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NEC Player of the Week: Katie Reese, SFU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Kerstie Phills, WAG
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NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KATIE REESE, SAINT FRANCIS U
G, Sr., 5-9, Boonton Township, NJ/Mountain Lakes  
WEEK 13 STATS: 2 games, 19.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 4.5 3FGM/g, .500 FG pct., .500 3FG pct.
Reese carried the scoring load for the Red Flash on their swing through Brooklyn last week. Helping Saint Francis secure sole possession of first place, the senior guard averaged a conference-high 19.0 points per contest while shooting 50 percent from the field. Reese, who also averaged 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per victory, accounted for a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as the Red Flash ran past LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn. The 5-foot-9 senior was deadly from downtown, sinking 9 of 18 three-point attempts during the two-game sample. Going 7-for-14 shooting, Reese tallied 19 points, five rebounds and three assists during Saturday’s 74-30 triumph over LIU. Two days later, she hit six triples on the way to a game-high 19 points at St. Francis Brooklyn. Playing 27 minutes in the 75-59 win, Reese accounted for nearly one-third of the Red Flash’s record 19 three-pointers. One of only two Red Flash to start all 23 games this season, Reese, who began her collegiate career at Manhattan, ranks sixth overall amongst NEC leaders in scoring average (13.4 ppg).   
 
 
NEC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KERSTIE PHILLS, WAGNER
G/F, Fr., 5-9, Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Christian
WEEK 13 STATS: 2 games, 18.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, .536 FG pct.
Phills shot her way into the Top 10 on the NEC scoring leader board last week. Continuing to increase her points per game average (12.3 ppg), the first-year Seahawk produced back-to-back 18-point performances. The 5-foot-9 Phills shot 53.6 percent from the field while averaging 18.0 points and 6.0 per contest. She powered Wagner to a 74-66 road win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, registering a game-high 18 points, six rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes of action in Hackensack. Phills accounted for eight of the team’s first 15 points during the road victory. Her layup broke a 13-13 tie with 8:38 to go in the second quarter and the Seahawks led the rest of the way. Two days later, Phills poured in 16 points over the first three quarters as Wagner held a one-point edge over Central Connecticut with 10:00 to play. She finished with 18 points, on 8-for-13 shooting, and six rebounds in an eventual 83-71 setback. Phills, who ranks ninth overall amongst NEC scoring leaders, has reached double digits in each of her past 13 outings.


TWEET SHEET
@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 7) .@NECsports WBB race going to be fun. @RedFlashWBB (10-2) leads @RMUWBasketball & Sacred Heart (9-3) by a game. CCS (8-4) by 2. 6 games left

@CraigCD13
(Feb 6) Congrats to @RedFlashWBB on winning 9 of their last 10 and clinching their 22nd @necbbt appearance. See you in March! #NECWBB

@CCurti_Trib
(Feb 6) .@RMUWBasketball wins 6th straight, stays 1 game back in @NECsports race. @StamolaNiki 28 points, 10 boards in win over LIU. #GreekFreak

@RidersWomen
(Feb 7) Alex Smith and @elivermore23 named in the @WBBLofficial All-Star 5 #OneTeam

@jmnetter33
(Feb 4) Great TEAM win today for @SacredHeartWBB v Bryant. Played with #Redemption,  poise and relentless effort for 40min!  #soproud #allheart ????

@CraigCD13
(Feb 4) Bulldogs started 4-2, have lost 4 of last 5. Mount started 1-4, have won 4 of last 6. Both teams 5-6, two games out of the top 4 #NECWBB

@NYcoach
(Feb 4) in a 74 - 30  #Road  WIN
(vs LIU )
12-10 (9-2)  @SFUWBB   5’11”  JR  Guard   MAYA  WYNN

20  Pts
7  Rebs
3  Asts
7/18  FG
6/13  3PT
29  Mins


FINE LINES (WEEK 13)
The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines...

MADELYNN COMLY (FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON)
The sophomore guard made all 15 free throw ttempts last week while averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. She scored 22 in the Knights’ win over Sacred Heart.

