Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week
Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac
6-7, 231lbs
So., F, Boston, MA/O’Bryant/Marianapolis Prep

Azotam averaged 16 points and 16 rebounds as he helped the Quinnipiac Bobcats to a 2-0 week with victories over Yale and Navy. The Boston, MA native matched a career-high with 17 points and set a new career-high with 18 boards, including nine on the offensive end, as the Bobcats defeated the Bulldogs, 66-62, last Tuesday. Against Navy on Saturday, he poured in 15 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Overall, he shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the floor. He is currently tied for first in the nation and leads the NEC in rebounds per game (14.0), while contributing 16.3 points per outing.

Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week
Kyle Vinales, Central Connecticut State
6-4, 180lbs
Fr., G, Famington Hill, MI/Phelps School

Vinales is showing no freshman jitters in his first season as a Central Connecticut State Blue Devil, claiming his second straight Choice Hotles/NEC Rookie of the Week honor. In just his second game, the Farmington Hills, MI product scored a nation-high 39 points in a 102-93 overtime setback to Niagara last Monday. He scored 29 of his points before halftime, including 16 in the first six and a half minutes. It was the most points by a collegiate player this season, and it put him in an exclusive club, as he became the eighth player since 2005-06 to average 1.50 points per minute while scoring at least 30 against a Division I opponent. On Saturday against Army, Vinales scored just three points, but posted a team-high seven assists and added four rebounds as the Blue Devils topped Black Knights at home, 67-51.  Vinales currently leads the NEC in scoring at 22.0 points per game, and ranks third in made three-pointers (3.0/game) and fifth in three-point percentage (.563).

AROUND THE LEAGUE

CCSU SHARPSHOOTER VINALES IN RARE COMPANY: Talk about making an immediate impact.  Since the start of the 2005-06 season, CCSU freshman guard and Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week Kyle Vinales (Farmington Hill, MI/Phelps School) is one of just eight players nationwide to average at least 1.5 points per minute while scoring at least 30 points against a Division I opponent.  Playing in just the second game of his collegiate career at Niagara last Monday, Vinales scored 19 points in the first six minutes, had 29 by intermission and finished with an NCAA single-game season-high 39 points in just 26 minutes of play.  In that game, he hit 15-23 shots from the floor, including 6-8 from three-point range, but fouled out with 7:45 remaining in the contest.  The 15 field goals are also the top single-game mark in the nation this season. Vinales, a Michigan native, is the first to accomplish the 1.5 ppm feat since Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke dropped 51 points in a 34-minute stint against Alcorn State on November 13, 2009.  Others do so over the last seven seasons include current NBA stars Stephen Curry and Michael Beasley.

PLAYERS WITH 1.5 POINTS PER MINUTE (MIN. 30 POINTS) IN A GAME SINCE 2005-06
Kyle Vinales (CCSU) - 39 points in 26 minutes vs. Niagara (11/14/11) - 1.50 ppm
Rotnei Clarke (Arkansas) - 51 points in 34 minutes vs. Alcorn State (11/13/09) - 1.50 ppm
Stephen Curry (Davidson) - 43 points in 27 minutes vs. Appalachian State (3/7/09) - 1.59 ppm
Michale Beasley (Kansas Sate) - 33 points in 22 minutes vs. Iowa State (1/26/08) - 1.50 ppm
Michael Beasley (Kansas State) - 40 points in 23 minutes vs. Winstom Salem State (12/22/07) - 1.74 ppm
JaJuan Smith (Tennessee) - 32 points in 19 minutes vs. Middle Tennessee State (11/20/07) - 1.68 ppm
Brian Hodges (UMBC) - 36 points in 20 minutes vs. Morgan State (11/27/06) - 1.80 ppm
Rashad Anderson (UConn) - 33 points in 22 minutes vs. Morehead State (12/23/05) - 1.50 ppm

