Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week
Robby Ptacek, Central Connecticut State
6-3, 210lbs
Sr., G, Bayport, NY/Blue Point

Ptacek has not showed any signs of slowing down as the veteran sharp-shooter averaged 22.5 points in a pair of home wins to earn this week’s Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week honor. Rated fourth in the league in scoring with a 19.8 average, the Bayport, NY product netted 21 points in last Tuesday night’s 77-69 win over UMBC. He also grabbed three rebounds while producing eight of his 21 points from the charity stripe. Ptacek then turned it up a notch and trumped that performance three nights later in a 92-58 rout of local rival Hartford. He totaled 24 points for the game but did most of his damage in the first half, producing 14 of the Blue Devils’ first 19 points and 22 of the their 44 total at the break. Ptackek also showed off his playmaking skills by dishing out a career-high seven assists as CCSU shot 62% from the field.

Choice Hotels/NEC Rookie of the Week
Kyle Vinales, Central Connecticut State
6-1, 180lbs
Fr., G, Detroit, MI/Phelps School

Head coach Howie Dickenman found a gem in freshman sensation Kyle Vinales. Just a week after dropping a nation-high 39 points in a game against Niagara, the NEC’s leading scorer accomplished another feat, becoming the first player in league history to be named rookie of the week three weeks in a row to begin his career. The Detroit, MI product averaged 27 points as CCSU went 2-0 against America East opponents. He shot 55.6 percent from the field, including 50 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc. In a 77-69 win over UMBC on Tuesday, he led all scorers with 29 points and dished out three helpers as the Blue Devils evened their record at 2-2. Vinales then dropped 25 points in a 92-58 conquest of Hartford. Vinales is the second-leading scorer in the country at 24.0 ppg and the Detroit native's 120 points over the first five games of his career is the highest total by an NEC freshman in 20 years. He also leads the NEC in made three-pointers (3.0/game) and ranks third in three-point percentage (.536).

AROUND THE LEAGUE

NEC Play To Commence This Week
NEC teams will take a break from non-conference play this week with 12 league games on tap. The matchup many will have their eyes on takes place on Thursday as red-hot Wagner makes the short trip over the Verrazano Bridge to face defending NEC champion and preseason favorite Long Island at the WRAC in Brooklyn. The last time these two teams met was in Staten Island on February 17, 2011 and it was a classic. In a game that featured 11 lead changes, Wagner's Chris Martin (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township (Apex Academies)) drilled a game-tying three-pointer with four seconds to play in regulation, but it was the Blackbirds who would seal the game at the line in overtime and walk away with an 83-79 victory.

NEC In HD: TV Package Tips Off Thursday
The NEC’s television package opens this Thursday as Bryant hosts Central Connecticut State in the league's inaugural HD broadcast. The game tips at 7:00 pm with MSG and Cox Sports (CT/RI) airing the game live. Dave Popkin (play-by-play), Joe DeSantis (color) and Matt Harmon (sideline) have the call.

The league’s 2011-12 television package is comprised of 18 men’s games and five women’s contests, including four men/women doubleheaders. The Conference will receive ten prime time exposures and four NEC Tournament games are on tap in March. Most notably, there are five national broadcasts scheduled on the ESPN family of networks, including the NEC Men’s and Women’s Championship games. ESPNU is also slated to air a pair of marquee men's regular season contests. The first is an all-New York affair on January 21st as defending NEC champion Long Island visits Wagner for a 7:00 pm tipoff. On the final day of the regular season (February 25th), Quinnipiac hosts Robert Morris, two teams that have had classic NEC playoff battles the last two years. Tipoff is at 11:00 am. The lineup also features 18 regionally produced games, of which 16 will air in high-definition. Longtime partner Madison Square Garden Network (MSG) will serve as the NEC’s flagship network, with games also airing on Fox College Sports (FCS), Root Sports (Pittsburgh), Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), Cox Sports (CT/RI) and WWCP Fox 8 (Altoona/Johnstown).