KATIE REESE (SAINT FRANCIS U)
Helping the Red Flash take sole possession of first place, the veteran scorer shot 50 percent from downtown and tallied 19.0 points per win.

KERSTIE PHILLS (WAGNER)
The NEC’s leading freshman scorer posted back-to-back 18-point efforts, including game-high honors in Wagner’s win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

ANNA NIKI STAMOLAMPROU (ROBERT MORRIS)
Extending its win streak to six straight, Robert Morris received 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game from its decorated combo guard.

KATHERINE HAINES (SACRED HEART)
The sophomore forward shot 50 percent from the floor while leading the Pioneers in scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg).

ALEXIS CARTER (MOUNT ST. MARY’S)
The versatile senior averaged a double-double (14.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg) to help the Mountaineers post back-to-back victories.

ALEAH EPPS (CENTRAL CONNECTICUT)
Continuing to produce in multiple facets, the senior guard averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per outing.


QUOTABLE
BRYAN WHITTEN (MOUNT ST. MARY’S), Head Coach
“I love our kids. They’ve really let me coach them this year. ... We’ve come a long way since November 14.”
- after his team topped Bryant, 61-53, in the #NECWBB featured Game of the Week. The Mount has won three in a row and five of its last seven games.


MARIA PALARINO (ST. FRANCIS BKLYN), Sophomore
“I think it comes down to how many turnovers we had, they had ten and we had twenty four. I think that’s what decided the game, we gave them the ball so many times. I think we handled their press better than we did last time we played them. I would say they are beatable if we limit our turnovers.”
- after a 75-59 loss to rival Saint Francis U (Feb. 6)


ALEXIS CARTER (MOUNT ST. MARY’S), Senior
“Coach [Whitten] has really made it a point to get not only defensive rebounds, but offensive rebounds. So, I try to focus on offensive rebounding and let the defensive rebounds come naturally.”
- after she grabbed eight boards in a win over Bryant, which leads the NEC in team rebounding margin, on Feb. 6.


CHARLIE BUSCAGLIA (ROBERT MORRIS), Head Coach
“We walked out of the gate today and had to pick it up as the game went on. We didn’t come out strong, but we did just enough to win the game. We need to play more together with continuity and outwork opposing teams by making hard for them to defend us.”
- after the Colonials extended their win streak to six games by posting a 64-54 road win over LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 6).

“St. Francis Brooklyn has played us tough over the years, so to be able to pull a win out is great. This was a big test for us today, playing a team that beat us on our own floor, and coming off our victory at Saint Francis of Pennsylvania on the road – a very good win for us without Megan [Smith] – we had to make sure to get ourselves back up and focused on a team that has given us a lot of problems. I was proud of the players for setting the tone early and playing accountable defense that paved the way for a victory.”
- after the Colonials tipped off their swing through Brooklyn by topping the SFBK Terriers on Feb. 4


PETE CINELLA (Fairleigh Dickinson), Head Coach
“[I am] very proud of the team for showing grit by coming back from down 11 against the first-place team. We didn’t panic and kept swinging the ball from side to side [on offense]. Rainey [Cox] stepped up big tonight and finished through contact [multiple times]. We got a huge defensive stop with under 40 seconds to go and Zeynep Akgun made a great decision on the final play. It is important that we learned how to have a foul shooting advantage and to outrebound [teams].”
- on a last-second 58-56 win over Sacred Heart, which entered the game tied for first place in the NEC, on Feb. 6.

“Wagner played a very solid game and great second quarter. We had some good moments in the second half but we have to do a better job of finding the open man and hitting those open shots.”
- after the Knights fell behind early and trailed much of the way through a 74-66 home loss tp Wagner (Feb. 4).



AROUND THE ARC
• BRYANT, which has played five of its last six games on the road, will tip off a string of four consecutive home dates when St. Francis Brooklyn visits Smithfield on February 11.

• CENTRAL CONNECTICUT seems to be “at home” when playing within the New York City limits. The Blue Devils defeated Wagner, 83-71, on February 6 on Grymes Hill for their third road win during conference play. All three wins have come in NYC. CCSU posted a 76-71 win at LIU Brooklyn on January 16, two weeks after a 61-53 triumph over St. Francis in Brooklyn Heights.

• FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON defeated Sacred Heart in Hackensack for the third year in a row on Monday night (Feb. 6). The Knights, who received the game-winning layup from Madelynn Comly with 1.7 seconds remaining, out-scored Sacred Heart, 22-12, in the second-chance points column. It was the sixth consecutive game during which FDU has scored more second-chance points than its opponent.

• LIU BROOKLYN’s top-two scorers are at opposite ends of their collegiate careers. Senior Shanovia Dove, who scored 26 points against Robert Morris (Feb. 6), ranks fourth overall amongst NEC scoring leaders (15.3 ppg). Meanwhile, freshman forward Aja Boyd (11.1 ppg) ranks 15th overall on the league leader board and is second amongst rookies.

• MOUNT ST. MARY’S surrendered 97 points in a setback to Saint Francis U on January 14, but the Mount has significantly tightened up its defense ever since. The Mount has held six of its last seven opponents under 60 points with Central Connecticut’s 66 points on February 4 providing the lone exception. The Mountaineers are 5-2 during that span.

• ROBERT MORRIS has had LIU Brooklyn’s number in recent years. The Colonials’ win over the Blackbirds on Monday marked RMU’s 12th consecutive victory in the series. With the victory, Robert Morris moved to 6-1 in NEC road games this season.

• SACRED HEART paces the circuit in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.87) and is committing a league-low 14.6 turnovers per contest.

• SAINT FRANCIS U holds a huge lead over the NEC in three-pointers made (271) and three-pointers attempted (806) this season, but the Red Flash have also defended the three-point shot effectively. SFU leads the NEC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.300).

• ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN has seen its scoring average dip during its recent slide. The Terriers have not reached the 60-point mark in any of their last four games and are averaging 54.0 points per contest during the four-game skid.

• WAGNER set a couple of seasonal bests during Saturday’s 74-66 near wire-to-wire win over Fairleigh Dickinson. For the first time all season, the Seahawks placed five scorers in double figures (and four were underclassmen). The 74 points marked the team’s highest single-game output, too.


RECORD-SETTING RED FLASH
Saint Francis U has been shooting three-pointers at a record rate. On Monday night, they made more triples than any team in NEC single-game history.

Shooting their way to a 75-59 road win over rival St. Francis Brooklyn, the Red Flash sank 19 of 50 three-point attempts. It was the first time ever that a team dialed long distance more than 17 times in a Northeast Conference contest.

Senior guard Katie Reese led the effort with a 6-for-11 clip from beyond the arc. Jessica Kovatch, Maya Wynn and Halee Adams all hit four triples apiece and Courtney Zezza sank one.

SFU, which leads all of NCAA Division I in three-point attempts per game (11.8), previously set the NEC single-game record last season when it hit 17 triples during an 87-67 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on January 18, 2016.

 
RMU RECEIVES BIG ROOKIE CONTRIBUTION
With a rookie post player leading the charge, Robert Morris avenged an earlier home loss to St. Francis Brooklyn by handing the Terriers a 61-54 defeat in Brooklyn Heights.

The Colonials, who dropped a 56-49 decision to the Terriers on January 7, were able to bounce back in Brooklyn on Saturday thanks to a career effort from freshman Nneka Ezeigbo.

The 6-foot-2 forward scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 10 boards for her first-ever double-double. Ezeigbo went 8-for-11 shooting.

"We put a lot of work in at practice this week with our inside game," said RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia following the win over SFBK. "A lot of that work showed up and when you get into a situation with Nneka [Ezeigbo] as a freshman, there will be games when she comes out and performs at the level that she can. The guards did a great job getting the ball inside to our posts, where they were isolated one-on-one with a defender. I saw a lot of mental toughness around the basket today."

The SFBK game marked the first time that Ezeigbo scored in double figures since the non-conference season. Ending with a flourish, Ezeigbo posted three double-digit efforts in the Colonials’ final four non-league dates. For the season, she is averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.