NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Charles Pride, Bryant
6’4”, 200 lbs.
Jr., G, Syracuse, NY/Putnam Science (CT)
Pride took his game to a level heretofore unseen last week, leading the Bulldogs to a road sweep with a pair of herculean efforts. The junior from Syracuse averaged a whopping 38.0 points per game, but that wasn’t all. He added 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.0 block per outing, shot an efficient 53.6 percent from the floor and was a perfect 12-12 from the line. In one of the all-time great stat lines in league history, Pride tallied a career-high, NEC single-game season-high and DI program record 44 points to spark Bryant to a 89-82 victory at SFU on Thursday. He came back two days later and scored 32 of his team’s 62 points in a one-point win at Mount St. Mary’s that extended Bryant’s win streak to eight and kept the Bulldogs one game back of Wagner in the standings. Pride, who was also named Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Week, ranks first in the NEC in double-doubles (eight), fifth in scoring (17.5), second in rebounding (8.1), eighth in steals (1.6), seventh in made 3P (1.8).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Andre Snoddy, CCSU
6’6”, 210 lbs.
Fr., F, Melville, NY/St. Anthony’s (St. Thomas More (CT))
The winner of back-to-back NEC Rookie honors, Snoddy has taken home the award four times in the last five weeks and five times overall to rank 11th on the all-time conference single-season list. In what may have been his best week yet, Snoddy averaged 14.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while converting 57.1 percent of his shot opportunities. The Melville, NY product played arguably the finest game of his career on Saturday. His 18 points matched a career-high and he set new career-bests with 14 rebounds and seven assists. His putback with 0.9 seconds remaining sent the game to overtime, as the Blue Devils went to post a 91-82 win over FDU. Snoddy, who has compiled three straight double-doubles and four during league play, leads all NEC freshman in scoring (8.1), rebounding (7.3) and FG accuracy (.493). CCSU players have won eight of the 13 NEC Rookie awards this season.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Charles Pride (BRY, Jr, G)
Pride assembled one of the great two-game stretches in NEC history last week, averaging 38.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.0 spg and 1.0 bpg. He shot 53.6 percent and made all 12 of his free throws. Pride scored a career-high, NEC single-game season-high and DI program record 44 points in Thursday’s 89-82 win at SFU, then came back with a 32-point effort as the Bulldogs edged the Mount, 62-61, for the road sweep that extended their win streak to eight games. He ranks first in the NEC in double-doubles (eight), fifth in scoring (17.5), second in rebounding (8.1), eighth in steals (1.6), seventh in made 3P (1.8).
Andre Snoddy (CCSU, Fr, F)
The five-time NEC Rookie of the Week averaged a double-double in a CCSU split, contributing 14.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg and 3.5 apg, while hitting at a 57.1 percent clip from the floor. Snoddy played arguably the best game of his career in Saturday’s overtime win over FDU. His 18 points matched a career-high and he set new career-bests with 14 rebounds and seven assists. His putback with 0.9 seconds remaining sent the game to OT. Snoddy, who has compiled three straight double-doubles and four during league play, leads all NEC freshman in scoring (8.1), rebounding (7.3) and FG accuracy (.493).
Eral Penn (LIU, R-Sr, F)
Penn recorded 20.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.0 bpg and 1.5 spg as part of a terrific all-around week in LIU’s split. He hit 55.6 percent of his shot opportunities. Penn produced 22 points, nine boards and a career-high six blocks in Thursday’s 79-75 win over SHU. Penn is currently sixth in the NEC in both scoring (15.8) and rebounding (7.3).
Jordan Minor (MC, Jr, F)
Minor boosted his double-double total to eight, tying him for first in the NEC, while averaging 11.0 ppg and 15.0 rpg. He twice broke his career-high for rebounds with 14 at the Mount on Thursday and 16 more in a 65-64 OT win at SFU on Saturday. He added 16 points against the Red Flash. Minor is ninth in the conference in scoring (13.7), third in rebounding (7.8), second in blocks (2.4), tenth in steals (1.5) and 11th in field goal percentage (.494).
Nana Opoku (MSM, R-Sr, F)
Opoku has consistently produced for the Mount this season, and last week was no exception. He registered 10.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg to average a double-double, pitched in with 1.0 bpg and 1.5 spg, and shot 50.0 percent from the floor. Opoku is 12th on the loop in rebounding (6.7), fourth in FG percentage (.578) and third in blocks (1.7).
Nico Galette (SHU, So, F)
Galette scored a career-best 20 points and hit 4-5 from downtown in Thursday’s tight loss at LIU, then recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 boards in SHU’s OT win at SFBK two days later. For the week, he produced 16.0 ppg on 54.5 percent shooting, 9.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 bpg and 2.0 spg. Galette averages 11.2 ppg and is the NEC’s leading rebounder at 8.1 per game.