This Week’s Non-Conference Game To Watch
NEC preseason favorite Long Island visits Iona on Monday in what should be an entertaining game featuring two of the top teams in the New York Metro area. Iona is off to a 3-1 start, which includes wins over Maryland and Saint Joseph's and a one-point setback to Purdue. Long Island dropped its first three games, but came back strong playing in the Hall of Fame Classic on November 19-20, beating Radford and Vermont. In the most recent Big Apple Buckets New York City Power Poll, Iona was voted first among the 23 Metro area teams. Long Island was tabbed eighth in the poll, while surging Wagner moved up seven places to the fourth spot.

CCSU's Freshman Sensation
In just five games, Central Connecticut State freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) has already staked a claim in the NEC recordbook. After averaging 27.0 ppg in a pair of Blue Devils wins, Vinales became the first player in league history to earn Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the honors three weeks in a row to begin his career. Likewise, the Michigan native's 120 points over his first five games is the highest total by an NEC freshman in the last 20 years.

NEC Freshman - Most Points In First Five Games of Career
Kyle Vinales (CCSU, 2011-12): 120 (24.0 ppg)
Darshan Luckey (SFPA, 2002-03): 116 (23.2 ppg)
Chris McGuthrie (MSM, 1992-93): 114 (22.8 ppg)

CCSU's Vinales Vaults Up Scoring Chart
CCSU freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) has been scoring points in bunches early on in his career, and after five games, has shot up to second in the nation in scoring average. His 24.0 points per game ties him with American senior forward Charles Hinkle and is just a half-point behind the 24.5 ppg put up by Delaware sophomore guard Devon Saddler.

Similarly, the 39 points Vinales netted against Niagara on November 14 is not only the most points scored by a Division I player in a game this season, but six more than any other freshman has netted. Fellow first year players Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos (vs. Washington State) and Mississippi Valley State's Brent Arrington (vs. North Carolina) both racked up 33 points in a game earlier this month.

Best In The Nation
NEC players have accounted for the two best individual scoring performances of the 2011-12 season thus far. CCSU freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) posted the NCAA single-game season high when he torched Niagara for 39 points on November 14th. Robert Morris junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) erupted for 38 points in a win over La Salle last Friday, which ties him for second nationally with Rhode Island's Jamal Wilson and Saint Joseph's Carl Jones. Also posting 30+ point efforts this season are FDU junior guard Melquan Bolding (Mount Vernon, NY/Bishop Stepnic (Duquesne)), who tallied 33 against Lafayette last Tuesday, and CCSU senior guard Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point), who finished with 31 versus Army on November 19.

CCSU's Horton Cracks Top-50 on NEC All-Time Scoring Chart
Central Connecticut State senior forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) reached a milestone on Saturday when he cracked the top-50 on the NEC's career scoring chart. With 1,536 points, the 2010-11 NEC Player of the Year displaced former rival Devin Sweetney of Saint Francis (PA), who accumulated 1,529 points from 2006-10.

NEC Career Scoring Leaders
40. Corey Albano MU 1,599 1993-97
41. Richie Parker LIU 1,594 1996-00
42. Izett Buchanan MAR 1,593 1989-91
43. Gordon Klaiber FDU 1,589 2002-06
44. Deon Hames RID 1,589 1992-96
45. Mark Porter WC 1,577 2004-08
46. Bobby Hopson WAG 1,568 1990-94
47. Danny Basile MAR 1,555 1991-96
48. Milan Rikic WC 1,549 1991-95
49. Freddie Burton LIU 1,540 1986-89
50. Ken Horton CCSU 1,536 2007-11

Seahawks' Soaring Start
With wins over Penn (71-65) and Delware State (85-62) last week, Wagner improved to 5-1 on the year marking the best start for the program since beginning the 2005-06 campaign with a 6-1 mark. The Green & White are also 3-1 on the road, the only blemish being a 12-point setback at the hands of UConn on November 14. The Seahawks are led by the one-two scoring combo of sophomore Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth (Avon Old Farms (CT)) and senior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce). Rivers paces Wagner with 15.0 ppg while Murray - who needs 71 points to reach 1,000 for his career - is right behind with 14.2 ppg.