LIU CAPTURES SPRINGFIELD BRACKET TITLE AT HALL OF FAME TIPOFF TOURNEY: Following an 0-3 start that included road losses to Hofstra, Old Dominion and Penn State - teams that went a combined 67-31 a year ago - defending NEC champion and preseason favorite Long Island turned things around in the second half of the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena over the weekend.  The Blackbirds captured the Spring Bracket championship by beating Radford, 81-59, and Vermont, 80-75.  Junior forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) registered a pair of double-doubles in the two wins, and averaged 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds.  LIU is up for a major test in its next contest, a road outing at Iona.  The Gaels, predicted to finish second in the MAAC, are coming off an 89-63 thrashing of Maryland at the Puerto Rico Tipoff Tournament on Sunday.

QU’S NEW GLASS CLEANER: Quinnipiac has made its mark nationally in the rebounding department in recent years, due in large part to the presence of Justin Rutty, who graduated last spring after establishing the NEC’s career mark with 1,032 boards.  With Rutty’s departure, any lingering concerns regarding the Bobcats’ ability to control the glass have been answered with the emergence of sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)), the Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week.  Azotam leads the NEC with 14.0 rebounds per game and has posted three double-doubles in as many outings.  As a result, Quinnipiac paces the NEC in rebound margin at +12.0 per game.  Last Tuesday, Azotam matched a career-high with 17 points and hauled down a career-best 18 boards in a 68-62 win over Yale.  The 18 boards is the highest total by an NEC player since Rutty snared 18 against Sacred Heart on January 22, 2009.  The Boston product is now averaging 16.3 ppg and has converted 56.3 percent of his shots from the floor. 

RED FLASH’S EATHERTON IS RED-HOT: It’s been nothing but net for Saint Francis (PA) sophomore forward Scott Eatherton (Hershey, PA/Hershey) early on in the 2011-12 campaign.  Eatherton made his first 11 field goal attempts of the season before finally missing midway through the first half against Bucknell on Saturday.  The Hershey, PA native drilled all eight of his shots from the floor earlier in the week as part of a career-high 20-point effort, eight-rebound, four-block night against Lafayette.  On the year, he leads the NEC in field goal accuracy at 86.7 percent (13-15).

WC’S MURRAY DIALING LONG DISTANCE: Wagner is off to a 3-1 start for the first time since the 2008-09 season with the lone blemish coming in a competitive 78-66 setback to #4 UConn last Monday. While a deep Seahawk rotation has led to a balanced scoring attack, the outside shooting exploits of All-NEC guard Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) are worth noting.  The senior guard has hit 11-17 shots from three-point range on the year, for a league-leading 64.7 percent success rate.  He was 4-5 from outside the arc in an 87-83 conquest of NC Central last Wednesday, including back-to-back treys with under eight minutes remaining after the Eagles had sliced a 14-point Wagner lead down to four.  Murray leads the Green & White with 14.3 ppg and is now just 99 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

CCSU’S THREE-MAN GAME: Take a peek at the top of the NEC scoring leaderboard and you will find a distinct Central Connecticut State flavor.  The Blue Devils sport three of the league’s top-four point producers, led by freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Farmington Hill, MI/Phelps School), who averages 22.0 points per outing.  He is followed by reigning NEC Player of the Year Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) at 20.0 ppg and senior guard Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point) at 18.0 ppg.  Combined, the trio has combined for 78.6 percent of CCSU’s scoring this season.

SFPA’S SHANNON OUT FOR YEAR: Saint Francis (PA) suffered a huge blow last week when it was announced that junior guard Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) suffered a season-ending knee injury.  Shannon, who was diagnosed with a torn ACL, was a second team All-NEC guard last season and had racked up 26 points in the Red Flash’s season-opener against VCU.