Michael Cubbage (SFBK, Gr, G)
Cubbage has elevated his play as of late, and last week averaged 20.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.5 spg. He converted at a 53.1 percent clip from the field and was 3-5 from three-point range. Cubbage scored 20 points and his 11 caroms matched a season-high to lead the Terriers to a 81-64 win over FDU on Thursday. Cubbage paces the Terriers with 12.9 ppg, and is third in the league in steals (1.8).
Josh Cohen (SFU, R-So, F)
Cohen comes off one of the finest games of his young career on Saturday that saw him go off for a career-high 26 points, along with 10 rebounds and five assists. For the week, he posted 17.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 5.5 apg and shot 52.0 percent. Cohen is the NEC leader in field goal percentage (.624), and sits 11th in rebounding (6.7). He is second on the Red Flash in scoring (11.5).
Alex Morales (WC, Gr, G)
Morales supplied first place Wagner with 19.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg in yet another sweep. Morales rang up 28 points and his 14 boards equaled a career-best in Saturday’s 79-64 victory over LIU. Two days earlier, his block of a potential game-winning 3P clinched a win at CCSU. He ranks in the NEC top-7 in scoring (17.8, third), rebounding (7.6, fifth), assists (3.8, fourth), steals (1.8, second), FG percentage (.543, seventh), FT percentage (.785, fifth) and A/TO ratio (1.5, sixth).
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK THIRTENN
THE PLOT THICKENS
With all nine teams qualifying for the NEC Tournament this season, there may be a tad less drama as the season reaches its closing stages, but the tension is already building in both the race for the #1 seed and the jockeying for a top-four spot in the standings considering the home quarterfinal game that comes attached to it.
Riding a 13-game win streak, Wagner (12-0) has already clinched quarterfinal host duties at the Spiro Center and Bryant (11-1), which has won eight in a row, needs one win or a SHU loss to do the same.
After that, it gets complicated.
Mount St. Mary’s (7-5) and LIU (6-6) have the inside track on the remaining two quarterfinal host slots, with Sacred Heart one and a half games back, and CCSU and St. Francis Brooklyn two games out. FDU and Saint Francis U are three games behind LIU and remain alive for top-four positioning.
In the battle for the NEC regular season title, Wagner currently owns a head-to-head victory over Bryant via its wild 84-81 OT win over the Bulldogs in Staten Island back on January 6. NEC fans and scribes have circled the final day of the regular season on their calendar when the two teams meet in Smithfield in the rematch, a game that could serve as the ceremonial start to the NEC Tournament.
While the odds may be long against it, the possibility does exist that both teams win out leading to a 17-0 Wagner team matching up with a 16-1 Bryant side that day. If that scenario were to play out, the Seahawks would be a virtual lock to claim the #1 seed win or lose. Even if Bryant won the game to earn a series split and earn a share of the NEC regular season crown, the deciding tiebreaker would come down to their respective NCAA NET rankings. Currently, the Seahawks are 95th in the NET and Bryant is 223rd, a gap that would be seemingly impossible for the Bulldogs to overcome with both teams winning out until meeting on February 26.
CCSU’S KRISHNAN & WAGNER’S MORALES CRACKS 1,000-POINT PLATEAU
Not one, but two NEC student-athletes gained admission to the league’s exclusive 1,000-point club last week.
CCSU junior guard Ian Krishnan (Gaithersburg, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)) became the 241st player in the NEC’s 41-year history to reach 1K for his career, hitting the milestone on a free throw in the second half of Thursday’s narrow loss to Wagner. The Gaithersburg, MD native, who is the 38th player in CCSU history to reach the plateau, enters play this week with 1,013 points.
Wagner graduate student Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) followed suit two days later, becoming the 46th player in school annals to score 1,000 and 242nd in conference history. He hit the millennium mark on a first half three-pointer and boosted his career total to 1,019 points.
LIU grad student Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) entered the year already annointed as a 1,000-point scorer and has compiled 1,611 points in his three-plus seasons.
Sacred Heart senior Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) reached the milestone on January 15 and has amassed 1,102 points.
A host of players are also approaching the milestone, including Saint Francis U senior forward Myles Thompson (Camden, NJ/Camden) (942), Mount redshirt senior forward Nana Opoku (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) (930), Bryant junior guard Charles Pride (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool (Putnam Science (CT)) (922), Sacred Heart junior guard Tyler Thomas (New Haven, CT/Amity Regional (Williston)) (898), Mount senior forward Malik Jefferson (Hopewell, VA/Hopewell) (890) and Saint Francis U senior forward Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) (881).
SNODDY STOCK RISING
The awards are piling up for CCSU freshman forward Andre Snoddy (Melville, NY/St. Anthony’s (St. Thomas More (CT))).
Snoddy’s fifth NEC Rookie of the Week award vaulted him into a tie for 11th place on the league’s all-time chart along with Shivaughn Wiggins (MSM), Jeremy Chappell (RMU), Peter Mulligan (UMBC), Desi Wilson (FDU), Cane Broome (SHU), Quincy McKnight (SHU) and Marcel Pettway (BRY). All but Broome and McKnight earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors.
