Conference

Several players excelled during the Northeast Conference’s Rivalry Week last week. Sacred Heart’s Shane Gibson, the Choice Hotels/NEC Co-Player of the Week, continued to have the hot hand for head coach Dave Bike and the Pioneers, as the junior guard averaged 32 points per game in a pair of wins over rival Bryant. The Killingly, CT native scored at least 30 in each game, with a week-high 34 points coming in Saturday’s victory over the Bulldogs at home. He also set the mark for most points scored in a season at the SHU Division I level, when he netted his ninth point in Wednesday’s win, a 79-77 nailbiter. LIU Brooklyn’s Jamal Olasewere shared the honor with Gibson, scoring 26.5 points and adding 11 rebounds per game in the Battle of Brooklyn series against St. Francis (NY). The junior forward pocketed 21 and a game-high 11 boards in the Blackbirds’ 86-77 victory over the Terriers at Madison Square Garden, before dropping a career-high 32 to lift LIU past SFC at home, 81-78. On the rookie side, Quinnipiac’s Ousmane Drame gave the Bobcats a much-needed lift with nine points and eight boards a game to help them move two games over .500 in the league standings with four left to play.