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CCSU COMEBACK ENDS RMU PERFECTION
On a day that saw a buzzer-beater, an overtime affair and a slew of clutch performance, Saturday’s Central Connecticut at Robert Morris game didn’t appear all that special 30+ minutes into the contest.
With an opportunity to become one of the rare teams to start the year 8-0 in NEC play, Robert Morris appeared to be cruising, but a furious rally saw CCSU rally from 18 down in the final eight minutes of the second half to post a 74-73 win over the first place Colonials. Freshman guard Matt Mobley (Worcester, MA/St. Peter Marian (Worcester Academy)) was the hero, drawing the foul and hitting a pair free throws with 2.2 seconds left on the clock for the victory.
Mobley, who was tabbed Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week for the second straight week, scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 6:30 and junior guard Malcolm McMillan (Baltimore, MD/John Carroll) scored nine points in the final 2:14 as the Blue Devils completed the comeback win. Down 10, McMillan went 4-4 from the floor and assisted on the other two CCSU baskets as the Blue Devils went 6-7 from the field and 2-2 from the line in the last three minutes of the game. For the game, CCSU was 13-13 from the charity stripe.
CCSU has now beaten Robert Morris (7-1) and preseason NEC favorite Wagner (4-4) on the road for its two conference wins this season.
The improbable comeback prompted this tweet from an obviously proud CCSU AD:
Paul Schlickmann @PaulSchlickmann
Exceptional MBB effort & come back road win @RMU. Very Happy our guys
earned a reward for continuing to play hard. #NoExcuses #GoBlueDevils
Despite the setback, Robert Morris remains in good shape with a one game lead over Bryant (6-2) in the NEC standings. By virtue of a 79-76 win over the Bulldogs in a nationally televised tilt on Thursday, the Colonials swept the season series and now own the tiebreaker over their Rhode Island rivals.
Though RMU fell one game short, here are the list of NEC teams in recent years who have raced out to 8-0 starts.
Team Year Start Finish
UMBC 1998-99 15-0 17-3
CCSU 1999-00 12-0 15-3
LIU Brooklyn 2011-12 8-0 16-2
NAILBITERS
Of the 20 NEC games contested since January 23, only two have been decided by ten or more points and ten have been decided by four or fewer points. The average margin of victory in these games has been 6.0 points.
BRYANT STAR WATCH
There have been some great one-two punches in NEC basketball in recent years.
Who can forget LIU Brooklyn’s Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere? Or how about RMU’s Velton Jones and Russell Johnson? CCSU’s Ken Horton and Robby Ptacek also come to mind.
But over the last two years, Bryant’s Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) and Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East) take a back seat to no one.
Starks (20.1) and Francis (19.7) are currently tied with Louisiana Lafayette’s Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long for the second-highest scoring duo in the country, combining for 39.8 ppg. Only VMI’s QJ Peterson & Rodney Glasgow (40.2) average more.
Starks and Francis could go down as the NEC’s highest scoring duo since LIU Brooklyn Charles Jones (29.0) and Mike Campbell (19.7) combined for 48.7 ppg in 1997-98. The St. Francis Brooklyn duo of Steven Howard (20.2) and Richy Dominguez (19.1) totaled 39.5 ppg and ranked one-two in the NEC in scoring in 2000-01.
Starks currently ranks first in the league and Francis third in point production.
RMU’s LUCKY JONES JOINS NEC 1,000-POINT CLUB
Membership continues to swell in the NEC’s 1,000-point club.
On Saturday, Robert Morris senior guard Lucky Jones (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony) reached the milestone, making him the 22nd player in RMU history and one of 193 players in NEC annals who have scored 1,000 points. He reached the plateau on a layup with 12:07 to play in the first half and finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds on the day against CCSU. It was his fourth double-double of the season and sixth of his career. With 1,015 points and 566 rebounds, Jones is one of 13 players in RMU’s DI history to reach 1,000 points and 500 boards in his career.