The record for most ROW accolades belongs to CCSU’s Kyle Vinales, who was an eight-time winner in 2011-12.
BIG TIME BLOCKS
Two games ended last week with the hoops equivalent of a last second, goal-line stand.
With the game on the line, Wagner graduate student Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)) and Bryant sophomore guard Joe Moon IV (Westland, MI/Westland John Glenn (Woodstock Academy (CT))) both blocked potential buzzer-beating, game-winning three-point attempts.
After CCSU whittled a 24-point Wagner lead down to two points in the waning seconds on Thursday, Morales chased down fellow newbie 1,000-point scorer Ian Krishnan (Gaithersburg, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)) in the corner and swatted his shot from behind with 0.3 seconds remaining to keep the Seahawks’ unbeaten NEC season in tact.
Two days later, Moon was subbed in for defensive purposes with 10 seconds remaining and Mount St. Mary’s trailing Bryant by one point. The Mount retained possession after a missed shot, and with 1.2 seconds to play, inbounded the ball to Jalen Benjamin (Raleigh, NC/Meadowcreek (GA)). Benjamin fired up a 3P from the deep corner, and Moon was there to get a piece of it and preserve the 62-61 road victory.
OT FRENZY
It was one of the great days of NEC hoops in recent memory.
On Saturday, three games went to overtime and another was decided by one point.
It marked the first time there were three NEC OT games on the same day since January 17, 2013. On that day nine years ago, Bryant edged the Mount, 79-78, LIU downed FDU, 79-75, and Quinnipiac beat Saint Francis U, 75-66.
Here’s a quick recap of what went down this past weekend.
The Merrimack-Saint Francis U OT game was rated 23rd in the nation by KenPom for tension, which measures how close the win probability is to 50 percent throughout the game. MC tied the game in regulation on a Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden) three-pointer with 44 seconds to play, and scored the go-ahead bucket in OT on sophomore guard Malik Edmead’s (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) layup at the 51 second mark. The Warriors survived two SFU attempts near the rim in the final seconds and came away with a hard-fought 65-64 road win that broke a six-game losing streak.
In Brooklyn Heights, Sacred Heart rallied from nine down in the final six minutes to take a two-point lead, only to have St. Francis Brooklyn’s Michael Cubbage (Sickverville, NJ/Winslow Township (Marist)) hit a fadeaway jumper with one second on the clock to tie things up. The Pioneers would go on to win, 66-62, and snap a four-game losing skid.
CCSU followed its typical pattern of starting slow and coming on strong in its home outing vs. FDU. After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half and by eight points with under seven minutes remaining, the Blue Devils tied things up at the buzzer on Andre Snoddy’s (Melville, NY/St. Anthony’s (St. Thomas More (CT))) tip-in. Junior guard Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greeca Athena (Niagara County CC)) scored six straight points in the extra session and the Blue Devils pulled away for the 91-82 win.
And then there was the marquee affair between Bryant and Mount that featured Charles Pride’s (Syracuse, NY/Liverpool (Putnam Science (CT)) heroics (32 points) and Joe Moon’s (Westland, MI/Westland John Glenn (Woodstock Academy (CT))) game-saving rejection at the horn that gave the Bulldogs an eighth straight win.
The NEC currently ranks 12th out of 32 conferences in close games percentage, with 24.5 percent of games decided by four points or less or in overtime. Likewise, the NEC has only had five blowouts (games decided by 20 or more points) in 53 games. The 9.4 blowout percentage is the 25th lowest in the nation.
THE CHARLES PRIDE GAME
Bryant fans will always have the Joe O’Shea game to fondly look back on.
Add another to the list.
On Thursday, in one of the great individual performances in NEC history, Bryant junior guard Charles Pride (Syracuse, NY/Putnam Science (CT)) came through with a game for the ages, racking up a career-high 44 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four steals. He hit 16-26 from the floor - that total included just one 3P - and 11-11 from the line to spark the Bulldogs to a 89-82 win at Saint Francis U, a victory that extended the Bulldogs’ win streak to seven games.
Where to begin?
