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Around The League
NEC Upswing
NEC schools have made significant strides in non-conference play this season, having won 42.0 percent of their games (Division I opponents only) thus far in 2007-08, including a 9-5 mark last week. If this number were to hold up, it would mark the league’s best showing outside the conference since the 1995-96 season when NEC teams won 43.0 percent of their outings and three schools (Marist, Monmouth and Mount St. Mary’s) advanced to the postseason. That year, the NEC ranked 22nd in the end-of-year RPI rankings. This season, the conference sits 24th among the 31 Division I leagues. Long Island is the NEC’s highest rated team in the RPIs at 117.
Wagner’s Deane Wins 400th
Wagner head coach Mike Deane won his 400th career game on Saturday as the Seahawks rolled to a 105-86 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. Now in his 23rd year as a head coach, Deane won 24 games at Oswego St. (1980-82), 166 at Siena (1986-94), 100 at Marquette (1994-99), 52 at Lamar and has posted 58 victories at Wagner after taking over in 2003. Deane has taken three teams (Siena, Marquette and Lamar) to the NCAA Tournament, including a first round tourney win over Stanford when he was coaching Siena in 1989.
Blackbirds Continue To Soar
After running its win streak to three games with victories over New Hampshire and Harvard last week, Long Island is now off to its best start in 21 years with a 7-3 record. The Blackbirds also began the 1986-87 campaign at 7-3. Long Island, which is 5-0 at home this season, is also one of the NEC’s most improved teams at this juncture. A year ago, the Blackbirds were 4-6 after ten games, though one of the wins came against Division III Old Westbury.
Utilizing an eight-man rotation, head coach Jim Ferry sports one of the league’s most balanced offensive attacks as the Blackbirds are the only team in the NEC with four players averaging in double digits. Senior forward Kellen Allen (Mansfield, TX/Summit) has recovered from injuries that cut short his 2006-07 season and given LIU at true post presence. Allen leads the team with 13.1 ppg, an impressive figure considering he has come off the bench in all 10 games and is averaging just 22.1 minutes per contest. Sophomore Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, NY/Banneker Academy), who was tabbed to the NEC all-Rookie team last season, has settled into his role as starting point guard and currently ranks third on the circuit with 6.0 apg and second with a 1.88:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior forward Eugene Kotorobai (Richmond Hill, Ontario/Cheshire (CT) Academy) is an experienced competitor who is one of the NEC’s top long distance shooters. He has hit at least four three-pointers in each of the last three games and ranks second in the NEC with 3.2 treys per game. Freshman guard Kyle Johnson (Ajax, Ontario/West Hill) has been the key addition to the lineup for LIU, which lost one of the top players in the league in James Williams, who graduated with 1,710 career points. Johnson currently paces all NEC freshman with 12.6 ppg and is the league’s leading free throw shooter at 92.3 percent.
FDU’s Baptiste Heads Up NEC’s Most Improved
Which player has made the biggest offensive leap this season? That honor goes to Fairleigh Dickinson sophomore guard Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Joseph’s of Metuchen), who has increased his output by 14.0 ppg from a year ago. The sophomore guard and current Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week averaged 4.6 ppg off the bench in 2006-07, but with the graduation of two of the Knights’ top-three scorers, Baptiste has thrived in a starting role, averaging 18.6 ppg to go along with a team-high 7.1 rpg. He is currently second in the NEC in scoring and rebounding.
Baptiste is the not the only FDU player who has stepped up his production this season. The Knights sport three of the five most improved scorers in the conference in a loaded backcourt that includes seniors Manny Ubilla (Freehold, NJ/Freehold (Lackawanna CC)) and Bernell Murray (Stillwater, OK/Stillwater). Ubilla, who leads the NEC with 19.6 ppg, has boosted his average 7.7 ppg from last season to rank third in the league, while Murray is fifth on the circuit with a 7.1 ppg improvement from a year ago.
Below are the top individual scoring improvements (at least a 5.0 ppg jump) from the 2006-07 season to the 2006-07 season.
