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NEC Men's Basketball Release (1/7)

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Choice Hotels/Co-NEC Player of the Week
Dyami Starks, Bryant
6-2, 195lbs
So., G, Duluth, MN/Duluth East

Starks pushed the Bulldogs out to a 2-0 start in NEC play by averaging 23.5 points in a pair of road wins over Robert Morris, 84-77, and Saint Francis U, 78-58. The two-time Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week award winner scored a career-high 29 points Thursday night against RMU, hitting 9-of-17 from the field and 7-of-12 from the long range to give Bryant its first-ever victory against the Colonials. The Duluth, MN product then knocked down 18 on Saturday against the Red Flash to make it nine wins in the last 11 outings for the Bulldogs, who are ranked 25th in the College Insider Mid-Major poll. For the week, he shot 46.9% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. He also went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe and finished with 4.0 assist and 1.5 steals per game. The Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 17.9 points per game, he places fourth overall in that category among his league peers while ranking first in free throw percentage (.886) and 3-point field goals made per game (3.08).

Choice Hotels/Co-NEC Player of the Week
Earl Brown, Saint Francis U
6-6, 206lbs
So, F, Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter

Brown earned a spot in the NEC recordbook and recorded back-to-back double-doubles to help the Red Flash to a split in the opening weekend of conference play. On Thursday, the Philadelphia, PA native grabbed an astounding 25 boards in SFU’s 67-60 win over Central Connecticut, the second-most in NEC history and just one shy of the all-time record set in 1983 by LIU Brooklyn’s Carey Scurry, a former two-time NEC Player of the Year, who nabbed 26 against Marist. It also marked the most rebounds in a Division I game since 2009, when Morgan State’s Kevin Thompson captured 25 against Towson. Brown added 16 points to complete the double-double and give the Red Flash their first victory of the season.  Two nights later he recorded 12 points and 15 boards in a 78-58 setback to Bryant on Saturday.  For the week, he averaged 14.0 points and 20.0 rebounds.  In doing so, Brown pushed his season rebounding average from 3.9 to 7.1 per game, ranking him seventh in the NEC.

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

Earning his second straight Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week honor, Reed continued his stellar play of late by averaging 14.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in the Blackbirds’ first conference games of the season. During his first collegiate start on Thursday, he matched a career-high of 14 points and went 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. He then broke that mark on Saturday with 15 points at Quinnipiac, shooting 5-for-10 from the field and burying a pair of long balls. Reed also nabbed four rebounds in his 29 minutes of action. For the season, the Mesquite, TX native is averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Chapter One: Rollercoaster Opening Weekend Delivers On All Fronts

Perhaps longtime CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman summed it up best.

“The league is topsy-turvy,” Dickenman said.  “I‘m not sure how it will end up.  There are still 16 games to be played.”

This came after an opening weekend of league play that produced some interesting results, to say the least.

When the dust settled there were three 2-0 teams, including a Bryant club that went on the road to knock off Robert Morris (84-77) and Saint Francis U (78-58) in impressive fashion.  To say the Bulldogs, picked 10th in the NEC preseason poll and coming off a two-win campaign in 2011-12 , are clicking at this point would be quite the understatement.  Tim O’Shea’s troops have won nine of their last 11 games, including wins over Boston College and Lehigh, but it was the victory at perennial NEC powerhouse Robert Morris that turned heads.

“The real importance is winning on the road,” O'Shea said after his team won its fifth road game.  “The conference championship is usually determined by the team that can win on the road.  Obviously, we feel really good about our first weekend, picking up two road wins at places that are traditionally in this conference very difficult places to get wins.  We lost to Robert Morris by 53 points two years ago.  It’s pretty substantial, pretty dramatic as any turnaround in the whole country in terms of what we’ve done year over year.”

Leading the Bulldogs last week were the big three of Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) (23.5 ppg), Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) (19.5 ppg) and Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) (18.5 ppg), who combined for 123 points in the two wins.  Starks was named Choice Hotels NEC Co-Player of the Week, his second such honor of the season.

Joining Bryant at the top of the standings in the early going are Wagner and Sacred Heart. 

Built around a suffocating defense, the Seahawks limited Monmouth and FDU to 56 and 55 points, respectively, as points have been hard to come by for Wagner opponents this season.  With reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) manning the perimeter and Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) and Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) protecting the hoop – the duo rank one-two in the NEC in blocked shots - the Seahawks are allowing a league-low 60.0 ppg, eight fewer than any other club.

“Wagner is the best defensive half-court team we’ve played this year,” said FDU head coach Greg Vetrone after Saturday’s game in Staten Island.  “Bash has done a great job with them, and the fact that they have that size makes them even tougher to score against.”

Since the the start of last season, the Seahawks are 17-3 in NEC contests, and have won three straight and six-of-seven games heading into play this week.

While Wagner’s 2-0 start isn’t unexpected, injury plagued Sacred Heart came into #NECOpeningNight reeling, having lost seven straight.  But in 48 hours, any lingering doubts the Pioneers had were instantly changed to optimism after wins over LIU Brooklyn (77-73) and St. Francis Brooklyn (66-65) gave them their first 2-0 start since 2007-08.

