Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week
Jonathon Williams, Wagner
6-6, 225lbs
Sr., F, Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)
Williams scored a career-high 33 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the Seahawks’ 77-65 overtime win over Coppin State on Saturday, earning him Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week honors. The Richmond, CA product put the Green & White on his back with a 22-point, nine-rebound second half outburst that saw him score eight of Wagner’s last 10 points to end the frame. He then opened the overtime session with a thunderous dunk off the tip, kickstarting a 15-3 run that would seal win for the Seahawks and even their record at 4-4 for the season. The senior’s performance marked the seventh 30/15 game by an NEC player in the last 16 years and the first since Central Connecticut alum and former NEC Player of the Year Ken Horton accomplished the feat in a game against Brown on Dec. 10, 2011. Additionally, his 17 rebounds are the most on the circuit this season. Through eights games thus far, Williams ranks in the NEC top-five in three categories: scoring (17.5 ppg, fifth), rebounding (7.9, third) and field goal percentage (.558, fifth).
Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week
Stephan Hawkins, Robert Morris
6-9, 205lbs
Fr., F, Gary, IN/Bowman Academy
Hawkins provided the Colonials with six points and four rebounds on perfect 3-for-3 shooting in a 91-69 victory over cross-town rival and Atlantic-10 member Duquesne on Saturday, pushing RMU’s win streak to four games. During a close first half, Hawkins kept the Colonials within striking distance by netting four straight points, including a basket off an offensive rebound, that kept it a one-possession game before RMU reeled off a 7-2 run to close out the first half and take a 31-30 lead into the break. He then capped off his perfect shooting performance with a bucket near the midway point that made it a 67-47 advantage. The six points matched a career-high for Hawkins, who has earned regular minutes in the pivot off the bench and is shooting 55.0 percent from the floor on the year.
The Good, The Better & The Best: Reflecting On Six Weeks of NEC Hoops
With student-athletes in the midst of finals, it was a light week of NEC hoops with four teams idle and just 10 games on the docket. As such, it seems like the perfect time to reflect on the first six weeks of a season that has had more than its fare share of highlights.
Signature Ws
There's nothing like a quality non-conference win to energize a team's fanbase, and there have been a number of notable takedowns thus far in the 2012-13 campaign. Quinnipiac starting the ball rolling on November 18th with a 98-92 overtime win over 2012 NCAA Tournament participant Iona at the Paradise Jam, then came within a whisker of upsetting in-state rival UConn the next day, dropping an 89-83 overtime decision to the Huskies. That same weekend, Sacred Heart pulled off an amazing comeback in the final five minutes to stun a Stony Brook team many picked to win the America East, and CCSU went down to Philly and beat a solid La Salle team, 81-74. One week later, Bryant became headline news when it pulled off the biggest victory in its short Division I history with a 56-54 road triumph over Boston College. The following afternoon, Mount St. Mary's knocked off George Washington on the road, 65-56, to give first year head coach Jamion Christian his first signature victory. December began with a huge 84-76 win for Robert Morris over previously unbeaten Ohio U in Moon Township. The Bobcats, who reached the NCAA Sweet 16 a year ago, dropped their fourth in a row to the Colonials. Last week, two-time defending champion LIU Brooklyn made a one-off trip to Texas and doled out a 97-70 shellacking of Conference USA member Rice, then Robert Morris knocked off intra-city rival Duquesne, 91-69, for its third straight win over its A-10 rival.
Best Of The Best
The first six weeks have included some Superman-like individual efforts. We've seen it all. Career nights? Check. Game-winners? Check. Ridiculous shooting exhibitions? Check.
Let's start with CCSU junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)), who dropped a mind-boggling 40 points against top-ranked Indiana on December 8th. The 40 points is the second-most scored in a DI game this season and tied for the highest output by a visiting player in the storied history of Assembly Hall.
How about Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly)? The leading active scorer in the conference scored the Pioneers' last 11 points in the final 2:28 of play as SHU rallied to stun Stony Brook, 64-62, on November 18th.
Did Robert Morris junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Glen Oaks CC) feel any big-game pressure when unbeaten Ohio U. came to town on December 1? No way. The Indiana native buried all eight of his three-point attempts and finished with 28 points in RMU's 84-76 conquest of the Bobcats.
CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) has been a one-man wrecking crew this season, torching teams to the tune of 23.5 ppg. Perhaps his most clutch performance came in the Blue Devils' 83-82 overtime win at UMBC on November 20. Vinales scored his team's last seven points in OT, including the game-winning free throws with five seconds left on the clock.
