The only head coach to reach 50 wins faster in school history? That would be Mike Rice, who turned the trick in his 72nd game during his tenure at RMU from 2007-10.
Brooklyn Rivals, League Leaders
LIU junior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) and St. Francis Brooklyn sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) are not only neighbors, but both lead the NEC in a pair of individual categories. Brickman is the league leader in assists (8.1) and three-point percentage (.531), while Cannon is top-ranked in rebounding (9.7) and field goal percentage (.649).
On The National Leaderboard
A number of NEC players are have distinguished themselves nationally thus far in 2012-13, ranking in the NCAA top-10 in various statistical categories. CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is a high-volume scorer who has been virtually unstoppable in the early stages of the season. He currently ranks third in the country in point production, averaging 23.5 ppg. Vinales sits just behind Lehigh's C.J. McCollum (24.9 ppg) and Virginia Tech’s Erick Green (24.6 ppg). LIU junior point guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) holds the NEC freshman and sophomore records for assists, and there is a good chance he will eclipse the junior class mark for dimes as well. Brickman is the fifth-leading distributor in the country at 8.1 apg. Sacred Heart sophomore point guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) is not far behind, ranking ninth nationally in assists with 7.0 per game. Mount St. Mary’s newcomer Rashad Whack (Hyattsville, MD/Bishop McNamara (George Mason)) has been the ringleader of Mount Mayhem and ranks tenth in Division I with 3.0 per outing. St. Francis (NY) sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) has been virtually unguardable around the hoop and sits seventh in field goal accuracy, making 64.9 percent of his attempts.
On the team front, Monmouth is forcing a nation-high 21.4 turnovers per game and CCSU is shooting a DI best 83.3 percent from the line. Monmouth is also fifth with 11.4 steals per game. FDU is shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc, the seventh-best mark in the country, while Mount St. Mary's ranks ninth with 9.0 three-pointers per game.
Stellar Numbers For SHU's Gibson
In the “stellar games” category, no NEC player is even close to Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly). Gibson has racked up 38 games of 20+ points over the course of his career, nearly double that of his next closest competitor, LIU Brooklyn senior forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft), who has 20. Gibson has also tallied five games of 30+ points, also a league-leading mark. This season, CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) ranks first in the Conference with six 20-point games.
NEC Active Leaders : 20 Point Games
Shane Gibson, SHU 38
Julian Boyd, LIU 20
Kyle Vinales, CCSU 17
Alex Francis, BRY 16
Umar Shannon, SFU 15
Jamal Olasewere, LIU 14
Velton Jones, RMU 12
Ike Azotam, QU 9
Frankie Dobbs, BRY 8
Melquan Bolding, FDU 7
Julian Norfleet, MSM 7
NEC Active Leaders: 30 Point Games
Shane Gibson, SHU 5
Kyle Vinales, CCSU 3
Melquan Bolding, FDU 2
Alex Francis, BRY 2
Velton Jones, RMU 2
Jamal Olasewere, LIU 2
Best of the Week
Alex Francis (BRY): 19 points, 5 rebounds, 8-12 FG in loss to Yale
Dyami Starks (BRY): 25 points, 9-14 FG, 6-7 3PFG in win over Binghamton; 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-9 3PFG in loss to Yale
Matt Hunter (CCSU): NEC single-game season-high 40 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 13-25 FG, 6-11 3PFG, 8-8 FT in loss to #1 Indiana
Mustafaa Jones (FDU): 18 points, 2 assists, 6-9 3PFG in win over Lafayette
Kinu Rochford (FDU): 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks in win over Lafayette
Julian Boyd (LIU): 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7-14 FG in win over Hofstra
Stephen Spinella (MU): 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5-8 FG in loss to Navy
Rashad Whack (MSM): 18 points, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, 6-9 3PFG in win over Navy
Ike Azotam (QU):12 points, 10 rebounds in win over Colgate
Jamee Jackson (QU): 12 points, 11 rebounds in win over Colgate
Garvey Young (QU): 10 points, 10 rebounds in loss to Vermont
Lucky Jones (RMU): 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals in win over Campbell
Shane Gibson (SHU): 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, 4-8 FG in loss to Holy Cross; 25 points, 10-18 FG, 5-9 3PFG in loss to Lafayette
Jalen Cannon (SFC): 23 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 8-13 FG, 7-8 FT in loss to Boston College
Ben Mockford (SFC): 18 points, 2 assists, 6-12 3PFG in loss to Albany
Travis Nichols (SFC): 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8-12 FG, 3-4 3PFG in loss to Albany
Umar Shannon (SFU): 26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists in loss to Lehigh
Mario Moody (WC): 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5-7 FG in 19 minutes off bench in win over Hofstra
By The Numbers
4 game win streak for Monmouth was snapped with a loss to Navy last Wednesday. The streak was the longest in the King Rice era.
