Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Dec. 21
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - DEC. 21 (PDF format)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Ron Curry • James Madison
Sr., G, 6-3, 200 - Pennsauken, N.J./Paul VI
Curry scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds as JMU extended its winning streak to seven with a 67-61 triumph over East Carolina on Sunday. The senior was 9-of-14 from the floor and hit 4-of-8 from three, including a trey with 1:34 to go that put the Dukes ahead for good. Defensively, he limited ECU’s top scorer, B.J. Tyson, to 2-of-16 FG shooting. It was Curry’s fourth 20-point effort of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Kory Holden • Delaware
So., G, 6-2, 180 - Salisbury, Md./J.M. Bennett
Holden poured in a career-high 35 points in Delaware’s narrow 69-61 setback at ACC foe Boston College on Saturday. The sophomore guard was 12-of-26 from the floor, including a career-best 6-of-13 from three. He also contributed three rebounds, two assists and two steals and didn’t commit a turnover in 35 minutes. Holden tallied 22 of UD’s 35 first-half points as he topped the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Tyler Seibring • Elon
Fr., F, 6-8, 225 - Towanda, Ill./Normal Community
Seibring averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in Elon’s 2-0 week. The freshman forward tied a season-high with 12 points in a victory over Alabama State and then topped it with 13 points in a win over UNCG. For the week, he was 7-of-14 from 3-point range and also grabbed six rebounds in each contest as the Phoenix extended their winning streak to five.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
29-15 STRETCH ADDS TO STRONG NON-CONFERENCE SHOWING: CAA teams have combined for a 29-15 record against non-conference competition over the past three weeks. The CAA has performed well in non-conference action all season with the league’s 10 squads putting together a 62-39 overall record. Making the numbers more impressive is the fact that less than 45% of those games have been at home. CAA teams have been dominant (38-8) at home and have 19 victories in true road contests, which is the 3rd-most among all conferences. James Madison (9-3) is on a seven-game win streak for the first time since 2010-11. Elon (8-3) is off to its best start since 1990-91 and has won its past five contests. Towson (8-4) has won seven of its last eight, while College of Charleston (7-3) has won five of its last six.
FOUR CAA TEAMS AMONG TOP 100 IN LATEST RPI: Four CAA teams are ranked among the top 100 in the latest RPI report released by Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com) on Dec. 21. College of Charleston leads all CAA squads at #68, followed by William & Mary at #71, Hofstra at #80 and James Madison at #99. The CAA is ranked #11 among the nation’s 32 Division I conferences and is one of only 10 conferences with four teams among the top 100.
FOUR VICTORIES OVER POWER 5 OPPONENTS: The CAA has recorded four victories over Power 5 conference opponents this season. College of Charleston topped LSU, 70-58, on Nov. 30. The Cougars limited the Tigers to 17 first-half points and improved to 3-1 against SEC foes at TD Arena since the building opened in 2008. The CAA has recorded three wins against the ACC this season as Northeastern upset #15 Miami (Fla.), 78-77, on Nov. 27, William & Mary defeated N.C. State, 85-68, on Nov. 13 and Hofstra knocked off Florida State, 82-77, on Nov. 20.
CAA PLAY BEGINS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE: The start of what should be a very competitive conference race begins with five afternoon games on Thursday, December 31. All 10 teams are back in action on Saturday, January 2. The CAA will play a Thursday/Saturday conference schedule this season, with a handful of games moving one day for television.
THREE-POINT SUCCESS: Several CAA teams are among the nation’s best at scoring from the 3-point line and defending it. Elon (11.1 pg/5th), James Madison (9.9 pg/23rd) and Hofstra (9.3 pg/36th) are among Division I leaders in 3’s per game and the Pride is 28th (39.9%) and the Dukes are 33rd (39.3%) in 3-point FG percentage. Defensively, William & Mary is 4th in 3-point FG percentage defense (25.4%) and Towson is 44th (30.0%). Individually, Elon’s Tanner Samson (3.55 pg/16th), Hofstra’s Brian Bernardi (3.2 pg/26th), William & Mary’s Daniel Dixon (3.11 pg/30th) and Northeastern’s David Walker (3.0 pg/39th) are among Division I leaders in treys per game, while Bernardi (49.2%/12th), JMU’s Shakir Brown (46.4%/26th), Walker (44.6%/45th) and Dixon (44.4%/47th) are ranked in 3-point FG%.
CLEANING THE GLASS: Eight of the CAA’s 10 teams are out-rebounding their opponents for the season as of Dec. 21. Delaware has a league-best +8.6 rebound margin, followed by Towson (+7.8 rpg) and James Madison (+4.7 rpg).
