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NEC Player of the Week: Alex Klein, BRY
NEC Rookie of the Week: Kerstie Phills, WAG
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NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ALEX KLEIN, BRYANT
F, Sr., 6-1, Waterloo, Ontario
WEEK 15 STATS: 2 games, 18.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, .500 FG pct.
Klein powered Bryant to back-to-back victories going up against the NEC’s Keystone State contingent. With the Bulldogs defeating two of the top-three teams in the conference standings, the senior forward averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per win while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Leading five Bryant scorers in double figures, the Canadian-born Klein netted 18 points over 26 minutes during Saturday’s 85-70 triumph over third-place Saint Francis U. She accounted for an 8-of-10 clip from the charity stripe, finishing with only two fewer free throws than the entire SFU team. Helping knock Robert Morris out of first place, Klein again led Bryant in scoring during Monday night’s overtime affair against the defending champion Colonials. The 6-foot-1 senior tallied 18 points and secured 13 caroms, posting her seventh double-double of the season in the 62-59 victory. Klein, who went 7-for-13 shooting, also dished out three assists in 36 minutes against RMU. Amongst NEC leaders, Klein ranks fourth in scoring (15.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (8.1 rpg) this season.
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KERSTIE PHILLS, WAGNER
G/F, Fr., 5-9, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian
WEEK 15 STATS: 2 games, 14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 apg, .478 FG pct.
Phills continued to pace NEC freshmen in scoring last week, extending her streak of double-digit outputs to 17 consecutive contests. The first-year Seahawk averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field during Wagner’s split weekend. Making the short trip to St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, Phills poured in a game-high 18 points to go along with six boards and three steals. Phills fought through foul trouble to score 10 points in 22 minutes during Monday night’s setback to Mount St. Mary’s. She grabbed eight boards and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe as Wagner built a large lead before falling. Phills leads all NEC rookies with a 12.8 points per game average, including a 15.9 ppg clip during league play. She has claimed the NEC Rookie of the Week award on eight different occasions.
NEC PULLS ALL-RED WILDCARD
They are two of the top-three teams in the conference standings and they’ve made for some memorable meetings in recent years.
First-place Sacred Heart and third-place Saint Francis U will clash again in Monday night’s NEC regular season finale and ESPN3 will carry the action live.
On Wednesday, the Northeast Conference announced that the Pioneers and the Red Flash would occupy the wildcard slot on its Game of the Week schedule.
SFU and SHU will tip off in Loretto at 7:00 pm ET on February 27. Craig D’Amico (play-by-play) and Coach Pam Roecker (color) will have the call.
Sacred Heart triumphed in the season’s first meeting with SFU, posting a 73-63 win in Fairfield on December 31. SHU sophomore forward Katherine Haines logged a double-double (14 points, 16 rebounds) while reigning NEC Player of the Year Hannah Kimmel scored 18 points. The Pioneers limited the Red Flash to a 6-for-28 sample from downtown.
Jessica Mannetti and Joe Haigh have coached against one another in the NEC Tournament in two of the past three years. Mannetti’s Pioneers recorded a 92-71 victory over the Flash in the 2016 NEC semifinal round. In 2014, Haigh’s Red Flash outlasted the Pioneers in a quarterfinal round classic. The 132-124 two-overtime affair ranks as the second-highest scoring game in NCAA Division I women’s history.
BRYANT, MOUNT & FDU OFFICIALLY JOIN PARTY
Seven of the eight invitations are now spoken for.
Bryant, Mount St. Mary’s and Fairleigh Dickinson have all guaranteed themselves a spot in the eight-team NEC Tournament field.
Saint Francis U was the first to clinch a postseason berth with Sacred Heart, Robert Morris and Central Connecticut following shortly thereafter.
With two dates remaining in the regular season schedule, St. Francis Brooklyn (5-11), LIU Brooklyn (4-12) and Wagner (3-13) will duke it out for the eighth, and final, spot. SFBK holds a one-game cushion heading into Saturday’s matchup at CCSU.
All seeding for the 2017 NEC Tournament, the winner of which will earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance, is still to be determined.
The NEC Tournament tips off with quarterfinal round play on Sunday, March 5.
FINE LINES (WEEK 15)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...
SHANOVIA DOVE (LIU BROOKLYN)
The senior led the circuit in scoring (24.5 ppg) last week, including the 31 points she poured in to help the Blackbirds defeat St. Francis Brooklyn and remain alive in the postseason hunt.
ALEXIS CARTER (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
The versatile veteran, who shot 46 percent from the floor, paced the Mount in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) during its two-win week.
ALEX KLEIN (BRYANT)
Helping the Bulldogs defeat two of the top-three teams in the standings, the Canadian-born post player averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per win.
JESSICA KOVATCH (SAINT FRANCIS U)
The sophomore sharpshooter accounted gave her league-leading scoring average a bump last week. Shooting 55 percent from the floor, she accounted for 23.5 points and 2.5 assists per contest.