JMU No Match For RMU's Jones
Talk about putting a team on your back. In last Tuesday's 82-77 win at James Madison, Robert Morris junior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) was unstoppable, racking up a career-high 38 points in 31 minutes of play as the Colonials rallied down the stretch for the win. Jones scored 20 points in the first half against the Dukes and went on to tally 15 of RMU’s final 20 points to help the Colonials recover from a six-point deficit. The 38 points tied for the fourth highest single-game total in school history and his 15 free throws matched the second-best mark in RMU annals. Jones, who averaged 12.1 ppg as a sophomore, currently ranks fifth in the league with 17.8 ppg. He is also fourth on the circuit with 4.7 apg.

QU's Azotam at Head of Board Room
Quinnipiac sophomore forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O'Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) has quickly established himself as an elite force on the boards for the Bobcats this season, who pace the NEC with an astounding +14.0 rebound margin. Azotam has tallied double-doubles in each of his first four games on the year and currently leads the nation with 14.3 rebounds per game. He is also the Division I leader with 6.5 offensive rebounds per outing. Azotam is joined on that list by FDU junior forward Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison (Globe CC)), who is fifth with 5.4 offensive boards per game.

CCSU's Scoring Trifecta
Three weeks into the season and CCSU still sports three of the league's top-four point producers, led by freshman guard Kyle Vinales (Farmington Hill, MI/Phelps School), who averages 24.0 points per game. He is followed by reigning NEC Player of the Year Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) at 20.2 ppg and senior guard Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point), who ranks fourth with 19.8 ppg. The trio is accounting for 64.0 ppg or
80.4 percent of the Blue Devils' scoring load.

No Sophomore Jinx For BU's Francis
Fresh of his NEC Rookie of the Year campaign, there is no sophomore slowdown for Bryant forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)). Francis currently ranks third in the league in scoring (20.2 ppg), fourth in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and tenth in field goal percentage (.533). Last week he tallied his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 boards against Army, then followed with a game-high 22 points at Notre Dame. In 35 career games, the New York City native has already amassed 564 points, 290 rebounds and 10 double-doubles.

Freshman Fueling Mount
Mount St. Mary's freshman walk-on Kelvin Parker (York, PA/William Penn) has already assumed a key role early on for the Mountaineers. Parker earned the first two starts of his career last week, and contributed 13.5 ppg on 62.5 percent shooting from the field and 60.0 percent accuracy (6-10) from three-point territory in games at Minnesota and Navy. On the year, he is averaging 7.6 ppg.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

Bryant (1-5, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at Army L, 69-65; Nov. 27 at Notre Dame L, 84-59
This Week: Dec. 1 vs. CCSU; Dec. 3 at Quinnipiac

♦ Sophomore Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep) averaged 21 points per game on the Bulldogs’ two-game week, posting back-to-back 20-point outings, including scoring a game-high 22 points off 10-of-22 shooting Sunday afternoon against a Notre Dame squad receiving votes in both national polls. In the week’s earlier contest, a Tuesday night matchup at Army, Francis collected his second double-double of the young season and 10th of his young career with 20 points and a game-best 14 rebounds, also setting a new career high on the glass. The outings marked his third and fourth 20-point games of the season, and he shot at a 50 percent clip on the week (17-34).
♦ Starting guard Corey Maynard (Adelaide, Australia/Sacred Heart HS) averaged 16 points per game and eight boards per outing. The sophomore set a new career mark Tuesday at West Point with a game-best 21 points and tied his personal best by pulling in nine boards in a career-high 38 minutes of floor time. Sunday against the Fighting Irish, Maynard chipped in 11 points for his third-straight double-digit point outing and added seven rebounds, two steals and four assists.
♦ Redshirt rookie Troy Robinson (Roslindale, MA/Brimmer & May) earned his first-career start Sunday at Notre Dame after a standout defensive performance at Army Tuesday. The forward pulled down a career-most seven rebounds against the Black Knights while dishing out four assists, and followed it up with five boards against the Irish in a career-high 33 minutes of action.
♦ The Bulldogs outrebounded an opponent for just the second time this season Tuesday on the road against Army, and did so by the largest margin of the 2011-12 campaign. Bryant won the battle on the glass, 43-30, while grabbing 14 offensive boards for 14 second-chance points and 32 points in the paint.
♦ Bryant returns to Smithfield, R.I., for its first home game of the season Thursday, Dec. 1, when the Bulldogs will host Central Connecticut State University in both the 2011-12 home opener and the NEC opener at 7:00 p.m. But the team won’t be home for long, embarking on a five-game road trip Saturday to make 11 of its first 12 games of the season away from home.