- The 44-point outburst set a new school DI record
- He scored 31 points in the second half
- He scored the last 14 points of the game for Bryant
- 44 points were the most in an NEC game since SHU’s Quincy McKnight dropped 44 in a triple overtime win over Bryant on January 14, 2017
- 44 points were the most in an NEC regulation game since the Mount’s Sam Prescott scored 44 in an 84-70 victory over Bryant on February 14, 2013
- 44 points were the second-most in an NCAA DI game this season behind Liberty’s Darius McGhee’s 48 against FGCU on January 15
- 44 points tied for eighth on the NEC’s all-time single-game list
- 16 field goals tied for 15th on the NEC single-game list
- He is the first player nationally since at least 2010-11 to record at least 44 points, 12 rebounds & 4 steals in a game
NEC All-Time Single-Game Scoring List
Player Pts Opponent (Date)
1. Antawn Dobie (LIU) 53 SFBK (2/22/03)
2. Izett Buchanan (MAR) 51 LIU (2/12/94)
3. Terrance Bailey (WC) 46 Marist (2/1/86)
Joe Griffin (LIU) 46 Marist (2/16/95)
Charles Jones (LIU) 46 Saint Francis U (1/5/97)
6. Rik Smits (MAR) 45 Saint Francis U (3/3/88)
Izett Buchanan (MAR) 45 Mount St. Mary’s (2/13/92)
8. Charles Jones (LIU) 44 Mount St. Mary’s (1/9/97)
Sam Prescott (MSM) 44 Bryant (2/14/13)
Quincy McKnight (SHU) 44 Bryant (1/14/17)
Charles Pride (BRY) 44 Saint Francis U (2/3/22)
12. Daryl Powell (MAR) 43 Wagner (1/21/82)
Carey Scurry (LIU) 43 Loyola (2/18/84)
Rahsaan Johnson (MU) 43 SFBK (2/4/01)
Alex Francis (BRY) 43 LIU (2/24/11)
16. Calvin Lamb (LIU) 42 Wagner (1/27/88)
Charles Jones (LIU) 42 Rider (2/8/97)
Charles Jones (LIU) 42 Wagner (2/11/98)
Kyle Vinales (CCSU) 42 Wagner (2/14/13)
After the game, Bryant head coach Jared Grasso had this to say about Pride’s performance.
“It’s why we recruited him. It’s why he’s probably one of the best, most enjoyable kids I’ve ever been blessed to coach. He just has a will about him and a confidence about him and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wanted to win this game and there was no one stopping him from putting our team on his back to find a way to win. A real special performance and one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
MORE PRIDE NUMBERS
We couldn’t stop with one note on Bryant junior guard Charles Pride’s (Syracuse, NY/Putnam Science (CT)) performances last week.
So here are some more superlatives.
- - The 76 points were the most during a two-game stretch in league play in the last 25 years. The closest anyone came was LIU’s Antawn Dobie, who combined for 71 points against St. Francis Brooklyn (NEC single-game record 53 points) and Wagner (18) on January 22 & 27, 2003. St. Francis Brooklyn’s Ray Minlend combined for 70 points against Robert Morris (39) and Wagner (31) on December 5 & 7, 1998. The last player with more than 76 was LIU’s Charles Jones, who had 81 points in wins over Saint Francis U (46) and Robert Morris (35) on January 4 & 6, 1997. In his next game he scored 44 more vs. Mount for a three-game stretch of 125 points.
- Last week, Pride scored 76 of Bryant’s 151 points or 50.3 percent.
- He became the first NEC player with back-to-back 30-point games in league play since the Mount’s Junior Robinson scored 32 against CCSU and 30 vs. Bryant on February 8 &10, 2018.
THE WEEK AHEAD ON NEC-TV
NEC-TV is back this Thursday and it’s as good as it gets.
Doubleheader action begins at 5:00 pm with a sizzling matchup of NEC contenders on ESPNU when Mount St. Mary’s visits first place Wagner.
When action ends on the U, simply switch over the ESPN3 for the 29th annual Battle of Brooklyn rivalry game between LIU and St. Francis Brooklyn. This year’s game takes place at the Steinberg Wellness Center at 7:00 pm. Dave Popkin (PxP) and Joe DeSantis (color) have the call.
The 13-game men’s TV package includes a pair of linear telecasts on CBSSN and one on ESPNU. Seven regular season games will be broadcast on ESPN3/ESPN+ with two games also airing on SNY and one on MASN.
The NEC semifinals are set to be carried on SNY and ESPN3 on March 5, and the final on ESPN or ESPN2 on March 8.
BATTLE OF BROOKLYN HISTORY
The Battle of Brooklyn not only spotlights the NEC’s fiercest rivalry, but has also delivered some of the most compelling games when it is airs annually as part of the conference package or on NEC Front Row.
When the LIU Brooklyn-St. Francis Brooklyn rivalry is renewed on Thursday at 7 pm at the Steinberg Wellness Center, there will be plenty of hype for the broadcast that will air live on ESPN3, and deservedly so. But can the game top these LIU-SFBK thrillers?
2018 - The largest lead in this game as six and there were nine ties. It wasn’t decided until LIU’s Joel Hernandez broke the SFBK press and dunked with five seconds to go to give the Sharks an 81-76 win.
2015 - This one wasn’t the technically the Battle of Brooklyn, but it was a wild TV game nonetheless. LIU led by eight points with under four minutes to play, but SFBK utilized a tenacious full court press to go on a 14-3 run and take a three-point lead. With time winding down, LIU’s Martin Hermannsson launched a three-pointer and was fouled. The freshman calmly sank all three free throws with four seconds to play to send the game to OT. The Terriers would go on to win, 74-69.
2014 - Contested for the first time at the Barclays Center, Jason Brickman finished with 14 assists in a 69-68 win for the Sharks. It marked the sixth time in the last seven years that a televised game between the two teams was decided by four points or less.