FDU’S ROCHFORD TAKING NEC BY STORM: No NEC team has changed its makeup as dramatically as Fairleigh Dickinson.  The Knights’ top-six scorers are all newcomers, one of whom, junior forward Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison (Globe CC)), has already established himself as a force in the paint.  Rochford, a transfer from Globe Institute, posted a pair of double-doubles to begin his FDU caeer, including a 15-point, 12-rebound performance in the season opener against Providence.  Rochford currently leads the Knights with 16.0 ppg and ranks second in the league with 11.3 rpg.

DID YOU KNOW?: Sacred Heart is the first NEC team to participate in the four-year history of the Cancun Challenge.  The Pioneers take on Hampton on Tuesday and either Southern Ilinois or Lipscomb on Wednesday.  Sacred Heart last left the mainland to compete in a tournament back in 2003 when the Pioneers took part in the San Juan Shootout.

CCSU’S KEN HORTON TOPS ACTIVE SCORING LIST: The NEC begins the 2011-12 campaign with three returning players already members of the 1,000-point scoring club, and a host of others set to join the ranks as the season progresses.  There are 172 players in NEC history who have reached the 1,000-point plateau since the league began sponsoring basketball in 1981.  CCSU senior forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) is the leading active scorer with 1,495 points.  Quinnipiac senior guard James Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) is next with 1,261 and CCSU senior guard Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point) has accumulated 1,082 points.  The next line of players on pace to reach 1,000 this season include Wagner senior guard Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) (901), St. Francis (NY) senior forward Stefan Perunicic (Belgrade, Serbia/Srednja Turisticka Skola) (856), Wagner senior guard Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township (Apex Academies)) (844) and Sacred Heart junior guard Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) (814).

TEAM-BY-TEAM

Bryant (1-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 19 at Dartmouth L, 68-62

This Week: Nov. 22 at Army; Nov. 27 at Notre Dame

• Four Bulldogs recorded double-digit points in Bryant’s near comeback on the road at Dartmouth Saturday night.
• Sophomore Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia/Sacred Hearts) hit his third three-point field goal of the game with 64 seconds to play after an Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y./Holderness Prep) slam dunk to pull the Bulldogs within one point, 60-59, but Bryant could not complete the comeback.
• Francis led the Black and Gold with 14 points off 5-of-8 shooting and 4-of-4 accuracy from the free throw line while pulling in a team-best eight rebounds with two assists.
• Junior point guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, Ohio/St. Edward) chipped in 12 points, including a career-high eight from the charity stripe, and played a full 40 minutes, also dishing out a game-best seven assists to average 7.0 per game so far this season. Dobbs also recorded a game-high and season-best three steals.
• Maynard went 3-for-4 from long range and 4-for-6 from the field for 11 points and recorded his first block of the season and second of his career against the Big Green.
• Junior guard Raphael Jordan (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll) put up 10 points off the bench on 4-for-6 shooting while going 2-for-2 from three-point range.
• The Bulldogs shot 46.5 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from long range with a 16-for-20 mark (80 percent) from the line against Dartmouth. Bryant wraps up its season-opening six-game road trip this week, taking on Army Tuesday night (7 p.m.) in West Point, N.Y., and traveling to South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 27 for a 2 p.m. matchup against BIG EAST foe the University of Notre Dame.

Central Connecticut State (1-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 14 at Niagara L, 102-93 (OT); Nov. 19 vs. Army W, 67-51