"We hadn't won in a month and a half and going into conference play, we said it's a new season,” said Sacred Heart junior forward Louis Montes (Brockton, MA/Brockton), who pumped in a career-high 35 points in the league opener against LIU.  “The first 11 games don't matter, we are just trying to get the next 18 (NEC games).  We got the first one -- that's all that matters."

Similar to Sacred Heart, the fans in Loretto were starving for a win, and on opening night, their wish was granted as Saint Francis U knocked off CCSU, 67-60, to get on the victory board for the first time this season.  Sophomore forward Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) made sure it happened with a herculean 25-rebound effort (see note).

But just like that, CCSU bounced back two days later as NEC leading scorer Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) dropped 34 points in a 77-70 win over Robert Morris.

The week also saw two fantastic finishes involving St. Francis Brooklyn.  The Terriers won on the road at Quinnipiac, 63-61, on Thursday on a Brent Jones (Brooklyn, NY/Bedford Academy) layup with nine seconds to go.  Jones had a chance to duplicate his heroics on Saturday at Sacred Heart, but his layup attempt at the buzzer was off the mark in a 66-65 setback.

Finally, there is the case of LIU Brooklyn and Robert Morris, the teams picked one-two in the NEC preseason poll.  The undermanned Blackbirds lost a pair of close games on the road to Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac, but should be back at full strength this week, albeit without 2011-12 NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft), who is sidelined for the rest of the year with a knee injury.   Robert Morris came up short at home against Bryant and CCSU, but with a non-conference resume that includes wins over Ohio U, Cleveland State and Duquesne, and Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) starting to heat up – he averaged 23.0 ppg last week – the Colonials figure to be a force this season.

So while it was a weekend chock full of surprises, consider it a snapshot, rather than the complete picture.  The rollercoaster ride has just begun.

NEC Fast Break…News You Need To Know

Bulldogs Crack Mid-Major Poll, O'Shea Honored
It has been a season of firsts for the Bryant men's basketball program.

The Bulldogs are finally eligible for the NEC Tournament and NCAA postseason following a five-year NCAA reclassification, and it couldn't have come at a better time considering the team's success over the first two months of the 2012-13 campaign.  With a 9-2 record over their last 11 games and a 2-0 start in NEC play, the Bulldogs earned their first-ever national ranking last week, landing at #25 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll.  At the same time, head coach Tim O'Shea earned the College Insider Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year midseason honors.

Last week, Bryant earned the program's first-ever win over Robert Morris, then tied its DI record for wins in a season (nine) with Saturday's victory over Saint Francis U.

Duke of Earl
There are career games, then there is the game that Saint Francis U sophomore forward Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) turned in on Thursday.  Brown entered the game averaging 3.9 rebounds per game, but by the time the night was over, the Philly native had driven that number up to a robust 6.2 per outing with one of the most eye-popping performances in recent memory.  Brown hauled in astounding 25 boards and added 16 points on 8-10 shooting from the floor in the Red Flash's 67-60 win over CCSU.

Word of the 25-rebound performance quickly spread all over Twitter, and within moments, the ESPN Stats and Info group has tweeted the following:

Earl Brown: 25 rebounds for St. Francis (Pa.)-- the most by any D1 player in a game since Kevin Thompson had 25 for Morgan State in 2009

The 25 caroms were also the second-highest single-game total in NEC history, trailing only LIU's Carey Scurry, who recorded 26 boards against Marist on February 8, 1983.  In fact it was the first time an NEC player took down more than 21 rebounds since SFU's Emamanuel Adekunle was credited with 22 versus LIU Brooklyn on February 16, 1998.

"I figured most of my points would come from rebounds," said Brown after the game.  "I'm an energy guy and like to get the guys pumped up.  The win feels really good, but we're not going to celebrate because we have a long road ahead of us."

Brown added 15 more boards on Saturday against Bryant, and with two double-doubles, raised his season average from 3.9 to 7.1 per game, ranking him seventh in the conference.  He was named Choice Hotels NEC Co-Player of the Week.

“Earl was a kid early in the year that we had high expectations for,” said SFU head coach Rob Krimmel.  “He struggled early, kind of trying to find his niche with this team and then he gets the concussion just as he is starting to break out into the Earl Brown we’re seeing right now.  He’s a guy that plays with a passion, that plays with energy, and that has a toughness about him.”

Seeing Double? Kinu Does It Again
Forgive us if we did a double take upon glancing at FDU senior forward Kinu Rochford's (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison (Globe Institute)) stat line against Longwood last Monday.

Just two days after producing this line against a VCU team just outside the Top-25, Rochford produced similarly dazzling results in FDU's 79-71 win over Longwood.

at VCU
FG          FT         TP         REB        A        BLK      STL      MIN
12-14       6-7        30         16         4        3        2        40

at  Longwood
FG          FT         TP         REB        A        BLK      STL      MIN
12-13       8-11       32         11         2        1        0        37

Over the course of the two games, Rochford averaged 31.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 blocks and shot a remarkable 87.5 percent from the floor.  At one point, the Brooklyn native hit 21-22 from the field, a 95.5 percent success rate.

Rochford is the lone NEC player with two 30+ point outings this season, and is the first league competitor to register back-to-back 30-point games since Sacred Heart's Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) scored 30 and 34 in both ends of its Rivalry Week games versus Bryant on February 8 & 11, 2012.