Jones is one of nine current NEC players who have reached 1,000 while playing at conference schools. Next in line to hit the milestone figures to be St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Ben Mockford (Shoreham-by-Sea, England/Oak Hill Academy), who has 927 points at St. Francis Brooklyn and 959 for his career, and Bryant senior guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia/Sacred Heart College), who has tallied 930 points. Additionally, Bryant junior guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) has already hit 1,000 in his career, with 991 of those points coming at Bryant.
NEC MONTH-BY-MONTH LEADERS
With January coming to a close, here are the leaders in various statistical categories on a month-by-month basis for the 2013-14 season.
November December January
Scoring Dyami Starks, BRY (23.2) Sidney Sanders, Jr., FDU (22.0) Alex Francis, BRY (24.9)
Rebounding Earl Brown, SFU (8.1) Earl Brown, SFU (12.2) Alex Francis, BRY (9.6)
Jalen Cannon, SFBK (8.1)
Assists Jason Brickman, LIU (9.6) Jason Brickman, LIU (10.3) Jason Brickman, LIU (9.9)
*FG% Alex Francis, BRY (.638) Scooter Gillette, FDU (.700) Mostafa Abdel-Latif, SHU (.646)
*3PFG% Mustafaa Jones, FDU (.480) Lucky Jones, RMU (.500) Matt MacDonald, FDU (.537)
*FT% Marcus Burton, WC (1.000) Taylor Danaher, MSM (1.000) Sam Prescott, MSM (1.000)
Gerrell Martin, LIU (1.000)
3PFG Karvel Anderson, RMU (3.4) Dyami Starks, BRY (3.9) Ben Mockford, SFBK (3.9)
Steals Matt Hunter, CCSU (2.4) Corey Maynard, BRY (2.1) Sidney Sanders, Jr., FDU (2.5)
Blocks Naofall Folahan, WC (1.9) Naofall Folahan, WC (3.8) Brandon Peel, CCSU (3.0)
* Minimums: FG - 3.0/game, FT - 2.0/game, 3PFG - 2.0/game
SAM THE MAN: MOUNT’S MR. CLUTCH
He scored just 15 points in two games, but did anyone have a better week than Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Sam Prescott (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter (Marist))?
After being held scoreless the entire game against FDU on Thursday, Prescott hit a game-tying three-pointer with 5.4 seconds left to send the game into OT. He then started the extra session with a conventional three-point play to give the Mount a lead it would not relinquish, and hit a key layup to give his team some breathing room with just under three minutes to play.
“You don’t think about it. At that moment, you know we’re down, you know we need a couple plays but you don’t think about missing, you just shoot it,” said head coach Jamion Christian on Prescott taking the big shot. “You practice every day for this.”
But that was just the appetizer.
Two days later, the Mountaineers found themselves tied up with LIU Brooklyn late in the game after the Blackbirds’ E.J. Reed (Dallas, TX/Mesquite) banked in a trifecta with nine seconds remaining. The Mount worked the ball up the court, and senior guard Julian Norfleet (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) found Prescott wide open on the left wing. The Philadelphia native squared up and calmly drilled a three-pointer with just 0.3 seconds on the clock for the win in a wild game that ended when a 50-foot heave by LIU’s Iverson Fleming (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) was waved off at the buzzer. Prescott, who had been held in check on a hot three-point shooting afternoon for Mount St. Mary’s, finished with seven points.
ANOTHER GAME WINNER! WELCOME BACK WAYNE
On a Saturday replete with clutch performances and fantastic finishes, St. Francis Brooklyn received a welcome return to form from one of its early season heroes.
Freshman forward Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, NY/South Shore) came off the bench on Saturday to produce his third game-winning bucket of the season as he drove the lane and kissed a high-arching shot off the glass with 24 seconds left in the extra session of a 73-72 win over Wagner. Martin, who had not had a double-figure scoring game since December 1st at Stony Brook, hit 6-12 shots to equal his season-high of 17 points in 24 minutes of action. Defensively, Martin tied his career-high with nine boards and swatted seven shots, the most by a Terrier this season. Two of those rejections came on the final sequence of the game to preserve the victory. He also tossed in a pair of steals.
