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NEC Player of the Week: Olivia Levey, SFBK
NEC Rookie of the Week: Sydney Holloway, BRY
Previous NEC Releases: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason Poll Release | Preseason All-NEC Release
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
OLIVIA LEVEY, ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN
F, Sr., 6-0, Seymour, CT/Lauralton Hall
WEEK 5 STATS: 2 games, 19.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, .548 FG pct.
Leading St. Francis Brooklyn up against a pair of MAAC members, Levey continued to pace the team in scoring last week. Shooting 55 percent from the field, the veteran post player averaged 19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. She contributed 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks during a 58-52 triumph over Saint Peter’s. The 6-foot senior scored eight points during the decisive fourth quarter, including a put-back layup that extended the Terriers’ lead to 56-50 with 00:21 remaining in regulation. Four days earlier, Levey, who was 8-for-13 shooting, poured in a game-high 20 points to go along with two assists and two steals in a three-point setback to NYC rival Manhattan. Levey, who accounted for 35.4 percent of the Terriers' scoring last week, ranks 10th overall amongst NEC scoring leaders with a team-leading 13.7 points per contest.
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
SYDNEY HOLLOWAY, BRYANT
F/G, Fr., 5-10, Morgantown, WV/Morgantown
WEEK 5 STATS: 2 games, 14.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, .600 FG pct.
Holloway led the circuit in rebounding while posting back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts on the road last week. Shooting 60 percent from the floor, the freshman small forward averaged 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. In a visit to ACC member Pittsburgh, Holloway accounted for the second double-double by a NEC rookie this season. She tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds and two steals during 29 minutes of action in the 76-60 setback. After posting a 5-for-7 shooting clip at Pitt, Holloway kept a hot hand when the Bulldogs visited Massachusetts four days later. The 5-foot-10 freshman, who went 7-for-13 shooting, scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed eight caroms in 25 minutes off the bench at UMass. Holloway has scored at least 12 points in four games this season, including each of her last three outings.
TWEET SHEET
@SFBK_HeadCoachT
(Dec 12) Proud of @livlevy for her NEC Player of the Week award! Worked hard, prepared hard, played harder!
@CoachB_RMU
(Dec 10) Always finish the game.No matter what,you always finish the game.Holding yourself to that standard separates your team from the others.
@CRGazetteSports
(Dec 9) Iowa keeps rolling against Robert Morris for third win this week
@CRGazetteSports
(Dec 8) Robert Morris makes yet another Carver visit
@NelCastBHJ
(Dec 7) #LIUWBB fell to 1-7 this afternoon w/ a 77-59 loss at Seton Hall. LIU were within 9 in the 4Q & their 59 pts were most scored this season.
@NelCastBHJ
(Dec 7) #LIUWBB is playing a early matinee at Seton Hall. 11:30am tip. It’s Stephanie Oliver’s return to Seton Hall where she was asst from 2013-15.
@nonprolixben
(Dec 6) I must admit, @RMUWBasketball uniforms are A++++. The whites are just as sharp.
@coach_parsons
(Dec 5) Some great Christmas caroling going on by @Bryantwbball heading back to the hotel from the dinner. #RoadDawgs
QUOTABLE
JOHN THURSTON (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN), Head Coach
“I hate losing...I hate losing. But sometimes when you lose and play well it makes the fire in your belly grow a little bit more and that helps you more down the road.”
- following the Terriers’ 55-52 loss to NYC rival Manhattan on December 7.
“Olivia is doing more than she should have to. She’s a terrific player, a lot of people don’t realize that she can step out on the perimeter on play guards -- she’s doing really well.”
- referring to Olivia Levey (the NEC Player of the Week) after the senior scored 20 points vs. Manhattan
ALEX DELANEY (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN), Forward
“It’s a little better feeling when you win, if I had that (career-high) and we didn’t win it wouldn’t be the same. I know I can be great and score a lot, I just have to be consistent with it. I think the more we get used to playing with each other, more open we are going to get with each other and more we are going to now who can take certain shots. That will come with more games we play.”
- after pouring in a career-high 23 points in a victory over Saint Peter’s on December 11
CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (ROBERT MORRIS), Head Coach
“We did some nice things throughout the middle of the game and we fought for a while. We definitely did some stuff offensively that bothered them. We were right there with them for most of the game, which is a nice thing to see against a team of this caliber. But we let this one go because we weren’t willing to finish the game.”
- after the Colonials dropped an 81-60 decision at Big Ten member Iowa on December 9
PETE CINELLA (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“I am so happy with how the team played in the first 35 minutes and how we responded to their runs. Then, in the last five minutes, we did not take care of the ball and did not find the open man like we did earlier and you have to give Lowell credit. We just have to find a way to play the full 40 [minutes].”
- after UMass Lowell closed out a 61-55 victory by out-scoring FDU, 23-11, during the fourth quarter on December 5.
FINE LINES (WEEK 5)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...
SHANOVIA DOVE (LIU BROOKLYN)
The guard shot 91 percent from the free throw line while leading LIU in scoring. Dove averaged 20.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.