2006-07 2007-08
Player Scoring Scoring Increase
Sean Baptiste, FDU 4.6 ppg 18.6 ppg +14.0 ppg
Kellen Allen, LIU 4.8 ppg 13.1 ppg +8.3 ppg
Manny Ubilla, FDU 11.9 ppg 19.6 ppg +7.7 ppg
Jimmy Langhurst, RMU 2.1 ppg 9.4 ppg +7.3 ppg
Bernell Murray, FDU 3.7 ppg 10.8 ppg +7.1 ppg
Jeremy Goode, MSM 10.1 ppg 16.0 ppg +5.9 ppg
Will Holland, MSM 5.5 ppg 10.8 ppg +5.3 ppg
Kayode Ayeni, SFNY 3.0 ppg 8.2 ppg +5.2 ppg
Multiple Personalities
There are streak shooters, then there are streak teams. The NEC currently sports three programs that have turned their seasons around after difficult starts. Mount St. Mary’s opened the year 0-4, but have since won five straight games. Sacred Heart and Saint Francis (PA) both lost their first six games, but have rebounded with three straight victories.
Defense Keys Mount Streak
Following an 0-4 start, Mount St. Mary’s has not only won five straight games, but has done so with a suffocating defense that has held each of its opponents under 60 points. Opposing teams have averaged just 57.8 ppg and shot 36.4 percent from the field during the streak. The Mount is the first NEC team to hold five straight opponents under the 60-point mark since Monmouth turned the trick in the last four games of the 2005-06 season, followed by its season opener in 2006-07. No NEC team has held six straight foes to under 60 points since Monmouth did it in seven straight games during the 1995-96 season.
Stat of the Week
Wagner senior guard Mark Porter’s (Atlantic City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) 13 assists in a 105-86 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday was the most by an NEC player since Quinnipiac’s Rob Monroe dished out 14 against Longwood on November 27, 2004.
CCSU’s Blackwood Moves Into 8th Place On NEC Career 3PFG List
Central Connecticut State senior guard Tristan Blackwood (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) moved up one spot into eighth place on the NEC career list for made three pointers after hitting eight shots from long range last week. A first team all-NEC honoree last season and a preseason all-NEC selection in 2007-08, Blackwood has now drained 264 trifectas, four more than current Monmouth head coach and former Hawk standout Dave Calloway, who totaled 260 from 1987-91. The Toronto, Ontario native is second on CCSU’s all-time chart, trailing former teammate Justin Chiera, who hit 274 treys from 2002-06 and ranks fourth all-time in the NEC.
NEC Career Leaders - Three-Pointers Made
1. Chris McGuthrie Mount St. Mary's 300 1993-96
2. Angel Santana St. Francis (NY) 294 1996-00
3. James Williams Long Island 277 2003-07
4. Justin Chiera CCSU 274 2002-06
5. Dedrick Dye Wagner 270 1999-03
6. Landy Thompson Mount St. Mary’s 267 2002-06
7. Kevin Booth Mount St. Mary's 265 1989-93
8. Tristan Blackwood CCSU 264 2004-08
9. Dave Calloway Monmouth 260 1987-91
10. Rob Monroe Quinnipiac 253 2001-05
RMU’s Chappell Approaching NEC 1,000-Point Club
Robert Morris senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, PA/Monessen (E. Tennessee St.) is the most recent addition to the NEC millennium club after reaching the milestone against Drexel on November 23rd. Jackson, who has amassed 1,071 points, is one of five current NEC players who have reached 1,000 points in their respective careers, including teammate Tony Lee (Boston, MA/Charlestown). Lee, a senior guard, has upped his career total to 1,150, and could be joined shortly by junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest), who has netted 930 points in two-plus seasons with the Colonials.
A total of 141 competitors have cracked the 1,000 point milestone in the NEC’s 27-year history.
CCSU sports the leading active scorer in the conference in Tristan Blackwood (Toronto, Canada/Eastern Commerce), who has now amassed 1,287 points. He is followed closely behind by Wagner senior guard Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) (1,220 points), Quinnipiac senior guard DeMario Anderson (Oxon Hill, MD/Oxon Hill (CCSU, Globe Institute)) (1,213), Lee (1,150) and Jackson (1,071). Aside from Chappell, others in line to reach 1,000 this season include Wagner senior forward/center Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) (867), Wagner senior forward James Ulrich (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) (809) and Sacred Heart senior guard Drew Shubik (Stoystown, PA/North Star) (777).
