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NEC Player of the Week: Katherine Haines, SHU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Kerstie Phills (WAG) & Ashlee White (MSM)
Previous NEC Releases: Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | 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
KATHERINE HAINES, SACRED HEART
F, So., 6-2, Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park
WEEK 14 STATS: 2 games, 19.5 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, .615 FG pct.
Helping Sacred Heart remain tied atop the NEC standings, Haines was a dominant force during victories over Central Connecticut and St. Francis Brooklyn. The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward averaged 19.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per win while shooting 61.5 percent from the field. She had a career day against rival Central Connecticut, allowing SHU to avenge an early January loss to the Blue Devils. Haines accounted for 22 points (matching her career high), 15 rebounds and three blocks during an 82-61 triumph. She logged another double-double, her sixth of the season, two days later against St. Francis Brooklyn. Powering the Pioneers past the Terriers in a two-overtime affair, Haines scored 17 points and secured 13 caroms. The 6-foot-2 post player tallied four points in the decisive second overtime, including a jumper that tied the game with 2:05 remaining. Haines leads the NEC in field goal percentage (.528) this season.
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KERSTIE PHILLS, WAGNER
G/F, Fr., 5-9, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian
WEEK 14 STATS: 2 games, 16.5 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, .529 FG pct.
Phills posted back-to-back double-doubles during Wagner’s swing through the Keystone State. Going up against two of the top-three teams in the NEC standings, the first-year Seahawk averaged 16.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 53 percent from the field. Phills was sensational during Wagner’s 87-71 triumph over Saint Francis U on Monday night. Helping knock the Red Flash out of first place, Phills tallied 20 points, 16 rebounds and five steals in the near wire-to-wire win. Two days earlier, the North Carolina product logged 13 points and 13 boards at defending NEC champion Robert Morris. Phills, who went a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line at RMU, has scored in double figures in 15 straight games. She leads all NEC freshmen in scoring average (12.9 ppg).
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
ASHLEE WHITE, MOUNT ST. MARY’S
G, Fr., 5-5, Woodbridge, VA/Osbourn Park
WEEK 14 STATS: 2 games, 19.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.5 rpg, .765 FG pct., .833 3FG pct.
Accounting for a breakout weekend, White powered Mount St. Mary’s offense to the tune of 19.5 points and 4.0 assists per contest. The 5-foot-5 freshman shot a stellar 76.5 percent from the floor during the Mount’s two-game swing through Pennsylvania. White, whose steady production also yielded 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per contest, hit the 20-point mark for the first time in her career during Saturday’s 66-58 triumph over Saint Francis U. She shot 71.4 percent from the field, including a 2-for-3 clip from downtown, while leading four Mount scorers in double figures with 20 points. Clutch down the stretch, White tallied nine points, one assist and one steal over the game’s final 5:50. Playing 29 minutes during Monday’s setback at Robert Morris, the rookie guard logged 19 points, four assists and two steals.
STATE OF THE RACE
Three teams joined Saint Francis U (10-4) on the list of NEC Tournament teams last week.
Defending champion Robert Morris (11-3), Sacred Heart (11-3) and Central Connecticut (8-6) all secured a spot in the postseason event, the winner of which will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Four spots remain available with Bryant (7-7) and Mount St. Mary’s (7-7) both needing only one more win to earn a berth. Fairleigh Dickinson (6-8) is also close to punching its ticket.
Saint Francis U was the first team to 10 conference wins and the first to clinch a berth, but the Red Flash suffered home losses to Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner last week.
After knocking the Red Flash out of first place on Monday night, Wagner (3-11) moved within one game of St. Francis Brooklyn (4-10) in the race for the final NEC Tournament spot. LIU Brooklyn (3-11) is also one game off the rival Terriers’ pace.
ONE-LINERS ON THE QUALIFIERS...
- Saint Francis U has won a league-best 11 NEC Tournament titles.
- Robert Morris has advanced to the NEC Championship Game each of the past three years, winning two titles.
- Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament for the 18th year in a row, the longest active streak in the conference.
- Central Connecticut, which is in search of its first NEC Tournament crown, has qualified for the postseason event for the third consecutive year.
TOP TEAMS SLATED FOR PRESIDENTS’ DAY DOUBLE DIP
The Northeast Conference will feature two games on ESPN3 this week in the form of a Presidents’ Day doubleheader.
Each game will feature one of the two teams – Sacred Heart and Robert Morris – that are tied for first place in the NEC standings.
Sacred Heart hosts a hot Fairleigh Dickinson team in the first half of the double dip, which will tip off at 6:00 pm ET. The visiting Knights have won three in a row for the first time in six years.
FDU prevailed in the first meeting with Sacred Heart this season, posting a 58-56 triumph in Hackensack.
Defending NEC champion Robert Morris visits Bryant for the nightcap, which is slated for an 8:00 pm ET start. The Colonials are the conference’s hottest team, having won eight in a row. Bryant, which is in the midst of a four-game homestand, has won back-to-back games, too.