“You have to work hard and earn it,” Martin said after the win. “Today I was physically and mentally ready to play and that’s what happens.”
Earlier this season, Martin produced game-winning buckets in a 59-57 win over Florida Atlantic and 70-68 victory over Stony Brook, which ended on his tip-in with 1.5 seconds to play. Martin is averaging 7.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and is shooting 50.4 percent from the field on the year.
NEC-TV GOES NATIONAL THIS WEEK
A big week of NEC-TV is on tap with three games set to invade your living room.
Thursday features doubleheader action beginning with a national broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN3 emanating from the Steinberg Wellness Center as LIU Brooklyn renews its rivalry with Robert Morris. Tip is set for 7:00 pm with former NEC commentator Kevin Connors handling play-by-play and Bob Valvano on color. Later that night at 9:00 pm, Mount St. Mary’s visits Sacred Heart in a game to air on Fox College Sports, MASN and ESPN3. Dave Popkin (play-by-play), Joe DeSantis (color) and Paul Dottino (sideline) are on the call. Saturday brings a special 11:30 am start with Central Connecticut playing host to FDU on MSG, Fox College Sports and Comcast SportsNet New England. Popkin (play-by-play), Terry O’Connor (color) and Dottino (sideline) are in the booth.
MILESTONE MOMENT FOR SHU’S GAETANO
As LIU Brooklyn senior guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) continues his historical march toward 1,000 assists, another NEC point guard with a penchant for creating opportunities for teammates has reached a notable milestone.
Sacred Heart junior guard Phil Gaetano (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (Choate Rosemary)) surpassed 500 assists for his career on Saturday, and enters play on Thursday with 502 career helpers. Gaetano ranked second in the nation in assists last season - trailing only Brickman - with 7.9 per game. This year, the Wallingford, CT native is second in the NEC and ninth nationally with 6.6 apg.
Gaetano also entered the top-20 on the NEC all-time list and now occupies the 18th spot with 502 assists. With a big senior year, he could challenge Marist’s Drafton Davis (804 assists) for second place on the league’s career list.
13. Gregory Harris MSM 529 1996-00
14. Mark Porter WC 523 2004-08
15. Mel Hawkins FDU 508 1987-91
16. Tristan Blackwood CCSU 506 2004-08
17. Dave Masciale LIU 504 1994-98
18. Phil Gaetano SHU 502 2011-14
19. Antawn Dobie LIU 497 1999-03
20. Billy Kurisko WC 498 1987-91
CHART CLIMBING WITH BRYANT’S ALEX FRANCIS
The players who are ensconced in the top-10 on the NEC career scoring list read like a “Who’s Who” of the 33-year history of the conference. Four have been inducted into the NEC Hall of Fame, and several others figure to be future inductees.
Bryant senior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep) recently joined that hallowed group and last week moved up one more spot to #9 on the list. With 1,942 points, he passed 2012 NEC Hall of Famer Desi Wilson of FDU, who scored 1,902 points from 1988-91.
With eight games remaining in the regular season and any postseason games thereafter, Francis is well on his to becoming the sixth player in league annals to crack the 2,000-point barrier.