Quotes of the Week
Wagner head coach Mike Deane, on the occasion of winning his 400th career game with a 105-86 victory over UMES on Saturday:
"It feels great," said Deane of his milestone victory. "I haven't given it a lot of thought up until now. I guess, my players have won a lot of games for me. The way I feel is, it's nice. Now we begin working on number 500."
Former UConn assistant and current Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore, after his return to Storrs, which saw the Bobcats drop an 82-49 decision to the Huskies on Sunday:
"In the grand scheme of things, I was very disappointed that, competitively, we didn’t show a little better, scoreboard-wise," Moore said. "I was trying to get some lessons out of this today, while also keeping one eye on the scoreboard. I would like to have our program to the point where we can play teams like this and play them longer and deeper into the game."
Team-By-Team Notes
Central Connecticut State (4-7, 0-2 NEC)
Last Week: CCSU 58, UMBC 54; CCSU 81, Delaware 48
Next Two Weeks: at UMass (Saturday); at Vermont (Dec. 30)
The Blue Devils improved to 4-7 with a pair of home victories last week. CCSU topped UMBC, 58-54, on Tuesday, and followed that up with an 81-48 win over Delaware on Sunday. It marked the first back-to-back triumph’s for the Blue Devils this season...CCSU led the Blue Hens by 31 points (50-19) at the half, the most points scored by the Blue Devils in the first half of a game since tallying 51 in a win over LIU on February 20, 2003...The 81 points were a season-high for the Blue Devils and marked the 12th straight win for CCSU when scoring 80 or more in a game...CCSU outrebounded Delaware, 43-23, in the game and now has a positive rebound margin of +0.9 rpg. The 42 boards established a season-high...The Blue Devils also posted season-highs in assists (17), FG made (28), FG% (.549), points in a half (50), FG% in a half (.655), FT made (16), FG% defense (.308), points allowed (48), assists allowed (six) and FG allowed (16) in the win...The 48 points allowed to the Blue Hens were the fewest in a game this season and the ninth time in 11 games that CCSU opponents failed to reach 70 points. It was the fifth time in six games that opponents scored 60 or less...CCSU ranks first in the NEC in scoring defense at 61.8 ppg...Freshman forward David Simmons (Syracuse, NY/Henninger) posted the first two double-doubles of his career and averaged 12.0 ppg and 12.5 rpg to win Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week honors. Simmons had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double against UMBC. He his 4-5 shots and added a clutch free throw in the final seconds to help secure the win. On Sunday, Simmons finished with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against Delaware...The double-doubles were the first of the season for the Blue Devils...Senior guard Tristan Blackwood (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) averaged a team-best 15.5 ppg on the week, including a game-high 17 points and four assists against the Retrievers. He added 14 points and four assists versus Delaware...In the two games, Blackwood hit a total of eight three pointers to give him 264 for his career. He is just 12 trifectas shy of Justin Chiera’s school record. He also ranks eighth on the NEC career list and has a chance to become just the second player in league history to reach 300 in his career...Blackwood also made his 100th start in 100 career games played at CCSU on Sunday. His career point total now sits at 1,287, good for 15th place in program history and first among active NEC players...Blackwood is seventh in the NEC in scoring at 15.7 ppg and ranks first with 3.7 3PFG/game. He was 15th nationally in made three-pointers in last week’s NCAA statistics...Freshman forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) averaged 12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg and shot 75.0 percent from the field in the two wins. He rejected a career-high six shots against UMBC...Horton leads the conference with 2.2 bpg...CCSU closed out a five-game homestand with a 3-2 mark. The Blue Devils play at UMass on Saturday.
