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TERRIER DEFENSE SHOWS SOME BITE
 
St. Francis Brooklyn has been the surprise team of the year thus far in the NEC with a 7-5 record in non-league play, including a win over Miami and close lose to unbeaten Syracuse.
 
How have the Terriers turned things around?
 
The arrival of superb freshmen Sheldon Hagigal (Westbury, NY/West Oaks Academy) and Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, NY/South Shore) has led to a deeper and more athletic St. Francis Brooklyn lineup, but it is the team’s commitment on the defensive end of the floor that has made the Terriers stand out from the pack.
 
SFBK currently leads the NEC in scoring defense (63.3 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.403) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.291), and ranks second in blocked shots (4.33/game).  The Terriers are also the NEC’s top-ranked team in rebound margin (+0.9/game).
 
The last time a team ranked first in the NEC in the three major defensive statisical categories was back in 2001-02 when CCSU led the league in scoring defense (63.1), field goal percentage defense (.414) and three-point percentage defense (.308).
 
Opposing teams have cracked 70 points just three times in 12 games against the Terriers this season.  And with so much quickness on the perimeter, opponents are making just 3.7 three-pointers per game on the year.  No other NEC team is permitting under five 3PFG per outing.
 
BULLDOGS LIGHT UP MSG                             
Call it a Bulldog takeover of MSG.
 
With hundreds of students and scores of alumni in the stands for Bryant-Delaware at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, it sounded at times more like a raucous home game at the Chace than a neutral court game 180 miles away.
 
It didn’t appear anything could top the Ohio State-Notre Dame game that preceded it, with the Buckeyes making an unbelievable comeback in the final 90 seconds for the win.  But for those fans that stayed, and those that arrived specifically to see the Bulldogs and Blue Hens tangle, they were treated to one of the most exciting games of the year.
 
While the Bulldogs fell 108-107 in overtime, it was a night to remember for the program and those associated with the University.
 
“I thought we played well, nothing to be ashamed of,” said head coach Tim O’Shea.  “It was a great effort against a very good CAA team that a lot of people picked to win that league.  It could have gone either way, a bounce here, a shot here.  Great night for Bryant to be playing here in Madison Square Garden and to play such a competitive game.”
 
First and foremost, the two stars of the game in the World’s Most Famous Arena were Bryant junior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) and senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)). 
 
Starks matched his career-high with 35 points, hitting a remarkable 8-9 shots from long range.  It marked his NEC-high fourth 30-point game of the season, and he set a new personal-best and Bryant DI record for made three-pointers.  The Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week also added a season-high eight rebounds and three assists. 
 
“It’s tough to lose, don’t get me wrong, but to play here is once in a lifetime,” said Starks.  “It goes without saying, this was unbelievable, just having the atmosphere of coming down here walking through the tunnels where the players are.”
Francis, who sent the game into OT on a layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, finished with a season-best 32 points, hitting 11-18 from the floor to go along with eight boards.
 
It marked the first time two NEC players scored 30 points in the same game since LIU Brooklyn’s Jamal Olasewere scored 33 and CJ Garner hit for 30 in a win over Quinnipiac in the 2013 NEC Tournament quarterfinals.
 
How rare is it in the NEC that two teammates score 30 points in the same game?
 
Beside the LIU duo, CCSU’s Ken Horton (30) and Robby Ptacek (30) did it in an 82-80 overtime win over Sacred Heart on December 3, 2011, but prior to that it hadn’t been accomplished in nearly six years.  Back on February 21, 2005, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Tamien Trent (36) and Gordon Klaiber (34) each hit the 30-point mark in a 110-103 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
BRICKMAN HITS YET ANOTHER MILESTONE
Another week, another milestone for LIU Brooklyn senior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark).
 
On Saturday, he cracked the NCAA top-25 in career assists with six dimes against Temple.  Now up to 826 for his career, he passed Siena’s Ronald Moore, who dished for 823 for the Saints from 2006-10.  By the end of 2013, Brickman will likely reach 22nd on the all-time chart with 1,000 still a possibility for the San Antonio native.
 