2013 - LIU rallied from 14 down in the second half, scoring 57 points after intermission to win 78-68 at a packed Pope Center.
2012 - Julian Boyd hit the go-ahead jumper with 18 seconds left as the Sharks come back from five down with under three to play and secure an 81-78 home win.
2011 - CJ Garner went coast-to-coast and hit a runner at the buzzer to give LIU the 82-80 victory as pandemonium broke out at the Pope Center.
2010 - In perhaps the most exciting game of the series in recent years, the Terriers took down the Sharks in triple overtime, 88-84. SFBK twice had to hit late three-pointers to force the second and third OTs.
2009 - SFBK rallied back from 15 down in the second half to tie it up, but the Sharks were able to salt the game away at the line, winning 74-70.
2008 - The Terriers won at the Steinberg Wellness Center, 67-64, when a Kyle Johnson three-point attempt is just off the mark with four seconds to play.
2006 - LIU erased a 14-point second half deficit and survived a last possession by SFBK to win at home, 67-64.
2003 - This one wasn’t televised, but went down as perhaps the most memorable contest in NEC history. LIU guard Antawn Dobie turned in the most brilliant single-game performance in league annals exploding for an NEC single-game record 53 points. But that wasn’t all. He also dished out 15 assists and was directly involved in 87 of LIU’s points that day. One would assume those numbers would guarantee a victory for the Sharks. Not on this night. Not in this rivalry.
While Dobie was putting on a one-man show, the Terriers received stellar performances from a pair of Brooklyn products. Freshman sharpshooter John Quintana came off the bench to register a career-high 31 points and senior forward Clifford Strong added 29 points. Likewise, future All-NEC point guard Tory Cavalieri dished for 13 assists.
Carrying the Sharks on his back, Dobie played the role of hero on more than one occasion. His 40-foot runner as time expired forced overtime and sent the evenly split crowd into a frenzy.
His two free throws at the end of the first extra session sent the game into double overtime. Dobie then scored five of his team’s 11 points in the second overtime. One would think destiny would be on Dobie’s side as the game reached its final climax, but his potential game-winning 17-foot jumper went in and out with five seconds to play and the Sharks trailing by one.
It was one of the very few shots Dobie missed on the day.
In the end, St. Francis (NY) won the Battle of Brooklyn that year. The score: 142-140. To this day, it remains the highest scoring game in NEC history. No single team has ever scored that many points in an NEC game before or since.
SECOND HALF SURGES FOR CCSU
Over their past three home games, CCSU has limited its opponents to just 26-84 (.309) shooting after halftime and outscored teams by a 112-72 margin. The Blue Devils have won two of those games and had a chance to knock off unbeaten Wagner on the final possession.
INTRODUCING “AIR” BRAD
All it took was one monstrous throwdown for Saint Francis U redshirt sophomore guard Brad McCabe (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) to attract a great deal of attention around conference circles.
McCabe, who came into play last week with career totals of 11 points and seven rebounds over 34 minutes covering 13 games, skied high off a three-point miss and flushed the ball one-handed in Sunday’s game against Merrimack for one of the most memorable dunks of the season in NEC hoops.
Sophomore Maxwell Land (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) concurred.
“Eleven out of 10. That was hype. Just seeing how far along Brad has come this season. You don’t see Brad a lot on the court, but behind the scenes Brad has been tremendous. In our preparation for teams, they got to scout and all of that. Just seeing him being able to make a highlight play like that, I know how hard he’s worked. It was awesome to see.”
But that’s not all he did.
In earning extended minutes for the first time, McCabe supplied the Red Flash with a career-high 11 points in an 18-minute stint against Bryant on Thursday, then added five points and a career-best five boards over 26 minutes vs. the Warriors.
“Brad has had such an up and down year, just because of other circumstances,” said SFU head coach Rob Krimmel after the Bryant game. “Being sick and little injuries here and there. Coming into this season he was playing really well and actually saw time early against George Washington and hit a stride and then had more bumps in the road, but he never had a bad attitude. He kept coming to practice and on the scout team, not hanging his head and not being negative or asking why he’s not playing. It’s neat to see him have that success and same thing with Luke (Ruggery). Both of these guys were on our scout team yesterday."
STAT OF THE WEEK
Bryant grad student guard Adham Eleeda’s (Toronto, Ontario/Toronto Basketball Academy (Northern Kentucky)) last 89 shot opportunities have come from three-point range. Only nine of his 205 attempts this season (4.4 percent) have come from inside the arc. Eleeda leads the NEC and ranks 27th nationally with 3.05 triples per game.
NUMBER CRUNCHING
Bryant redshirt senior guard Peter Kiss (New York, NY/Notre Dame Prep (Rutgers/QU)) ranks third in the nation with 22.8 ppg.
Filling in for Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South (New Mexico JC)), Bryant senior forward Greg Calixte (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (GMU)) contributed 9.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 1.0 bpg in a pair of starts during a 2-0 week for the Bulldogs. He posted nine points and ten boards at SFU on Thursday.
