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NEC Player of the Week: Jessica Kovatch, SFU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Kerstie Phills, WAG
Previous NEC Releases: Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason Poll Release | Preseason All-NEC Release
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JESSICA KOVATCH, SAINT FRANCIS U
G, So., 5-9, Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg
WEEK 10 STATS: 2 games, 25.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 10 3FGM, .515 FG pct., .476 3FG pct.
Kovatch upped her league-leading scoring average while powering Saint Francis U to a pair of road wins over longtime NEC rivals last week. Averaging 25.5 points per contest, the sophomore sharp shooter connected at a 51.5 percent clip from the field. Kovatch, who sank five three-pointers in each of the victories, shot 47.6 percent from downtown. The 5-foot-9 guard poured in a game-high 27 points to go along with four assists in 31 minutes of action at Mount St. Mary’s. The 97-88 win over the Mount marked the seventh time this season that Kovatch has hit the 25-point mark in a game. The New Jersey product continued her tear during a Martin Luther King Day matinee at defending NEC champion Robert Morris. Kovatch tallied 24 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals in a 70-55 triumph that moved the second-place Red Flash to 5-1 in conference contests. The sophomore ranks 12th amongst NCAA Division I scoring leaders (21.0 ppg) and her 3.76 three-pointers per game place her first in the nation.
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KERSTIE PHILLS, WAGNER
G/F, Fr., 5-9, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian
WEEK 10 STATS: 2 games, 15.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, .462 FG pct.
Phills continues to lead all NEC rookies in scoring (14.8 ppg) during conference play. Running her streak of double-digit point totals to seven games in a row, the freshman averaged 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals per contest last week. Phills was sensational during Monday’s back-and-forth affair against Bryant, pouring in 20 points to go with six rebounds and five steals. She shot 60 percent from the floor in the 70-61 setback that featured 14 ties and 22 lead changes. On Saturday, Phills accounted for 10 points and four assists against defending NEC champion Robert Morris. For the season, Phills averages 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, ranking amongst the NEC’s top-20 leaders in both categories.
TWEET SHEET
@CraigCD13
(Jan 16) Incredible to think that neither Zinoble, Alli Williams, or Swink reached 1,000 points until their junior season #NECWBB
@NECralph
(Jan 16) New Jersey-born sharp shooter is fastest @SFUathletics player ever to 1K. #baller #shecanplay #NECWBB
@CCurti_Trib
(Jan 16) Random stat: @jesskovatch1 of @SFUathletics WBB needs 18 points vs. RMU today for 1,000 in her career. She’s a sophomore.
@CCurti_Trib
(Jan 16) Looking forward to seeing some offense this afternoon. @SFUathletics women, and @RMUWBasketball top 2 scoring teams in @NECsports
@NelCastBHJ
(Jan 16) #LIUWBB in a tied game in 4Q vs 1st place CCSU. If they can just this one out and get some momentum.
@CraigCD13
(Jan 16) SFBK should be once again a team no one wants to play in late February/March #NECWBB
@Doberdug
(Jan 15) @RedFlashWBB @AHarrison_33 @NECsports @SFUathletics And a big S/O to our @umdwbb alum/grad who is a top 10 NCAA rebounder!
@BDStan
(Jan 14) Congratulations to HC @CoachJoeHaigh & Saint Francis PA on improving to 4-1 in the @NECsports w their 97-88 road win at Mount St. Marys!
@CoachABarrett
(Jan 14) @CoachJoeHaigh has his team playing well! 2nd place in @NECsports
@NECcommish
(Jan 14) Pregame selfie with CoachWhitMSM & @CoachJoeHaigh, they worked together at VCU years ago. #NECpride
@NECHoopsRon
(Jan 14) Always enjoy watching John Thurston’s @SFBKTerriers teams. Great patience, ball never touches floor before Olivia Levey finishes. #NECWBB
@CraigCD13
(Jan 14) Kat Phipps entered today’s BOB struggling from the field shooting .255...she went 4-5 (all in the 2nd half), finished w/11pts & won BOB MVP
FINE LINES (WEEK 10)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...
GIOCELIS REYNOSO (CENTRAL CONNECTICUT)
Helping keep CCSU unbeaten in conference play, the senior center shot 55 percent from the field while averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per victory.
HANNAH KIMMEL (SACRED HEART)
The veteran small forward averaged a double-double last week, including a 28-point performance in the Pioneers’ road win over St. Francis Brooklyn.
JESSICA KOVTACH (SAINT FRANCIS U)
The sophomore shooting guard averaged 25.5 points per win during the Red Flash’s 2-0 week. The NEC’s leading scorer shot 51.5 percent from the floor and sank 10 three-pointers.
SHANOVIA DOVE (LIU BROOKLYN)
The senior lit up Downtown Brooklyn to the tune of 23.5 points per game. The Blackbirds’ leading scorer totaled 27 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against first-place CCSU.
KATIE REESE (SAINT FRANCIS U)
The veteran guard’s 20.5 points and & 3.5 rebounds per contest helped the Red Flash to two road wins. The Garden State product shot 57.1 percent from downtown as she nailed eight triples.
ALEXIS CARTER (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
The senior forward averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per contest while shooting 64 percent. Carter was a driving force in the win over FDU, tallying 18 points and 15 rebounds.
QUOTABLE
JOHN THURSTON (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN), Head Coach
“It was exciting, you don’t always get to play games that come down to the last second. We hit a lot of big shots to stay in the game, and of course Rachel’s shot was huge, it wasn’t what we drew up but it was close.”
- after the Terriers hung on for a 56-54 victory in the annual Battle of Brooklyn (Jan. 14) with help from a clutch three-pointer by Rachel Iozzia
“Kat (Phipps) did an outstanding job – her 11 points I think really kept us in the game and put us ahead, it was the best game she’s had here, so that was good to see. I’m glad the game was only 40 minutes long – it was a great win.”