+5.6 rebound margin for Quinnipiac this season, best in the NEC. The Bobcats have led the conference in rebound margin in each of the last four seasons.
6 game streak of scoring 20 or more points for CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) was snapped against Indiana on Saturday.
6 LIU Brooklyn players who hail for the Lone Star state will be returning home when the Blackbirds play at Rice on Wednesday.
6-9 shooting from three-point range for FDU sophomore guard Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Nuemann Goretti) in FDU’s 82-80 win over Lafayette on Friday.
9 or more rebounds pulled down by Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) in all but one game this season.
9-10 night from the field for Monmouth senior forward Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) against Binghamton on Monday tied for the second-highest single-game field goal percentage in Hawks' history with Karl Towns, who also hit 9-10 against Campbell on December 15, 1983.
10 rebound game for Wagner junior forward Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) against Hofstra on Tuesday was the first double-digit total in his 68-game career.
13 made three-pointers, an NEC single-game season-high, for Mount St. Mary’s in its win over Navy on Friday.
18-0 deficit to start the game overcome by St. Francis Brooklyn, which eventually took the lead in the second half before dropping a 77-73 decision at Albany on Wednesday.
19 of LIU Brooklyn senior forward Julian Boyd’s (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) 20 points came in the second half as the Blackbirds overcame a 16-point second half deficit to beat Hofstra, 88-84, on Saturday.
20-12 record for Robert Morris in its last 32 road games dating back to the 2010-11 season.
21 straight free throws made by CCSU junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) entering play this week.
23 straight wins for Robert Morris when holding its opponent to under 60 points.
25 points, all in the first half, for Bryant sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) in the Bulldogs’ 78-56 win over Binghamton on Saturday.
25 points, all in the second half, for Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) in the Pioneers’ last second setback at Lafayette on Sunday.
26 points, a season-high for Saint Francis U guard Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) against Lehigh on Saturday.
35 attempted three-pointers, an NEC single-game season-high, for Mount St. Mary’s in its win over Navy on Friday.
50 points scored in the first half for Bryant in its 78-56 win over Binghamton on Saturday.