NEC Career Scoring Leaders
1. Terrance Bailey* WC 2,591 1983-87
2. Joe Anderson SFU 2,301 1987-91
3. Chris McGuthrie MSM 2,297 1993-96
4. Jermaine Hall WC 2,278 1999-03
5. Shane Gibson SHU 2,079 2008-13
6. Ken Horton CCSU 1,966 2007-12
7. Myron Walker* RMU 1,965 1990-94
8. Rik Smits* MAR 1,945 1984-88
9. Alex Francis BRY 1,942 2010-14
10. Desi Wilson* FDU 1,902 1988-91
11. Jeremy Chappell RMU 1,875 2005-09
12. Jamal Olasewere LIU 1,871 2009-13
13. Joe Griffin LIU 1,830 1991-95
14. Jeff Hamilton SFU 1,810 1981-85
15. Charles Jones LIU 1,772 1996-98
* Member of NEC Hall of Fame
Last week Francis averaged 25.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and shot 69.0 percent from the field, including a 30-point, 10-rebound game against Robert Morris on Thursday. In NEC play, Francis leads the conference with 24.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg, and ranks second with 63.7 percent shooting from the field.
One of four players in NEC history to rank in the top-20 in both scoring and rebounding in his career, Francis is now 13 rebounds shy of reaching the top-10 in both categories.
Players Ranked In Top-20 In NEC Career Scoring & Rebounding
Ken Horton CCSU 1,966 points/6th 842 rebounds/13th
Rik Smits MAR 1,945/8th 811/19th
Jamal Olasewere LIU 1,871/11th 963/7th
Alex Francis BRY 1,892/9th 903/11th
Francis currently occupies spots in the NEC top-10 in scoring (19.7, third), rebounding (7.6, third) and field goal percentage (.589, 1st).
BRICKMAN ON VERGE OF CRACKING NCAA TOP-10 IN CAREER ASSISTS
Tracking Jason Brickman’s (San Antonio, TX/Clark) rise toward the tippy-top of the NCAA career assist chart has been fascinating both in its swiftness and the high profile names he both passed and is approaching. Last week, he averaged 12.5 assists per game - with 13 against Wagner and 12 more versus Mount St. Mary’s - to boost his career total to 930 dimes.
Ranked 13th in NCAA history, he is just ten assists away from surpassing Gary Payton and 17 assists shy of reaching the top-10.
NCAA Career Assist Leaders
5. Steve Blake (Maryland) 972 1999-03
6. Sherman Douglas (Syracuse) 960 1985-89
7. Tony Miller (Marquette) 956 1991-95
8. Aaron Miles (Kansas) 954 2001-05
9. Greg Anthony (UNLV) 950 1986-90
10. Doug Gottlieb (Notre Dame/Ok. St.) 947 1996-00
11. Gary Payton (Oregon State) 939 1986-90
12. D.J. Cooper (Ohio) 934 2009-13
13. Jason Brickman (LIU) 930 2010-14
14. Orlando Smart (San Francisco) 902 1990-94
15. Andre LeFleur (Northeastern) 894 1983-87
Brickman has averaged a remarkable 12.5 apg over his last four outings, registering three double-doubles in the process. He is tied for the league lead with nine double-doubles.
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 8.75 per game. He currently leads the nation with 10.1 apg, far outdistancing Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Smith, second in the nation with 7.5 apg. The last player to average at least 10.0 assists in a season was Baylor’s Nelson Haggerty (10.1) in 1994-95.
RED FLASH RIDING HIGH
Riding a three-game win streak following a 69-63 triumph over CCSU on Thursday and an 83-75 victory over FDU on Saturday, Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel was asked about his team’s confidence level.
“Pretty high,” Krimmel remarked. “We talked about the feeling [of winning] and remembering this feeling.”
For the Red Flash, who evened their NEC record at 4-4 and sit in a three-way tie for fifth place, it’s all about being better than they were yesterday.
“I feel that the progress is tremendous,” said junior guard Stephon Whyatt (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep), who had 14 points off the bench against the Knights. “We’ve put in the work. We’ve been here all summer, and we sacrificed for it.”
The three-game win streak is the longest for Saint Francis U since winning five consecutive games in January, 2011. And even the team’s 4-4 mark is deceiving with the four setbacks coming by a combined total of 27 points against teams that have combined for a 21-10 NEC record.
Having posted a 3-2 mark during a five-game homestand, the Red Flash now play three of their next four away from the friendly confines of DeGol Arena.