Rochford leads FDU in scoring (17.2), rebounding (10.7) and field goal percentage (.578), and is the league leader with seven double-doubles.  Once he plays in two more games, he will reach the 75 percent threshold and be listed among NEC leaders.

Monster Game For Montes
Talk about taking the bull by the horns.  Having dropped seven straight games heading into its NEC opener against LIU Brooklyn on Thursday, Sacred Heart needed a spark.  Enter junior forward Louis Montes (Brockton, MA/Brockton).  The Brockton, MA product had been the most reliable player this season for the injury-riddled Pioneers, but had yet to put together a true breakout performance.  By 9:00 pm that night, consider it mission accomplished.

Montes exploded for a career-high 35 points, buoyed by a 13-17 performance from the field, as Sacred Heart opened league play with a 77-73 win over the Blackbirds.  He also added eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals, and went 2-3 from three-point range and 7-8 from the charity stripe.  Montes, whose previous career-high was a 28-point showing against Quinnipiac last January, made a host of key plays down the stretch.  He gave the Pioneers the lead back for good on a conventional three-point play with 1:55 to go, followed with two free throws and blocked two LIU shots in the final 31 seconds of a one-possession game.

The 35 points was the second-highest single-game total in an NEC game this year behind CCSU's Andrew Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)), who exploded for 40 points against Indiana on December 8.

Montes is the 12th leading scorer in the NEC with 14.0 ppg and also ranks eighth with 6.8 rpg.

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 Control Room, which debuted last week, 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
This Saturday marks the debut of the NEC's 23-game TV package.   The opener features Monmouth hosting 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.

LIU’s Jason Brickman: Top-10 Distributor
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 18 helpers in two games last week, the San Antonio native cracked the NEC career top-10 in assists, moving up four spots to eighth on the chart.  With 545 career dimes, he also passed former LIU great and All-NEC first teamer Jaytornah Wisseh (538 from 2006-10) for second on the school's career list behind Robert Cole (610 from 1979-83).

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 8.3 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. Jason Brickman                LIU                545              2010-12
9. Rob Monroe                    QU                 541              2001-05
10. Jaytornah Wisseh             LIU                538              2006-10

CCSU's Kyle Vinales: The Race To 1,000
Looking for the definition of a pure scorer?  Well then look no further than CCSU's scintillating sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School).  After averaging 23.7 ppg last week, Vinales upped his career point total to 805 in just his 42nd career game.  As the Detroit product races toward the 1,000-point mark, he has a chance to be the quickest NEC player to 1,000 since former Saint Francis U star Darshan Luckey.  Luckey reached the milestone in his 50th career game back in 2004.  For Vinales to match, he would need to average 24.4 ppg over his next eight outings.  Two-time NEC Player of the Year Charles Jones of LIU Brooklyn holds the distinction as the fastest to 1,000 in NEC history, accomplishing the feat in just 33 games from 1996-97.  Vinales will almost certainly eclipse former teammate Ken Horton, himself a former NEC Player of the Year, as the fastest Blue Devil to hit 1,000.  Horton crossed the plateau in 68 games.

QU Boardroom
If there is one thing that remains consistent year after year, it is Quinnipiac’s domination of the glass.  The Bobcats have led the NEC in rebound margin in each of the last four years and nothing has changed in 2012-13.  QU is outrebounding opponents by 7.8 per game, a figure that ranks Tom Moore’s club in the top-40 nationally.

In the first week of NEC play, the Bobcats outrebounded St. Francis Brooklyn, 56-35, in a narrow two point setback, then owned a 41-27 edge in an 82-74 triumph over LIU Brooklyn.  The 56 rebounds against the Terriers were the most in an NEC game since the Bobcats snared 61 versus LIU Brooklyn on January 7, 2012.

Junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep (CT))) is the ringleader of the glass sweeping crew, ranking second in the NEC with 8.8 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 40 games of 20+ points over the course of his career, 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 eight 20-point games.

NEC Active Leaders : 20 Point Games
Shane Gibson, SHU               40
Julian Boyd, LIU                20
Kyle Vinales, CCSU              19
Alex Francis, BRY               18
Velton Jones, RMU               16
Jamal Olasewere, LIU            16
Umar Shannon, SFU               15
Ike Azotam, QU                  9
Melquan Bolding, FDU            9
Frankie Dobbs, BRY              9
Julian Norfleet, MSM            7
Jonathon Williams, WC           7
Jalen Cannon, SFC               6
Dyami Starks, BRY               6

NEC Active Leaders: 30 Point Games
Shane Gibson, SHU               5
Kyle Vinales, CCSU              4
Melquan Bolding, FDU            2
Alex Francis, BRY               2
Velton Jones, RMU               2
Jamal Olasewere, LIU            2
Kinu Rochford, FDU              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            21.9 ppg          6th
Rebounding       Jalen Cannon                  SFC             9.9               19th
3PFG%            Lonnie Robinson               FDU             .514              20th
Assists          Jason Brickman                LIU             8.3 apg           4th
                 Phil Gaetano                  SHU             7.2 apg           9th
Steals           Matt Hunter                   CCSU            2.9 spg           10th
                 Rashad Whack                  MSM             2.7 spg           12th

FT%                                            CCSU            .781              5th
3PFG%                                          FDU             .394              19th
Steals                                         MU               10.3 spg         9th
Blocks                                         WC               5.7 bpg          16th
TOs Forced                                     MU               20.6             2nd

