Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week
E.J. Reed, LIU Brooklyn
6-6, 200lbs
Fr., F, Mesquite, TX/Mesquite

Reed established a new career-high with 14 points - 13 of which came after halftime - in an 81-80 setback to Lamar on Saturday, capping off a week that saw him average 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over a three-game span. The Mesquite, TX native also added seven rebounds and came up big down the stretch against the Cardinals, including a tip-in with 40 seconds on the clock to put the Blackbirds ahead, 80-79. A week earlier, he added eight points, six boards and blocked a career-high three shots against Seton Hall at the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at the Barclays Center. Through 12 games thus far, the latest Blackbird import from Texas is averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in a key reserve role.

Bryant, Robert Morris & Wagner Enjoy Out-of-Conference Success  

Non-conference play is the time to assess your program, and see where it stacks up both regionally and on a national scale.  Bryant, Robert Morris and with a late surge, Wagner, took advantage of the first two months of the season, piling up a number of impressive out-of-league victories and head into NEC play with momentum on their side. 
 
Having reached four straight NEC title games, it should come as no surprise that Robert Morris finished with a league-high eight non-conference wins over the first two months of the season. The Colonials were 9-4 outside the conference in the 2011-12 regular season, tying the NEC single-season record for OOC wins.  RMU wasn’t through, padding that total with two victories in the CIT after falling in the NEC title game.
 
The marquee win for the Colonials thus far was its 84-76 triumph over then unbeaten Ohio U, sparked by a career performance from junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkart, IN/Glen Oaks CC)), who shot 8-8 from three-point range.  The Bobcats are currently ranked #66 in the Pomeroy ratings.  RMU also routed local rival Duquesne (91-69) and knocked off perennial Horizon League contender Cleveland State (71-62).  With a break here or there, It could have been a landmark season for the Colonials, considering the program’s close road losses to Xavier (61-59) and Arkansas (79-74).
 
Bryant, on the other hand, was coming off a two-win season, and even the most optimistic pundits didn’t pencil in seven non-conference wins for the Bulldogs, who are now eligible for the NEC Tournament following a five-year NCAA reclassification.  But with the addition of sophomore sensation Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)), Tim O’Shea’s squad came back from an 0-2 start to win seven of its next nine games to close out play in 2012.  It marked the first winning non-conference record in Bryant’s short DI history.
 
Among those victories for Bryant was a breakthrough win over Boston College on November 25.  The 56-54 victory over the Eagles put the Bulldog program on the DI map, as described in this New York Times article.  Bryant also fared well against a host of regional rivals, posting double-digit victories over New Hampshire, Army, Binghamton and Dartmouth, before closing out its non-conference campaign with a shocker on Saturday.  When senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) went coast-to-coast for the game-winning layup with under two seconds to play, Bryant scored a huge 80-79 road win over preseason Patriot League favorite and 2012 NCAA Tournament darling Lehigh.  The Mountain Hawks are currently #70 in the Pomeroy rankings.
 
Under first year head coach Bashir Mason, Wagner stumbled a bit out of the block, hampered by All-NEC guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth (Avon Old Farms (CT)) playing the first two games at less than 100 percent before sitting out the next eight contests nursing a knee injury.  After dropping three of their first four games, the Seahawks picked up a quality win over Princeton (48-42) in late November, and took Temple to the final minute in an eight-point setback three days later.  The Green & White then proceeded to reel off four wins in their final five non-conference outings, including a 63-53 victory over Larry Brown coached SMU at the Cable Car Classic over the holidays.  With Rivers back in the fold on Sunday, Wagner closed out its non-league slate with a 68-63 overtime win over Penn.  Rivers hit 3-5 from long range and finished with 15 points as the Seahawks head into NEC play with a 6-5 mark.
 
Other notable non-conference wins for the NEC, all of which came away from home: 
Quinnipiac 98, Iona 92
Quinnipiac 59, Albany 57
Sacred Heart 64, Stony Brook 62
CCSU 81, La Salle 74
Mount St. Mary’s 65, George Washington 56
 
NEC Fast Break…News You Need To Know 

Holiday Heroes
The weather outside may have been frightful, but the holiday season was delightful for a number of NEC hoopsters who delivered in the clutch for their teams.  With 11 games over the last two weeks involving NEC teams decided by five points or less, there were plenty of chances for heroics, and it all started on December 21 when Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’ Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) scored the game-winning bucket on a layup with 12 seconds to go in a 69-67 road win over Albany. 

Fast forward to this past Saturday and you had Bryant senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.))  - the Choice Hotels NEC Co-Player of the Week - snaking through the Lehigh defense for the deciding layup with 1.3 seconds to play in an 81-79 triumph over a Mountain Hawk team ranked fourth in the College Insider Mid-Major poll.  And this wasn’t the first time Dobbs closed out a game for the Hawks.  He hit a game-winning three-pointer against FDU on January 20, 2011 and a buzzer-beating jumper to beat Saint Francis U (2:40 mark of video)  on February 5, 2011.
 