Central Connecticut State (3-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 vs. UMBC W, 77-69; Nov. 26 vs. Hartford W, 92-58
This Week: Dec. 1 at Bryant; Dec. 3 vs. Sacred Heart

♦ The Blue Devils have now won three straight, all at home, after a dominating 92-58 win at home over Hartford on Saturday. They also topped UMBC on Tuesday night at home.
♦ Central has won eight straight home non-conference games.
♦ Freshman Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) and seniors Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and Robby Ptacek (Bayport, NY/Blue Point) each scored 20 or more in both games last week. The three have combined for over 80 percent of the offense this season for the Blue Devils.
♦ Central led Hartford 44-13 at halftime on Saturday. The Blue Devil allowed only 13 first half points, the fewest points allowed in the first half since they let up 14 in a game at Air Force on December 12, 2000 (Central led 29-14 at the half, but lost in overtime.) It is the fewest points allowed in any half in the 16 seasons under head coach Howie Dickenman.
♦ The 44-13 halftime edge was the largest halftime lead for Central since they led Delaware 50-19 at the half in a game on December 16, 2007.
♦ The Blue Devils shot 33-of-53 from the field in the win over Hartford, good for 62.3 percent, a season-high and their best shooting percentage since they shot 64 percent in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2008-09 season.
♦ Central trailed Hartford 6-2 five minutes into the game, but outscored Hartford 42-7 in the final 15 minutes of the first half.
♦ Horton scored 41 points last week, giving him 1,536 for his career, good for ninth all-time on the CCSU list. He is less than 200 points away from becoming CCSU's all-time leader (1,734).
♦ Ptacek scored 45 points last week, moving him to 1,127 career points, good for 27th on the CCSU all-time scoring list. He is just eight points shy of matching Justin Chiera for 26th.

Fairleigh Dickinson (1-4, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at Lafayette L, 85-74; Nov. 27 at Albany L, 81-62
This Week: Dec. 1 at Robert Morris; Dec. 3 at Saint Francis (PA)

♦ Junior Melquan Bolding (Mt. Vernon, NY/Bishop Stepinac) had a breakout game for the Knights at Lafayette when he scored a career-high 33 points, while knocking down a career-best 12 field goals (on 24 attempts), including 5 of 8 from three-point range. In the loss at Albany, he tied his career-high for assists with five.
♦ Grad student George Goode (Raytown, MO/Raytown South) recorded nine rebounds against Lafayette, tying a career-high.
♦ Junior Lonnie Hayes (Cincinnati, OH/Harmony Prep) made a career-best eight field goals (in 16 attempts), including 4 of 8 from downtown in the loss at UAlbany. He averaged 21.0 ppg in the two losses last week.
♦ Junior Kinu Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) is currently tied for fourth in the country in offensive rebounds per game (5.5).

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

Last Week: None
This Week: Nov. 28 at Iona; Dec. 1 vs. Wagner; Dec. 3 vs. Mount St. Mary’s

♦ After starting the season with five games in 10 days, the Blackbirds had a full seven days off.
♦ Long Island will return to action on Monday, Nov. 28 with a visit to local rival Iona. The Blackbirds will wrap up their six-game road trip to open the season against the Gaels.
♦ Long Island will finally make its first appearance at home, taking on Wagner in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams on Dec. 1.
♦ The Blackbirds will head back to the road for four more games; Long Island plays 10 of its first 11 contests away from Brooklyn.