Fairleigh Dickinson (3-5, 0-1 NEC)
Last Week: Fairleigh Dickinson 80, Norfolk State 64; Fairleigh Dickinson 74, Stony Brook 71
Next Two Weeks: vs. St. Peter’s (Saturday); at Charlotte (Dec. 30)
After playing their first six games away from home, the Knights won their first two outings at the Rothman Center last week with an 80-64 win over Norfolk State on Monday, followed by a 74-71 conquest of Stony Brook on Saturday...Sophomore guard Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Joseph’s of Metuchen) was tabbed Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week after he averaged 24.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg and shot 51.7 percent from the floor, including 4-8 from three-point territory. He recorded a career-best 23 points (6-12 FG, 2-3 3PFG, 9-11 FT), nine rebounds and three steals against Norfolk State, then tallied a new career-high with 26 points (9-17 FG), and added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks versus the Seawolves. In the win over Stony Brook, he gave FDU the lead for good at 68-66 on a layup with 1:10 to play, then converted a three-point play with 49 seconds left on the clock to put the Knights up by five...Baptiste now ranks second in the NEC with 18.6 ppg,, 7.1 rpg and a 48.3 percent success rate from three-point range...All five FDU starters averaged in double digits last week. The quintet scored 131 of the team’s 154 points in the two games...Freshman forward John Galvin (Weston, CT/Weston) averaged a double-double with 10.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 3.5 bpg. He snared a career-high 14 boards against Norfolk State, then finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks against the Seawolves...Galvin is now averaging 8.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg on the year...Senior guard Manny Ubilla (Freehold, NJ/Freehold (Lackawanna CC)) recorded 19 points, four rebounds and six assists versus the Spartans on Monday. He added eight more assists against Stony Brook...FDU sports the top-two scorers in the NEC as Ubilla leads the NEC with 19.1 ppg, followed by Baptiste’s 18.6 ppg. Ubilla is fifth with 4.8 apg and is also ranked in the top-10 in 3PFG made (2.8/game, third), 3PFG% (.423, seventh) and free throw percentage (.815, eighth)...Senior guard Bernell Murray (Stillwater, OK/Stillwater) is third on the Knights with 10.8 ppg...Senior forward Eric Hazard (Long Branch, NJ/St. Benedict’s) is fourth in the NEC in three-point percentage (.442) and sixth in three-pointers made (2.4/game)...FDU’s five starters - Ubilla, Baptiste, Murray, Hazard and Galvin - have accounted for 89.1 percent of the team’s points and 72.2 percent of the team’s rebounds this season...FDU avenged an 82-58 loss at Stony Brook last season...The Knights wrap up a three-game home swing on Saturday against local rival St. Peter’s.
Long Island (7-3, 1-1 NEC)
Last Week: Long Island 86, New Hampshire 78; Long Island 88, Harvard 77
Next Two Weeks: vs. St. Peter’s (Thursday); at Central Florida Tournament: vs. Texas-Pan American (Dec. 30), vs. UCF/NJIT (Dec. 31)
The Blackbirds won a pair of non-conference contests last week to run their record to 7-3 and extend their win streak to three. Long Island went on the road to defeat New Hampshire, 86-78, on Monday, then returned home to knock off Harvard, 88-77, on Thursday...LIU is off to its best start since opening the 1986-87 campaign with a 7-3 mark...Sophomore guard Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, NY/Banneker Academy) continues to fill up the stat sheet. Last week, he averaged 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 9.0 apg. He recorded the first double-double of his career with a 13-point, 11-assist effort against Harvard. The 11 assists were a career-high. Wisseh also had a solid all-around game at New Hampshire with eight points, seven assists and six rebounds...Senior forward Kellen Allen (Mansfield, TX/Summit) scored a career-high 24 points against Harvard and averaged 17.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg off the bench last week. He started the game 9-10 from the floor against the Crimson, before finishing 10-13...LIU shot a season-best 55.9 percent from the field and five Blackbirds scored in double-figures against the Crimson...The win over Harvard was the first in the all-time series for the Blackbirds (1-4) and improved their home record to 5-0 this season...LIU did not trailed either of its opponents in the last two games after falling behind 2-0 at New Hampshire...Freshman guard Kyle Johnson (Ajax, Ontario/West Hill) had another strong week, averaging 16.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg. He posted his second double-double of the season with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds versus New Hampshire...Johnson, who leads all NEC freshman with 12.6 ppg and is the league’s leading free throw shooter at 92.3 percent, has scored in double digits in eight of ten games on the year...Senior forward Eugene Kotorobai (Richmond Hill, Ontario/Cheshire (CT) Academy) has at least four three-pointers in each of the last three games and ranks second in the NEC with 3.2 treys per game. He shot 9-14 from outside the arc last week, a 64.3 percent conversion rate. Kotorobai hit 5-6 shots from downtown in a 17-point, eight-rebound performance against Harvard...The Blackbirds have topped the 80-point plateau in three straight games, the first time that has happened under Jim Ferry. The last time LIU scored at least 80 points in three consecutive games was the final three contests of the 2001-02 season...Wisseh is third in the NEC with 6.0 apg and second with a 1.88:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also eighth in steals (1.7 spg)...LIU sports four players among the NEC top-30 scoring leaders: Allen (14th, 13.1 ppg), Johnson (15th, 12.6 ppg), Kotorobai (16th, 12.2 ppg) and Wisseh (26th, 10.6 ppg)...The Blackbirds face Saint Peter's on Thursday before breaking for the holidays.