Earlier that same afternoon, Wagner junior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) hit a key layup with two minutes left in regulation, then scored the Seahawks’ last eight points in overtime to help secure a 68-63 win over Penn. 

Finally on Sunday it was St. Francis Brooklyn senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) who helped the Terriers avert a potential heartbreaking loss to NJIT.  SFC led the Highlanders by 23 points with a little over seven minutes to play, but a 19-0 NJIT run over the next four and a half minutes turned it into a nailbiter.  With the game tied at 87, the Terriers ran the clock down and Johnson drove the lane for the decisive layup with five seconds to play.
 
Let The Games Begin
In a league in which the regular season means everything, the journey to March Madness starts this Thursday with the beginning of NEC play.  On the docket for “NEC Opening Night” is a matchup of two programs who distinguished themselves in non-conference play as Bryant visits Robert Morris.  Saturday brings an intriguing matchup of two teams that cause havoc on defense with their pressing, trapping style of play as Monmouth visits Mount St. Mary’s.  Click here for a full schedule of games.

Enjoy The Best Seat In The House With NEC Front Row
With the start of league play, NEC Front Row is the place to catch all the action.  One of the only free conference webstreaming platforms in the country, all NEC games will air on Front Row aside from events hosted by Monmouth and Robert Morris, who are contractually obligated to other providers.  Through Front Row’s unique multi-event viewer, fans can catch up to six games at once.  Likewise, games can also be viewed at no charge on smartphones and tablets, including the iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
 
NEC-TV On The Horizon
We are now less than two weeks away from the debut of the 23-game NEC-TV package.  The opener is set for Saturday, January 12^th as Monmouth hosts Robert Morris in a 7:00 pm tipoff at the MAC.  That game, which will air live on MSG+ and via delay on FCS and Root Pittsburgh, will include a halftime feature on MU senior guard Jesse Steele (Milford, NJ/Millburn (Oak Hill Academy) (Army)) and his rise from transfer walk-on to team-leading scorer as a junior to team captain as a senior.

Stat Line of the Year?
FDU senior forward Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison (Globe Institute)) did this against VCU on Saturday.

FG      FT      TP      REB      A       BLK      STL     MIN
12-14   6-7     30      16       4       3        2       40
 
Among the superlatives were career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and field goals made for the Brooklyn native.

It also marked just the eighth time in the last 16 years that an NEC player recorded a 30/15 game, but the second such game this season as Wagner senior forward Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)) delivered a 33-points, 17-rebound effort against Coppin State on December 15.

30/15 Games By NEC Players (1997 - present)
Kinu Rochford (FDU): 30 points, 16 rebounds vs. VCU (12/29/12)
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)

Rochford leads FDU in scoring (16.0), rebounding (10.0) and field goal percentage (.584).

20-20 Vision For Vinales/Hunter?
With both members of the nation’s second-ranked scoring duo -  CCSU’s Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) and Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) - both hovering  in the 20 points per game range, it begs the question as to when the last time an NEC team had two players finish a season with a pair of 20 ppg scorers?  You’d have to go all the way back to 1990-91 when the Saint Francis U tandem of Mike Iuzzolino (24.1 ppg) and Joe Anderson (21.3 ppg) led the Red Flash to the NEC title.  Currently, Vinales leads the NEC and ranks eighth in the nation with 21.4 ppg, while Hunter is the second-leading scorer in the conference and 32^nd in the country with 19.0 ppg.  Interestingly, the two were AAU teammates growing up in Detroit.
 
Chart Climbing With LIU’s Jason Brickman
Just a few years ago, the NEC assist record appeared to be unbreakable.  No player has come within 200
assists of challenging the mark established by former Marist great Drafton Davis from 1984-88.  That was until LIU’s Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) arrived on the scene in 2010.
 
With his third double-double of the season - a 10-point, 11-assist outing at Lamar on Saturday - Brickman continued his meteoric rise up the NEC career assist chart.  Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Brickman has risen 23 spots on the list, from 35^th to 12^th with 527 career helpers.  Now just seven dimes shy of reaching the NEC top-10, the San Antonio native is also just 11 behind his predecessor at the point, Jaytornah Wisseh, who ranks second all-time at LIU with 538 assists.  In all likelihood, Brickman will enter his senior season second in NEC history with just Davis to catch.  He currently leads the NEC and ranks fourth nationally with 8.2 apg.