CCSU junior guard Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greeca Athena (Niagara County CC)) averaged a team-high 14.5 ppg last week. He dropped a career-high 27 points in a 91-82 OT win over FDU, shooting 7-11 overall and 3-4 on three-pointers. He scored 22 points, and had three assists and zero turnovers in 22 minutes after intermission. Scantlebury scored six straight in OT to put CCSU ahead for good.
CCSU senior forward Stephane Ayangma (Yaounde, Cameroon/Picayune Memorial (Hinds CC (MS))) pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in 26 minutes vs. Wagner on Thursday and averaged 7.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg for the week.
CCSU junior guard Ian Krishnan (Gaithersburg, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)) made all four of his 3P attempts in Saturday’s win over FDU. In the overtime, he drew an offensive foul on the defensive end, then hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to put CCSU up seven with 19 seconds to play.
FDU junior guard Brandon Rush (Warrensville, OH/Warrensville Heights) paced the Knights with 17.5 ppg, and added 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 spg last week. He hit five shots from downtown. He is the NEC’s eighth-leading scorer (14.6), and ranks fourth in free throw shooting (.793) and ninth in made triples (1.7).
FDU freshman guard Oscar Berry (Melbourne, Australia/IMG Academy) scored a career-high 14 points at CCSU on Saturday. He hit 4-5 from three-point land, and added a career-best five boards. He has made 6 of his last 7 shots from downtown over the last three games and is at 46.2 percent overall on the season.
LIU redshirt senior forward Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy) has committed just five turnovers over his last five games despite playing 166 minutes.
Merrimack shot a scorching 84.0 percent from the line last week, making 21-of-25.
Mount St. Mary’s saw its streak of six straight games holding the opposition under 60 snapped in Saturday’s 62-61 loss to Bryant. It matched the longest such streak by a Mount team since the school moved to DI in 1988-89. The Mount also compiled six-game streaks twice during Milan Brown’s tenure at the Mount.
Over the past seven games, Mount St. Mary’s is holding NEC opponents to 54.9 ppg, 37.2 percent overall shooting, 26.5 percent three-point shooting and 0.89 points per possession. The Mount leads the NEC in defensive efficiency (92.7) and effective field goal percentage (43.9) in league games.
Mount St. Mary’s senior forward Malik Jefferson (Hopewell, VA/Hopewell) returned from injury to average 8.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg last week.
SHU graduate student guard Alex Watson (Marietta, GA/Allen Pope) made 5-8 shots (.625) from long range last week, and leads the NEC in league play at 50.0 percent, sinking 17-of-34 shots.
St. Francis Brooklyn graduate forward Patrick Emilien (Toronto, Ontario/John Polanyi Collegiate (Western Michigan)) ran his double-digit scoring streak to ten last week after posting 16.0 ppg on 48.4 percent shooting. He added 7.5 rpg in a Terrier split. Emilien put up 20 points and seven boards in Thursday’s 81-64 victory over FDU. He currently sits 12th in the NEC in scoring (12.7), 13th in rebounding (6.6) and 10th in field goal percentage (.498).
Redshirt sophomore forward Josh Cohen's (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) 26-point effort against Merrimack on Saturday was the most points scored this season and the most by a Saint Francis U player since former NEC Player of the Year Isaiah Blackmon registered 30 points against Robert Morris on February 20, 2020.
It was a solid all-around week for Saint Francis U’s Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, NJ/Bloomfield Tech (South Kent (CT)), who averaged 14.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 spg and 2.5 apg. The redshirt senior guard posted 22 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists against Bryant on Thursday. The 22 points was one off his career-high. He leads the NEC and ranks 17th nationally with 2.3 spg.
KRIMMEL QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Let’s hear again from the NEC’s Quotemaster General...
Saint Francis U head coach Rob Krimmel reflecting on Saturday’s overtime contest vs. Merrimack.
“If you didn’t have a rooting interest in that game, you’re just looking for a good college basketball game – I don’t know if you are going to find a better one. Down to the wire, back and forth to me there wasn’t much separation for those 45 minutes. Proud of the way these guys played. It’s a fine line between winning and losing and the emotional gap is huge. One locker room is super excited and the other one is certainly disappointed. The details, the discipline, the things that we did over the course of 45 minutes, we put ourselves in a position to win the game. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
WAGNER STREAK REACHES 13
In stretching its win streak to 13 games, Wagner continued to make its case for a historic season on Grymes Hill.
Here are the facts.
- The 13-game win streak is the second-longest in the nation behind No. 1 ranked Auburn’s 19 straight victories.
- The 13 consecutive wins are a school record in the Bashir Mason era and the longest winning streak for a Wagner squad since winning 16 straight during the 1978-79 season under P.J. Carlesimo.
- With a 12-0 start, the Seahawks pulled within three of the NEC record for consecutive wins to start the conference season, a standard that belongs to UMBC, which won 15 in a row in 1998-99 before dropping two of its last three games to settle for a 17-3 record.