This Week: Nov. 22 vs. UMBC; Nov. 26 vs. Hartford

• Senior guard Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point) scored a career-high 31 points in the home win over Army on Saturday afternoon. Ptacek’s 31 give him 1,082 in his four seasons, good for 29th all-time. He is seven points shy moving into 28th place, and only 18 shy of reached 1,100.
• Senior forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) scored 18 on Saturday and is averaging 20 points per game this season, but has yet to lead the Blue Devils in scoring in any of the three games. He has scored double-figures in 29 straight games. Horton’s 18 points on Saturday move him into ninth place all-time on the CCSU scoring list with 1,495 career points. He is five points shy of 1,500 for his career.
• Freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Farmington Hill, MI/Phelps School) made national news this past week when he posted 39 points in an overtime loss at Niagara on Monday night. Vinales hit 15-of-23 from the floor, 6-of-8 from three, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in leading the team in scoring. His 39 was the highest single game total in the country this season. He scored 29 before halftime, including 16 in the first 6:30 minutes.
• Freshman guards Vinales and Malcolm McMillan (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll) each had seven assists in the win over Army on Saturday.
• Junior Joe Efese (Spring Valley, NY/St. Joseph Regional) had a career-high 10 rebounds on Saturday.
• McMillan has 14 assists and 7 turnovers in three games this season.
• Central continues a three-game home stand, hosting UMBC on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Following Thanksgiving they will host Hartford on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. in Detrick Gym.

Fairleigh Dickinson (1-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 15 vs. Lehigh L, 72-61; Nov. 18 vs. Saint Peter's W, 73-62

This Week: Nov. 22 at Lafayette

• Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) led the Knights in both scoring and rebounding as he collected his second consecutive double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds in the Knights’ home opener against Lehigh. He later added 15 points and seven rebounds in FDU’s first win of the season against Saint Peter
• George Goode (Raytown, MO/Raytown South) had a solid week for the Knights as he scored at the time a career-best 10 points against Lehigh before setting a new career high with 16 points, while ripping down a career-best nine rebounds and distrbuting a career-high five assists in the win over Saint Peter’s.
• Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, NY/Bishop Stepinac) made his Knights’ debut in the loss to Lehigh. He scored 12 points against the Mountain Hawks before scoring 14 in the win over Saint Peter’s, while dishing out five assists.
• In the win over Saint Peter’s, the Knights dished out 17 assists, more than any game a season ago.
• FDU will play seven-straight road contests begining Tuesday at Lehigh before returning to Stratis Arena on Dec. 21 to host Vermont.
• FDU shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) in the win over Saint Peter’s after shooting under 40 percent in the two losses.

Long Island (2-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 14 at Old Dominion L, 77-69; Nov. 16 at Penn State L, 77-68; Nov. 19 vs. Radford W, 81-59; Nov. 20 vs. Vermont W, 80-75

This Week: None

• The Blackbirds continued their nomadic November with a busy four-game week. Long Island wrapped up a stretch of five games in 10 days, going 2-2. The Blackbirds dropped two road contests at Old Dominion and Penn State during the campus games portion of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.
• In bracket play at the tournament, Long Island won a pair of games to capture the Springfield Championship. The Blackbirds blew out Radford, 85-59, before downing Vermont by a score of 80-75.
• Long Island saw at least four players score in double figures in all four games this week, including five in the win over Radford.
• Junior Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) led Long Island with 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Boyd recorded a double-double against both Radford and Vermont, amassing game-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game against Vermont.
• Freshman Gerrell Martin (Bronx, NY/Wings Academy) had an impressive showing in Long Island’s 77-68 loss at Penn State, a game that the Blackbirds led by four late in the second half. Martin had a perfect shooting night, going 3-for-3 from the floor, all from three-point land. He was also 4-for-4 from the line, finishing with 13 points.

Monmouth (0-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 14 at Virginia Tech L, 91-46; Nov. 15 vs. George Mason L, 71-39

This Week: Nov. 21 vs. Albany; Nov. 22 vs. Brown; Nov. 25 vs. Vanderbilt

• MU opened 0-3 for the first time since 2008-09 when the Hawks opened 0-6.
• Last season, MU set a program-low in free throw percentage connecting on 63.9% from the line, but the Hawks are hitting just 58.2% after three games this year.
• MU has hit just 12 of 65 attempts from three-point range.
• MU has been outscored 268-155 so far after three games.
• Monmouth has opened the season with games against opponents from the Big East, the ACC and the CAA.