NEC Career Assist Leaders
1. Drafton Davis              MAR             804              1984-88
2. Jeremy Goode               MSM             603              2006-10
3. Deon Hames                 RID             598              1992-96
4. Napoleon Lightning         SFU             589              1981-85
5. Courtney Pritchard         WC              563              2000-04
6. Andre Van Drost            WC              560              1982-87
7. Forest Grant               RMU             555              1981-84
8. Rob Monroe                 QU              541              2001-05
9. Jaytornah Wisseh           LIU             538              2006-10
10. Greg Nunn                 SFC             534              1997-01
11. Gregory Harris            MSM             529              1996-00
12. Jason Brickman            LIU             527              2010-12
 
Cannon Shot
As much as any player in the NEC this season, St. Francis Brooklyn forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) has been turning heads with a breakout sophomore campaign.  An All-NEC rookie selection a year ago when he ranked second in the nation among freshman rebounders behind Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, Cannon has been nothing short of spectacular thus far in 2012-13. 
 
The Allentown, PA product leads the NEC in rebounding (9.5), which should come as no surprise, but has also more than doubled his scoring average.  Cannon averaged 8.0 ppg as a freshman, and has boosted that total to 17.2 ppg this season, fourth in the league.  He has shot at least 50 percent from the field in every single game, and not only leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.636), but his efficiency rating is the 13^th best in the nation.
 
Cannon, the Choice Hotels NEC Co-Player of the Week, averaged 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in SFC’s two wins over the holidays, and with a 23-point, 12-rebound outing in Sunday’s 89-87 win over NJIT, he registered his league-leading fifth double-double.
 
Mason, Larry Brown & One Memorable Evening
It was certainly a victory to remember for Wagner first year head coach Bashir Mason. 
 
The nation’s youngest head coach at 28 years old, Mason peered down the sideline – possibly in awe - at the legendary Larry Brown when the Seahawks took the floor at the Cable Car Classic on December 21^st.  Brown, who returned to the collegiate ranks this season at SMU, is the second oldest coach in the nation at 72 years of age.  With the Mustangs off to an 8-3 start, Wagner’s 63-53 victory was all the more impressive, as the Seahawks limited SMU to 34 percent shooting from the floor.
 
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet (beating Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown),” said Mason after the game.  “We talked before the game about the connections we have, and how I consider myself part of the Larry Brown coaching tree.”
 
In the tale of the tape, Brown has coached 2,588 career games, including stints at the collegiate and professional levels, while Mason has manned the sidelines for 11 games as a head coach.

The Seahawks would go on to finish as the Cable Car runner-up, falling to host Santa Clara in the title 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 39 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                39
Julian Boyd, LIU                 20
Kyle Vinales, CCSU               17
Alex Francis, BRY                17
Umar Shannon, SFU                15
Jamal Olasewere, LIU             16
Velton Jones, RMU                14
Ike Azotam, QU                    9
Frankie Dobbs, BRY                8
Melquan Bolding, FDU              8
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

On The National Leaderboard
Below are a list of NEC players and teams who rank in the top-20 nationally in various statistical categories.

Category         Name                      Team               Stats            Ranking
Scoring          Kyle Vinales              CCSU               21.4 ppg         8^th
3PFG%            Lonnie Robinson           FDU                .536             11^th
Assists          Jason Brickman            LIU                8.2 apg          4^th
                 Phil Gaetano              SHU                6.7 apg          13th
Steals           Rashad Whack              MSM                2.8 spg          11^th 
FT%                                        CCSU               .803             2^nd
                                           RMU                .760             15^th      
3PFG%                                      FDU                .404             15^th
Steals                                     MU                 11.0 spg         6th
Blocks                                     WC                 5.9 bpg          15^th
TOs Forced                                 MU                 21.3             1st

Best of the Holiday Season
 
Frankie Dobbs (BRY): 19 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists vs. Dartmouth; 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-10 FG, 3-5 3PFG vs. Lehigh
Alex Francis (BRY): 21 points, career-high tying 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 9-15 FG vs. Lehigh
Dyami Starks (BRY): 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4-10 3PFG vs. Lehigh
Adonis Burbage (CCSU): Career-high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 9-16 FG, 5-8 3PFG vs. Saint Peter’s
Matt Hunter (CCSU): 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals vs. Northeastern
Melquan Bolding (FDU): 20 points, 8-15 FG vs. Vermont
Kinu Rochford (FDU): Career-high 30 points, career-high 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 12-14 FG, 6-7 FT vs. VCU
Jason Brickman (LIU): 10 points, 11 assists, 4 steals vs. Lamar
Jamal Olasewere (LIU): 19 points, 10 rebounds vs. Saint Peter’s; 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 9-17 FG vs. Seton Hall
Andrew Nicholas (MU): 16 points, 4 steals, 4-8 3PFG vs. Villanova
Kristijan Krajina (MSM): 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 6-10 FG vs. UMBC
Rashad Whack (MSM): 17 points, 5-9 FG, 3-6 3PFG vs. Indiana; 16 points, 3 assists, 6 steals vs. Western Michigan
Ike Azotam (QU): 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6-10 FG, 5-6 FT vs. Albany; 16 points, 9 rebounds vs. Maine
Karvel Anderson (RMU): 17 points, 6 rebounds, 7-11 FG, 3-5 3PFG vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Coron Williams (RMU): 17 points, 6-7 FT, 5-6 3PFG vs. Arkansas
Shane Gibson (SHU): 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks vs. Stony Brook; 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 8-16 FG vs. La Salle
Jalen Cannon (SFC): 24 points, 6 rebounds, 11-16 FG vs. Colgate; 23 points, 12 rebounds, 6-12 FG vs. NJIT
Travis Nicholas (SFC): 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6-12 FG, 4-8 3PFG vs. Colgate
Earl Brown (SFU): 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5-8 FG, 7-8 FT in 24 minutes vs. Kent State; 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4-6 FG vs. Cornell
Kenneth Ortiz (WC): Career-high 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 6-11 FG vs. Penn
 