“We just have to maintain this level of concentration,” Whyatt said. “Everyone’s focused in, and we’ve got to stay hungry. No one’s nervous about going on the road. We don’t think it’s a curse or anything.”
In the win over FDU, sophomore guard Ben Millaud-Meunier (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier) came off the bench to hit 6-11 from three-point range and finish with a season-high 22 points. He’s averaged 16.0 ppg on 50.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc during the streak.
“They’re playing really well,” FDU head coach Greg Herenda said of the Flash. “That’s their third [straight] win, and we just came out a step slow. I really give Rob a lot of credit. His team is playing really well.”
Two days earlier, it was junior forward Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) who sparked the six-point win over CCSU. Brown torched the Blue Devils for 25 points and 10 rebounds, good for his league-leading ninth double-double of the year.
“You can tell he’s the leader,” Dickenman said of Brown. “He’s the most respected player on the team, from my point of view. He certainly has the respect of Central Connecticut State University.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Fairleigh Dickinson finished January with its first winning month (5-4) since February, 2010.
ON THE NATIONAL LEADERBOARD
Below are a list of NEC players who rank in the top-25 nationally in various statistical categories.
Category Name Team Stats Ranking
Scoring Dyami Starks BRY 20.1 ppg 25th
Assists Jason Brickman LIU 10.1 apg 1st
Phil Gaetano SHU 6.6 apg 9th
3PFG/Game Karvel Anderson RMU 3.39/game 11th
Dyami Starks BRY 3.32/game 14th
3PFG% Karvel Anderson RMU .473 7th
Double-Doubles Jason Brickman LIU 9 22nd
Earl Brown SFU 9 22nd
NEC NOTABLES
• CCSU freshman guard Khalen Cumberlander (Washington, D.C./Coolidge) finished Saturday’s comeback win over Robert Morris with a team-high 18 points. He was 6-9 from the field, 3-4 from three-point range and 3-3 from the line, while also tallying four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Cumberlander recorded eight points during CCSU’s 18-point second half rally and made a key three-pointer with 58 seconds to play to slice the RMU lead to two points.
• Fairleigh Dickinson senior guard Sidney Sanders, Jr. (Charleston, SC/Burke (Polk CC)) averaged 25.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.5 apg and 2.5 spg last week. He finished with 21 points and five assists in an overtime loss at Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday, including 17 points after halftime. His two free throws gave the Knights a three-point lead with 15 seconds to go in regulation. Sanders went on to score 20 of his game-high 30 points in the second half at Saint Francis U on Saturday, and dished out eight assists. He matched a career-best with 12 field goals. Sanders has now scored at least 20 points in 12 contests and 30 points in three games. Sanders ranks second in the NEC in scoring (19.7), third in assists (5.8) and first in steals (2.1).
• LIU Brooklyn freshman guard Iverson Fleming (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) scored 14 of his 18 points during the second half of LIU’s last-second loss to Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday. Fleming shot 9-13 from the field and grabbed four rebounds in 31 minutes of action. For the week, the 6-1 guard averaged 12.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.5 spg over two contests while shooting 55.0 percent from the floor.
• Mount St. Mary’s senior guard Julian Norfleet (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) averaged 20.5 ppg, 8.5 apg and 3.0 spg in two wins last week. Norfleet registered 17 points and 11 assists in an 87-82 overtime win against FDU, while adding 24 points, six assists and three steals in a 95-92 victory over LIU Brooklyn. Norfleet ranks fifth in the NEC in scoring (18.8), fourth in assists (5.8) and second in steals (1.8).
• Robert Morris senior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Elkhart Memorial (Glen Oaks CC)) led the Colonials in scoring last week, averaging 21.0 ppg while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. He paced RMU with 24 points in Thursday’s 79-76 win over Bryant and has eclipsed the 20-point plateau ten times in 2013-14.