Mount St. Mary's (1-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 16 at Hartford W, 63-50; Nov. 19 vs. Siena L, 65-53

This Week: Nov. 21 at Minnesota; Nov. 27 at Navy

• The Mount went 1-1 this week, posting a 63-50 road win at Hartford before falling to Siena, 65-53, in the home opener on Saturday.
• Sophomore point guard Josh Castellanos (Orlando, FL/Orlando Christian Prep) had a strong week, averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 assists while playing all but 20 seconds in the two games. Castellanos had career highs of 16 points and nine assists in the win at Hartford.
• Senior Danny Thompson (Springdale, MD/C.H. Flowers) continued to clean up on the boards, averaging 11.5 rebounds in the two games this week. Thompson had a career-high 17 points while matching his career best of 12 rebounds for his second career double double in the win at Hartford.
• Thompson is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game this year. He has reached double figures in rebounds in each of the three games, becoming the first Mountaineer to have three straight double-figure rebounding games since Pat Atangana in 2001.
• Thompson is also the first player in the Mount’s Division I era (since 1988-89) to record double figures in rebounds in each of the first three games of the season.

Quinnipiac (2-1, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 15 vs. Yale W, 68-62; Nov. 19 vs. Navy W, 78-54

This Week: Nov. 22 at American

• The Bobcats defeated two non-conference opponents this past week.
• Senior guard James Johnson (Queens, NY/Bishop Loughlin) registered a game-high 25 points and sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O’Bryant/Marianapolis Prep) recorded a double-double, as the duo combined for 62 percent of the Bobcats’ offense en route to a 68-62 triumph over Yale on Tuesday night.
• Johnson paced the QU offense with 25 points, going 8-of-20 (.400) from the floor in 37 minutes of action. Azotam posted another double-double, matching a career-high with 17 points and setting a new career-high with 18 boards. Freshman Ousmane Drame (Boston, MANew Mission/Marianapolis Prep) tossed in seven points and nabbed four rebounds, while Jamee Jackson (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony’s) and Alex Jackson (Baltimore, Md.(Randallstown (Frederick C.C.)) combined for 13 rebounds and 11 points. Eight members of the squad finished in the scoring column by the end of the night.
• Quinnipiac controlled the boards against the Bulldogs, 54-41, including 19 on the offensive end. Defensively, the Bobcats held Yale to just 22 percent shooting in the second half and 27 percent overall. The 27 percent from the floor marks the lowest shooting percentage by an opponent since the 2008-09 campaign, when they held St. Francis (N.Y.) to just 25.4 percent shooting overall and 21.9 percent in the first half.
• On Saturday afternoon, 12 members of the team appeared in the scoring column, as the Bobcats cruised past Navy, 78-54, on Lender Court at the TD Bank Sports Center. James Johnson led all scorers with 18 points and sophomore Ike Azotam posted his third double-double in as many games, lifting QU to its second straight triumph at the Bank.
• Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie) registered 13 points, including three from long-distance, as the freshman guard compiled his second double-digit outing of the season. Jamee Jackson finished with seven points and five boards, while Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, MD/Salisbury School) and Dave Johnson each added five points for the Bobcats’ backcourt. Dave Johnson (Jackson, NJ/St. Mark’s School) also added a game-high five assists.
• Freshman Ousmane Drame was stellar on the boards again, as the 6-foot-9 forward pulled down six to go along with four points. Terrance Bobb-Jones (Wilmington, Del.) scored four points and three others finished with two.
• The Bobcats forced 22 Navy turnovers that led to eight points on the other end. In his debut with the Bobcats, Garvey Young accounted for three of the team’s eight steals. In addition, QU held a 47-32 edge on the glass, including 17 on offense which led to 10 second-chance points. Quinnipiac also knocked down 10-of-30 from behind the arc.