Wagner's Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)) has been the centerpiece of the Seahawk attack this season, and on November 26th, he nearly led the Green & White to an improbable comeback victory at Albany. He scored eight points in the final three minutes as Wagner came up three points short after rallying from a 15-point second half deficit. Williams finished the game a near-perfect 10-11 from the field and a season-high 26 points. He was even better this past Saturday when he poured in 33 points and added 17 boards – both career-highs - to lead the Seahawks to a 77-65 overtime win over Coppin State.
Speaking of near perfect, Monmouth senior forward Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) hit 9-10 shots from the field in a career-high 23-point effort against Binghamton on December 3 and St. Francis Brooklyn sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) sank 10-12 from the floor in a 20-point performance versus Brown on November 24.
And how about Bryant sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) tossing in 25 points in the first half on 6-7 shooting from the field in a 78-56 win over Army on December 8th?
There was this line for FDU freshman guard Sekou Harris (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield): 25 points, 5-7 3PFG and eight assists in the Knights' 84-70 win over Prairie View A&M at the South Padre Invitational.
Finally, we close with one of the league's smoothest players in LIU Brooklyn junior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark). The NEC's reigning assist king dished for 10 assists without a single turnover - something that hadn't been accomplished in a decade - in LIU's 71-60 win over Lafayette on December 1.
Turnaround Time
There are a number of teams who have made “the leap” this season after struggling a year ago. With NEC play less than three weeks away, these four clubs – all of whom have improved by at least three games from the same point last season - should be right in the mix for a spot in the eight-team NEC Tournament field.
The leader of the pack is Bryant, which won just two games last season, but matched that total just 12 days into the 2012-13 campaign, and enters play this week with a winning record (5-4) after nine games for the first time in its Division I history.
2011-12 2012-13
Team Record Record Improvement
Bryant 1-8 5-4 +4 games
Fairleigh Dickinson 1-9 4-6 +3
Monmouth 2-9 5-6 +3
Mount St. Mary’s 1-7 4-4 +3
St. Francis Brooklyn Teammates Head Up NEC's Most Improved
Which player has made the biggest offensive jump over the first six weeks of the 2012-13 season? That honor goes to St. Francis Brooklyn sophomore forward Kevin Douglas (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglass Academy), who edges out teammate and classmate Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen). Douglas averaged 2.9 ppg as a freshman in 2011-12, but has quickly developed into a key offensive option for Glenn Braica. The Bronx native has lifted his average by 8.4 points to 11.3 ppg, second on the team, while Cannon has improved by 7.8 points and is contributing a team-best 15.8 ppg.
CCSU has four players who rank among the NEC top-12 most improved scorers, led by sophomore guard Adonis Burbage (Orlando, FL/Orlando Christian Prep), who has jumped by 6.4 points to 9.0 ppg.
Below are the top individual scoring improvements (at least 4.0 ppg) from the 2011-12 to the 2012-13 season.
2011-12 2012-13
Player Scoring Scoring Increase
Kevin Douglas, SFC 2.9 ppg 11.3 ppg +8.4 ppg
Jalen Cannon, SFC 8.0 ppg 15.8 ppg +7.8 ppg
Brandon Thompson, LIU 4.4 ppg 11.1 ppg +6.7 ppg
Adonis Burbage, CCSU 2.6 ppg 9.0 ppg +6.4 ppg
Lonnie Robinson, FDU 6.9 ppg 13.3 ppg +6.4 ppg
Louis Montes, SHU 7.8 ppg 13.8 ppg +6.0 ppg
Kyle Vinales, CCSU 17.9 ppg 23.5 ppg +5.6 ppg
Malcolm McMillen, CCSU 2.4 ppg 7.4 ppg +5.0 ppg
Andrew Nicholas, MU 8.8 ppg 13.5 ppg +4.7 ppg
Kinu Rochford, FDU 9.3 ppg 14.0 ppg +4.7 ppg
Steve Glowiak, SHU 4.4 ppg 9.0 ppg +4.6 ppg
David Appolon, RMU 2.0 ppg 6.5 ppg +4.5 ppg
Joe Efese, CCSU 3.9 ppg 8.4 ppg +4.5 ppg
Ollie Jackson, SFU 6.3 ppg 10.7 ppg +4.4 ppg
Garvey Young, QU 5.9 ppg 10.3 ppg +4.4 ppg
Mathias Seilund, FDU 3.2 ppg 7.5 ppg +4.3 ppg
Femi Akinpetide, SHU 2.0 ppg 6.1 ppg +4.1 ppg
NEC Fast Break…News You Need To Know
Toole-Ferry: A Rivalry Renewed
While Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn sit on opposite ends of the NEC geographic footprint, it didn’t stop the two programs from developing a healthy rivalry the last two years. RMU and LIU met in each of the last two NEC title games with the Blackbirds winning on both occasions. The two head coaches – Andrew Toole and Jim Ferry – developed a healthy respect for one another, and in a previous life, could have shared the same bench, as Ferry recruited Toole when he was an assistant at Bentley.