• Robert Morris senior guard Anthony Myers-Pate (Washington, D.C./Charis Prep) scored a career-high 21 points in helping lead the Colonials to a 79-76 victory over Bryant. During RMU’s four-game homestand, he averaged 12.3 ppg while hitting 59.4 percent of his shots from the floor.
• Sacred Heart freshman forward De’Von Barnett (Waldorf, MD/Riverdale Baptist) averaged 10.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg last week. He finished with 12 points, six boards and two steals against St. Francis Brooklyn last Wednesday.
• St. Francis Brooklyn junior forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) averaged 20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 2.0 spg, while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor in wins over Sacred Heart and Wagner. Cannon hit 7-12 shots, including 2-3 from behind the arc en-route to 21 points against Sacred Heart last Wednesday against Sacred Heart. He tallied five points over the final 2:14 to help salt the contest away. Cannon recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 boards in a 73-72 overtime victory over Wagner on Saturday. Cannon went 7-12 from the field and also recorded a season-high three steals in 44 minutes of play, a career-high. His clutch three-point play with 1:33 remaining in regulation gave the Terriers a 64-62 lead and he also came through with a thunderous follow-up jam to give the Terriers a 70-68 lead with 3:09 left in the extra session. Cannon is seventh in the league in scoring (16.3) and second in rebounding (8.5).
• St. Francis Brooklyn junior guard Brent Jones (Brooklyn, NY/Bedford Academy) turned in one of the most dominant performances from the point guard position this season against Sacred Heart last Wednesday. Jones scored a career-high 28 points and added eight assists against just one turnover. He is averaging 11.5 ppg and 8.38 apg through his first eight NEC contests. Jones leads the circuit with a 5.15 assist/turnover ratio.
• Saint Francis U sophomore guard Ben Millaud-Meunier (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier), who is averaging 16.0 ppg over the past three games, scored a season-high 22 points in Saturday’s win over FDU thanks in large part to six three-pointers.
• Wagner senior guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth (Avon Old Farms (CT)) paced the Seahawks in scoring for the 33rd time in his career with 19 points at LIU Brooklyn and now has 1,395 points for his career. He has also recorded double-figures 77 times over 100 career games.
• Wagner senior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) averaged 13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.0 apg and 3.0 spg in helping Wagner to a 1-1 record last week. He tallied seven points, seven assists, a career-high six steals and five rebounds in a 75-68 victory at LIU Brooklyn on Thursday and followed that up with a team-best 19 points, six rebounds and three assists at St. Francis Brooklyn two days later. Ortiz now has 909 career points, including 879 at Wagner.
NEC NUMBERS
Junior guard Malcolm McMillan moved to eighth place all-time at CCSU in assists with three on Saturday. He now has 294 career helpers.
After only winning the rebounding battle once in its first 19 games, FDU has earned the advantage on the glass the last three games.
LIU Brooklyn senior guard Jason Brickman has averaged 12.5 assists over his last four games, string together games of 13, 12, 13 and 12 dimes.
Mount St. Mary’s hit an astounding 16-29 shots from beyond the arc - a 2013-14 single-game high in NEC play - in its 95-92 win over LIU Brooklyn on Saturday. The Mount matched a school record with 11 treys in the first half.
In Thursday’s win over FDU, Rashad Whack (23 points, 10 boards) and Julian Norfleet (17 points, 11 assists) became the first Mount St. Mary’s teammates to post double-doubles in the same game since Jeremy Goode and Kelly Beidler did so against LIU Brooklyn on January 16, 2010.
Robert Morris senior guard Karvel Anderson is tied for seventh on the school’s single-season list for three-pointers with 78. He is on pace to establish a program record.
With 725 career rebounds, St. Francis Brooklyn’s Jalen Cannon needs just 24 more to move into second place on the school’s all-time list.
St. Francis Brooklyn’s Ben Mockford moved into third-place on the Terriers career three-pointers chart with 223 treys. The Iona transfer needs 73 points to reach 1,000 as a Terrier and just 41 to hit a grand for his career.