Monmouth (2-8, 0-1 NEC)
Last Week: Hartford 67, Monmouth 53; Rider 76, Monmouth 55
Next Two Weeks: vs. Florida Atlantic (Sunday); at Lehigh (Dec. 28); vs. Princeton (Dec. 30)
Monmouth has now dropped five straight following a 67-53 setback at Hartford on Tuesday and a 76-55 loss to in-state rival Rider at Boylan Gymnasium on Saturday...The Hawks have lost six in a row at home dating back to last season. The last time Monmouth lost six consecutive games in Boylan was 1998-99, the season the Hawks opened 0-19...The five-game skid is the first for the program since a six-game streak early in the 2005-06 campaign...Freshman swingman R.J. Rutledge (Mount Vernon, NY/Lawrence Woodmere Academy) averaged 17.5 ppg last week. He shot 57.9 percent from the floor, including 7-14 from three-point range, and was a perfect 6-6 from the stripe...Freshman forward Nick Del Tufo (Mendham, NJ/West Morris Mendham) averaged 10.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg...Sophomore guard Jhamar Youngblood (Newark, NJ/St. Patrick’s), who leads the team and ranks tenth in the NEC with 14.7 ppg, scored a career-low two points versus Hartford. He is also sixth in the conference with 2.1 spg...Redshirt freshman Adam Dobriansky (Winnipeg, Manitoba/MBCI) earned his first start on Saturday against Rider...Monmouth has had 36 scoring droughts of three or more minutes this season, with the longest being 10:31 against Notre Dame. The Hawks' first points at Hartford did not come until 14:01 showing on the clock...Monmouth is winless on the road (0-4) and winless at home (0-3). The program's lone wins came over Wichita St. and Charlotte on neutral courts in the Virgin Islands...Junior guard Whitney Coleman (Salem, CT/East Lyme) is 19-20 from the line this season and is second on the club with 9.5 ppg...Rutledge has raised his scoring output to 8.8 ppg, third on the Hawks...Monmouth’s first year players are combining for 25.5 ppg...The Hawks host Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
Mount St. Mary’s (5-4, 2-0 NEC)
Last Week: Mount St. Mary’s 66, Maine 59
Next Two Weeks: vs. Winthrop (Tuesday); vs. Lafayette (Friday); at Oregon (Dec. 28)
The Mount stretched its win streak to five with a 66-59 victory at Maine on Saturday...The Mount’s five-game win streak is the longest since a five-game streak in January of 2006. Defense has been a key in the streak as the Mountaineers have limited opponents to 57.8 ppg and 36.4 percent shooting from the field over the five-game stretch. The Mount is the first NEC team to hold five straight opponents under the 60-point mark since Monmouth turned the trick in the last four games of the 2005-06 season, followed by its season opener in 2006-07..Mount St. Mary’s is 5-4 on the season, the best record after nine games since the 2002-03 squad was also 5-4. After opening the year with an 0-4 mark in November, the Mount is 5-0 in the month of December...The Mount, which forced 20 turnovers, broke open a 24-23 lead at the half and led by double figures most of the second stanza...Sophomore point guard Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) continued to shine, pacing the Mount with 17 points, six boards, six assists and four steals...Goode’s numbers during the win streak have been outstanding with averages of 17.0 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.0 rpg and 4.0 spg...Goode is third in the NEC with 2.9 spg, fourth with 5.8 apg and sixth with 16.0 ppg...Senior guard Chris Vann (Woodbridge, VA/Gar-Field) chipped in 16 points in the win...Vann is ninth in the conference with 14.8 ppg...The Mount has won three straight non-conference matchups to improve to 3-4 on the year. It marks the most non-conference wins in a season during head coach Milan Brown’s tenure. It is also the most non-league wins by a Mount team since the 2002-03 squad was 5-4 in out of conference action. Last season, the Mount went 1-10 outside the NEC...Junior forward Sam Atupem (Newport News, VA/Woodside) has become a presence in the paint for the Mount. After blocking 17 shots in each of his first two seasons, Atupem has 13 rejections this year and is averaging 1.4 per game to rank second in the NEC. The 6-7 forward is also averaging 11.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.5 bpg in his last three outings...Freshman guard Jean Cajou (Fairfax, VA/Paul VI) had six points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal against Maine...Mount St. Mary’s paces the conference with a +2.78 turnover margin...The Mount will face a stiff test on Tuesday when perennial NCAA Tournament participant Winthrop visits Knott Arena. The Mount also hosts Lafayette on Friday.