NCAA Career Assist Leaders
21. Anthony Manuel (Bradley)        855     1985-89
22. Pooh Richardson (UCLA)          833     1985-89
23. Chirs Thomas (Notre Dame)       833     2001-05
24. Butch Moore (SMU)               828     1982-86
25. Jason Brickman (LIU)            826     2010-14
 
Only three players in the history of the NCAA have made it to 1,000 assists.  Duke’s Bobby Hurley is first with 1,076, followed by NC State’s Chris Corchiani (1,038) and UNC’s Ed Cota (1,030).  To get there in the regular season, Brickman would need to average 9.67 per game.  He currently leads the nation with 9.73 apg, more than two assists ahead of UMass’ Chaz Williams and Penn State’s Tim Frazier (7.5 apg).
 
BRYANT’S FRANCIS BREAKS INTO TOP-25 ON NEC CAREER SCORING CHART
Bryant senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep) continues to rocket up the NEC career scoring chart and enters play this week with 1,713 points, tops among active players in the conference and 23rd all-time.  He could enter the top-20 in his next game, needing to pass Mount’s Jeremy Goode (1,716), Quinnipiac’s James Johnson (1,729) and CCSU’s Corsley Edwards (1,731).
 
Francis is also 18th on the league’s all-time rebounding list and has pulled down 811 in his career. 
 
He is one of five players in NEC history to reach 1,700 points and 800 boards in his career.  The New York City product has a chance to become the first player in conference annals to finish with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. 
 
Francis currently ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (17.2, sixth), rebounding (6.4, third), field goal percentage (.570, 1st) and blocks (1.0, ninth).
 
NOT LUCKY...JUST GOOD
NEC Trivia: Who is the only NEC player to rank in the top-10 in each of the three shooting categories?
 
That would be Robert Morris junior forward Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony).  Jones ranks second in three-point percentage (.432), fourth in free throw shooting (.833) and eighth in field goal percentage (.484).
 
How rare a feat is this?  The last NEC player to finish the year in the top-10 of all three categories was fellow Colonial Chaz McCrommon, who ended the 2003-04 campaign eighth in free throw (.773) and three-point (.397) shooting, and tenth in field goal accuracy (.520).  The only other player to turn the trick since 1997 was FDU’s Elijah Allen, who was third in free throw percentage (.800), fourth in three-point shooting (.425) and seventh in field goal percentage (.495) in 1997-98.
 
BIG GAME NORFLEET
Mount St. Mary’s gave Penn State quite a scare in a 92-82 setback on Sunday, and not suprisingly, senior guard Julian Norfleet (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) was at the top of his game.
 
Norfleet finished with 22 points and seven assists for the Mountaineers, who led by as many as seven in the second half and were tied with the Nittany Lions with 3:30 to play.
 
You could say it was just another day at the office for the Virginia Beach native, who has been remarkably consistent this season and excelled against top-flight competition.  Norfleet has scored in double digits in all 11 games this year, including 19 vs. West Virginia, 15 vs. Villanova, 17 vs. BYU and 13 vs. Michigan State.
 
Norfleet is averaging 21.3 points and 6.0 assists over his last three games to lift his season averages to 18.9 ppg and 5.6 apg, both second in the NEC.     
 
FRESHMAN TAKEOVER
How impactful is the NEC’s freshman class?
 
A quick look reveals that the league’s first-year players rank in the top-15 of a host of NEC statistical categories.
 
Category          Name                Team         Stats        Ranking
Rebounding        Wayne Martin        SFBK          5.8         5th
                  Dan Garvin          BRY           5.5         8th
FG%               Wayne Martin        SFBK         .506         4th
Assists           Malik Harmon        SFU           3.6         9th
Steals            Sheldon Hagigal     SFBK          1.25        10th
                  Matt MacDonald      FDU           1.08        12th
3PFG%             Byron Ashe          MSM           .378        12th
3PFG              Will Miller         MSM           1.73        12th
Blocks            Amdy Fall           SFBK          1.50        2nd
                  Dan Garvin          BRY           1.31        4th
                  Wayne Martin        SFBK          1.0         9th
A/TO Ratio        Malik Harmon        SFU           1.90        6th
 
MILESTONE WIN AT “THE CHUCK”
RMU’s 72-61 victory over Campbell last Wednesday was the program’s 250th all-time victory at the Charles L. Sewall Center.  The Colonials are now 250-126 (.665) all-time at “The Chuck.”
 
LIU’S DOUBLE-DIGIT BRIGADE
Talk about balanced scoring.
 
LIU Brooklyn currently sports five players averaging double-digits, all between 11.4 and 12.3 ppg.  Over the first 11 games of the year, six different LIU players have earned team-high scoring honors.
 