"I've known him since he was 16, and you see what he looks like now, he was similar, well, maybe take 20 pounds away as he was just this skinny kid," Ferry said. "But he was tough as can be and he was a fabulous player, so it was tough when we wound up losing him. You could tell back then, he was smart, he really saw the floor and understood the game. I knew he'd be the kind of player who would get into coaching when he was done playing and he'd have success. And I can tell you this, he is one of the best young coaches this country has and he makes it extremely difficult to coach against his teams because they are so well prepared and play so hard, like he did."
On Saturday, the two contemporaries met under completely different circumstances. With Ferry having left LIU in the offseason to take over the program at Duquesne, he went from an intense neighborhood rivalry with St. Francis Brooklyn to an intense intra-city rivalry with Robert Morris.
The Colonials held a one-point lead at intermission, but scored 60 points and shot a scorching 65.6 percent in the second half to win going away, 91-69. The 60 points were the most by RMU in a half against a Division I opponent since scoring 61 in a 110-80 victory over LIU Brooklyn on February 8, 1990.
"I don't think I've ever seen a second half shooting display like they went on,” said Ferry afterward.
The win was the third straight for Robert Morris over Duquesne, marking the longest win streak over the Dukes in program history. It also stretched RMU’s current win streak to four games.
"It means a lot, actually," senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic), who had a game-high 22 points. "It's a good feeling. Duquesne is a rival school and to beat them three times in my four years here, it's an accomplishment I can be proud of."
WC’s Jonathon Williams & NEC 30/15 History
As a player, if you finish a game with 30 points and 15 rebounds, you’ve put in a good night’s work. The thing is, a 30/15 night is pretty rare at any level. In fact, when Wagner senior forward Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)) wrapped an afternoon to remember with 33 points and 17 boards - both career-highs - in a 77-65 overtime win over Coppin State on Saturday, it marked just the seventh time in the last 16 years that an NEC player recorded a 30/15 game.
30/15 Games By NEC Players (1997 - present)
Jonathon Williams (WC): 33 points, 17 rebounds vs. Coppin State (12/15/12)
Ken Horton (CCSU): 30 points, 15 rebounds vs. Brown (12/10/11)
Justin Rutty (QU): 30 points, 15 rebounds vs. URI (12/8/09)
A.J. Jackson (RMU): 30 points, 15 rebounds vs. Marshall (11/17/06)
James Felton (FDU): 31 points, 15 rebounds vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (2/2/02)
Corsley Edwards (CCSU): 36 points, 17 rebounds vs. UMBC (12/9/00)
Emmanuel Adekunle (SFU): 33 points, 22 rebounds vs. LIU Brooklyn (2/16/98)
Williams' 33 points were the most scored by a Seahawk player since Chris Martin notched 34 against Columbia on December 8, 2009, while his 17 rebounds were the most since Durell Vinson pulled down 17 against Saint Francis U on February 21, 2008.
He ranks in the NEC top-five in scoring (17.5, fifth), rebounding (7.9, third) and field goal percentage (.558, fifth).
NEC Player of the Year Goes Down, LIU Responds
It was the worse possible news for LIU Brooklyn senior forward Julain Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft). The 2011-12 NEC Player of the Year was diagnosed with an ACL tear and will miss the remainder of the season. The injury took place after diving for a ball in LIU’s 97-70 win at Rice on Wednesday.
While the injury is a huge blow for the Blackbirds in their pursuit of an unprecedented third straight NEC title, there is hope for fans who thought they may have seen Boyd play for the last time. LIU plans to apply to the NCAA for a medical redshirt in hopes of securing the San Antonio product a sixth season of eligibility.
“As long as I can get that redshirt year that’d be a great thing to be back here again,” said Boyd. “It’s a great team, a great family. We’ll give it another run after what we do what we’re supposed to do this year.”
In LIU’s first game without their franchise player, the team responded with a terrific effort against Manhattan, winning 75-48 against a club picked to finish second in the MAAC. Winners now of five straight, the Blackbirds hit 12-22 from three-point range, including a scintillating 7-10 effort from senior guard Brandon Thompson (San Antonio, TX/John Paul Stevens (South Plains (TX))) as part of a career-high 23 point effort. It was the 31st straight victory for LIU at the WRAC.