- No NEC team has ever completed the regular season with a perfect record. The only teams to finish with one loss are CCSU (19-1 in 2001-02) and Marist (15-1 in 1986-87).
- Wagner’s 12-0 start in NEC play is the best in the league since CCSU compiled 12 straight wins to begin its conference slate and finished 15-3 as a precursor to winning the program’s first NEC Tournament title in 1999-00.
- The last conference school to rattle off 12 straight NEC wins in a season was LIU. The Sharks won 13 in a row in 2010-11, a stretch that included three NEC Tournament wins.
- As far as consecutive wins in a single-season goes, Wagner is now tied for fifth on the all-time list. CCSU holds the NEC record with 22 straight conference wins, including the programs’s second NEC title back in 2001-02.
NEC Teams With At Least 9 Straight NEC Wins Over Last 25 Years
Team Streak Year
CCSU 22* 2001-02
UMBC 15 1998-99
Robert Morris 14^ 2007-08
LIU 14& 1997-98
Wagner 13 2021-22
LIU 13* 2010-11
CCSU 12 2006-07
CCSU 12 1999-00
Mount St. Mary’s 11^ 2009-10
Wagner 10 2020-21
FDU 10 2005-06
St. Francis Brooklyn 10 2000-01
Merrimack 9 2019-20
St. Francis Brooklyn 9 2014-15
Wagner 9^ 2013-14
Wagner 9 2011-12
Robert Morris 9 2009-10
Robert Morris 9 2008-09
St. Francis Brooklyn 9 1999-00
^ Includes one NEC Tournament win
& Includes two NEC Tournament wins
* Includes three NEC Tournament wins
NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
Each week throughout the 2021-22 season, NEC Overtime! blogger and NEC on the Run podcast collaborator Ryan Peters (@pioneer_pride) will contribute a series of analytically based tidbits covering NEC hoops.
Bryant senior forward Greg Calixte (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon (GMU)) has stepped up for Bryant in a big way of late, averaging 9.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg over the past three games. Calixte’s 2021-22 offensive efficiency is at a career high with a 109.8 rating per KenPom, fueled by his hyper-productive two-point field goal percentage of 67.9 percent, a mark that’s 32nd nationally. Per Shot Quality, Calixte thrives scoring three different ways: driving to the basket (1.38 SQ PPP, 92nd percentile), posting up on the left block (1.13 SQ PPP, 90th percentile) and finishing at the rim (1.39 SQ PPP, 74th percentile). With one of the highest rim frequency rates in the country - 91.5 percent of his shots have been near the rim - it’s a credit to the Bryant coaching staff for putting Calixte in positions to succeed.
Trailing 38-17 at the half to Wagner, Central Connecticut could’ve mailed it in, but didn’t, in what turned out to be a resurgent comeback. The chaotic recovery over the final 20 minutes fell just short for Pat Sellers’ group, yet the Blue Devils’ defensive tenacity was impressive. They held Wagner to 16 points in 26 second half possessions (0.61 ppp) while forcing more turnovers (four) than allowing made field goals (three). Part of Central Connecticut’s success stemmed from Wagner taking only 33 percent of their shots at the rim, a number that’s well off their 50 percent average in NEC play. The nailbiting loss to the Seahawks was the only time CCSU fell short against mid-major competition after holding their opponents to under 1.00 ppp for the game. The Blue Devils are now 4-1 in such games this season.
Wagner’s mastery at controlling tempo was on full display during the team’s 79-64 victory over LIU on Saturday. Per Shot Quality, 25 percent of the Seahawks possessions were in transition, leading to 17 fast break points. Conversely, LIU scored a season low three fast break points and got out in transition just 11 percent of the time (8-of-73 possessions), abnormally low marks for a team that’s ranked seventh nationally in possessions per game at 73.0. Additionally, Wagner also neutralized LIU’s perimeter attack, permitting the Sharks to just four open looks from deep compared to 10 for the Seahawks. Wagner made the same amount of three-pointers in the contest as LIU (five), a stark contrast from their prior meeting when LIU was +30 on points scored on three-pointers.
St. Francis Brooklyn’s Patrick Emilien (Toronto, Ontario/John Polanyi Collegiate (Western Michigan)) and Michael Cubbage (Sickverville, NJ/Winslow Township (Marist)) have emerged as a leading players for Glenn Braica, and with good reason. They lead the team in scoring at 12.9 and 12.7 ppg, respectively. One interesting facet of the duo’s game is they are in the bottom 10 of conference players in “3 and Rim” rate, with Emilien last at 50 percent and Cubbage tied for 10th worst at 69 percent. This isn’t a slight of their talents; in fact, their embrace of mid-range 2s is warranted given their comfort in the mid-range and playmaking facets. According to Shot Quality, Emilien is in the 85th percentile in mid-range takes whereas Cubbage, fresh off a game-tying foul line fadeaway vs. Sacred Heart to send the game to overtime, is in the 97th percentile in the “high frequency creating his own shot” category.