By The Numbers
 
2^nd career double-double for Wagner junior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)), who finished with a career-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds in an 83-78 win over Penn on Saturday.
 
3 unbeaten teams at home thus far as Robert Morris has posted a 4-0 mark at the Sewall Center, while Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner are 3-0 at the Knott Arena and Spiro Center, respectively.
 
3 games of 10 or more assists this season for Sacred Heart sophomore guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/ Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)).  Gaetano, who had 10 against La Salle on December 22, ranks second in the NEC and 13^th nationally with 6.7 per game.
 
3 straight overtime wins for Wagner this season.  In those games, the Seahawks have outscored their opponents by a 37-14 score.
 
4 FDU players are averaging double-digit points this season: seniors Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison (Globe Institute)) (16.0), Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Bishop Stepinac (Duquesne)) (14.5) and Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, FL/Deerfield Beach (Western Texas)) (13.3), along with freshman Sekou Harris (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield) (10.3).
 
4 game in an eight day stretch currently for CCSU after playing just four times in the previous 35 days.
 
4 losses for CCSU by four or fewer points this season (Fairfield, Hartford and two to Saint Peter’s).
 
6 or more three-pointers for Mount St. Mary’s in every game this season.  The Mount leads the NEC with 8.6 trifectas per game.
 
9 or more rebounds for Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) in 10-of-11 games this season.  He currently ranks second in the NEC with 9.3 rpg.
 
10 or more three-pointers for Robert Morris in four of its last six games.
 
16 points, a career-high for Saint Francis U freshman guard Greg Brown (Odenton, MD/Archbishop Spalding) against Cornell last Friday.
 
25 made three-pointers for Robert Morris junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkart, IN/Glen Oaks CC)) over his last six outings.
 
30 three-point attempts by St. Francis Brooklyn against Colgate were the most in a game for the Terriers since hoisting 34 versus Monmouth on January 27, 2011.
 
30-1 record for Wagner over the last two seasons when leading with five minutes to play.
 
57 of the 65 shots taken by FDU sophomore guard Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann Goretti (Hartford)) this season have come from three-point range.
 
64 percent shooting from three-point range (16-25) over the last four games for Robert Morris junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School).
 
73.9 percent shooting from the field in the second half for Bryant in its 79-66 win over Dartmouth on December 22.
 
89 points for Saint Francis Brooklyn in its two-point win over NJIT on Sunday was the most for the program since besting Sacred Heart, 99-84, on January 7, 2012.
 
107-of-109 points scored by FDU have come from its starters in the last two games.
 
122 trips to the charity stripe this season – an NCAA-high 10.2 per game – for LIU senior forward Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook).  His per-game average is 1.7 higher than second place Erick Green of Vermont.
 
Quotable

“We’ve got to tinker with some things, not overhaul, and maybe be a little more patient on the offensive end.  Where we were just a constant go, go, go, maybe now it’s not slowed up, but guys have to make sure they get better looks.  We’re putting some guys in new roles and they’re still adjusting.” – LIU head coach Jack Perri talking about life without Julian Boyd.

“I am really proud of my guys.  When we play the high major schools, it’s a major test for us and we are getting better.  Other coaches are talking to me about it after the games.  Jay [Wright] said our team is much better than last year.  Their assistants were raving that we’ve gotten better.  I’m not into those types of victories.  I want to win the game, but our kids are working extremely hard.  I scheduled a tough stretch for them, but we will be ready to bounce back when we get back.” – Monmouth head coach King Rice following a loss to Villanova at the MAC on December 22

"They're kids.  They are learning how to win.  They are learning how to get up for every game. ... It's not always going to be perfect.  You are not always going to go out and blow every opponent out.  Nine times out of 10, you are going to be in games like that." – Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian after the Mount outlasted UMBC, 58-55, on Saturday

“We refuse to lose.  In the overtime, I saw they were having trouble keeping me out of the lane and I just went for it.” – Wagner’s Kenneth Ortiz following the Seahawks’ 68-63 overtime win over Penn on Saturday

“The knee didn’t bother me.  I feel like I’m making progress, coming back.  But you have to play in live games, you can’t simulate that.”  – Wagner’s Latif Rivers, after his first game back from a knee injury, which sidelined him eight games before suiting up on Saturday against Penn
 
Tweets of the Week

Tristan Hobbes ‏@Tristan_Hobbes
 
Let's go Bryant! The Bulldogs are for real. HUGE win over Lehigh!!!