“This morning was the worst just seeing [Boyd] break down,” Thompson said. “Just not being able to go out there and compete with us it’s hard and knowing Julian from back home it’s just like a brother that just lost something. I just felt like as a team we all have to step up and continue what we do but at a higher rate.”
The Blackbirds held Manhattan to just 30.2 percent shooting from the field, a season-best performance.
“I’m obviously really proud of our team’s effort today,” said LIU head coach Jack Perri. “When we got the blow yesterday about the news about Julian I told the group, you can go one of two ways: You can sink or you can handle adversity the way we showed.”
Boyd currently ranks second among active NEC players with 1,467 points. He is the active leader with 843 rebounds, a figure that ranks him 11th in league annals.
Vinales & Hunter: Nation's Best Scoring Duo
LIU Brooklyn has the San Antonio market cornered, but maybe CCSU has found its niche in the Motor City. The Blue Devils currently sport a pair of old friends from Detroit, who not only have found a home in New Britain, but have taken the nation by storm with their early-season scoring exploits. Currently, the top-ranked scoring tandem in the nation, sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) and junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) are combining for 43. 4 ppg over the first eight games of the year. That total is nearly two points more than any other pair of teammates. Vinales is the NEC leading scorer and ranks fourth in DI with 23.5 ppg, while Hunter checks in with 19.9 ppg, good for second in the conference.
Nation's Top-10 Scoring Duos
Team Player Player Combined PPG
CCSU Kyle Vinales (23.5) Matt Hunter (19.9) 43.4
Iona MoMo Jones (22.1) Sean Armand (19.6) 41.7
Lehigh C.J. McCollum (24.9) Gabe Knutson (16.2) 41.1
Viriginia Tech Erick Green (24.8) Jarrell Eddie (15.4) 40.2
BYU Tyler Hawes (20.4) Brandon Davies (19.4) 39.8
Cal Allen Crabbe (21.0) Justin Cobbs (17.8) 38.8
Providence Bryce Cotten (20.8) Kadeem Batts (17.7) 38.5
Murray State Isaiah Canaan (21.3) Ed Daniel (17.0) 38.3
Nicholls State Fred Hunter (25.3) T.J. Carpenter (12.7) 38.0
Cal Fullerton D.J. Seeley (19.0) Kwame Vaughn (18.3) 37.3
Mason-Brown Tale-of-Tape, Cable Car Redux
When Wagner next takes the court this Friday in the Cable Car Classic, two key storylines will be worth watching.
First year head coach Bashir Mason is the youngest Division I head coach in the nation at 28 years of age, and when he takes the court against SMU, he will be staring down the sideline at Hall of Famer Larry Brown. Brown is the second oldest coach in the nation, and has the Mustangs off to an 8-2 start. In the tale of the tape, Brown has coached 2,586 career games, including stints at the collegiate and professional levels, while Mason has manned the sidelines for eight games as a head coach.
The Seahawks will not be in unfamiliar territory when they take to the hardwood at the Cable Car Classic. A year ago, the Seahawks made headlines by winning the Santa Clara hosted tourney in dramatic fashion. The finish of the championship game became an overnight YouTube sensation as then-sophomore guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) hauled in a Tyler Murray miss on the baseline and launched a high-arching shot as he was falling out of bounds. The ball hit the rim, kissed the backboard and dropped in at the buzzer to give the Green & White a 64-62 win over Santa Clara. The shot was featured the following day on ESPN and various cable TV and news outlets.
Brickman Hits Newest Plateau
LIU Brooklyn junior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) reached yet another milestone on Saturday when he dished for his 500th career assist just 76 games into his LIU career. The San Antonio, TX native already ranks 16th on the NEC all-time list and is just 31 shy of moving into the top-10. Brickman, who ranks third nationally this season in assists, set freshman (180) and sophomore (249) conference records for dimes in his first two years in Brooklyn. The NEC record for assists is held by Marist’s Drafton Davis, who tallied 804 from 1984-88. Second place is within reach this season with Mount great Jeremy Goode currently holding down the spot with 603 helpers from 2006-10.
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 15
Velton Jones, RMU 14
Ike Azotam, QU 9
Frankie Dobbs, BRY 8
Melquan Bolding, FDU 7
Julian Norfleet, MSM 7
Jonathon Williams, WC 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
Fire Away! The Mount's Three-Point Barrage
To say Mount St. Mary's has embraced the three-point shot would be an understatement. Under first year head coach Jamion Christian, the Mount leads all Division I in percentage of points scored on three-pointers at 43.5 percent. The Mount has made seven or more three pointers in each of the team's eight games, and paces the NEC with 8.9 three-point field goals made per game.