Monmouth (0-6, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 21 vs. Albany L, 85-49; Nov. 22 vs. Brown L, 79-71; Nov. 25 at #22 Vanderbilt L, 95-73
This Week: Dec. 1 at Saint Francis (PA); Dec. 3 at Robert Morris

♦ Freshman Austin Tillotson (York, PA/Eastern York) added a season-high 11 points at Vanderbilt.
♦ Monmouth is now 0-6 for the first time since opening 0-6 in 2008-09, when the Hawks won game seven of that campaign.
♦ MU went 0-4 in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off.
♦ MU, which was 4-11 away from home last year, is already 0-6 this season, and does not play a home game until December 10. Monmouth plays two of its first 14 games of the year at home.
♦ Against Brown, senior Mike Myers Keitt (Waterbury, CT/Fairfield Prep [Marianapolis Prep)) played in his 90th game with the Blue and White.

Mount St. Mary’s (1-4, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 21 at Minnesota L, 85-56; Nov. 27 at Navy L, 64-56
This Week: Dec. 1 vs. St. Francis (NY); Dec. 3 at Long Island

♦ The Mount fell to 1-4 on the season with a pair of road losses, falling to Minnesota (85-56) and Navy (64-56).
♦ Freshman walk-on Kelvin Parker (York, PA/William Penn) made his first two career starts this week, averaging 13.5 points while hitting 62.5 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from three-point range on the week.
♦ Despite averaging 56.0 points in the two games, the Mount shot 45.3 percent from the field and 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from three-point range this week.
♦ Turnovers continue to be a problem for the Mount as the team had 41 turnovers in the two games this week. For the year, the Mount is averaging 21.2 turnovers per contest.
♦ Senior Danny Thompson (Springdale, MD/C.H. Flowers) has had a strong start to the year, averaging 10.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game this year.
♦ Redshirt sophomore Kristijan Krajina (Osijek, Croatia/Blue Ridge (VA)) made his season debut at Minnesota. Krajina averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while hitting 5-of-8 from the field in the two games this week.
♦ Freshman Chad Holley (New York, NY/Blue Ridge (VA)) scored all of his season-high 11 points in the second half at Navy. He entered the game with just seven points over the first four contests.
♦ The Mount opens NEC play this week at home against St. Francis (NY) and Long Island.

Quinnipiac (2-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at American L, 74-73
This Week: Nov. 28 vs. Lehigh; Dec. 1 vs. Sacred Heart; Dec. 3 vs. Bryant

♦ Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/O’Bryant (Marianapolis Prep)) posted another double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday night, but a free-throw with eight seconds left proved to be the difference for American University, as the Eagles defeated the Bobcats by the final score of 74-73 at Bender Arena in the nation’s capital.
♦ Joining Azotam in double-figures were freshman Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie) and junior Jamee Jackson (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony’s). Gause finished with 14 points and Jackson chimed in with 13, going 5-of-10 from the floor. James Johnson (Queens, NY/Bishop Loughlin) finished with eight points and sophomore Alex Jackson (Baltimore, MD/Randallstown (Frederick CC)) added six in the team’s first road game of the year.
♦ Quinnipiac totaled 33 fouls in the contest, eight more than the hosting Eagles. AU went to the line 48 times, compared to 32 for the Bobcats, and made nine fewer field goals as well. Quinnipiac also held American to just 25 percent shooting in the first half and 37 percent overall. The Bobcats continued their dominance on the boards, controlling a plus-20 rebounding margin (45-25).
♦ With his three-point bucket at AU, James Johnson surpassed Robert Vacca for 17th on the all-time career points list. Johnson, now with 1,269 points, trails Joe Trimarchi who finished up his four-year career with 1,291 in the 1998 season.
♦ The Quinnipiac University men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood on Monday, November 28, 2011 in Bethlehem, Pa. The Bobcats will take on Lehigh University, who was selected to win the Patriot League in the 2011-12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Robert Morris (4-2, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at James Madison W, 82-77; Nov. 25 at La Salle W, 51-44; Nov. 27 at #16 Pittsburgh L, 81-71
This Week: Dec. 1 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson; Dec. 3 vs. Monmouth