Robert Morris (2-1, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 15 at Saint Peter's W, 69-52; Nov. 19 at Pennsylvania L, 66-60

This Week: Nov. 22 vs. James Madison; Nov. 25 vs. La Salle; Nov. 27 at Pittsburgh

• Robert Morris split a pair of games last week, posting a 69-52 victory @ Saint Peter’s (11/15/11) before suffering a 66-60 setback @ Penn (11/19/11) in its first game of The Philly Hoop Group Classic
• Thanks to allowing just 57 points to Rider and yielding 52 points @ Saint Peter’s, it marked the first time in school history the Colonials opened the season holding back-to-back opponents to under 60 points
• RMU started 2-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign thanks to the win @ Saint Peter’s and the 10th time overall in the 36-year Division I history of the program
• Robert Morris finished 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) from beyond the arc against the Peacocks, improving to a perfect 7-0 in two seasons under head coach Andrew Toole when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game
• Redshirt junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 assists in RMU’s split last week while shooting 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field, including 50 percent (5-for-10) from downtown
• Velton Jones finished with a game-high 19 points and added seven assists against the Peacocks and paced the Colonials with 16 points and seven dimes against the Quakers. Jones, who has started 55 consecutive games for Robert Morris, has now scored in double figures in each of his last nine games dating back to last season
• Redshirt sophomore guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/ Christchurch School) averaged 13.0 points and 2.5 rebounds last week, converting six of his 11 (54.5 percent) shots from international waters. Williams stretched his streak of double figure scoring games dating back to last season to seven
• Redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games last week while shooting 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from long range. Johnson finished with 11 points in the win over Saint Peters and also recorded three rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal and contributed 13 points and six boards against the Quakers
• Junior center Lijah Thompson (Philadelphia, PA/Monsignor Bonner) scored 10 points against both Saint Peter’s and Penn in RMU’s split last week
• After getting 37 points from its bench in its 2011-12 season-opening win over Rider, the Colonial reserves supplied just 17 points in the pair of games last week.

Sacred Heart (2-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 15 vs. Stony Brook W, 73-64; Nov. 17 at Rutgers L, 91-75; Nov. 19 at Richmond L, 83-58

This Week: Nov. 22 vs. Hampton; Nov. 23 vs. Southern Illinois/Lipscomb; Nov. 27 vs. Brown

• SHU posted a win over Stony Brook before taking off on a nine-day road trip for the four-game Cancun Challenge. The Pioneers face Hampton and either Lipscomb or Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• This is the fourth year of the Cancun Challenge. The Pioneers are the first team from the Northeast Conference participating in the Cancun Challenge. This year’s tournament features teams from the Big East, Big Ten, Atlantic-10, Atlantic Sun, Missouri Valley, Mid-Eastern and Ohio Valley conferences as well. This will be the second regular season tournament the Pioneers participate in outside the United States. SHU took part in the 2003 San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pioneers went 1-2 in that tournament, losing to Duquesne and Northeastern while beating Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
• SHU is 2-0 against the America East conference this season and will play at New Hampshire on December 29th. The Pioneers have won seven-straight against the league.
• Senior forward Stan Dulaire (Bloomfield, CT/Watkinson School) recorded his first career double double and matched his career for points in the win over Stony Brook. Dulaire scored 14 points (14 vs. LIU 2/11/10) and pulled down 10 rebounds.
• The 74-63 win over the Seawolves gave SHU four-straight wins in home openers and they are now 10-6 in Pitt Center openers since the building opened in 1997.
• The loss Rutgers dropped the Pioneers to 0-15 all-time against the Big East. It also marked the fifth-straight win for former Robert Morris coach Mike Rice over a Dave Bike team. The Pioneers shot a season-best 51.1% (24-57) on Thursday night but couldn’t overcome Rutgers 63.0% (34-54) effort in the loss. The Scarlet Knights erased a SHU three-point lead at the half with a 21-of-26 (80.8%) shooting effort in the second half.
• Sophomore guard Evan Kelley (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) registered a career-high 16 points at Rutgers, making all five of the shots he took.
• Falling at Richmond, SHU is now 0-8 against the Atlantic-10 Conference.
• R-Junior Shane Gibson (Bloomfield, CT/Watkinson School) saw a streak of 31-straight starts end on Thursday night as he was held out of the starting line-up for violating a team rule. Gibson still made his presence felt however, scoring 14 points in 18 minutes before fouling out. It was the first foul out of Gibson’s career. Gibson dropped 26-points in the loss at Richmond. It was Gibson’s first 20-point outing this season and the 13th of his career.