On The National Leaderboard
A number of NEC players are have distinguished themselves nationally thus far in 2012-13, ranking in the NCAA top-20 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 fourth in the country in point production, averaging 23.5 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 fourth-leading distributor in the country at 8.2 apg. Sacred Heart sophomore point guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) is not far behind, ranking eighth nationally in assists with 7.0 per game. St. Francis (NY) sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) has been virtually unguardable around the hoop and sits 17th in field goal accuracy, making 64.5 percent of his attempts.
On the team front, CCSU is shooting a DI best 83.3 percent from the line and Robert Morris is 11th at 77.7 percent. Monmouth is first in forced turnovers (21.5 per game) and sixth with 11.2 steals per game. FDU is shooting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc, the fourth-best mark in the country, while Mount St. Mary's ranks ninth with 8.9 three-pointers per game. LIU Brooklyn is 18th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38).
Best of the Week
Joe O’Shea (BRY): Career-high 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4-5 FG, 2-3 3PFG in loss to Navy
C.J. Garner (LIU): 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 7-8 FG in win over Rice
Jamal Olasewere (LIU): 26 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-12 FG in win over Rice
Brandon Thompson (LIU): Career-high 23 points, 8-12 FG, 7-10 3PFG in win over Manhattan
Ike Azotam (QU): 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 9-18 FG in OT loss to Boston University
Zaid Hearst (QU): 18 points, 8-16 FG in OT loss to Boston University
Velton Jones (RMU): 22 points, 6 assists, 6-10 FG, 4-6 3PFG, 6-6 FT in win over Duquesne
Coron Williams (RMU): 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-7 3PFG in win over Duquesne
Jalen Cannon (SFC): 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6-9 FG in loss to Stony Brook; 14 points, 11 rebounds, 6-10 FG in loss to St. John’s
Akeem Johnson (SFC): 13 points, 11 rebounds in loss to St. John’s
Marcus Burton (WC): Career-high 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 4-9 3PFG in win over Coppin State
Jonathon Williams (WC): Career-high 33 points, 17 rebounds, 3 steals, 13-18 FG in win over Coppin State
By The Numbers
1st career game missed for Bryant senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/St. Edwards), who did not suit up against Navy on Monday after sustaining an injury in a win over Binghamton on December 8.
2 double-doubles for St. Francis (NY) in its Barclays Center debut on Saturday against St. John’s. Sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) finished with 14 points and 11 boards, while senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds.
2 second half power outages during games on Saturday at Wagner and Robert Morris.
2 NEC teams, Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's, ranked in the top-10 nationally in turnover rate.
19 steals for Robert Morris against Duquesne on Saturday tiedfor the most by an NEC team this season (Monmouth vs. Lafayette, 11/26). It also matched the tenth-best single-game total in Division I this year.
20 career double-doubles for Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)), ranking him third among active NEC players.
20+ turnovers forced for Monmouth in eight of its first 11 games. The Hawks lead the NEC and rank second nationally in forced turnovers with 21.1 per outing.
21 straight points for Wagner over its last two overtime games. The Seahawks scored the last eight points of overtime in a 48-42 win over Princeton on November 28, then recorded the first 13 points in the extra session on Saturday in a 77-65 conquest of Coppin State.
27 point average margin of victory for LIU Brooklyn in wins over Rice (97-70) and Manhattan (75-48) last week. The 27-point win over Rice was the largest margin for LIU in a road game since a 129-100 victory over Robert Morris on February 3, 1997.
28-1 record for Wagner dating back to last season when leading with five minutes to play.
30 straight wins for Robert Morris when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
31 straight wins for LIU Brooklyn at the WRAC. The streak spans over two full calendar years, with the last loss coming on December 8, 2010 to Iona, 88-82.
48 points allowed to Manhattan on Sunday marked the first time LIU Brooklyn held an opponent to under 50 points since a 62-46 win over Bryant on December 3, 2009.
57.1 percent shooting from the field, a figure St. Francis (NY) sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) has equaled or bettered in each game this season.
64.8 percent shooting percentage for LIU Brooklyn in its 97-70 win over Rice was the highest by an NEC team since Sacred Heart shot 65.0 percent from the floor against the Blackbirds on February 7, 2009.
84.0 percent shooting from the field this season for Mount St. Mary's junior forward Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge School (VA)). Krajina has hit a remarkable 21-of-25 shots from the floor.
168 all-time meetings between Mount St. Mary's and Loyola (MD). The Mount owns a 96-72 advantage in the series.