Quotable
“This was a great team effort, a great first home game. The consistency between Melquan Bolding, Lonnie Robinson and Mustafaa Jones is incredible. These guys are really staying together.” - FDU head coach Greg Vetrone after the Knights defeated Lafayette on Friday
"Having such a large lead at halftime for the first time this season - probably the first time in a long time for the Mount to be up that much at the half - I’m just really proud of our guys and how they reacted when Navy made their run. We could’ve really folded in the end, but the guys rallied around one another and we closed it out.” - Mount head coach Jamion Christina, on beating Navy on Friday
"I am happy to get the win - we really needed it after three-straight losses and it's really important for our confidence. We had a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and those of you who saw us against Lehigh and American, in this game I think you saw a team that was talking more and a little more spirited, which was really important for us." – Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore, after the Bobcats beat Colgate on Wednesday
"We need to continue to get healthy. We haven't had a full team. I'm excited about what's ahead if we get healthy and consistent." – Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole, after the Colonials beat Hampton to win their third straight game on Saturday
“I try to do what my team needed me to do. I’m not really out there to try to show off and put the ball in the basket, but if I have to, that’s what I have to do for the team.” - Saint Francis U junior guard Umar Shannon, after scoring 26 points against Lehigh
“As a player, you just play for those moments. Adrenaline is just something that I live for. When the time goes down, [coach Bashir Mason] has the most trust in me to make a play for us.” - Wagner junior guard Kenneth Ortiz on hitting two key buckets with the shot clock running down late in the second half
Tweets of the Week
Christian Lemieux @clemieux66
Dyami Starks is THE x-factor. 23 first half points, 6-6 from 3! Let's go Bulldogs! CCSUBlueDevils
CCSU Blue Devils
Not a bad way to score your first career points! #hurd pic.twitter.com/ZjyzYu5Z
Tyler Griffith @TylerGriffith63
Great performance by ccsu's Matt Hunter dropping 40 in assembly hall, very impressed #bigtimeperformance
Chris Brickley, FDU Assistant Coach
@Cbrickley603: Game winner tonight is on ESPN Sportcenter top 10! Check it out @FDUKnights!!!
Andrew Chiappazzi @achiappazzi
LIU-Brooklyn's baseline alley-oop to Julian Boyd was the No. 2 play on SportsCenter's Top 10. A little #NEC love.
Howie Kussoy @HowieHoops
LIU Brooklyn v. Hofstra = insanity
Michael Cohen @Michael_Cohen13
Christmas just got absolutely posterized by Monmouth's Gary Cox. My goodness. The whole building went "Oooooh" on that one.
David Matturro @coachdmatturro
Good win tonight at home vs Navy. Mount Maniacs and rest who packed Knott tonight were unreal with support and energy!Thanks! #MountMayhem
Ethan Woy @WoyRMU15
ice in his veins! RT @kunkel5: KARVEL ANDERSON
John Templon @nybuckets
More proof you never know with freshmen. Eric Fanning seems to be really coming on for @WagnerHoops. Trenton product is delivering.
Milestone Watch
Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea needs five more wins to reach 150 for his career.
Bryant senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) is just 78 points shy of reaching 1,000 points in his career. He has tallied 861 of those points at a Bulldog.
LIU Brooklyn junior forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) moved into a tie for 13th place on the NEC’s all-time rebounding last last week. With 836 boards he has matched the total of LIU great Freddie Burton (1986-89). Boyd is 57 caroms shy of hitting the top-10. He also passed Sherman White (1948-51) for 10th place on LIU's career scoring list. Boyd has scored 1,454 points, and is now less than 400 points away from the top spot held by Joe Griffin (1,830 from 1991-95).
Just seven games into his junior season and LIU Brooklyn sophomore guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) is already 22nd on the NEC career assists chart. With 486 dimes, he needs just 14 to become the 16th player in league annals to reach 500, and 48 more to break into the top-10.
Monmouth’s win at Binghamton on Monday was the 400th in the program’s DI history.
Quinnipiac’s Tom Moore is four wins shy of 100 for his career. Now in his sixth year, he has posted a 96-70 record in Hamden.
With 1,583 career points, Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly,CT/Killingly) has broken into the top-50 on the NEC career list. He now ranks 47th in league history.
St. Francis (NY) senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) needs nine rebounds to reach 400 for his career.
Wagner junior forward Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) needs five more blocks to match Durell Vinson - a former All-NEC player - for fourth on the school's career list. Folahan has rejected 113 shots after a four-block effort last Tuesday against Hofstra.