Alex Schwarz ‏@ASchwar2
 
Bryant bulldogs shock the world and beat Lehigh on the road #bringonmarchmadness
 
Craig Meyer ‏@craig_a_meyer
 
Bryant's seven non-conference wins this season outnumber its combined non-conference wins from the previous four seasons (five)

Nelson Castillo ‏@NelCastBHJ
 
Bryant beats Lehigh on the road!?! This NEC season is going to be one of the craziest ones ever I believe. #NECMBB
 
Joel Godett @JoelGodett
So if you don't know who @Mrh3llo (Kinu Rochford) is yet and your a CBB fan...30 and 16 vs VCU last nite should open your eye

Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon

My vote for craziest game of the year. Best way to put it is @SFCTerriers survived. Akeem Johnson GW layup with 4 seconds to go beats NJIT. #NECMBB

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein

Memorable night for Wagner first-year coach Bashir Mason as Seahawks beat SMU and Larry Brown 63-53. Staten Island's team is improving.
 
Milestone Watch
 
Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea needs three more wins to reach 150 for his career.
 
Bryant senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) is just 42 points shy of reaching 1,000 points in his career.  He has tallied 897 of those points as a Bulldog.

LIU senior forward Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) needs 10 points to reach 1,500 for his career.
 
Monmouth senior forward Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) has now played in 105 career games, which ties for 23rd all-time at Monmouth, one game behind No. 22 Fernando Sanders (106).  Whitney Coleman appeared in the most games all-time (127), just one game more than Marques Alston.
 
Quinnipiac’s Tom Moore is three wins shy of 100 for his career.  His .577 winning percentage is fourth best among D I coaches in New England, trailing only Vermont's John Becker (.660), Harvard's Tommy Amaker (.620) and Fairfield's Sydney Johnson (.608). (Winning percentage among coaches with at least one season at their respective institution.)

Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) has passed former Pioneer Darrin Robinson (1989-1993) on the school’s all-time list for career three-pointers.  Gibson’s 227 treys are now second behind all-time leader Ryan Litke’s 270 from 2006-10.
 
Wagner junior forward Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) moved past 2008 All-NEC first team selection Durell Vinson into fourth place on the all-time Seahawk blocked shot list and has 120 rejections entering play this week. Next up for Folahan is 2002-03 NEC Player of the Year Jermaine Hall, who has 124 rejections.
 
Active Leaders
 
SCORING
Shane Gibson       SHU    1632
Jamal Olasewere    LIU    1490
Julian Boyd        LIU    1467
Velton Jones       RMU    1410
Alex Francis       BRY    1119
Russell Johnson    RMU    934
Frankie Dobbs      BRY    898
Latif Rivers       WC     898
CJ Garner          LIU    878
Ed Waite           MU     878

REBOUNDING
Julian Boyd        LIU    843
Jamal Olasewere    LIU    778
Russell Johnson    RMU    613
Ed Waite           MU     577
Ike Azotam         QU     572
Alex Francis       BRY    549
Jamee Jackson      QU     430
Akeem Johnson      SFNY   412
Kenny Onyechi      LIU    404
Jalen Cannon       SFC    370

ASSISTS
Jason Brickman     LIU    527
Velton Jones       RMU    462
Frankie Dobbs      BRY    340
Dave Johnson       QU     334
CJ Garner          LIU    258
Anthony Myers-Pate RMU    255
Josh Castellanos   MSM    252
Jesse Steele       MU     215
Phil Gaetano       SHU    203
Kenneth Ortiz      WC     179

Team-By-Team Notes

Bryant (7-4, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Dartmouth (W, 79-66); Dec. 29 at Lehigh (W, 80-79)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Robert Morris; Jan. 5 at Saint Francis U

• The Bulldogs picked up another signature win over the break, topping last year’s NCAA tournament sweethearts, Lehigh University, 80-79, on a last-second bucket by senior point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio/St. Edward (Ohio U)) on the road at Stabler Arena. Dobbs shot 70 percent from the field in the game with 17 points and averaged 18.0 ppg on Bryant’s 2-0 week.
• Junior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) picked up his second double-double of the year in the upset over the Mountain Hawks, finishing the game with 21 points and tying his career high with 14 rebounds. Francis averaged 17.0 points and 11.0 boards per game over the two-game stretch, shooting 65.2 percent from the floor.
• Against Dartmouth Dec. 22, the Bulldogs shot an impressive 73.9 percent in the second half, missing only six shots, to finish over 50 percent on the game for the third time this season. Bryant also finished the game with five players in double-figures for the first time since Jan. 2011.
• The wins over Dartmouth and Lehigh marked two more first-time wins for Bryant, moving the all-time series against Dartmouth to 1-1 and against Lehigh to 1-2.
• Frankie Dobbs needs just 42 points to join the 1000-career point club.
• The wins secured Bryant its first winning record in non-conference play (7-4) in the Division I era.