RMU took the season’s first meeting with Bryant by a 62-46 margin on January 21 in Moon Township.
Three of the top-five scorers in the NEC – RMU’s Anna Niki Stamolamprou (15.9 ppg), Bryant’s Alex Klein (15.2 ppg), SHU’s Hannah Kimmel (15.0 ppg) -- will participate in the ESPN3 doubleheader.
FINE LINES (WEEK 14)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...
SHANOVIA DOVE (LIU BROOKLYN)
Continuing to rank among top-5 NEC scoring leaders, the senior averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game to lead LIU last week.
KATHERINE HAINES (SACRED HEART)
Helping SHU stay tied atop the standings, the sophomore post player averaged 19.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per contest while shooting 62 percent.
KERSTIE PHILLS (WAGNER)
The freshman posted back-to-back double-doubles, including 20 points, 16 rebounds and five steals in a road win over Saint Francis U.
ASHLEE WHITE (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
The 5-foot-5 freshman sparkplug averaged a team-high 19.5 points per game while shooting 76.5 percent from the floor.
MADELYNN COMLY (FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON)
Helping the Knights post two wins, the sophomore guard averaged 15.0 points, 3.0 steals and 2.0 rebounds per contest.
TWEET SHEET
@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 13) .@RMUWBasketball wins 8th straight. @SHUBigRed wins in 2OT. @RedFlashWBB upset, so RMU, SHU tied for 1st in @NECsports
@astockeyWTAE
(Feb 13) Congrats @RMUWBasketball on rolling to their 8th straight victory #WTAE
@CraigCD13
(Feb 13) In 2 weeks, it’ll be the ESPN3 Wild Card season finale on Maniac Monday. That should be fun #NECWBB
@SHUBigRed
(Feb 13) DYK that @SacredHeartWBB has qualified for 18 straight #NECWBB Tourney’s, the longest active streak in NEC Catch them live tonight #WeAreSHU
@ghickey7
(Feb 13) Shout out to Erin Storck and Tyreka Carter. Big Buckets at the right time. Great game girls, team needed ya’ll tonight. #WeAreSHU
@CraigCD13
(Feb 13) I will say, perhaps the most consistently productive player out of all of them since the start of NEC play has been SHU’s Katherine Haines..
@jmnetter33
(Feb 13) Tonight I was reminded of how fortunate I am to coach such an incredible group of young women... so proud of all of you ???? @SacredHeartWBB
@CoachWhitMSM
(Feb 13) Love how this this team competes & never quits. They fight for each other every step of the way. #Warriors
@jonlevinsonwbb
(Feb 13) Just heard most awesome anthem singer at FDU... Tremendous!
@CraigCD13
(Feb 11) I would sign up right now to see SFU and Mount meet up for a 3rd time come March #NECWBB
@NelCastBHJ
(Feb 11) LIU remains GB of SFBK for 8th & final playoff spot.
QUOTABLE
JOHN THURSTON (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN), Head Coach
“Other than probably the Robert Morris win on the road, that was the best we’ve played. It was against high level competition. With a bounce here or there we would have beaten the two teams that are tied for first place. I think it shows what I felt all along; when we play our best version of ourselves, we’re pretty good. We made an incredible number of tough shots, defensive stops, key rebounds. Neither team really had the energy at the end.”
- after a 61-58 loss to first-place Sacred Heart in double overtime (Feb. 13)
CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (ROBERT MORRIS), Head Coach
“We knew that we had to set the standard [in rebounding], because we’re a bigger team than them. [Mount] goes guard-heavy and really spaces the court to allow for driving. Offensively, we had to step up and guard them with our bigs. When teams play a certain way, we have to be able to adjust for that and we did that by getting the ball inside.”
- after the Colonials out-rebounded Mount St. Mary’s by a 39-14 margin during Monday’s 70-58 win (Feb. 13)
“I was proud of our team today for finding our rhythm and pace. I thought Wagner did a good job on changing defenses and making us uncomfortable early. We did a great job keeping at it defensively when shots weren’t falling on the offensive end. As the game went on we got better, and I like that.”
- after the Colonials pulled away for a decisive 74-41 triumph over Wagner (Feb. 11)
PETE CINELLA (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“I felt we were in control of this game. Every time Central Connecticut would cut it down we would hit a big three. Our two starting posts played very well. Courtney [Blankenship] had a career-high and Amina [Markovic] played one of her best games.”
- after FDU extended its win streak to three games with a 77-64 triumph over Central Connecticut (Feb. 13)
MARY BURKE (Bryant), Head Coach
“We came out and fought hard, but were a little inconsistent offensively in the first half. We had to do some things to grind it out in the second half. I thought Long Island fought really hard. We had to put our very best effort forward. We still have a long way to go and we’re still jockeying [for playoff positioning], so we’ve got to keep getting better.”
- after Bryant evened its NEC record at 7-7 by posting a 57-53 win over LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 13)