♦ Robert Morris concluded play in the 2011 Philly Hoop Group Classic as well as a swing of five games away from the Charles L. Sewall Center by going 2-1 last week, earning an 82-77 win at James Madison, defeating La Salle, 51-44, in a neutral site game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa., and suffering an 81-71 setback at Pittsburgh
♦ The Colonials finished 2-2 in the Philly Hoop Group Classic, the same record Robert Morris posted in the tournament in 2007.
♦ Redshirt senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) averaged 20.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in RMU’s three games last week, leading the Colonials in scoring in victories over James Madison and La Salle
♦ Jones poured in a career-high 38 points in the win over the Dukes, tied for the fourth highest single-game total in school history...Former Colonial guard Gene Nabors (1995-2000) finished with 38 points in a 72-52 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) in the 2000 NEC Tournament
♦ Four of RMU’s top five scoring games in school history have come on the road
♦ Jones converted 15 free throws against the Dukes, tied for the second highest single-game total in school history
♦ Redshirt junior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in RMU’s three games last week and also recorded three blocks and three steals while shooting 44 percent (11-for-25) from the field and 78.6 percent (11-for-14) from the free-throw line.
♦ Johnson finished with a season-high 17 points against the Panthers and in four games of the 2011 Philly Hoop Group Classic averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest
♦ Redshirt sophomore guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School) averaged 10.7 points and 2.0 steals in RMU’s 2-1 week, leading Robert Morris with 19 points at Pittsburgh
♦ The 44 points RMU yielded to La Salle is the fewest points a non-conference opponent has scored against the Colonials on a neutral site court in school history ... Robert Morris held fellow NEC member Saint Francis (Pa.) to just 43 points in the 2004 NEC Tournament
♦ Robert Morris has held nine opponents to 45 points or less in the last five years, including three under second-year head coach Andrew Toole.
♦ Robert Morris dominated the glass in victories over James Madison and La Salle, posting a margin of +25 in the two victories. It marks RMU’s largest rebounding margin in back-to-back games since the Colonials finished +27 in a 72-67 win @ Youngstown State (12/30/09) and in an 81-79 victory over Ohio (1/2/10).
♦ RMU shot a season-high 82.9 percent (29-for-35) at the free-throw line in the win at James Madison and also visited the charity stripe 34 times, converting 23 (67.6%), in the win over La Salle ... The Colonials have now won 32 straight games when visiting the charity stripe at least 30 times in a game, including a 4-0 record under second-year head coach Andrew Toole.
♦ Robert Morris saw its longest streak in school history snapped in the win over La Salle ... The Colonials finished 0-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc against the Explorers, snapping a streak of 532 consecutive games dating back to 1993 that RMU hit at least one three-pointer in a game ... Coincidentally, Robert Morris also finished 0-for-6 from downtown the last time it failed to hit a three-pointer but also won, posting an 84-66 victory over Long Island (2/20/93).
♦ The Colonials open their 2011-12 Northeast Conference slate with a pair of home games this week, welcoming Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 1) and Monmouth (Dec. 3) to the Charles L. Sewall Center ... Thursday’s game against the Knights opens a stretch in which five of RMU’s next six games will be at home.

Sacred Heart (4-3, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 vs. Hampton W, 78-71; Nov. 23 vs. Lipscomb L, 79-77; Nov. 27 vs. Brown W, 77-64
This Week: Dec. 1 at Quinnipiac; Dec. 3 at CCSU