Best of the Week

Frankie Dobbs (BRY): 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5-8 3PFG vs. Robert Morris
Alex Francis (BRY): 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Robert Morris; 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7-13 FG vs. Saint Francis U
Dyami Starks (BRY): 29 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 9-17 FG, 7-12 3PFG vs. Robert Morris; 18 points, 5 assists vs. Saint Francis U
Matt Hunter (CCSU): 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals vs. Syracuse; 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals vs. Saint Francis U
Kyle Vinales (CCSU): 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals vs. Saint Francis U; 34 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 12-22 FG vs. Robert Morris
Melquan Bolding (FDU): 19 points, 7 rebounds, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3PFG vs. Mount St. Mary's
Kinu Rochford (FDU): 32 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 12-13 FG vs. Longwood; 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Mount St. Mary's; 16 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks vs. Wagner
Jason Brickman (LIU): 11 points, 9 assists, 0 turnovers vs. Sacred Heart; 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 7-10 FG vs. Quinnipiac
Booker Hucks (LIU): Career-high 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-13 FG vs. Sacred Heart
Andrew Nicholas (MU): 21 points, 7-12 FG, 4-7 3PFG vs. Wagner; 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals vs. Mount St. Mary’s
Kristijan Krajina (MSM): 16 points, 2 rebounds, 8-10 FG vs. FDU; 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6-8 FG vs. Monmouth
Ike Azotam (QU): 17 points, 5 rebounds, 8-10 FG vs. LIU Brooklyn
Evan Conti (QU): 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3-6 3PFG vs. LIU Brooklyn
Zaid Hearst (QU): 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Velton Jones (RMU): 24 points, 6 assists, 6 steals, 5-5 FT vs. Bryant; 22 points, 4 assists, 3 steals vs. CCSU
Phil Gaetano (SHU): 6 points, 10 assists, 2-2 3PFG vs. LIU Brooklyn; 11 points, 9 assists vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Shane Gibson (SHU): 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 9-17 FG, 3-6 3PFG vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Louis Montes (SHU): Career-high 35 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 13-17 FG, 7-8 FT vs. LIU Brooklyn
Jalen Cannon (SFC): 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6-7 FT vs. Quinnipiac; 20 points, 16 rebounds vs. Sacred Heart
Akeem Johnson (SFC): 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6-7 FG vs. Sacred Heart
Earl Brown (SFU): 16 points, career-high 25 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-11 FG vs. CCSU; 12 points, 15 rebounds, 6-11 FG vs. Bryant
Umar Shannon (SFU): 19 points, 8 assists vs. CCSU
Marcus Burton (WC): 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals vs. Monmouth
Mario Moody (WC): 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks vs. FDU
Kenneth Ortiz (WC): 22 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 8-11 FG, 2-2 3PFG vs. FDU                

By The Numbers

2 NEC losses to open the season for Robert Morris for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign.

4 turnovers for Mount St. Mary’s against FDU on Thursday matched the second fewest in a game since the Mount moved to DI in 1988-89.  The Mount had three turnovers against VMI on December 29, 1989.  It was also the fewest turnovers in an NEC game since Robert Morris committed just four against FDU on February 17, 2011.

4 straight home games upcoming for FDU after playing five straight and 12 of its first 14 on the road.

6 wins for FDU doubles the program’s 2011-12 win total.

7 of Wagner sophomore forward Mario Moody’s (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) eight buckets came on dunks last week.

8.0 rebound per game average last week for CCSU freshman forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist).  He had a career-high 11 rebounds vs. Robert Morris on Saturday.

14 points in a five and a half minute stretch in the second half for Sacred Heart senior forward Justin Swidowski (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross (Holy Family)) in Saturday's win over St. Francis Brooklyn.

16 rebounds, a season-high, for St. Francis Brooklyn sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) against Sacred Heart on Saturday.  He leads the NEC with 9.9 rpg.

19 assists against just four turnovers last week for Sacred Heart sophomore guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)).  Gaetano ranks second in the NEC with 7.2 apg.
 
20.0 ppg average last week for Monmouth sophomore guard Andrew Nicholas (Wrightsville, PA/Eastern York).

20 points, a career-high, for LIU Brooklyn senior forward Booker Hucks (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) in just 25 minutes of play against Sacred Heart last Thursday.

21.9 ppg average for CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is the best in the NEC and sixth nationally.

56 rebounds for Quinnipiac against St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday was the most in an NEC game since the Bobcats snared 61 versus LIU Brooklyn on January 7, 2012.

71.2 percent shooting - a league-leading figure - from the field this season for Mount St. Mary’s junior forward Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/ Blue Ridge School (VA)).  He hit 14-18 shots (.778) from the floor last week.

96.2, the percentage of time CCSU sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) has been on the floor for the Blue Devils this season.  He has played 510 of a possible 530 minutes.