MORGAN OLANDER (BRYANT)
The veteran forward averaged a double-double (14.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg) as the Bulldogs posted posted back-to-back wins.
ACE HARRISON (SAINT FRANCIS U)
The do-it-all forward averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She had 11 thefts in a win at CCSU
MILESTONES, FIRSTS, ETC.
JANEE BROWN (ROBERT MORRIS)
The senior point guard became the all-time program leader in games played on Monday night at Bryant. Brown, who finished with nine points, a season-high eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals, participated in her 125th career game.
MASEY ZEGAROWSKI (BRYANT)
The freshman guard had hit only two three-pointers over the course of her previous nine games before heating up in Saturday’s 85-70 win over Saint Francis U. Zegarowski finished with 14 points after drilling a career-high four triples.
KIERRA PALMER (BRYANT)
The sophomore point guard logged her first career double-double during a victory over Saint Francis U (Feb. 18). In addition to 12 points, the Marylander matched her career high with 14 assists.
KELLIE CROUCH (WAGNER)
The freshman guard cracked Wagner’s all-time single-season list for three-pointers made. By going 4-for-8 from downtown on Monday against Mount St. Mary’s, the Garden State product ran her season total to 63 triples. That number ranks 10th in program history.
TWEET SHEET
@CraigCD13
(Feb 20) 80 of 90 regular season #NECWBB games complete, 10 more to decide it all...next week this time the playoff picture will be complete!
@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 20) .@SHUBigRed at @RedFlashWBB in season finale in one week. Lots must happen but it could be for 1st place in @NECsports
@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 20) .@RMUWBasketball @RedFlashWBB & @SHUBigRed all could end up 13-5 in @NECsports.
@FDU_WBB
(Feb 20) RECAP -- Knights Fall in OT for a second straight game -- this time at Sacred Heart
@jmnetter33
(Feb 20) Awesome energy at our #PACKTHEPITT game tonight as @SacredHeartWBB gets the OT WIN v a tough FDU! Proud of our continued fight & effort! ????
@JoeNemzer
(Feb 20) Huge congrats to @TheMountWBB @CoachWhitMSM and staff on the comeback win! Love watching this group play! #MountFamily
@NelCastBHJ
(Feb 20) .@LIUwbb defeated St. Francis Brooklyn this afternoon 62-58 to keep their NEC tourney hopes alive. SR Shanovia Dove dropped 31 pts.
@CoachOliverLIU
(Feb 20) #extremelyproudcoach
@petespeed10
(Feb 20) Huge Gutsy win for @Bryantwbball !!!..... Proud of the amazing effort!! #keepthisgoing #BackyourBulldogs #BBT #NECWBB
@BryantUPrez
(Feb 20) Women bball showed toughness and Grit tonight! Down @ 1/2 to No. 1 RM in NEC 32-23. won in OT 62-59. So many heroes such poise. BD is proud??
@giantswfan
(Feb 20) @jrcabral must check w/ @NECRalph, but 99% sure that was first OT in both ends of a womens TV DH in league history! #NECWBB
@CraigCD13
(Feb 20) This year’s #NECWBB on ESPN3 schedule has been $$$
@Kim_Adams1
(Feb 20) Getting set for #NECWBB on ESPN3! @FDUKnights visit @SHUBigRed in a rematch of a thriller from two weeks ago!
Join @giantswfan & me at 6! ??
@CoachWhitMSM
(Feb 18) Winning is hard, especially on the road. Our players dig in today and found a way. Wasn’t perfect, they did the work. #DialedIn #CompeteHard
@CraigCD13
(Feb 18) RMU & SHU have both clinched 1st round @necbbt home games. For RMU this means at least 1 more game at the Sewell Center. #NECWBB
@CoachWhitMSM
(Feb 18) Thing I love about @KatriceMDickson, you’re always gonna get effort & energy. As improved as a player & maturity-wise in 3 yrs as I’ve had.
AROUND THE ARC
BRYANT topped Robert Morris in overtime at the Chace Center to improve its home record to 10-2 this season. The Bulldogs haven’t lost at home since January 14 when they suffered their lone NEC loss in Smithfield (Sacred Heart).
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT has dropped its last three NEC home games after winning its first five contests against league foes in Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils will close out their home schedule against St. Francis Brooklyn on February 25. CCSU won the first meeting, 61-53, on December 31 in Brooklyn Heights.
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON, which suffered back-to-back overtime losses last week, had out-rebounded its opponent in seven consecutive games prior to Monday’s setback at Sacred Heart. The Knights, who own a +1.5/game rebounding margin during NEC play, had last lost to a conference foe in overtime on January 15, 2011 (Saint Francis U). Overall, FDU paces the circuit with 15.1 offensive rebounds per game.
LIU BROOKLYN is 4-1 when it scores at least 62 points in a game this season.