Quotable
“It was an incredible second-half effort by us. At halftime we talked about not relaxing in the second half and getting back on defense. We scored as many points in the second half as we do for an entire game.” - RMU head coach Andrew Toole after a 91-69 win over Duquesne
“This was huge. I thought we had been playing a little shaky, and the time off gave us the opportunity to get into the gym and get hundreds of extra shots up. It feels great just to look at the box score and see the numbers that are there.” – Wagner head coach Bashir Mason after the Seahawks scored a season-high 77 points in a 12-point win over Coppin State on Saturday
“It’s exciting just to watch him sometimes. Other teams can’t stop him. If Jon plays the way he did today, we’ll be fine the rest of the year.” – Wagner’s Marcus Burton on teammate Jonathon Williams, who finished with 33 points against Coppin State on Saturday
Tweets of the Week
Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
What is in the water at LIU? Blackbirds win their 5th in a row, beat Manhattan 75-48 without Julian Boyd. 23 for Brandon Thompson. 7 3's.
Marcus Henry @marchenrysports
One Eastern Conference NBA scout told me LIU's Julian Boyd and teammate Jamal Olasewere will both get extensive looks.
Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
He could do it anywhere, he could do it at Robert Morris, he could do it in the Big East." Ferry on PG Velton Jones
Kenny Celelli @yankeesfan1132
60 points in one half is a great night, some teams can't do that in a game, way to crush duquesne #RMU
Wagner Seahawks @WagnerAthletics
MBB: Wagner apparently has shot the lights out in OT ... The power went out and is being restored ... Wagner 71 Coppin State 62 (2:39 OT)
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Jon Williams finishes w/ 33 pts, 17 boards & 3 steals. Wow! May be the NEC performance of season thus far, and Matt Hunter scored 40 at IU.
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 as a Bulldog.
With 213 assists in a Monmouth uniform (and 218 career), senior guard Jesse Steele (Milford, NJ/Millburn (Oak Hill Academy) (Army)) last week became the 18th player in MU history to eclipse the 200-assist mark in a career. Steele stands in 14th place, and is seven assists away from the 13th position, held by Marques Alston (220; 2003-07).
Monmouth senior forward Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) now has 123 career steals to stand 12th place all-time at the school, four thefts behind No. 11 Derric Thomas, who had 127 from 1984-88.
Quinnipiac’s Tom Moore is four wins shy of 100 for his career.
Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) moved into fifth place on the Bobcats’ career rebounding list, and now has 555 boards over his two-plus years in Hamden.
St. Francis Brooklyn senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) went over the 400 career rebound mark against St. John’s on Saturday. Johnson produced his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 boards in the contest.
Active Leaders
SCORING
Shane Gibson SHU 1583
Julian Boyd LIU 1467
Jamal Olasewere LIU 1429
Velton Jones RMU 1396
Alex Francis BRY 1085
Russell Johnson RMU 918
Latif Rivers WC 883
Ed Waite MU 873
Frankie Dobbs BRY 861
CJ Garner LIU 842
REBOUNDING
Julian Boyd LIU 843
Jamal Olasewere LIU 750
Russell Johnson RMU 597
Ed Waite MU 575
Ike Azotam QU 555
Alex Francis BRY 527
Jamee Jackson QU 417
Akeem Johnson SFNY 406
Kenny Onyechi LIU 398
Shane Gibson SHU 355
ASSISTS
Jason Brickman LIU 503
Velton Jones RMU 453
Frankie Dobbs BRY 328
Dave Johnson QU 327
CJ Garner LIU 253
Anthony Myers-Pate RMU 250
Josh Castellanos MSM 246
Jesse Steele MU 213
Phil Gaetano SHU 185
Shane Gibson SHU 171
Team-By-Team Notes
Bryant (5-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 10 at Navy (L, 69-59)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Dartmouth; Dec. 29 at Lehigh
• For the second time this season, four Bulldogs recorded double-figure points in Monday’s loss to Navy, with sophomore guard Joe O’Shea (Burlington, VT/Burlington) leading the way with a career-high 15 points. Junior Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia/Sacred Heart College) added 13, senior forward Vlad Kondratyev (Nikolayev, Ukraine/The Rock School) scored a season-high 11 and junior Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) chipped in 10.
• The Bulldogs played without fifth-year starting point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/St. Edwards) for the first time since the grad student first became eligible after transferring to Bryant in 2009-10. It was the first time Dobbs has missed a game in his collegiate career, out with an injury incured at home against Binghamton.
• Kondratyev’s nine rebounds paced the contest as the Bulldogs won the battle on the glass, 34-24.
• Sophomore guard and leading scorer Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) eclipsed the 150-point mark on the season against the Midshipmen.