Quotable

"We gutted it out.  I told our guys it was a test of character and how we were going to respond coming off a loss we thought we should have won. We answered the bell.” – CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman after the Blue Devils won at Robert Morris, 77-70, on Saturday

“Seniors, man. I go back to the seniors all the time.  When you have good senior leadership – Melquan Bolding has not wavered from being the captain all year, Lonnie Robinson and Kinu [Rochford] have been through the wars – I go back to when you don’t have senior leadership, it’s very difficult to win in any Division I league.  There’s no question living through winning three games last year has motivated [my seniors] all summer.  They weren’t going to let that happen again." - FDU's Greg Vetrone following his team's 72-65 win at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday

"In key situations in a game, it's like he's an automatic bucket.  We can run a play and give him the ball and we are all confident that when he touches the ball, something good is going to happen." – Mount St. Mary’s junior guard Julian Norfleet, referencing the strong play of late of junior forward Kristijan Krajina

“This was big for us for a lot of reasons.  LIU beat us in the playoffs last year.  We wanted to make a statement by beating them.  And after that loss on Thursday, this was big.” – Quinnipiac junior forward Ike Azotam on beating LIU, 82-74, on Saturday

"I sent a text to (the team) because I usually text everyone on their birthday.  So I said, `Another birthday today and I hope we celebrate (Shane Gibson's) birthday with a great team effort.'" – Sacred Heart head coach Dave Bike on the text he sent to his team prior to the Pioneers beating St. Francis Brooklyn, 66-65, on Saturday

“I was coaching and praying at the same time.  I thought I felt the hair falling out of my head.”- Wagner head coach Bashir Mason recounting the final moments of his team's narrow win over Monmouth on Thursday

“Once Mario makes his mind up that he’s going to go get a rebound or going to finish around the rim, there aren’t too many people who can stop him.  He’s really starting to get comfortable playing, and you can see it in the results.” – Wagner head coach Bashir Mason on Mario Moody, who finished with a double-double in Saturday’s 68-55 win over FDU

Tweets of the Week

Brian Ford ‏@bford1120
Bryant Wins again! 9-4, 2-0 in the conference after wins over NEC ESPN pick Robert Morris and st Francis on the road. Update bracketology!

Nelson Castillo ‏@NelCastBHJ
I see Earl Brown put in major work for SFPA last night. 16 & 25! That is some big time work on the glass! #NECMBB

CCSU Blue Devils ‏@CCSUBlueDevils
In two trips to RMU Kyle Vinales has scored 66 pts. Blue Devils get a much needed win on the road. Back home for 5 of 6. #KV3

Ryan Peters ‏@pioneer_pride
I'm a fan of @FDUKnights PF Kinu Rochford. The senior is locked in, playing hard, grabbing boards, being a leader.

Adam Finkelstein ‏@FinkelsteinNERR
Louis Montes had exactly 1 D1 offer coming out of Brockton (MA). Tonight's line - 35pts, 13-17 FG, 8 reb in win for Sacred Heart

Ryan Peters ‏@pioneer_pride
With this "any team can win any night" #NECMBB mentality, it'll be tough to rip off 4,5,6 wins in a row. Don't fall behind in an early hole!

William Paxton ‏@wspaxton
Shane Gibson with 28 as SHU improves to 2-0 in NEC ....Dave Bike leaves the court smiling!

Ryan Peters ‏@pioneer_pride
NEC teams take note: this isn't the '11 FDU Knights you remember.

Christian Hanna ‏@Christian_Hanna
@WagnerAthletics All In! All Ways! #BleedGreen

Sporty SNUMBO ‏@SNUMBOSports
Does #NECOpeningNight scoreboard make you think the league is wide open this year? If everything surprises nothing does. @necbbt @NECsports

Milestone Watch

Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea needs one more win to reach 150 for his career.

Bryant senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) is just five points shy of reaching 1,000 points in his career.  He has tallied 935 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) now has 587 career rebounds and stands in fifth place in school annals, 92 rebounds away from No. 4 Alex Blackwell.

Quinnipiac’s Tom Moore is two wins shy of 100 for his career. 

Sacred Heart senior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) needs just 24 points to reach the top-25 in NEC career scoring.  He has tallied 1,673 points as a Pioneer.

Wagner junior guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Old Farms (CT)) moved past 900 points for his career and has 906 entering play this week.

Wagner junior forward Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) blocked four shots last week to move into a tie with 2002-03 NEC Player of the Year Jermaine Hall for third place on the school's all-time blocked shot list with 124 rejections.

Active Leaders

SCORING
Shane Gibson       SHU    1673
Jamal Olasewere    LIU    1490
Julian Boyd        LIU    1467
Velton Jones       RMU    1456
Alex Francis       BRY    1158
Russell Johnson    RMU    947
Frankie Dobbs      BRY    935
Latif Rivers       WC     906
Ed Waite           MU     893
CJ Garner          LIU    878

REBOUNDING
Julian Boyd        LIU    843
Jamal Olasewere    LIU    778
Russell Johnson    RMU    627
Ed Waite           MU     587
Ike Azotam         QU     584
Alex Francis       BRY    565
Jamee Jackson      QU     445
Akeem Johnson      SFC    423
Kenny Onyechi      LIU    413
Jalen Cannon       SFC    394

ASSISTS
Jason Brickman     LIU    545
Velton Jones       RMU    472
Frankie Dobbs      BRY    346
Dave Johnson       QU     341
CJ Garner          LIU    258
Anthony Myers-Pate RMU    256
Josh Castellanos   MSM    255
Jesse Steele       MU     223
Phil Gaetano       SHU    222
Kenneth Ortiz    WC    187