Active Leaders
SCORING
Shane Gibson SHU 1583
Julian Boyd LIU 1454
Jamal Olasewere LIU 1392
Velton Jones RMU 1374
Alex Francis BRY 1075
Russell Johnson RMU 913
Latif Rivers WC 883
Frankie Dobbs BRY 861
Ed Waite MU 869
CJ Garner LIU 818
REBOUNDING
Julian Boyd LIU 836
Jamal Olasewere LIU 733
Russell Johnson RMU 594
Ed Waite MU 569
Ike Azotam QU 545
Alex Francis BRY 521
Jamee Jackson QU 411
Kenny Onyechi LIU 396
Akeem Johnson SFNY 391
Shane Gibson SHU 355
ASSISTS
Jason Brickman LIU 486
Velton Jones RMU 447
Frankie Dobbs BRY 328
Dave Johnson QU 322
CJ Garner LIU 246
Anthony Myers-Pate RMU 245
Josh Castellanos MSM 242
Jesse Steele MU 211
Phil Gaetano SHU 185
Shane Gibson SHU 171
Team-By-Team Notes
Bryant (5-3, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 5 vs. Yale (L, 64-62); Dec. 8 vs. Binghamton (W, 78-56)
This Week: Dec. 10 at Navy
• Sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) averaged 23.5 points per game, recording game highs in both outings (22 vs. Yale, career-high 25 vs. Binghamton) and shooting 68.8 percent (11-16) from 3-point range on the week.
• Junior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) averaged 15.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per outing while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.
• Bryant shot 52.1 percent as a team against Yale Wednesday night, the second time this season the Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better in a game.
• Bryant shot a season-high 66.7 percent in the first half against Binghamton, scoring more than 50 points in a half for the first time since Feb. 8, 2012 (against Sacred Heart).
• Head coach Tim O’Shea is approaching his 150th-career win (145).
• The Bryant men’s basketball program is approaching its 650th win all-time (648).
• Dobbs is just 78 points shy of 1,000 on his career (922).
Central Connecticut (4-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 5 at New Hampshire (W, 87-84); Dec. 8 at #1 Indiana (L, 100-69)
This Week: None
• Junior Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Odessa JC) had a career week and capped it off with a career-high 40 points on the road at #1 Indiana on Saturday. Hunter’s 40 tied the Assembly Hall record for an opponent that had happened just twice in venue history prior to Saturday night. Hunter’s 40 is the third-highest total in school history, and the first 40 point game since 2007 for the Blue Devils (Tristan Blackwood). He scored 26 of his points in the second half. He finished the game 13-of-25 from the field, 6-of-11 from three, 8-of-8 from the line and added seven rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes. Earlier in the week Hunter scored 18 points and had eight rebounds in a road win at New Hampshire on Wednesday night. He was 6-for-6 from the line (14-of-14 for the week). Hunter is now averaging 19.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on the season.
• Hunter has made 22 straight free-throws since missing his first free-throw at Hartford on 11/24.
• The Blue Devils continue to lead the country in free-throw shooting at 83.3 percent. They were 13-of-16 at #1 Indiana and 16-of-18 at New Hampshire last week.
• Sophomore Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) had his streak of six straight 20 point games snapped at #1 Indiana on Saturday night. Vinales had seven points, but still sits 3rd in the country in scoring at 23.5 points per game. He also had a streak of 13 straight games in double figures snapped at Indiana.
• Central is now 0-12 vs. the Big Ten and 0-2 all-time vs. the #1 team in the country. They played #1 Indiana on Saturday, facing their first ranked team since 2008 (Arizona State).
Fairleigh Dickinson (4-5, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 7 vs. Lafayette (W, 82-80); Dec. 9 vs. Hartford (L, 69-59)
This Week: None
• The Knights defeated Lafayette 82-80 on Friday to pick up their fourth win of the season. The fourth win in five games propelled FDU past their win total from last season.
• Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Nuemann Goretti) went 6-for-9 from three-point range for a career high 18 points in the win against Lafayette. Unfortunately, his ninth attempt was broadcast on the SportsCenter Top 10 when he was given the opportunity to make the game winner. Jones’ shot was tipped-in by Sidney Sanders Jr (Charleston, SC/Burke).