Central Connecticut (4-6, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 21 vs. Northeastern (L, 82-63); Dec. 29 vs. Saint Peter’s (L, 71-69)
This Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at Syracuse; Jan. 3 at Saint Francis U; Jan. 5 at Robert Morris

• The Blue Devils lost 71-69 at home vs. St. Peter’s on Saturday afternoon.  It marked their fourth loss by four or fewer points this season (Fairfield, St. Peter’s, Hartford and St. Peter’s).  Central is just 2-4 in games decided by four or fewer points this season, including wins over UMBC and New Hampshire.
• Central is 4-0 when scoring 80 or more points this season, but haven’t cracked the 80 point mark since a win on the road vs. New Hampshire on December 5.  Through the first seven games of the season the Blue Devils were averaging 76.9 points per game and scored 77 or more points five times.  In the last three games Central is averaging just 67.0 and hasn’t scored over 70 in any of the three games.
• The Blue Devils played just four times in the 35 days stretching from Nov. 24 until Dec. 29.  Beginning Saturday with the home game vs. St. Peter’s they will play four games in eight days.  Staring Saturday, they will play 11 times in the next 35 days (Feb. 1).
• The Blue Devils enter today’s game as the nation’s second ranked free-throw shooting team, hitting on 80.3 percent from the line.  Central is 122-of-152 from the line.  In the four wins this season the Blue Devils are shooting 86.4 percent from the line (51-of-59).  They have struggled in the last two games, making only 17-of-26 from the line, just 65.4 percent.

Fairleigh Dickinson (4-7, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 22 at Vermont (L, 76-62); Dec. 29 at VCU (L, 96-67)
This Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at Longwood; Jan. 3 at Mount St. Mary’s; Jan. 5 at Wagner

• Although they fell by 29 points, the Knights shot 50 percent from the floor, while holding VCU to 43.5 percent on Saturday. The scoring differential came in number of shot attempts with the Rams outshooting FDU, 85-48.
• The Knights’ starting five scored 107 of the Knights’ 109 total points this week.
• Four Knights are averaging double-digit points: seniors Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) 16.0, Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, NY/Bishop Stepinac) 14.5, Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, FL/Deerfield Beach) 13.3 and freshman Sekou Harris (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) 10.3.
• The three-game skid ties the Knights’ longest losing streak of the season. After dropping their first three games of the season, the Knights won three-straight.

LIU Brooklyn (5-7, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 19 at Saint Peter’s (L, 80-67); Dec. 22 vs. Seton Hall (Barclays Ctr) (L, 89-58); Dec. 29 at Lamar (L, 81-80)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Sacred Heart; Jan. 5 at Quinnipiac

• After winning five straight, LIU Brooklyn has dropped its last three contests - two of which have come on the road. The Blackbirds are 4-2 at home this season (4-0 at the WRAC), but just 1-5 on the road.
• Junior Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) dished out 11 assists against Lamar for his third double-digit assist game this season. The 6-0 point guard moved 11 assists behind Jaytornah Wisseh (2006-10) for second place on LIU’s all-time career list with 527. Brickman currently ranks fourth in the country in assists per game (8.2).
• Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) went to the free-throw line 32 times over three games and has earned 122 trips to the charity stripe this season. His total leads the NCAA and his 10.2 free-throws attempted per game is tops in the country by 1.7/game over Erick Green of Vermont.
• Freshman E.J. Reed (Mesquite, TX/Mesquite) provided a spark for the Blackbirds off the bench in their last two games, averaging 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, with nine of his 14 boards coming at the offensive end. Reed scored 13 of his career-high 14 points in the second half of an 81-80 loss to Lamar and also leads the team and ranks seventh in the NEC in blocked shots at 1.08/game.
• The Blackbirds had a season-high 15 steals against Lamar, led by senior C.J. Garner (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) who matched a career high with five.

Monmouth (5-7, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Villanova (L, 83-56)
This Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at Fordham; Jan. 3 at Wagner; Jan. 5 at Mount St. Mary’s

• The Hawks attempted a season-low 52 field goal attempts against Villanova in their only game over the two-week stretch.
• Monmouth is now 0-43 all-time against teams from the Big East Conference, including 0-9 against Villanova.
• With his four three-pointers against Villanova (4-for-8), Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, PA/Eastern York) collected his third career game with the Hawks with at least four three-pointers made. The sophomore now has eight games with at least three made trifectas.
• Senior forward Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) has now played in 105 career games, which ranks in a tie for 23rd all-time at Monmouth, one game behind No. 22 Fernando Sanders (106). Whitney Coleman appeared in the most games all-time (127), just one game more than Marques Alston.