Team-By-Team Notes

Bryant (9-4, 2-0 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Robert Morris (W, 84-77); Jan. 5 at Saint Francis U (W, 78-58)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Quinnipiac; Jan. 12 at Central Connecticut

• Bryant earned its first-ever national ranking, cracking the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, coming in at No. 25.
• The Bulldogs earned the program’s first-ever win over Robert Morris with a road win the NEC opener Thursday night, then tied the Division I record for wins in a season (9) with Saturday’s victory over Saint Francis U. The win over the Red Flash also set a new DI record for wins over a Division I opponent. This marks the first time Bryant has opened NEC action 2-0.
• Head coach Tim O’Shea earned the College Insider Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year midseason honors after leading Bryant to its best start at the Division I level and best non-conference mark since joining the DI ranks. He is just one win shy of the 150th of his head coaching career.
• Sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) impressed once again, scoring a career-high 29 points, including a career-best seven trifectas, in Bryant’s 84-77 win over Robert Morris on the road Thursday. Senior Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/St. Edward (Ohio U.)) also tied his career high with 26 while Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep) chipped in 18. Francis then led the Bulldogs with 21 points in a win over Saint Francis U., while Starks added 18 more to average 23.5 points per game on the weekend.
• Dobbs needs just five more points to reach 1,000 for his career.

Central Connecticut (5-8, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at #7 Syracuse (L, 96-62); Jan. 3 at Saint Francis U (L, 67-60); Jan. 5 at Robert Morris (W, 77-70)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Sacred Heart; Jan. 12 vs. Bryant

• The Blue Devils went on the road to grab their first conference win of the season at Robert Morris on Saturday night, 77-70. Central outrebounded the Colonials 36-33 including 11 from freshman Brandon Peel, a career-high.
• The Blue Devils forced 14 turnovers in the win at Robert Morris, including four steals each from junior Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Odessa JC), and sophomores Malcolm McMillan (Baltimore, MD/John Carroll) and Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School).
• With four steals each on Saturday night, Hunter and McMillan are on pace for top-10 single season steal seasons for CCSU. Hunter is averaging 2.846 steals per game, putting him on pace for 82 for the season, which would be the fourth best single-season total in CCSU history. McMillan is averaging 2.307 steals per game, putting him on pace for 67 this year, which would be the sixth-highest total.
• Vinales surpassed 800 career points in just his 42nd career game with the Blue Devils on Saturday night. He had 34 points in the win at Robert Morris. It was his fourth career 30+ point game, his 18th at 20+ and his 34th in double-figures. With all of the scoring notes for Vinales it’s easy to miss his assist numbers. Vinales now has 145 career assists in 42 career games, good for an average of 3.45 per game. He has 14 straight games with at least two assists, and 36 career games with at least two. He also has 28 games with 3+ assists, 17 games at 4+ and 10 games at 5+ assists.
• Vinales is at 805 career points and just 195 from reaching 1,000 in his career. No CCSU player has reached 1,000 career points in fewer than 68 games (Ken Horton).

Fairleigh Dickinson (6-8, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at Longwood (W, 79-71); Jan. 3 at Mount St. Mary’s (W, 72-65); Jan. 5 at Wagner (L, 68-55)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Robert Morris; Jan. 12 vs. Saint Francis U

• The Knights have played 12 of their first 14 games on the road, including five straight road games. They return home for four consecutive home contests on Thursday against Robert Morris
• This week the Knights averaged 68.7 points per game, while holding opponents to 68 points per game. The FDU total is two points higher than their season average and the opponent average is 10 points fewer than the season mark
• The senior trio of Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison), Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, NY/Bishop Stepinac) and Lonnie Robinson (Deerfield Beach, FL/Deerfield Beach) have continued to lead the Knights. Rochford is pacing the team with 17.2 points per game, while Bolding and Robinson add 14.9 and 12.9 points per game, respectively
• A win at The Mount snapped FDU’s seven game losing streak in the all-time series
• Rochford set and tied career highs in points and rebounds this week with 32 points at Longwood and 16 boards at Wagner. Last week the senior set his previous mark with 30 points at VCU
• The Knights have now doubled their win total from last season with a record of 6-8

LIU Brooklyn (5-9, 0-2 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Sacred Heart (L, 77-73); Jan. 5 at Quinnipiac (L, 82-74)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Wagner; Jan. 12 vs. Mount St. Mary’s

• Despite playing without starters Jamal Olasewere and C.J. Garner, LIU Brooklyn hung with its first two Northeast Conference opponents of the season. The Blackbirds dropped a 77-73 decision at Sacred Heart, then lost at Quinnipiac 82-74 two days later.
• Freshman E.J. Reed (Mesquite, TX/Mesquite) received the first two starts of his career and flourished, averaging 14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.0 bpg in 31.0 minutes per contest.
• Senior Booker Hucks (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) had a career night against the Pioneers, scoring a team-best 20 points off the bench in 25 minutes of play. Hucks set or tied career marks for points, rebounds (6), field-goals made (7) and field-goals attempted (13).
• Junior Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) narrowly missed out on a pair of double-doubles over the week. Brickman went for 11 points and nine assists in 39 minutes of play against Sacred Heart, and scored 16 points while also dishing out nine assists against Quinnipiac. The 6-0 guard turned the ball over just four times in 76 minutes played.
• Kenny Onyechi (Sugar Land, TX/Kempner) had the best game of his senior campaign against one of the most formidable lines in the NEC on Saturday. Onyechi, a 6-6 forward, scored 16 points and pulled down five rebounds while also helping to get the Bobcat big men in foul trouble.
• Brickman passed Jaytornah Wisseh (2006-10) for second place on LIU Brooklyn’s career assists list. Brickman has totaled 545 dimes for his career and stands 65 away from the top spot currently held by Robert Cole (1979-83).