Central Connecticut (4-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: None
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 21 vs. Northeastern; Dec. 29 vs. Saint Peter’s; Dec. 31 at Syracuse
• Sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is currently 4th in the country in scoring at 23.5 points per game, but teammate Matt Hunter’s (Detroit, MI/Odessa JC) 40 points at Indiana on Dec. 8 has moved him into a tie for 26th place at 19.9 points per game. Together, Vinales and Hunter are the nation’s highest scoring teammates, averaging 43.4 points per game on the season. Hunter is averaging 25.5 points per game over his last four games, and leads the team in rebounding at 7.6 rebounds per game.
• Central is 4-4 on the season and has played only one home game to date. That changes on Friday as the Blue Devils play host to Northeastern at 8 p.m. in Detrick Gym. They will also play at home on Dec. 29 against St. Peter’s, who they lost to on the road earlier this season.
• Central will travel to Syracuse on Dec. 31 for the final game of the calendar year. The Orange were ranked #4/#4 in both polls as of last week, but will likely move up after the loss by #1 Indiana to Butler on Saturday. Central has never faced two top-5 teams in the same season.
Fairleigh Dickinson (4-5, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: None
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 22 at Vermont; Dec. 29 at VCU
• 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 (5-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 12 at Rice (W, 97-70); Dec. 16 vs. Manhattan (W, 75-48)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 19 at Saint Peter’s; Dec. 22 vs. Seton Hall (Barclays Ctr); Dec. 29 at Lamar
• LIU Brooklyn pushed its winning streak to five with a pair of convincing wins over the past week. The Blackbirds shot 64.8 percent from the floor in a 97-70 victory over Rice, then used a tremendous defensive effort to limit Manhattan to just 30.2 percent shooting in a 75-48 triumph.
• The shooting percentage against the Owls was the highest by an LIU team since shooting 72.4 percent in a 105-50 win over Old Westbury on Nov. 25, 2006, and the best by an NEC team since Sacred Heart shot 65.0 from the field against the Blackbirds on Feb. 7, 2009.
• The 27-point margin of victory against Rice was the largest margin in a road win for LIU since a 129-100 win over Robert Morris in 1996-97.
• LIU held the Jaspers on Sunday to 48 points, marking the first time the Blackbirds had held an opponent to under 50 points since a 62-46 win over Bryant on Dec. 3, 2009.
• Reigning NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/Taft) suffered a knee injury in the win against Rice and will miss the remainder of the 2012-13 season.
• LIU won its 31st consecutive game at the WRAC on Sunday against Manhattan. The streak spans over two full calendar years, with the last loss coming on Dec. 8, 2010 to Iona, 88-82.
Monmouth (5-6, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 12 at Maryland (L, 71-38)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Villanova
• Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) added six rebounds at Maryland to increase career total to 575.
• After improving to 5-3 on the season, the Hawks have lost three straight, and have been outscored by 34.7 points per game over the three games.
• Monmouth has now forced 20+ turnovers in eight of its first 11 games of the year.
• With 213 assists in a Blue and White uniform (and 218 career), Jesse Steele (Milford, NJ/Oak Hill (Army)) became the 18th player in MU history to eclipse the 200-assist mark in a career. Steele stands in 14th place, and is seven assists away from the 13th position, held by Marques Alston (220; 2003-07).
• Waite now has 123 career steals to stand in 12th place all-time, four thefts behind No. 11 Derric Thomas, who had 127 from 1984-88.
Mount St. Mary's (4-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 15 at Loyola (MD) (L, 79-57)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 19 at Indiana; Dec. 22 at Western Michigan; Dec. 29 vs. UMBC
• The Mount fell to rival Loyola, 79-57, on Saturday night in the 168th all-time meeting between the two schools. The Mount owns a 96-72 advantage in the series despite dropping the past three matchups.
• The Mount struggled from three-point range against Loyola, hitting just 8-of-34 (.235) from beyond the arc. Despite the tough shooting night, Mount St. Mary’s still leads all NCAA Division I in percentage of points scored on three-pointers at 43.5 percent. The Mount has made seven or more three pointers in each of the team’s eight games, and leads the NEC with 8.9 three-point field goals made per game.
• Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge School (VA)) gave the Mount offense a lift in the second half against Loyola. After playing just two minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Krajina hit 7-of-8 shots from the field for 14 points in the second half. Krajina is shooting 84.0 percent (21-of-25) from the field this season.
• The Mount’s Mayhem defense fell to sixth in the country in defensive turnover percentage at 27.9 percent. The Mount forced just 14 turnovers in the game at Loyola.
• The Mount has shown the ability to take care of the basketball of late, averaging just 8.7 turnovers over the past three games.