• With 3.4 seconds on the clock and the score tied at 80, an inbounds pass under the basket found Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/Globe Institute of Technology), who dished it out to Mustafaa Jones in three-point range. Jones’ shot hit the rim and began to fall into chaos under the basket. Sanders, a 5-11 guard, got one hand on the rebound and put the game-winning shot up as time expired to give the Knights the win. The tip-in was featured as the #2 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Friday night.
• The Knights currently have four players averaging double digit points this season.
LIU Brooklyn (3-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 8 vs. Hofstra (W, 88-84)
This Week: Dec. 12 at Rice; Dec. 16 vs. Manhattan
• LIU Brooklyn came back from down 16 points with just over 12 minutes to play against Hofstra to earn its third straight win, a thrilling 88-84 decision over the Pride on Saturday afternoon. The victory marked the first time that the Blackbirds had erased a double-digit deficit in the second half since coming back from 11 points down in a 103-91 overtime triumph over Sacred Heart on Feb. 16, 2012.
• Senior Booker Hucks (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore), seeing his first action of the 2012-13 season, knocked down a huge three-pointer to put LIU up 84-82 with 40.9 seconds remaining. Hucks entered the game having made just eight three-pointers in his career, but hit both of his attempts from beyond the arc against the Pride in 10 minutes off the bench.
• The win was the 30th straight for LIU Brooklyn at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center. The streak would be the top home-court winning streak in the country, but the season-opening game against Morehead State that was held at Barclays Center is considered a home game by the NCAA due to the proximity of the building to LIU’s campus.
• After picking up three quick fouls in the first half, junior Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) scored all 12 of his points and dished out all nine of his assists after intermission against Hofstra. Brickman connected on a three-pointer to cut what was once a 16-point deficit to eight with 5:11 left, then calmly sank two critical free throws to bring LIU to within 80-78 with 1:07 remaining. After a turnover, Brickman threw a perfect lob pass to fellow San Antonio native Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/Taft) that led to a game-tying basket. The 6-0 point guard also assisted on Hucks’ three-ball that gave the Blackbirds the lead for good.
Monmouth (5-5, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 3 at Binghamton (W, 77-65); Dec. 5 vs. Navy (L, 85-66); Dec. 8 at #4 Syracuse (L, 108-65)
This Week: Dec. 12 at Maryland
• Monmouth’s win at Binghamton was the program’s 400th Division I victory.
• Ed Waite’s (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) 9-for-10 night at Binghamton tied for the second-highest single-game field goal percentage in Hawks’ history with Karl Towns, who also hit 9-of-10 against Campbell (12-15-83).
• The Hawks won four straight games for the first time under head coach King Rice. Monmouth won three straight on two occasions last year.
• In the win over Binghamton, Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, PA/Eastern York) added 19 points and career-highs of eight rebounds, and five steals.
• Waite now has 569 career rebounds, and is now 110 rebounds away from No. 4 Alex Blackwell (1989-92).
Mount St. Mary's (4-3, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 7 vs. Navy (W, 72-65)
This Week: Dec. 15 at Loyola (MD)
• The Mount has a winning record after seven games for the first time since December of 2002. The 2002-03 team is the only team to have a winning non-conference record since the Mount moved to NCAA Division I in 1988-89. Current head coach Jamion Christian was a junior on the 2002-03 team.
• The Mount was 13-of-35 from three-point range in the victory. The Mount leads the NEC in three-point field goals made per game (9.0). The Mountaineers also lead the nation in percentage of points scored on three-point field goals at 43.6 percent. The 35 three-point field goal attempts are the fourth-highest single-game mark in Mount history.
• Rashad Whack (Hyattsville, MD/Bishop McNamara) had four steals in the win over Navy, and he now leads the Mount with 21 steals (3.0/game). Whack has had four or more steals fou times over the past six games, and is averaging 3.5 steals over that stretch.
• The Mount has won three straight non-conference games for the first time since December of 2007, when the team had a four-game non-conference win streak. The overall three-game win streak is the first since February of 2011.
• This was the Mount’s first home win against Navy since a 70-69 victory on Dec. 30, 2002. The Mount had lost its past three home games against the Midshipmen.