Monmouth (5-10, 0-2 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Dec. 31 at Fordham (L, 82-71); Jan. 3 at Wagner (L, 60-56); Jan. 5 at Mount St. Mary’s (L, 71-59)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Saint Francis U; Jan. 12 vs. Robert Morris (NEC-TV)

• Monmouth has opened 0-2 in the NEC for a second straight year. The Hawks, who opened the season 5-3 overall, have lost seven straight to fall to 5-10 overall.
• Dion Nesmith (Union, NJ/Union (Northeastern)) registered a career-high six assists at Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.
• Ed Waite (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pine Crest) now stands alone in 21st place all-time in games played with 108.
• Waite now has 587 career rebounds and stands in fifth place, 92 rebounds away from Alex Blackwell.

Mount St. Mary's (6-7, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (L, 72-65); Jan. 5 vs. Monmouth (W, 71-59)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 at St. Francis Brooklyn; Jan. 12 at LIU Brooklyn

• Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge School (VA)) has scored in double figures in each of the past three games, averaging 15.0 points while hitting 20-of-28 (.714) over that stretch. He leads the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage at 71.2 percent this year. He is averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
• The Mount held Monmouth to 37.5 percent shooting in the 71-59 victory on Saturday. It was the first time this season the Mount has held an opponent under 48 percent shooting in the game.
• Mount St. Mary’s had four turnovers against Fairleigh Dickinson, matching the second fewest in a game since the Mount moved to NCAA Division I in 1988-89. The Mount had three turnovers against VMI on Dec. 29, 1989.
• Kelvin Parker (York, PA/William Penn) had his best game of the year against Monmouth, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 25 minutes of action. Prior to the game, Parker had scored just 12 points in 55 minutes all season.
• The Mountaineers improved to 4-1 at home this year with the win over Monmouth. The Mount is 38-20 over its past 58 games at Knott Arena.

Quinnipiac (5-8, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (L, 63-61); Jan. 5 vs LIU Brooklyn (W, 82-74)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 At Bryant; Jan. 12 Vs. Sacred Heart

• Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, MD/Salisbury (CT)) averaged 10.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the two games this past weekend, including his second career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds against St. Francis Brooklyn
• Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) and Evan Conti (Bayside, NY/Holy Cross) accounted for 24 of Quinnipiac 50 points in the second half against LIU. Azotam led all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while Conti chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds, falling one board shy of his first career double-double
• Azotam passed Bill Romano ‘02 (580) for second on Quinnipiac’s Division I rebounding list
• The Bobcats grabbed a season-high 56 rebounds against St. Francis Brooklyn (1/3). It was the highest rebound total since Quinnipiac set the program record with 61 rebounds against LIU Brooklyn last season
• Head coach Tom Moore picked up career win No. 98 against LIU on Saturday afternoon, now just two shy of 100.

Robert Morris (8-7, 0-2 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Bryant (L, 84-77); Jan. 5 vs. Central Connecticut (L, 77-70)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 at Fairleigh Dickinson; Jan. 12 at Monmouth (NEC-TV)

• Robert Morris fell to 0-2 in the Northeast Conference for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign with a pair of league losses last week, dropping an 84-77 decision to Bryant before Central Connecticut State earned a 77-70 win over the Colonials.
• RMU is 0-2 to start the NEC slate with both losses coming at home for the first time in school history, while the losses to the Bulldogs and Blue Devils marked the program’s first back-to-back league losses at home since the 2004-05 season.
• Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) averaged 23.0 points and 5.0 assists in two games last week, scoring a season-high 24 points against Bryant and 22 vs. Central Connecticut State ... Jones is RMU’s active leader in 20+ point scoring games with 16.
• Junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Glen Oaks Community College) averaged 14.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in the two games last week, hitting 57.9 percent (11-for-19) of his shots from the field, including 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from deep.
• Redshirt senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) averaged 6.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games last week, grabbing a season-high eight rebounds vs. Central Connecticut.

Sacred Heart (4-9, 2-0 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. LIU Brooklyn (W, 77-73); Jan. 5 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (W, 66-65)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 at Central Connecticut; Jan. 12 at Quinnipiac

• The Pioneers start the NEC season 2-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season. That year, they went 13-5 in league play and advanced to the NEC title game. SHU snapped a five-game skid against LIU Brooklyn and a three-game slide against St. Francis Brooklyn with their wins this week.
• Coming off their worst offensive performance of the season in the loss at George Washington, the Pioneers responded with their best shooting day of the season to beat LIU Brooklyn on Thursday. The Pioneers shot a season worse 23.7 percent (14-59) at GW but bounced back with a 52.7 percent (29-54) night on Thursday. All five Pioneer starters hit a three in the win as SHU finished nine-of-17 from behind the arc.
• Junior Louis Montes (Brockton, MA/Brockton) turned in a career night, scoring 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting, all career-best marks. Montes also had eight rebounds, five offensive, two assists, two steals and two blocks that came in the final 31 seconds to solidify the win.
• For the fourth 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 just two turnovers against LIU. He dished 10 assists in games this season against La Salle, Stony Brook and Lafayette. He came back on Saturday to score a season-high 11 points and pass out nine assists against just two turnovers.
• Senior Justin Swidowski (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross) broke a streak of six-straight games without scoring double digits by netting all of his 14 points in a five and a half minute stretch in the second half of Saturday’s win over SFC.
• Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) had his second highest scoring day of the season with 28 in the win over SFC. Gibson had 29 in the season-opening win over Yale.