MOUNT ST. MARY’S came back from 18 points down in the third quarter to win at Wagner on February 20. The Mount erased the large deficit by going on a 21-0 run over a 6:44 stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters. Freshman guard Ashlee White, who netted 17 points against Wagner, has led the team in scoring in three of the past four games.
ROBERT MORRIS, which suffered an overtime loss for the first time this season, saw its nine-game win streak end in Smithfield at the hand of Bryant. The nine-game surge tied for fourth-longest in program history. Prior to Monday night’s 62-59 setback at Bryant, the Colonials had not played into overtime since November 19 when thy eked out a 68-65 road win over MAC member Kent State.
SACRED HEART has posted a league-high three overtime wins this season with all three games coming during conference play.
SAINT FRANCIS U has hit at least 14 three-pointers in a game on six occasions this season. No other NEC team has done it once.
ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN received a new addition to the rafters of the Pope Center. During the men’s Battle of Brooklyn on February 15, SFBK raised its WBCA Academic National Championship banner. The Terriers topped all NCAA Division I women’s team by posting a 3.712 Team GPA during the 2015-16 academic year.
WAGNER saw four different players score in double digits against Mount St. Mary’s on Monday. It marked the second time in the last three games that the Seahawks had four scorers in double figures. They have had a different leading scorer in each of the past three contests.
QUOTABLE
JESSICA MANNETTI (SACRED HEART), Head Coach
“… we constantly like to do things the hard way. That’s what we’ve been the most consistent at – to find the hardest way to do something this season and then do it. It’s great and it gives us overtime experience. We just battle and some kids continue to hit really big shots in overtime and I love that. I love that it comes from different players every single time.”
- after the Pioneers pulled out a 68-60 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (Feb. 20), their second overtime win in the last three games
KATHERINE HAINES (SACRED HEART), Forward
“It was kind of difficult because they were playing really good defense and we were kind of struggling from the three-point line. Our main focus was getting to the basket and getting as many boards and put-backs as we could.”
- after she earned BAYER Player of the Game honors for her effort in an overtime win over FDU. Haines tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season
CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (ROBERT MORRIS), Head Coach
“We definitely set the tone early on and had control of the tempo. But as the game went on we lost our focus in a lot of ways and need to be more mentally tough. Those breakdowns ultimately cost us by putting us in a tough position at the end of the game to finish it.”
- after Robert Morris saw its nine-game win streak come to an end in overtime at Bryant (Feb. 20)
“We worked hard all week defensively and I’ve said since day one that defense is our backbone. We have to go out there and make sure that we’re staying accountable and working hard. Central [Connecticut] can create good looks with their offense, so we had to lock in and make them uncomfortable. A lot of their shots were contested and they took a lot from the outside, so we did just that.”
- after the Colonials became the second NEC team to hold an opponent under the 40-point mark this season, posting a 62-39 road win over Central Connecticut (Feb. 18)
PETE CINELLA (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“I thought we did a good job of controlling the tempo and had some good moments, but we did not make open shots late in the fourth and overtime. Give SHU credit, they had their seniors hit some key baskets late in regulation and overtime. We had the ball to win the game in the fourth versus the first place team, and we did not play one of our best games. That tells me we have the ability to win on the road. We have to play a good to win on the road not just play solidly.”
- after FDU dropped its second straight overtime decision, falling, 68-60, at first-place Sacred Heart (Feb. 20)
MARY BURKE (Bryant), Head Coach
“It was a gutty performance. We’re a young team and struggled early on in January. To be able to come back and do all of the things that were necessary down the stretch - big shots, bigs tops against a great team. I’m just so proud of them. ... There’s no better time to start playing well than this time of year.”
- after Bryant hang on for a 62-59 win, ending Robert Morris’ nine-game win streak on Feb. 20
PALMER PASSING AT ELITE LEVEL
Bryant’s Kierra Palmer was pressed into action as a freshman and quickly emerged as one of the conference’s top passers.
The Marylander logged the most assists (126) amongst NEC leaders last year and her 4.06 apg average ranked second.
Having seemingly avoided the mythical sophomore slump, Palmer’s precise passing has her at the front of the class once again. Her 4.56 assists per game lead the league and her pace has picked up of late.
Palmer has logged at least five helpers in each of her past four games. In last week’s 85-70 triumph over third-place Saint Francis U, the 5-foot-7 sophomore set the NEC single-game season high with 14 assists. That performance matched the career high she set against Mount St. Mary’s as a freshman and it is tied for fourth overall on the NEC’s all-time single-game list.
Assists Cl Ast Opponent (Date)
1. Kerry Dressel (FDU) Sr 17 St. Francis (NY) (1/9/88)
Sandy Salerno (SFNY) Sr 17 Wagner (1/19/91)
3. Karen Hewitt (SFPA) Sr 16 St. Francis (NY) (1/10/04)
4. Kierra Palmer (BRY) Fr 14 Mount St. Mary’s (2/20/16)
Kierra Palmer (BRY) So 14 Saint Francis U (2/18/17)
5. 12 tied with... 13