Quinnipiac (3-5, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 5 vs. Colgate (W, 67-56); Dec. 8 vs. Vermont (L, 53-46)
This Week: Dec. 16 at Boston University
• Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/Marionapolis Prep) averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds on the week and has recorded nine or more rebounds in every game this season.
• Garvey Young (Washington, DC/Georgetown Prep (Vermont)) averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds this past week - has scored in double-figures in four of the last five games.
• Coach Tom Moore is four wins shy of 100 for his career at Quinnipiac.
Robert Morris (6-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 4 at Campbell (W, 61-58); Dec. 8 at Hampton (W, 66-54)
This Week: Dec. 15 vs. Duquesne
• Robert Morris stretched its winning streak to a season-high three games with a pair of road wins last week, earning a 61-58 win @ Campbell and a 66-54 victory @ Hampton
• Junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Glen Oaks Community College) averaged 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds last week while shooting 40 percent (8-for-20) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from beyond the arc ... Anderson buried a pair of three-pointers in the final 42 seconds to help lift the Colonials to the win over the Camels, including a trifecta with 4.5 seconds to play
• Anderson is the fourth active player on RMU’s 2012-13 roster to hit a game-winning basket with less than five seconds to play, joining redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic), who has done it twice, redshirt senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/ Chester) and redshirt junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/ Christchurch School).
• Sophomore forward Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) averaged 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game last week, including a team-high 15 points, five rebounds and a career-high five steals in the victory at Cambpell.
• Williams tied Anderson for team-high honors with 12 points in the win at Hampton, helping the Colonials improve to 25-7 (.781) over that last three seasons when he scores in double figures.
• Robert Morris has won 23 straight games when holding its opponent to less than 60 points thanks to two more wins last week and is 24-1 (.960) in three seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick.
• Third-year head coach Andrew Toole picked up his 50th career victory in RMU’s 66-54 win @ Hampton in his 79th game. The only head coach to reach 50 wins faster in school history is former head coach Mike Rice (2007-10), who turned the trick in his 72nd game.
Sacred Heart (2-6, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 5 vs. Holy Cross (L, 83-78); Dec. 9 at Lafayette (L, 72-70)
This Week: None
• The Pioneer losing streak hit four-straight this week with a pair of losses to Patriot League foes Holy Cross and Lafayette. The Pioneers finish the season 0-3 against Patriot competition. SHU will now have eight days off for final exams before returning to the court on Tuesday, December 18th hosting Stony Brook.
• SHU battled their way back from down 17 in the second half to tie the score at 72-72 against Holy Cross only to see the Crusaders hold on and pull away for a win. HC came in averaging 54 ppg and had 46 at the half. SHU outscored Holy Cross 46-37 in the second half but would never take a lead in the loss.
• Another slow start plagued the Pioneers on Sunday as SHU opened 1-of-11 to start the game and fell int an 18-2 first half hole. The Pioneers would tie the score four times in the second half before taking their first lead with just over nine minutes to play and built up a five-point advantage but couldn’t hold on. With SHU up 70-69 with 22 seconds left, Lafayette’s Bryce Scott buried a three with two ticks left for the win. The Leopards came into Sunday’s match-up off a loss on a put-back at the buzzer on Friday night at Fairleigh Dickinson.
• R-Sophomore Steve Glowiak (New Britain, CT/New Britain), who missed the Brown game with an ankle injury, posted back-to-back 14 point games off the bench this week. Glowiak matched his career-high with four three’s in the loss to Holy Cross and hit two more against Lafayette for 14 in the first half. Glowiak is 15-31 on the season, 48.4 percent.
• Senior Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) posted a pair of 20-point games this week, his second and third of the season. Gibson netted 24 in Wednesday’s loss to HC and followed that with 25 against Lafayette. Gibson, along with junior Louis Montes (Brockton, MA/Brockton), the team’s top-scorers, were held with out a point in the first half at Lafayette. Gibson responded with 25 in the second half, hitting 10-14 from the field over the final 20 minutes. Gibson made five threes in the second half.