- on sophomore guard Kat Phipps, who scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter and earned Battle of Brooklyn MVP honors
“She [Hannah Kimmel] had five points last game, and today she came out possessed. They [Sacred Heart] are a veteran team – they don’t make mistakes that younger teams make.””
- after SHU topped the Terriers behind a 28-point effort from reigning NEC Player of the Year Hannah Kimmel
CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (ROBERT MORRIS), Head Coach
“We sleepwalked into the game and that’s unacceptable. Passion and unity are two of the biggest words we try to play by, and we didn’t have that today at all. We didn’t want to take care of the ball, we lacked accountability, and that’s what happens when you play a team that smells blood like that. We have to learn from this experience.”
- after the Colonials trailed throughout most of their 70-55 home loss to Route 22 rival Saint Francis U (Jan. 16)
“We did a very good job at setting the tone early defensively. [Wagner] is a very isolation, one-on-one dribbling team and we knew that we would have to guard the ball well. We showed good accountability on man-to-man principles and when we stayed in front of the ball, we caused them to throw passes that were tougher to complete.”
- after the Colonials benefitted from 22 Wagner turnovers in an 82-63 victory (Jan. 14)
PETE CINELLA (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“We did a good job of cutting the 15-point lead to two. The players did a good job of executing the offense in the second half and defensively got a lot of stops.”
- after the Knights mounted a comeback before dropping a 61-50 decision to Mount St. Mary’s (Jan. 16)
UNBEATEN CCSU DEFYING PRESEASON POLL ONCE AGAIN
Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U both received first-place votes in the NEC preseason coaches’ poll and were pegged to finish first and third, respectively.
Therefore, the fact that the Pioneers (5-1) and Red Flash (5-1) are tied for second place in the conference standings one-third of the way through the schedule likely comes as little surprise.
It is the team sitting above them that has forced the league to take notice.
Slated for a seventh-place finish in the preseason prognostications, Central Connecticut topped Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU Brooklyn to keep its unbeaten NEC record intact last week.
Having won their first six league contests, Beryl Piper’s Blue Devils have matched the best NEC start in program history. CCSU jumped out to a 6-0 start in NEC play during the 2008-09 season, which was Piper’s second at the helm, en-route to a 12-6 league record.
Central Connecticut’s best NEC showing came during the 2014-15 campaign in the form of a 14-4 league mark. The Blue Devils, who were pegged to finish in ninth place prior to the start of that season, jumped out to a 3-1 conference record before ripping off eight consecutive wins.
Only one game behind the first-place Blue Devils, Saint Francis U will have a chance to derail CCSU’s unbeaten streak when Piper’s team visits the Stokes Center on January 21.
It won’t get any easier for CCSU following its visit to SFU. The Blue Devils, who must endure the always-challenging Keystone State swing this weekend, will face defending NEC champion Robert Morris set on January 23 in Moon Township.
How are the Blue Devils doing it?
Central Connecticut has stepped up its defensive play since the conference schedule tipped off. The Blue Devils are allowing a league-low 55.7 points per contest while limiting the opponent to a .351 field goal percentage in games against NEC teams. CCSU also owns a league-best +12.3/game rebounding margin during conference contests.
AROUND THE ARC
BRYANT features two underclasswomen who are league leaders in major individual statistical categories. Sophomore point guard Kierra Palmer (Aberdeen, MD) paces the circuit in assists per game (4.65) while freshman Sydney Holloway (Morgantown, WV) shoot a conference-high 86.6 percent from the free throw line.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT was sensational from the charity stripe in its comeback win at LIU Brooklyn (Jan. 16). The Blue Devils made the most free throws in a NEC game this season by connecting on 27 of 29 attempts from the charity stripe. On the season, CCSU owns the fourth-highest team free throw percentage (.711) in the conference.
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON is one of two teams averaging more than 10.0 steals per game during NEC competition. The Knights are also taking care of the basketball, committing a league-low 13.8 turnovers per game against conference foes.
LIU BROOKLYN nearly ended CCSU’s unbeaten streak thanks to its three-point shooting. The Blackbirds shot 62.5 percent from downtown and sank 10 triples during Monday’s 76-71 setback. It was LIU’s highest single-game point total this season and it marked the first time since 2015 that the team connected on 10 three-pointers.
MOUNT ST. MARY’S ended a four-game slide by posting a 61-50 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson. In each of its four victories this season, the Mount has held the opposition to 50 points or fewer.
ROBERT MORRIS continued its pattern of splitting NEC weekends. Despite a 3-3 league record, the Colonials lead the NEC in scoring defense (61.0 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.383), field goal percentage (.414) and three-point field goal percentage (.367).
SACRED HEART, which owns a league-high .436 team field goal percentage in NEC play, features three starters who are averaging at least 11.0 points per game apiece for the season – Hannah Kimmel (14.7), Adaysha Williams (11.4), Katherine Haines (11.0).
SAINT FRANCIS U extended its win streak in its series against NEC rival Mount St. Mary’s to four games. The Red Flash posted a 97-88 win over the Mount last week. It was the fourth game this season that SFU has score at least 90 points in a game, but only the first time in conference play.
ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN, which has alternated wins and losses throughout NEC play thus far, isn’t afraid to consistently use its bench. Eight Terriers have seen action in every single game this season and 12 members of the roster have played in at least 12 contests thus far.
WAGNER became only the third team this season to out-rebound Bryant in a game. The Seahawks beat the Bulldogs on the boards by a 33-31 margin with the help of a game-high 10 caroms from sophomore Julia McClure.