WAGNER INCHES UP TWO SPOTS IN MID-MAJOR POLL
Like a hit record, Wagner continues to climb the charts.
For the first time in over five years, the Seahawks earned a spot on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 rankings, entering the poll at No. 25 on January 11.
One week later on the heels of a seven-game win streak, Wagner rose another five spots to No. 20. On January 24, the Seahawks jumped two more spots to No. 18 and continued its rise on January 31, elevating to No. 16.
This week the Green & White rose xx more spots, checking in at No. xx.
Wagner became the first NEC team ranked in the poll since Bryant hit #25 on January 12, 2021. In Wagner’s previous appearance in the poll, the Seahawks reached #14 on November 14, 2016.
The last NEC team to end a year ranked was Robert Morris, which finished 25th in the final 2012-13 poll.
The Green & White also occupy the following spots in various ranking systems:.
- 95th in NCAA NET
- 112th in KenPom
- 114th in BartTorvik
FLOWERS CHART CLIMB TRACKER
The weekly Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart (UMass)) update sees the LIU star rising up the NEC scoring and rebounding lists.
Flowers Career Numbers at LIU (as of 1/30)
1,611 points, 825 rebounds, 258 assists, 226 3P, 146 steals, 159 blocks
Flowers Overall Career Numbers (as of 1/23)
1,760 points, 910 rebounds, 282 assists, 259 3P, 155 steals, 174 blocks
With 825 rebounds to his credit, Flowers remained No. 24 all-time in the conference, and is within 11 boards of reaching the top-20.
NEC Career Rebounding Leaders
16. Lucky Jones RMU 846 2011-15
17. Julian Boyd LIU 843 2008-13
18. Ken Horton CCSU 842 2007-12
19. Alan Tomidy MAR 838 1991-96
20. Freddie Burton LIU 836 1986-89
21. Nigel Wyatte WC 834 2000-04
22. Largest Agbejemisin WC 829 1983-87
23. Raiquan Clark LIU 828 2015-20
24. Ty Flowers LIU 825 2018-22
25. Rik Smits MAR 811 1984-88
And with 1,611 points, Flowers jumped four spots to 52nd on the all-time scoring list. He is now just 12 points away from reaching the NEC top-50 and ranks tenth all-time at LIU.
NEC Career Scoring Leaders
43. Dan Seigle WC 1,652 1994-98
44. Marcus Gaither FDU 1,646 1981-84
45. Ricky Cadell SFBK 1,643 2007-11
46. Rahshon Turner FDU 1,637 1994-98
47. Lucky Jones RMU 1,632 2011-15
48. Rahsaan Johnson MU 1,628 1999-02
49. Antawn Dobie LIU 1,627 1999-03
50. Chaz McCrommon RMU 1,623 2001-05
Chipper Harris RMU 1,623 1981-84
51. Darwin Purdie SFBK 1,613 1985-89
52. Ty Flowers LIU 1,611 2018-22
53. Isaiah Blackmon SFU 1,606 2015-20
54. Julian Norfleet MSM 1,605 2010-14
Tristan Blackwood CCSU 1,605 2004-08
56. Corey Albano MU 1,599 1993-97
On January 22, the graduate student from Waterbury, CT became the first DI player over the last 30 years to accumulate 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 250 assists, 200 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals over the course of his career.
Only two players have even come close to reaching these numbers over the 30-year time span.
Duke all-time great and NBA star Shane Battier finished 11 assists shy of meeting the criteria with 1,984 points, 887 rebounds, 246 3P, 239 assists, 266 steals & 254 blocks from 1997-2001
Tulane’s Jerald Honeycutt, himself a former NBA player, missed making the cut by seven triples, piling up 2,209 points, 870 rebounds, 193 3P, 419 assists, 235 steals and 163 blocks from 1993-97.
Flowers has an opportunity to become the fifth player in the league history to be ranked in the career top-20 in both scoring and rebounding. Needing 163 points to reach the top-20 in scoring, he will look to join Saint Francis U’s Keith Braxton (2067, 7th in scoring; 1,145, 2nd in rebounding), Bryant’s Alex Francis (2085, 5th in scoring; 990, 6th in rebounding), CCSU’s Ken Horton (1,966, 7th in scoring; 842, 18th in rebounding) and LIU’s Jamal Olasewere (1,871, 13th in scoring; 963, 10th in rebounding) in an elite quintet.
NEC in NCAA STATS (TOP-25)
Name School Category Rank Value
Peter Kiss BRY Scoring 3rd 22.8
Hall Elisias BRY Blocks 9th 3.22
Ramiir Dixon-Conover SFU Steals 17th 2.3
Team Category Rank Value
Bryant Reb. 41.4 6th
Wagner W/L% .889 7th
Bryant Def. Reb. 28.6 14th
Wagner Scoring Margin +13.1 15th
LIU Assists 16.5 21st
Bryant Off. Reb. 12.8 23rd
Wagner 3P% Defense .295 24th