Quinnipiac (4-5, 1-0 NEC)
Last Week: UConn 82, Quinnipiac 49
Next Two Weeks: vs. Dartmouth (Wednesday); at Vermont (Saturday); vs. Cornell (Dec. 31)
The Bobcats fell to in-state rival UConn, 82-49, in their only action last week...The game marked the return of head coach Tom Moore to Storrs. More had spent the last 13 years as a UConn assistant coach prior to taking over at Quinnipiac in March...Sophomore guard Casey Cosgrove (Andover, MD/Andover) paced the Bobcats with 15 points and four assists. He hit five shots from outside the arc...Senior guard DeMario Anderson (Oxon Hill, MD/Oxon Hill) was the only other Quinnipiac player in double digits with 10 points. He also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds...Freshman forward Justin Rutty (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) finished with six points and seven boards (six offensive)...Freshman guard Evann Baker (Washington, DC/Archbishop Carroll), a two-time Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week, missed the game with a hip flexor injury...Cosgrove has hit at least one three-pointer in every game this season and ranks first on the team with 21. He is seventh in the NEC with 2.3 per game...Anderson has scored in double figures in all nine games in 2007-08 and 29 straight dating back to last season. He ranks third in the conference with 18.4 ppg...The Bobcats are second on the circuit with a +5.3 rebound margin...Rutty leads all NEC freshman with 6.1 rpg. Classmate Ed Zajac (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) is third with 5.8 rpg...Baker stands second among conference freshman with 11.0 ppg...Quinnipiac assistant coach Scott Burrell also returned to his alma mater on Sunday. Burrell played for the Huskies from 1989-93 before enjoying an eight-year NBA career...The Bobcats return home to host Dartmouth on Wednesday, then travel to Vermont on Saturday in a game to air on NESN.
Robert Morris (5-4, 0-1 NEC)
Last Week: Idle
Next Two Weeks: at Youngstown State (Monday); Canisius (Wednesday); at Duquesne (Dec. 28); vs. Lafayette (Dec. 30)
Robert Morris was off last week...The Colonials return to action on Monday at Youngstown State, then host Canisius on Wednesday...After a 5-2 start, Robert Morris has dropped its last two games - both at home - to Central Michigan and Saint Francis (PA). The setbacks snapped an 11-game non-conference home winning streak for the Colonials, while the defeat at the hands of Saint Francis (PA) snapped a five-game winning streak against the Red Flash...Senior guard Tony Lee (Boston, MA/Charlestown) leads the NEC with 7.1 apg, and ranks second in steals (3.0 spg), third in rebounding (7.1 rpg), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42:1), eighth in field goal percentage (.506) and 12th in scoring (13.8 ppg)...Lee also ranks in the NCAA top-10 in both assists (ninth) and steals (tenth)...The Colonials were without the services of junior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) the last two games following a violation of team rules. Chappell leads Robert Morris and sits fifth in the NEC with 16.9 ppg, and also ranks first in the league (and second nationally) with 3.7 spg...Senior forward A.J. Jackson (Monessen, PA/Monessen) ranks 12th in the conference with 13.8 ppg and is sixth with 6.4 rpg...In Chappell’s absence, junior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France/Fort Scott JC) contributed 13.5 ppg and 3.0 spg the last two contests...Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, OH/Willard) leads the team with 17 three-pointers.