St. Francis (NY) (0-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 16 at Lafayette L, 79-73; Nov. 19 at Hofstra L, 63-59

This Week: Nov. 22 at St. John's; Nov. 26 at NJIT

• St. Francis (NY) have held leads with under 10 minutes to play in all three games but have nothing to show for it as they are off to an 0-3 start.
• Junior forward Travis Nichols (Brooklyn, NY/Food & Finance), last week’s Co NEC Player of the Week, has paced the Terriers in scoring in all three contests and is averaging a team-high 17.3 ppg. Nichols, who is also averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds per game, is shooting 61 percent (20-of-33)overall and is 8-for-13 (62 percent) from behind the arc.
• Freshman forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) led the Terriers with nine boards at Lafayette and is averaging 6.7 pg. over his first three collegiate contests. He also recorded his first career dunk against the Leopards.
• The Terriers have already been outscored by 44 points on the free throw line. St. Francis is just 31-of-50 (.620) and their opponents are 75-of-110 (.682).
• The Terriers are out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 42-37 thus far, the third best margin in the conference.
• St. Francis will travel to St. John’s on Tuesday evening at 9:00 p.m. The game can seen on ESPN 3. They will finish up the week at NJIT on Saturday.

Saint Francis (PA) (0-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 14 vs. Lafayette L, 84-81; Nov. 19 vs. Bucknell L, 73-42

This Week: Nov. 23 at Colgate; Nov. 26 vs. Youngstown State

• Scott Eatherton (Hershey, PA/Hershey) stretched his streak of consecutive makes without a miss to 11 before it in ended in the first half.
• Eatherton fouled out for the second time in three games this season.
• Saint Francis limited the Bison to just 14.3-percent (1-7) shooting from behind the 3-point arc and just 23.1-percent (3-13) for the game.
• The Flash picked up just 10 rebounds in the first half, the same number of offensive boards recorded by the Bison.
• Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), the Red Flash’s leading scorer from a season ago, is out for the season with a injury.
• SFU ranks in the top three in shooting percentage and 3-point defense in the Northeast Conference.

Wagner (3-1, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 14 at #4 Connecticut L, 78-66; Nov. 16 vs. NC Central W, 87-83; Nov. 19 at Lafayette W, 76-70

This Week: Nov. 22 at Pennsylvania; Nov. 26 vs. Delaware State

• Wagner improved to 3-1 on the year for the first time since the 2008-2009 season with victories over North Carolina Central and Lafayette.
• In the two wins, the Seahawks shot a blistering 81.0 percent (17-21) from the free throw line in the game’s final five minutes.
• After scoring just 11 points and five rebounds over his first two games as a member of the Green & White, Jonathon Williams (Richmond, CA / Kennedy / CC of San Francisco) went off for a career-high 28 points with five rebounds.
• Sophomore Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ / Science Park) recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while adding six assists in 87-83 win over North Carolina Central (11/16).
• Ortiz is averaging a team-best 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game while adding 9.5 points per game.
• Senior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6 percent (15-27) from the floor, including 60.0 percent (9-15) from long range on the week.• The Canadian native paces the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and is shooting 64.7 percent (11-17) from long range. He also recorded his 10th career 20-point game in the Seahawks’ win over NCCU.
• The Green & White had two players (Williams (28 points) and Murray (20 points)) in double-figures for the third time since the start of last year. Wagner has come out on top in all three.
Both Murray and Williams’ mothers traveled to the game from the Toronto and San Francisco areas, respectively.
• Murray is just 99 points away from becoming the next member of the Seahawks’ 1000-point club.