♦ SHU finished 1-3 in the Cancun Challenge, falling in the Mayan Division championship game to Lipscomb. This was the second tournament the Pioneers have played outside the United States, taking part in the 2003 San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico. SHU was the first NEC school to participate in the Cancun Challenge, a field that consisted of three teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year (Illinois, Richmond, Hampton).
♦ Juniors Shane Gibson (Killingly, CT/Killingly) and Justin Swidowski (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross (Holy Family)) were named to the Mayan Division All-Tournament team. Gibson scored 13 points with three rebounds in the win over Hampton and 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in the loss to Lipscomb. Swidowski netted 10 points with six rebounds and a pair of blocks against the Pirates and 16 points with three boards and a steal against the Bison. He made 11-of-16 shots (.688) in the two games in Mexico.
♦ Gibson has scored in double figures in every game this season and despite being held scoreless in the first half against Brown, he returned iwth a 16-point second half to help fuel a SHU win.
♦ Sophomore Louis Montes (Brockton, MA/Brockton) was equally effective against the Bears, scoring 13 points all in the second half. He just missed his second career-double double with nine rebounds.
♦ R-Freshman Steve Glowiak (New Britain, CT/New Britain) led five players in double figures against Hampton, scoring a season-high 16 points helped by a four-of-seven performance behind the arc.
♦ Offensively, the Pioneers have shot over 50.0% twice this season (51.1% at Rutgers; 54.5% vs. Lipscomb) but have lost both games. On the flip side, SHU has twice had five players scored double digits on the stat sheet this season, and have won both contests (vs. Hartford; vs. Hampton).
♦ SHU turned the ball over a season-low seven times in the win over Brown.
♦ The Pioneers as a team are making 74.8% at the free throw line, tops among NEC leaders.
♦ Swidowski is averaging 12.1 ppg and 5.4 rpg through the first seven games of his SHU career. Swidowski ranks second among NEC players making 57.9% (33-57) of his shots.
♦ SHU will take on in-state, NEC rivals Quinnipaic and CCSU on the road this week. SHU heads into conference play at 4-3. Its best start at the Division I level was 5-3 during the 2009-10 season.

St. Francis (NY) (1-4, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at St. John’s L, 63-48; Nov. 26 at NJIT W, 79-60
This Week: Dec. 1 at Mount St. Mary’s; Dec. 3 at Wagner

♦ St. Francis finally got in the win column after some hard-luck early-season defeats with a 79-60 victory at NJIT in Newark on Saturday. The Terriers shot a season-high 50 percent (27-54)and used an 18-0 run to race past the Highlanders.
♦ Sophomore Ben Mockford (Shoreham-by-Sea, England/Oak Hill Academy (VA)) scored a career-high 22 points in the victory at NJIT on Saturday. Mockford drained 6 of 9 three-point field goals, the most treys for a Terrier since Ricky Cadell hit six at South Florida (11/15/10).
♦ Junior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) converted 6 of 9 field goals and was 7 for 8 from the line en route to a season-high 19 points at NJIT.
♦ Freshman Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in just 15 minutes off the bench at NJIT. Cannon is tied for the team-lead in the category (7.0 pg.) despite averaging just 15.6 minutes per game thus far. He's currently tied for 8th in the NEC and is 4th (4.20 pg.) in offensive boards.
♦ The Terriers finally were able to get to the foul line more times than their opponent in the victory at NJIT. St. Francis was 18-for-27 and the Highlanders went 12-for-17. Opponents have outscored the Terriers by 42 points thus far from the charity-stripe.
♦ St. Francis opened the week with a 63-48 loss at St. John's last Tuesday in Queens. The Red Storm held St. Francis to just three points in the first 11 minutes and change and the Terriers could never recover. Senior forward Stefan Perunicic (Belgrade, Serbia/Dimitrise Tucovic) was the lone player in double-figures with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
♦ St. Francis continues to do a good job on the boards this season as its currently third in the NEC in rebounding margin (+4.4). The Terriers have won the battle in four of their five contests this season with the one exception coming at St. John's.
♦ The Terriers will open the NEC slate with road games at Mount St. Mary's (Dec. 1) and Wagner (Dec. 3) this week.