Sacred Heart (3-6, 2-0 NEC)
Last Week: Idle
Next Two Weeks: at Providence (Wednesday); vs. Harvard (Saturday); at Boston College (Dec. 28); vs. Holy Cross (Dec. 30)
The Pioneers were idle last week...After a 13-day layoff, Sacred Heart will shoot for its fourth straight win with a visit to Providence on Wednesday, followed by a home game against Harvard on Saturday...Following an 0-6 start, the Pioneers won their third straight game and improved to 2-0 in NEC play by defeating Central Connecticut State, 68-52, on December 6. It was the first time Sacred Heart had won at Detrick Gymnasium in the Division I era, dating back to 1999, and just the third Division I win over CCSU overall...Senior guard Drew Shubik (Stoystown, PA/North Star) leads the Pioneers in scoring (11.1 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rpg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). He is shooting 82.1 percent from the free throw line (32-39)...Shubik has amassed 777 career points and has a chance to reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the season...Shubik is fifth in the NEC in steals, sixth in rebounding and free throw percentage, and eighth in assists...Senior forward Brice Brooks (Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap) netted a season-high 19 points in the win over the Blue Devils and is second on the team with 10.2 ppg. He leads the Pioneers and is seventh in the NEC with a 51.4 percent success rate from the field...After starting the season 8-30 from long range, sophomore guard Ryan Litke (Windsor, CT/Windsor) is 6-12 from three-point territory in his last two outings.
St. Francis (NY) (3-8, 0-2 NEC)
Last Week: Columbia 83, St. Francis (NY) 64; Albany 66, St. Francis (NY) 53
Next Two Weeks: at South Florida (Saturday); vs. Navy (Dec. 29)
St. Francis (NY) dropped a pair of road contests last week and have now lost five straight. The Terriers fell at Columbia, 83-64, on Monday and were defeated by Albany, 66-53, on Saturday...The Terriers, who have held second half leads in six of their eight losses, have lost six of their last seven contests and are 0-7 away from Brooklyn Heights...Senior forward Marcus Williams (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony's) was suspended for the Columbia game and senior forward Robert Hines (Trenton, NJ/St. Patrick's) sat out the Albany contest, also for disciplinary reasons...The 19-point loss to Columbia was the largest margin of defeat thus far this season...The Terriers trailed just 59-54 with 9:40 remaining, but the Lions went on a 23-6 run to put the game out of reach...Senior guard Jamaal Womack (Bronx, NY/Our Savior Lutheran) scored a team-high 19 points and Hines added 12 versus Columbia...The Terriers shot just 12-26 (46.2 percent) from the line against the Lions...On Saturday, the Terriers led Albany, 31-24, with 15:47 remaining, but the Great Danes responded with 15 straight points over the next six-plus minutes to take control of the game...Sophomore forward Kayode Ayeni (Brooklyn, NY/Laurinburg) tallied a career-high 17 points and also added three blocks in just 24 minutes off the bench against Albany...Freshman guard Ricky Cadell (New York, NY/The Patterson School (NC)) and Williams were also in double-digits with 14 and 10 points, respectively...Cadell averaged 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.5 spg in the two games...The Terriers are just 23-47 (48.9 percent) from the line over their past three contests and have shot 40 percent or below from the floor in five of their last six outings...St. Francis recorded a season-high seven blocks against Columbia...The Terriers, who led the NEC in rebounding last season, have been outboarded in three straight contests...Williams is fourth in the NEC in steals (2.7 spg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.535)...Hines ranks fourth in the conference with 17.0 ppg...Ayeni, who averaged 3.0 ppg and 3.2 rpg as a freshman a year ago, has boosted his averages to 8.2 ppg and a team-high 5.8 rpg in 2007-08. He also leads the team with 12 blocks...St. Francis will travel to Tampa to take on South Florida on Saturday.