OLIVIA LEVEY (ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN)
The veteran post player, who shot 55 percent from the floor, scored 20 points on Manhattan before dropping 19 in a win over Saint Peter’s.
SYDNEY HOLLOWAY (BRYANT)
The first-year Bulldog led the circuit in rebounding (9.0 rpg) while posting two double-digit scoring efforts on the road.
ALEX DELANEY (ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN)
The Aussie-born baller sank six three-pointers last week, including four as part of her 23-point performance in a win over Saint Peter’s.
AROUND THE ARC
BRYANT will host two America East members prior to Christmas break. The Bulldogs, who are 1-1 against AE foes, welcome Maine to the Chace Center on December 17 in what will be the team’s first home game since November 17 when they posted a 70-67 win over Brown to move to 3-0 on the young season.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT features two of the top-four free throw shooters in the NEC. Junior Aleah Epps, who scored 16 points at Virginia Tech last week, has made 87.8 percent of free throw attempts and leads the circuit as a result. Freshman Cebria Outlow, who poured in a career-high 17 points last time out against Stony Brook, sits tie for third amongst NEC leaders in free throw percentage (.833).
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON is averaging a league-high 15.9 offensive rebounds per game. On the other end of the floor, the Knights are forcing a NEC-leading 20.6 turnovers per contest.
LIU BROOKLYN has watched its scoring output rise in each of its past three games. The Blackbirds set their single-game scoring high during a 58-48 triumph over Stony Brook on December 4 and proceeded to reset that mark twice last week. LIU scored 59 points during a trip to Seton Hall on December 7 before upping its single-game scoring high to 61 points three days later at Colgate.
MOUNT ST. MARY’S enjoys a seven-day hiatus before closing out non-conference play. The Mountaineers, which last played on December 10, will look to snap a three-game slide during their visit CAA member William & Mary on December 18. Their out-of-league schedule reaches a close at West Virginia on December 21.
ROBERT MORRIS, which made its fourth trip in five seasons to Big Ten member Iowa for its lone game last week, will close out its non-league schedule with a date at Morgan State (Dec. 18). The Colonials, which defeated Howard on December 4, will look to go 2-0 vs. MEAC members.
SACRED HEART has turned the ball off at the lowest rate in the NEC. The Pioneers, who are one of three conference teams with a positive turnover margin, have averaged a league-low 15.4 giveaways per outing.
SAINT FRANCIS U, which was idle last week, embarks on a stretch of four games played over six days. The Red Flash, who will play five non-conference contests before breaking for Christmas, visit Coastal Carolina (Dec. 12) before a three-game stay in the Sunshine State.
ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN will face a MAAC foe for the third consecutive game. The Terriers, who topped Saint Peter’s after a narrow loss to Manhattan last week, take a short trip north to face Iona in New Rochelle on December 17.
WAGNER will end its six-day layoff (for exams) by visiting Big East member St. John’s on December 17. It will mark the Seahawks’ third consecutive contest against an Empire State-based program (Army, Albany).
BRYANT ON THE BOARDS
When it comes to cleaning the glass, Bryant has been the Northeast Conference’s top team for quite some time now.
Just as they have each of the past three seasons, Mary Burke’s Bulldogs are leading the NEC in rebounding margin (+8.8/g).
Bryant has averaged 42.4 rebounds per game this season, the lone NEC team over the 40.0 mark. Conversely, the Bulldogs are permitting opponents a league-low 33.7 caroms per contest.
The Bulldogs’ success on the boards has continued despite the graduation of two-time NEC individual rebounding champion Breanna Rucker. The two-time all-NEC first teamer topped the conference in rebounding average during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
Veteran Alex Klein has increased her production since Rucker’s departure. The Canadian-born post player currently occupies second place on the league leader board for her 8.7 rebounds per game average.
Morgan Olander (6.7 rpg), Ivory Bailey (5.7 rpg) and Sydney Holloway (5.6 rpg) give the Bulldogs four players amongst the conference top-20 ranked rebounders.
RMU ROOKIE’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Robert Morris entered its battle at Big Ten member Iowa with the reigning NEC Rookie of the Week on its roster.
But it was a different first-year Colonial who managed to score in double figures against the Hawkeyes.
Freshman forward Nadège Pluviose provided an offensive boost off the bench. In 15 minutes of floor time, the rookie tallied a career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
"[Nadège] played with a lot of passion and that's something I'm always looking for," said RMU’s first-year head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "She's playing very humble and earning everything that she gets, which is great. For a freshman, she's giving us a steady role off the bench. She's continuing to grow, which is exciting to see. If everyone had the mindset she's showing right now, we'd be a pretty good team."
The output at Iowa was double that of Pluviose’s previous season scoring high. The 6-foot freshman from Montreal twice scored six points in a game this past November, doing so at Lafayette and at Florida International.
Meanwhile, Nneka Ezeigbo, who won the NEC Rookie of the Week on December 5 after back-to-back 11-point efforts against Hofstra and Delaware, was plagued by foul trouble at Iowa. Ezeigbo fouled out with only two points in 15 minutes.