Saint Francis (PA) (0-5, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 23 at Colgate L, 74-66; Nov. 26 vs. Youngstown State L, 60-59
This Week: Nov. 28 vs. Niagara; Dec. 1 vs. Monmouth; Dec. 3 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

♦ Scott Eatherton (Hershey, PA/Hershey) stands as the Red Flash’s leading scorer since the season-ending injury to Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City). The sophomore forward has gotten off to a hot shooting start on his home floor and has just one missed shot from the floor in DeGol Arena this season (15-of-16).
♦ Stephon Whyatt (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) has not taken long to take advantage of the SFU home floor averaging 12 points in his first two games in Loretto.
♦ In his first two career college home games, Ollie Jackson (Dallas, TX/Pinkston) has gone 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc.
♦ As a team the Red Flash are shooting 53.5-percent from the floor this season at home and holding opponent to just 48.9-percent.
♦ The all-time series between the Red Flash and the Purples Eagles stands even at 11-11. The series between the two teams began back in the 1921-22 season.
♦ The free throw strip has not been kind to the Red Flash at home as SFU is shooting 56.4-percent from the free throw line this season in DeGol Arena.
♦ Since moving freshman Earl Brown (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter), Jackson and Whyatt into the starting lineup both Jackson (11.0 PPG) and Whyatt (12.0 PPG) have averaged double-figures with Brown not to far behind averaging 9 points per game.
♦ In two home games this season, the SFU bench has outscore its opponents 58-37.
♦ Chris Johnson (Newport News, VA/Denbigh) leads the Red Flash in assists with 23 this season and holds a 23/12 assists-to-turnover ratio.
♦ The Red Flash have played some close game despite a 0-5 record. Four of SFU’s five losses have come by 10-points or fewer with its two home losses coming by a combined four points.
♦ In each of their first two home games, the Red Flash have had a chance to either tie or win the game in the final possession. Jackson missed a 3-pointer from the corner against Lafayette in the final seconds and Johnson had his game-tying attempt blocked at the buzzer against Youngstown State.

Wagner (5-1, 0-0 NEC)

Last Week: Nov. 22 at Pennsylvania W, 71-65; Nov. 26 vs. Delaware State W, 85-62
This Week: Dec. 1 at Long Island; Dec. 3 vs. St. Francis (NY)

♦ Wagner improved to 5-1 with a 71-65 win over Penn (11/22) and an 85-62 victory over Delaware State (11/26) and have won four-straight games. The start is the Seahawks' best since opening 6-1 during the 2005-2006 campaign. Last year, the Green & White won its fifth game of the year on December 30, 2010 against Albany.
♦ Wagner is now 2-0, all-time, combined against Penn and Duke following its victory over the Quakers. The programs have combined for over 3,500 victories but have none against the Seahawks.
♦ Wagner made its final 10 free throws at Penn and its first 18 against the Hornets before misfiring with 1:53 to play. All told, the Seahawks connected on 28-straight over 55:18 and are now converting on 74.3 percent for the year. Additionally, the Green & White has knocked down 47-of-52 (.904) since the final 1:29 of the Lafayette (11/19) game.
♦ Sophomore Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth (Avon Old Farms (CT)) and senior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario/Eastern Commerce) have each hit for double-figures sixth-straight times to start the year and are averaging 15.0 points and 14.2 points per game, respectively.
♦ On the week, Murray went 5-of-8 (.625) from long range and is now converting on 64.0 percent (16-25) from long range on the year. The Canadian native ranks first in school history with a 42.8 percent (131-306) career conversion rate and has notched double-figures 24 straight times and in 41 of his last 43 games. He is also just 71 points from 1,000 for his career.
♦ Rivers sank all nine free throws on the week and is shooting 87.1 percent (27-31) from the line for the year.
♦ Junior Jonathon Williams' (Richmond, CA/Kennedy (City College of San Francisco)) 19-point, 10-rebound performance comes on the heels of a 28-point outing in his first career home game. Over two games in the Spiro Sports Center, the junior college transfer is averaging a team-best 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 64.3 percent (18-28) from the floor and 57.1 percent (4-7) from beyond the arc.
♦ The Seahawks have won the turnover battle in five of its six games and parlayed 15 Hornet miscues into a 21-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
♦ The Green & White bench recorded a season-best 32 points and is averaging 22.2 points per game, up from just 16.2 a year ago.
♦ Wagner will now have four-straight days without a game before taking on the Blackbirds. The layoff is the longest break that the Seahawks have had since the beginning of the season with two being the previous high.