St, Francis Brooklyn is 8-1 at home and 8-2 in games decided by five points or less.
Saint Francis U scored a season-high 83 points against FDU on Saturday. While no starters scored in double figures, the Red Flash received a season-best 45 points from the bench.
After shooting 62.6 percent from the foul line over its first 18 games, Saint Francis U has hit on 81.3 percent (39-48) during its three-game win streak.
Wagner has lost four conference games by a total of 18 points, including three by four points or less.
The Wagner senior class of Naofall Folahan, Kenneth Ortiz, Orlando Parker and Latif Rivers now has 67 wins and are two shy of the school’s D1 record set by the Class of 2005.
QUOTABLE
“We just could not put them away tonight – they showed why they made the (NEC) championship game last year. We had a number of chances to finish the game, and we simply did not. We needed one person other than Sid (Sanders Jr.) to nail it down, and that just never happened tonight.” - FDU head coach Greg Herenda after the Knights fell in overtime at Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday
“Wagner is a tough bunch. It’s going to be a physical game every time you play them. Wayne (Martin) is learning. He’s a freshman, but we talk to him every game about focusing and playing hard. He’s a tremendously talented kid. Today the talent level and the effort were the same, and that’s the result. We got him going early.” - SFBK head coach Glenn Braica on the Terriers’ win over Wagner on Saturday
“When they go on the floor they can play their game and not impress anybody. They just have to go out and be me. I like how they guys have rallied together, our leadership has grabbed everybody and closed ranks a little bit. It’s made the team more enjoyable to work with the past couple weeks.” - RMU head coach Andrew Toole on his team’s three-point win over Bryant last Thursday
“We were dialed in and focused. I don’t know if it was the best we played all year, but we got into a good rhythm and were able to make big plays down the stretch. I told them, ‘LIU started last year 0-3 and they went to the NCAA tournament,’” said the Wagner coach. “I keep reminding them, it’s not how you start, it is how you finish.’” - Wagner head coach Bashir Mason on his team’s win over LIU Brooklyn on Thursday
TWEET DECK
Ryan Raffensperger @TheMountFanBlog
Mount win over LIU today was what college basketball is all about. Great atmosphere at #Knott Awesome to see team celebrate with students
Vinny Simone @VTSimone
Utter chaos at the Mount as #LIU and #MSM trade 3’s in the final seconds. LIU hit a half-court shot at the buzzer, but not enough time left
Derek Turner @DCTViper89
This just happened! #ccsumbb upsets #rmumbb #CCSU #necfrontrow #NECPride http://instagram.com/p/j5BlDuCtVV/
Sean Ryan @CoachSRyan
Defending the 3. We are finally running guys off the line....Happy for our players. Took a big step forward. Group effort. #CCSU
Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon
Loving the Daniel Bryan-inspired YES! YES! YES! chants by the @rmucrazies. These guys are on top of all the trends. #NECMBB
Sarah Benedetti @sbenedetti14
Love it when both our teams win!! #sfbk
SFU Cheer @SFUCheerleading
Red Flash Men’s Basketball is playing with some passion today!! We are loving it! #flashfever
Nelson Castillo @NelCastBHJ
Since I went off on Brent Jones before the start of NEC play, he has taken his game to the next level. Couldn’t see this coming. Been great.
Andrew Chiappazzi @achiappazzi
Want an indication of how close the #NEC is this year? 73% of league games this year have had single digit margin of victories. #RMU
Matt Marterella @_mattt_
Great win tonight as RMU tops Bryant 79-76. Great having @espn in the house tonight! Come back anytime fellas! #RMU pic.twitter.com/axu7tbhShL
Dan Lobacz @DLobaczLIU
Another crazy @JayBrick15 stat: He could go w/o an assist for next 5 games and, if all hold averages, still lead NCAA in assists. #NECMBB|