Saint Francis (PA) (3-6, 1-0 NEC)
Last Week: Saint Francis 77, Lock Haven 64
Next Two Weeks: vs. Iona (Wednesday); at Duquesne (Friday); at Arizona State (Dec. 29)
The Red Flash came out of finals week with a 77-64 victory over Division II Lock Haven in their only game of the week...After an 0-6 start, Saint Francis has now won three straight games to match last year's longest winning streak...The Red Flash recorded season-highs in points (77), field goals made (29), assists (18) and scored 33 points off the bench...Sophomore swingman Devin Sweetney (Washington, D.C./Riverdale Baptist) made 6-11 attempts from the field and scored a team-high 15 points to go along with three rebounds, a block and a steal...Junior guard Cale Nelson (Newville, PA/Big Spring) tallied 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals...Sophomore forward Randy Spaid (Portage, PA/Portage) came off the bench to register career-highs in points (six), rebounds (three) and minutes played (11), while sophomore guard Chris McFarland (Temple Hills, MD/Riverdale Baptist) had career-bests in points (five) and rebounds (four), and added four assists...Junior forward Chris Berry (Seagoville, TX/Seagoville) tied a career-high with three assists and added amassed nine points, six rebounds and a block...Nelson has scored in double digits in six straight games...Nelson is sixth in the NEC with 4.2 apg...Berry ranks third in the conference with 7.1 rpg, while junior forward Bassirou Dieng (Dakar, Senegal/Riverdale Baptist) is fifth with 6.7 rpg...Sweetney has averaged 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.3 spg over his last four outings...Junior guard Grant Suprenant (Palatine, IL/Palatine) leads the circuit in three-point percentage, hitting 61.1 percent of his opportunities (11-18)...During their three-game winning streak, the Red Flash have averaged 69.7 ppg, allowed 61.3 ppg and outrebounded their opponents by 9.7 rpg (40.3-30.7)...Saint Francis will be shooting for two milestones in its games this week. First, the Red Flash will look for their first four-game winning streak since the 2002-03 season when they play host to Iona on Wednesday night. Then, Saint Francis will try to win its third straight road game for the first time since 1990-91 when it travels to Duquesne on Friday night.
Wagner (7-3, 1-0 NEC)
Last Week: Wagner 105, UMES 86
Next Two Weeks: at Loyola Marymount (Saturday); at Kansas State (Dec. 29)
The Seahawks improved to 7-3 on the season and gave head coach Mike Deane his 400th career victory as Wagner cruised past Maryland Eastern Shore, 105-86, in its only game last week...Deane, in his 24th season as a head coach, has led three different teams - Siena, Marquette and Lamar - to the NCAA Tournament...Wagner has now won six of its last seven games. The 7-3 start matches the best 10-game start in his tenure, equaling the 2005-06 team which also won seven of its first 10 games...Senior forward James Ulrich (Mt. Laurel, N/Camden Catholic) poured in a season-high 23 points on 10-13 shooting in the victory. He broke loose for several breakaway dunks while adding six rebounds, one steal and one block in 27 minutes...Senior guard Mark Porter (Atlantic City, NJ/St. Augustine) dished out a career-high 13 assists, while junior swingman Jamal Smith (Baltimore, MD/Towson Catholic) scored all 16 of his points in the first half on 7-7 shooting, including a fall-away three-pointer at the buzzer as Wagner built a commanding 55-38 halftime lead...Senior center Durell Vinson (Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine) added 12 points, a season-high four blocks and a game-high 17 rebounds, one shy of his career high established earlier this season in a win at Brown. It was his league-leading fourth double-double of the season and 17th of his career...Sophomore center Michael Orock (Hoboken, NJ/ Hoboken) was one of five Seahawks in double-digits as he tallied a career-high 15 points on 7-10 shooting and a career-best seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of action off the bench...Junior forward Llewchean Radford (Newport News, VA/Heritage) added 11 points...The victory over UMES marked the first time Wagner has eclipsed the 100-point mark since a 105-64 victory over Division III Union College (NY) (105-64) on December 15, 2006. The last time the Seahawks hit the century mark versus a Division I opponent was on March 1, 2004 in a 100-93 win over Sacred Heart...Vinson leads the NEC with 11.5 rpg and ranked ninth nationally in the category in last week’s NCAA report. No other NEC player is averaging more than 7.1 rpg.. inson’s 650 career boards is the most among active league competitors and 36th all-time...Vinson is fifth on the Wagner career list with 95 blocks...Porter is second in the conference with 6.5 apg and eighth with 14.8 ppg. He is the NEC’s active leader with 416 career assists (seventh in Wagner history and 29th in league annals) and is second with 1,220 points...Porter’s 13 assists were the most by an NEC player since Quinnipiac’s Rob Monroe had 14 against Longwood on November 27, 2004...Wagner leads the NEC with 3.9 bpg and a +5.9 rebound margin...The Seahawks are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Loyola Marymount.