St. Francis Brooklyn (5-8, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 at Quinnipiac (W, 63-61); Jan. 5 at Sacred Heart (L, 66-65)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 vs. Mount St. Mary’s; Jan. 12 at Wagner

• St. Francis Brooklyn opened the NEC slate with a split on the road last week in Connecticut. The Terriers defeated Quinnipiac (63-61) and fell at Sacred Heart (66-65).
• Sophomore guard Brent Jones (Brooklyn, NY/Bedford Academy) had an opportunity to provide the Terriers with back-to-back game-winning layups, but his coast-to-coast drive came up just short at the buzzer at Sacred Heart. Two nights earlier, Jones came up with a steal and a layup with nine seconds left to give the Terriers the victory at Quinnipiac. It was one of a career-high five steals on the night for the point guard. St. Francis got 15 points off the bench from Travis Nichols (Brooklyn, NY/Food & Finance). It was the Terriers third straight regular-season victory against the Bobcats.
• Sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Alllen) enjoyed another impressive week, averaging 17.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. Cannon, who is second in the NEC with six “double-doubles,” produced 20 points and a season-high 16 caroms against Sacred Heart. He also came up with a game saving rejection with two seconds left in the victory at Quinnipiac. Cannon is 5th in the league in scoring (17.2 ppg.) and leads the circuit in rebounding at 9.9 per game. He’s also 2nd in field goal percentage (.607).
• Sophomore P.J. Santavenere (Middletown, CT/Middletown) is averaging 7.7 points in 16.0 minutes off the bench over his last three contests. The shooting guard has hit 5-of-10 3-pointers during the stretch.
• St. Francis is 3-2 in games decided by four or less points this season. The Terriers last three contests have been decided by two or less points.

Saint Francis U (1-12, 1-1 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Central Connecticut (W, 67-60); Jan. 5 vs. Bryant (L, 78-58)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 at Monmouth; Jan. 12 at Fairleigh Dickinson

• Earl Brown’s (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) 25 boards vs. Central Connecticut, which matched the most in a Division I game since Dec. 22, 2009, was also the second-highest total in NEC history.
• With 19 and 13 points vs. CCSU and Bryant, respectively, Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) earned double-digit scoring totals for the eighth and ninth times over the past 10 games.
• Rookie forward Stephon Mosely (West Orange, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), who entered the week as SFU’s leading rebounder, pulled down 12 boards over the past two games. He registered his third double-digit scoring output of the season on Saturday with 10 points.
• On Thursday, SFU used a starting lineup in consecutive games for only the third time this season; On Saturday it ran out the same starting five for a season-high third straight game.
• If the current Red Flash starting lineup holds up, Saint Francis will boast the youngest in the Northeast Conference (Fr., Fr., So., So. Jr.). CCSU is the second youngest (So., So., So., Jr., Sr.).

Wagner (8-5, 2-0 NEC)

Last Week’s Games: Jan. 3 vs. Monmouth (W, 60-56); Jan. 5 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (W, 68-55)
This Week’s Games: Jan. 10 at LIU Brooklyn; Jan. 12 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn

• Wagner (8-5) opened conference play with a 60-56 win over Monmouth (1/3) and a 68-55 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (1/5), as the Seahawks have now won four-straight games over each team since the start of the 2010-2011 season.
• Junior Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block per game and sophomore Mario Moody (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) notched 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game to lead the way for Wagner.
• The Seahawks have now won three-straight and six-of-seven.
• Since the the start of last season, the Green & White is 17-3 in NEC contests.
• Wagner is 7-0 this season and 32-1 over the last two years when leading with five minutes to play ... Defensively, the Seahawks are 6-0 when limiting teams to less than 60 points this year and 15-0 over the last two seasons.
• Wagner has now won 10-straight games against schools from New Jersey and is 9-1 in January over the last two years.
• Seven of Moody’s eight field goals were dunks on the week.
• Bashir Mason became just the second coach in school history (Dan Hurley) to win his first NEC game and picked up his second win against a North Carolina graduate (King Rice, Larry Brown) as the Seahawks improved to 19-13, all-time, in conference openers.
• Junior Naofall Folahan (Cotonou, Republic of Benin/Wilbraham & Monson Academy (MA)) blocked four shots on the week to move into a tie with 2003 NEC Player of the Year Jermaine Hall for third place on the school’s all-time blocked shot rankings.
• Classmate Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Old Farms (CT)) scored eight points to go over 900 for his career and now has 906.
• Folahan (27) and Moody (25) each have more blocks than than Monmouth (23), Mount St. Mary’s (19) and Bryant (17).