• The Pioneers will be without junior guard Evan Kelley (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) for the remainder of the season. Kelley played in just the Hartford and Stony Brook games before re-injuring his knee forcing him out for the rest of the 2012-13 season.
St. Francis Brooklyn (2-5, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 5 at Albany (L, 77-73); Dec. 8 at Boston College (L, 72-64)
This Week: Dec. 11 vs. Stony Brook; Dec. 15 vs. St. John’s (Barclays Ctr)
• St. Francis Brooklyn trailed 18-0 in the the opening half against UAlbany (Dec 5) until senior forward Travis Nichols (Brooklyn, NY/Food & Finance) finally got the Terriers on the board with 9:40 remaining. Amazingly, St. Francis took the lead early in the second-half before eventually falling to the Great Danes. Nichols erupted for 21 points off the bench and junior guard Ben Mockford (Shoreham-by-Sea, England/Oak Hill Academy (VA)) drained five of his six treys in the final stanza.
• Sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Alllen) tied his season-high’s with 23 points and 13 rebounds against BC, his third double-double of the campaign. Cannon leads the NEC in rebounding (9.7 pg.) and field goal percentage (.649, 16th in country), and is 6th in scoring (16.3 ppg.).
• Freshman combo-guard Anthony White (Mastic, NY/William Floyd) was forced into a career-high 20 minutes of action at the point guard spot at Boston College due to a foot injury to back-up lead guard Dre Calloway (Harlem, NY/Abraham Lincoln (CO)). White, who had played just 24 minutes all season, scored six points (3-of-5 shooting) and added four boards and added a team-high two rejections. Calloway, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, is out indefinitely.
• The Terriers have played six of their first seven contests on the road. The next three games will be in Brooklyn, including a date with St. John’s in the Barclays Center Winter Classic on Saturday.
• Senior center Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) needs nine rebounds to reach 400 for his career.
Saint Francis U (0-8, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 4 at Lafayette (L, 61-58); Dec. 8 vs. Lehigh (L, 83-67)
This Week: None
• Saint Francis led Lafayette by nine points at the break and by as many as 15 points early in the second half but fell, 61-58. A win would have been the program’s first road non-conference victory since the 2008-09 campaign.
• The three-point margin was the narrowest non-conference road loss for the Flash since falling to Bucknell, 57-54, on Dec. 7, 2002
• Lehigh opened the game with a 13-0 run then maintained that margin for the duration of the game as it upended Saint Francis U, 83-67, in front of 1,526 at DeGol Arena on Saturday; Less the early momentum-seizing run, the teams would have been tied at 66 with 2:26 to play
• SFU junior Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), posted a season-best 26 points; He scored 21 of his points in the second half.
Wagner (3-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 4 at Hofstra (W, 52-44)
This Week: Dec. 15 vs. Coppin State
• Wagner improved to 3-4 on the year with a hard-fought 52-44 win at Hofstra (12/4), while wrapping up a grueling 5-game, 11-day stretch.
• Junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) scored nine of his team-best 15 points after halftime, including six over the final 2:22 to put the game away. On the year, Ortiz is averaging 6.7 points per game in the second half, on 50.0 percent (14-for-28) shooting, compared with just 3.0 points per game, on 28.1 percent (9-for-32) shooting, in the first half.
• Sophomore Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) notched 12 points and nine rebounds over 19 minutes off the bench.
• Junior Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) cracked double-figures (10) on the glass for the first time in his 68-game Seahawk career, while breaking his previous career-high of nine set at Hofstra back on November 26, 2010.
• The Green & White has now held the opposition under 50 points in all three of its wins, while winning back-to-back games against the Pride for the first time since claiming three-straight between 1986 and 1989.
• Folahan now has 113 blocks after swatting four at Hofstra (12/4), just five behind 2007-2008 All-NEC First Team selection Durell Vinson for fourth place in the all-time Wagner rankings.