Quinnipiac (3-6, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 16 at Boston University (L, 69-62 (OT))
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 21 at Albany; Dec. 29 vs. Maine
• Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/Marionapolis Prep) led the Bobcats with his 20th career double-double against BU, snatching game-highs in points (19), rebounds (10) and blocks (2).
• Azotam is currently third amongst active players with 20 career double-doubles, trailing LIU’s Jamal Olaseware by just one for second on the list. He also moved into fifth on Quinnipiac’s Division I rebounding list.
• Coach Tom Moore is four wins shy of 100 for his career at Quinnipiac.
Robert Morris (7-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 15 vs. Duquesne (W, 91-69)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 18 at Louisiana-Lafayette; Dec. 20 at Arkansas
• Robert Morris stretched its winning streak to four games with a 91-69 win over crosstown rival Duquesne (12/15/12) in its only contest last week
• Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) led four players in double figures scoring in the win over the Dukes with 22 points and also added six assists and a pair of rebounds
• RMU shot 65.6 percent (21-for-32) in the second half against Duquesne en route to 60 points, the most in a half against a Division I opponent since scoring 61 in a 110-80 victory over LIU Brooklyn (2/8/90).
• Redshirt junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School) added a season-high 16 points against the Dukes, while junior forward Mike McFadden (Newark, NJ/Technology) and sophomore forward Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• The Colonials produced a season-high 19 steals against the Dukes, including four each from redshirt senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) and sophomore guard David Appolon (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter).
• Robert Morris has won 30 straight games when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor after converting 50.7 percent (34-for-67) of its shots in the win over Duquesne ... The Colonials are 6-0 this season and 36-6 (.857) in three seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when leading at halftime.
Sacred Heart (2-6, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: None
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 18 vs. Stony Brook; Dec. 22 at La Salle; Dec. 30 at George Washington
• 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 (2-7, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 11 vs. Stony Brook (L, 77-61); Dec. 15 vs. St. John’s (Barclays Ctr) (L, 77-60)
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Colgate; Dec. 30 at NJIT
• St. Francis has now dropped five straight contests after falling to Stony Brook and St. John’s this past week. It is the first five-game skid under third-year head coach Glenn Braica.
• Sophomore Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Alllen) has led the Terriers in rebounding in all nine contests this season. He recorded his fourth “double-double” of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds against St. John’s. Cannon leads the NEC in rebounding (9.7 rpg.) and field goal percentage (645). He has not shot below .571 percent in any contest this season.
• Senior Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) went over 400 career rebound mark against St. John’s. Johnson produced his first “double-double” of the season with 13 points and 11 boards in the contest.
• Sophomore forward Kevin Douglas (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglass Academy) has scored in double-figures in three straight contests. He ranks 10th in the league in field goal percentage (.506) and is 13th in three-point field goal accuracy (.410).
• Senior Dre Calloway (Harlem, NY/Abraham Lincoln (CO)) recorded a season-high eight assists against St. John’s in just 24 minutes off the bench. Calloway returned to the lineup this week after he missed the Boston College contest (foot).
• Akeem Johnson went over 400 career rebound mark against St. John’s.
Saint Francis U (0-8, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: None
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 17 vs. Bucknell; Dec. 20 at Kent State; Dec. 28 vs. Cornell
• 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 (4-4, 0-0 NEC)
Last Week: Dec. 15 vs. Coppin State (W, 77-65 (OT))
Next Two Weeks: Dec. 21 vs. SMU (Cable Car); Dec. 22 vs. Santa Clara/Alcorn State (Cable Car); Dec. 29 vs Penn
• Wagner evened its record at 4-4 with a 77-65 overtime victory against Coppin State (12/15) and has now won two-straight for the first time this year. Leading the way was senior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)), who notched career-highs with 33 points and 17 rebounds. With his performance Williams becomes just the seventh NEC player over the last 16 years to record a 30-15 game.
• Sophomore Marcus Burton (Charlotte, NC/David W. Butler) added a career-best 17 points while junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) notched a career-best eight assists.
• The Seahawks improved to 3-0 this year when leading with five minutes to play and are 28-1 since the start of last season.
• The Green & White closed out the second half and began overtime with a 17-0 run, after ripping off a 16-0 run just after halftime ... Additionally, Wagner scored 21-straight points in overtime over its last two such contests (Princeton, Coppin State).
• Wagner improves to 14-3 in the Spiro Sports Center since the start of last season.
• Head coach Bashir Mason and the Seahawks will now turn their attention to Larry Brown and SMU. Mason is the youngest coach in the Division I ranks and Brown the second oldest.
• Junior Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) has 116 blocks, two behind 2008 All-NEC First Team selection Durell Vinson for fourth place on the all-time Wagner rankings.