Mount St. Mary's (5-6, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 19 at #6 Indiana (L, 93-54); Dec. 22 at Western Michigan (L, 87-66); Dec. 29 vs. UMBC (W, 55-58)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson; Jan. 5 vs. Monmouth

• The Mount improved to 3-0 at home this year with the 58-55 win over UMBC. It is the first time since 1998-99 that the Mount has opened the season with three straight home wins. The 1998-99 team opened the year 4-0 at home.
• The Mountaineers were 6-of-22 (.273) from three-point range in the win over UBMC. It was the first time all season the Mount has made less than seven three-pointers in a game.
• Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge School (VA)) scored a season-high 14 points while tying a career high with eight rebounds in the win over UMBC. Krajina is shooting 68.3 percent from the floor.
• Krajina came up with a pair of clutch free throws against UMBC. The 6-9 junior hit both free throws to give the Mount a 56-53 lead with 33 seconds left. Prior to those clutch makes, Krajina had been 1-for-10 (.100) at the foul line this year.
• The Mount falls to 1-20 all-time against ranked opponents after the 93-54 loss to No. 6 Indiana. The Mount’s lone win was a 71-69 victory at No. 21 Georgia Tech on Dec. 18, 1995.

Quinnipiac (4-7, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 21 at Albany (W, 59-57); Dec. 29 vs. Maine (L, 76-71)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn; Jan. 5 at LIU Brooklyn

• Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) was named the College Sports Madness Player of the Week after a 17-point effort in a win at Albany last Friday. Azotam collected the game-winning bucket with 12 seconds left in the team’s fourth win of the campaign.
• James Ford, Jr. (Hopewell, VA/Quality Education Academy) scored his first career points with a big three-pointer in the win over Albany (12/21). Ford made an immediate impact in just seven minutes - adding a block and a steal to his stat line.
• Head coach Tom Moore picked up his 97th career win against Albany (12/21) and remains three shy of 100 for his career at Quinnipiac. His .577 winning percentage is fourth best among Division I Coaches in New England, only trailing Vermont’s John Becker (.660), Harvard’s Tommy Amaker (.620) and Fairfield’s Sydney Johnson (.608). (Winning percentage among coaches with at least one season at respective institution).

Robert Morris (8-5, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 18 at Louisiana-Lafayette (W, 66-61); Dec. 20 at Arkansas (W, 79-74)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Bryant; Jan. 5 vs. Central Connecticut

• Robert Morris concluded its 2012-13 non-conference slate by finishing 1-1 in a pair of road games, earning a 66-61 victory @ Louisiana-Lafayette (12/18) before having its five-game winning streak snapped with a 79-74 loss @ Arkansas
• Junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkart, IN/Glen Oaks Community College) averaged 17.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the split, converting 45.8 percent (11-for-24) of his shots from the field. Anderson scored 17 points each in RMU’s win over the Ragin’ Cajuns and against the Razorbacks
• Junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School) contributed a points per game average of 16.5 in RMU’s split, shooting 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the field, including 66.7 percent (10-for-15) from beyond the arc
• Williams scored 16 in the win over the Ragin’ Cajuns and followed with a season-high 17 points against the Razorbacks. Williams enters Northeast Conference play having shot 64 percent (16-for-25) from deep over his last four games.
• Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) scored 11 points and dished out five assists in the win over Louisiana-Lafayette, while forwards Mike McFadden (Newark, NJ/Technology) and Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) each scored 10 points against Arkansas.
• McFadden averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in RMU’s split last week while shooting 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from the field and 72.7 percent (8-for-11) at the free-throw line.

Sacred Heart (2-9, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 18 vs. Stony Brook (L, 64-59); Dec. 22 at La Salle (L, 100-71); Dec. 30 at George Washington (L, 77-38)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. LIU Brooklyn; Jan. 5 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn

• SHU has lost a season-high seven-straight, their longest losing streak since the 2007-08 season. The Pioneers longest Division I losing streak is 12-straight back in the 2004-05 season.
• The Pioneers have outscored their opponents in the second half in four of the last five games and in seven of their 11 games this season. SHU has been unable to finish off opponents late in games however, going 2-3 in games decided by five points or less.
• Despite outscoring La Salle in the second half, the Pioneers fell behind by as many as 38 in the first half to the Explorers on their way to a 66-30 halftime hole. The 66 points surrendered where the most points allowed in a half during Sacred Heart’s Division I era (1999-present). The previous high was 61 points, scored in the second half by North Carolina in the 2006 Preseason NIT.
• The Pioneers close the non-conference portion of their season at 2-9, their record in non-league play in the 2002-03 season. Sacred Heart’s first three years in the NEC saw them post just one non-league win in each of those years and then another one-win year in 2004-05.
• For the third time this season, sophomore point guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) passed out 10 assists in a game to match his career-high. Gaetano handed out 10 helpers against La Salle, Stony Brook and Lafayette.
• Senior Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) passed former Pioneer Darrin Robinson (1989-1993) on the all-time record list for career three’s. Gibson’s 227 three’s is now second place behind all-time leader Ryan Litke (2006-10) at 270.