The only NEC teams over the last 15 years to have five players average in double digits?  That would be Wagner in 1999-00 and 2007-08, St. Francis Brooklyn in 2001-02 and Quinnipiac in 2001-02.
 
ON THE NATIONAL LEADERBOARD
Below are a list of NEC players who rank in the top-20 nationally in various statistical categories.
 
Category          Name               Team         Stats            Ranking
Scoring           Dyami Starks       BRY          22.8 ppg         11th
Assists           Jason Brickman     LIU          9.7 apg          1st
3PFG/Game         Dyami Starks       BRY          3.58/game        9th
                  Karvel Anderson    RMU          3.38/game        16th
 
VINALES, FRANCIS, STARKS STAR IN STELLAR NUMBERS GAME
In the “stellar games” category, CCSU junior guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is at the top of the list.  Vinales has racked up 33 games of 20+ points over the course of his career, three more than Bryant senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)).  Vinales has also tallied eight games of 30+ points, also a league-leading mark among active players.  This season, Bryant junior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) has hit the 30-point mark on four occasions and the 20-point plateau seven times, both NEC-highs.
 
NEC Active Leaders: 20 Point Games
Kyle Vinales, CCSU           33
Alex Francis, BRY            29
Julian Boyd, LIU             20
Dyami Starks, BRY            19
Latif Rivers, WC             16
Julian Norfleet, MSM         14
Karvel Anderson, RMU         10
Jalen Cannon, SFBK           9
Louis Montes, SHU            9
Ben Mockford, SFBK           7
Rashad Whack, MSM            7
 
NEC Active Leaders: 30 Point Games
Kyle Vinales, CCSU           8
Dyami Starks, BRY            4
Alex Francis, BRY            3
 
NEC NOTABLES
 
• CCSU junior guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) had 20 points, including a season-high six three pointers against Coastal Carolina on Saturday.  Vinales, who is fourth in the league with 17.9 ppg, lifted his career point total to 1,348, third among active NEC players and 14th all-time at CCSU.
 
• In five games during the month of December, Robert Morris junior forward Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) is averaging 19.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg while shooting 57.9 percent (33-57) from the field, including 57.1 percent (16-28) from deep, and 85.0 percent (17-20) at the free-throw line.  Last week, he averaged 22.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg, tallying 18 points and five rebounds in a 72-61 win over Campbell on Wednesday, before scoring a career-high 27 points in a 100-94 setback to Oakland on Sunday.
 
• Robert Morris freshman guard Kavon Stewart (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) averaged 8.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and 2.5 spg last week.  He set career-highs with 11 points and nine assists at Oakland on Sunday.
 
• Sacred Heart senior forward Mostafa Abdel Latif (Alexandria, Egypt/Arab Academy) recorded his first career double-double on Sunday with career-highs of 15 points and 13 rebounds against Radford.  He also pulled down 10 rebounds a day earlier against UNLV.
 
• St. Francis Brooklyn junior forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) finished with 19 points and nine boards in a 65-62 win over Lafayette on Thursday.  Cannon is tenth in the NEC in scoring (14.3 ppg), second in rebounding (8.1) and seventh in field goal percentage (.484).
 
• Saint Francis U junior forward Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) is averaging 15.0 ppg and 12.5 rpg over the last four outings.  He leads the NEC with 9.7 rpg.
 
• Wagner senior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) has been outstanding over his last five games, averaging 15.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.0 spg per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the line.  He dropped 18 points at La Salle on Thursday, adding four assists and a pair of rebounds.

NEC NUMBERS

Bryant cracked the 100-point mark against Delaware on Saturday for the first time since posting 103 against Quinnipiac on January 10, 2012.  The Bulldogs shot 56.9 percent from the floor and 61.1 percent from three-point range (11-18).
 
Bryant has played four teams ranked in the top-40 of the RPI rankings: Ohio State (12), Harvard (19), Gonzaga (27) and North Dakota State (35).  The Bulldogs are 89th in the RPI rankings.
 
CCSU attempted 31 3PFG against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, the most in a game since a loss to Syracuse on the road last season.  The Blue Devils had attempted 34 treys in the last three games combined entering Saturday.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson senior guard Sidney Sanders Jr. has scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games and six times in 13 contests this season.
 