St. Francis Brooklyn (4-7, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 22 vs. Colgate (W, 73-61); Dec. 30 at NJIT (W, 89-87)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Quinnipiac; Jan. 5 at Sacred Heart

• St. Francis Brooklyn snapped a five game losing streak with a pair of victories in late-December, defeating Colgate (73-61) and NJIT (89-87). The Terriers finished their non-conference record with a mark of 4-7. Last season, St. Francis went 3-8 in , non-conference play.
• Sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) poured in a career-high 24 points and senior forward Travis Nichols (Brooklyn, NY/Food & Finance) came off the bench to score 20 points, propelling the Terriers to a 73-61 victory over Colgate on December 22 at the Pope Physical Education Center. It was the Terriers first home win of the season.
• The Terriers ended 2012 with a thrilling, 89-97 victory at NJIT on December 30. Senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) drove down the lane for a game-winning layup with five second left. The Terriers led by as many as 23 points with 7:32 remaining. Cannon recorded is fifth “double-double” of the season with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds.
• The Terriers established their season-high in points (89), free-throws made (24) and free-throws attempted (33) at NJIT.
• St. Francis hoisted a season-high 30 three’s in the win against Colgate.
• Cannon has scored 20 or more points in five contests this season and has reached double-figures in 10 of 11 contests. He has not shot under 50 percent in any contest this season. Cannon leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.636) and rebounding (9.5 rpg.) and is fourth in scoring (17.2 ppg.)

Saint Francis U (0-11, 0-0 NEC)

Last Two Weeks: Dec. 17 vs. Bucknell (L, 76-49); Dec. 20 at Kent State (L, 77-48); Dec. 28 vs. Cornell (L, 79-67)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Central Connecticut; Jan. 5 vs. Bryant

• Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) picked up SFU’s first double-double of the season in Friday’s loss to Cornell with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds
• A season-high five Saint Francis players scored in double figures against the Big Red. Along with Brown, four other members of the Red Flash accomplished the feat including Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) (13), Stephon Whyatt (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) (14), Greg Brown (Odenton, MD/Archbishop Spalding) (16) and Ollie Jackson (Dallas, TX/Pinkston) (12).
• SFU’s top two rebounders are freshmen Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, OH/Greenview) (41) and Stephon Mosley (West Orange, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) (37)
• SFU’s 13.0 turnovers per game is the 24th-lowest average in the NCAA (347 schools).

Wagner (6-5, 0-0 NEC)

Next Two Weeks: Dec. 21 vs. SMU (Cable Car) (W, 63-53); Dec. 22 vs. Santa Clara (Cable Car) (L, 69-45); Dec. 29 vs Penn (W, 68-63 (OT))
This Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Monmouth; Jan. 5 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

• Wagner went 2-1 over the last two weeks, including finishing second at the 46th annual Cable Car Classic. The Seahawks bested SMU (12/21), before dropping a decision to Santa Clara (12/22). The Green & White then posted a 68-63 overtime victory over Penn (12/29) in its final game of the 2012 calender year. Bashir Mason, the nation’s youngest head coach at 28, bested Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who at 72 is the nation’s second-oldest head coach, and the Mustangs in the Cable Car Classic opener.
• Wagner (6-5) finished up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a winning record for the second-straight year and the fifth time in the last eight season.
• The Seahawks have now played four overtime games this season and have seen nine of their 11 games decided by 10 points or less or via OT. In overtime games, the Green & White has outscored the opposition by a combined 40-21 count, including 37-14 over the last three - all victories.
• At the Cable Car Classic, senior Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)) averaged 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game en route to earning All-Tournament accolades for the second-straight year.
• Wagner improves to a perfect 3-0 at home this season and is 15-3 at the Spiro Sports Center since the start of last season with all three losses coming to teams that qualified for the postseason.
• The Seahawks also moved to 5-0 when leading with five minutes to play this season after collecting wins over SMU and Penn and are 30-1 over the last two years.
• Against the Quakers, junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) recorded his second career double-double with a personal-best 23 points and 10 rebounds while adding six assists.
• Junior Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) moved past 2008 All-NEC First Team selection Durell Vinson into fourth place on the all-time Seahawk blocked shot list and has 120 blocks. Next up for Folahan is 2003 NEC Player of the Year Jermaine Hall, who has 124 rejections. Folahan and Moody continue to lead the conference in blocks with 2.1 and 2.0 blocks per game, respectively.