After playing at Columbia on Saturday, Fairleigh Dickinson finished its non-conference road schedule having logged approximately 7,572 miles of travel.  And after playing 17 games in 17 days (Nov. 23 to Dec. 9), FDU will play only two games from Dec. 10 to Jan. 5.
 
LIU Brooklyn suffered through its worst shooting performance in almost four years in its loss to Temple on Saturday.  The Blackbirds shot just 28.8 percent from the floor, the lowest since hitting 27.3 percent against Robert Morris on January 28, 2010.
 
The 15-day break for Mount St. Mary’s prior to playing at Penn State on Sunday was the program’s longest since a 15-day hiatus in 2002.
 
The 94 points Robert Morris scored at Oakland on Sunday marked the most points scored in a game in the four years Andrew Toole has led the Colonials, while the 100 points allowed were also the most points yielded under Toole.
 
Saint Francis U junior guard Dominique Major matched career-highs with 16 points and five 3PFG off the bench in a 59-49 loss at Drexel on Sunday.
 
With 10 more points, Wagner senior guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth (Avon Old Farms (CT))) will become just the fourth Seahawk to crack the 1,300-point plateau since the turn of the century (Jermaine Hall, Dedrick Dye and Mark Porter).
 
QUOTABLE
 
“You know we’re going into Christmas with a winning record.  We’ve lost some tough ones.  I think we’re right where we need to be.  I think we can really make something happen here, especially when we get to conference play.  We’re just looking to keep getting better and I really think we can do some things here.” - Bryant junior guard Dyami Starks
 
“It’s a disappointing loss and we need to make sure we find a game or games to offset it.  We need to get a couple of tough wins.  I’m pretty optimistic and positive that we will.” - CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman following a three-point setback to Coastal Carolina on Saturday
 
“Columbia was very good all day, and we just never got anything going.  We couldn’t buy a basket in the first half.  We have a number of games at home coming up after the holidays, and we need to get into the Rothman Center and establish a home-court presence.  I really cannot remember when our last home game was.” - FDU head coach Greg Herenda after a setback at Columbia on Saturday
 
“Energy, basically.  That’s all he (Andrew Toole) told us -- bring energy.  We knew we were better than them.  Once we started bringing our energy and started having a little more fun out there, that’s when we started to pull away.” - RMU junior forward Lucky Jones after a 72-61 win over Campbell on Wednesday.
 
“The difference was we came out flat at Rider, and tonight we played hard.  In the last game, we had no push.  This time we just let them get off to a big start and you can’t do that against a team like this.  For us, the big thing is to keep trying to get better every day so we’re ready for the conference.  Those are the games we have to win to get to the tournament, and that our goal.” - Wagner senior guard Kenneth Ortiz following a loss at La Salle on Thursday
 
TWEET DECK
 
Ronald Machtley @BryantUprez
No president could be more proud of his team and our fans who traveled far. 1 pt it could have gone either way.
 
Tyler Holden @MrTHolden
Stoked to have my bulldogs playing on the big stage at MSG #BulldogNation #W
 
Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon
Most popular people at MSG right now. 1. @BryantUprez 2. Dyami Starks 3. Anyone named O’Shea #BulldogMSGTakeover #NECMBB #NECinNYC
 
Mally Balboa. @MallyTheKid (Jamal Olasewere)
Brickman for president !! Shoutout my blackbirds!
 
Ronny F. Rios @ronnyfrios
Holy crap. Thank the man upstairs fir #NECfrontRow @NECsports and Mr. Gerrell Martin #BlackbirdNation @LIUBasketball @LIUAthletics
 
Jim Hoffman @SFBK_JimH
What a finish!! Isailovic trey in final second gives #SFBKMBB 65-62 win over Lafayette! #TerrierPride
 
Greg Thompson @gregthompson27
If you see a #BKsports D1 hoops game, you’re gonna see a crazy ending. Isailovic banks a 3 with 0.7 left to give @SFBKTerriers a 65-62 win.
 
John Templon @nybuckets
And for the second night in a row a Brooklyn team hits a game-winner with 0.7 seconds remaining. Alex Isailovic for 3!!!! #NECMBB
 
boca . @mboca10
this mount st.marys vs penn state game is POPPIN !! Sam Prescott . Dj Newbill . John Johnson #Philly
 
Pipe @ThePi_Piper
This guy Julian Norfleet is ballin.. Talkin bout team on his bak.. If they win it’s because of him