UNCW RANKS THIRD IN TURNOVER MARGIN: UNCW ranks third nationally in turnover margin (+7.0 tpg) through games of Dec. 20. The Seahawks are forcing 19.0 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth in Division I, while committing 12.0. UNCW is also eighth nationally with 9.9 steals per game.
BARRY, WALKER AMONG TOP 25 IN SCORING: CofC’s Canyon Barry is 19th in the nation in scoring (21.3) and Northeastern’s David Walker is 23rd (20.7 ppg) through games of Dec. 20. W&M’s Terry Tarpey is 9th in Division I in steals (2.75 spg), while Hofstra’s Juan’ya Green (6.4 apg/19th) and Elon’s Luke Eddy (6.0 apg/28th) are in the top 30 in assists. Delaware’s Marvin King-Davis is 21st in double-doubles (5) and 43rd in rebounds (9.2 rpg).
GREEN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN CAREER POINTS, ASSISTS: Hofstra senior guard Juan’ya Green ranks third among all active Division I players in career points (1,874), third in career assists (594) and fifth in career steals (191) through games of Dec. 20. He trails only Evansville’s D.J. Balentine (2,029) and High Point’s John Brown (1,903) in points and Texas A&M’s Anthony Collins (619) and Northwestern State’s Jalan West (614) in assists.
College of Charleston
• Had their five-game winning streak snapped after an 85-53 loss at #15 Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.
• Canyon Barry scored a team-high 20 points and made 3 steals at Miami. He’s tallied double digits in 9 of 10 games and has six 20+-point efforts this season.
• Freshman Marquise Pointer contributed 11 points, a career-high six assists and a career-best five steals at Miami.
• Jarrell Brantley posted his first career double-double at Miami with 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. He tops all CAA freshmen with 6.2 rpg.
• Cameron Johnson has tallied double digits in 7-of-10 games.
• James Bourne chipped in 8 points on 3-of-4 FG shooting in only 15 minutes off the bench.
• CofC set a season-high with 13 steals against Miami and forced 17 turnovers.
Delaware
• Beaten 69-61 at Boston College on Saturday. Led the Eagles 35-32 at halftime.
• Kory Holden made a career-high six treys and poured in a career-best 35 points at BC, including 22 in the first half. He’s averaging 25.0 ppg over his last four games.
• Marvin King-Davis was held to 7 points at BC, ending his 8-game double-figure scoring streak. He has a CAA-best five double-doubles and and leads the CAA with 9.2 rpg.
• Cazmon Hayes contributed 17 points and a team-high 8 rebounds against BC. It was his 5th double-digit effort in the last six games.
• Skye Johnson came off the bench to grab a career-high tying 8 rebounds in 19 minutes against Boston College.
• Delaware, which leads the CAA in rebound margin (+8.6 rpg), had a 42-34 advantage on the glass at BC. The Blue Hens have had a rebound edge in all but one game.
• UD dressed just eight players at BC due to injuries.
Drexel
• Dropped a 79-54 decision at #25 South Carolina and lost 63-57 to Penn State last week. Led PSU by 17 in the first half.
• Senior Tavon Allen scored a team-high 18 points at USC and had 16 points vs. PSU.Allen has scored double figures in 8 of 9 games and has three 20+-point efforts. He’s 17 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Terrell Allen tallied a team-best 18 points against Penn State. He ranks 2nd among CAA freshmen in scoring (11.2 ppg) and tops the team in assists and steals.
• Sammy Mojica came off the bench to hit 3-of-6 three-pointers and score 13 points at USC. It was his fourth double-digit outing over the past five games.
• Forward Rodney Williams, who’s averaging 7.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg, suffered an injury vs. USC and didn’t play against Penn State.
• Sophomore Rashann London has scored double figures in six of nine contests.
• Kazembe Abif added nine points on 4-of-7 FG shooting at South Carolina.
Elon
• Defeated Alabama State (91-74) and UNCG (79-69) to push their winning streak to five. Elon is off to its best start since 1990-91.
• Tanner Samson scored a team-high 22 points vs. ASU and 12 points vs. UNCG, which was his 6th straight double-digit effort. He made 9 treys last week and is Elon’s career 3-point leader with 281.
• Christian Hairston scored a team-high 17 points vs. UNCG and had 15 points and 6 rebounds vs. ASU. He’s averaging 15.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg over his last five games.
• Guard Luke Eddy tallied a season-high 18 points and a career-best 9 assists vs. ASU and followed with 8 points and 9 assists vs. UNCG. He ranks 2nd in the CAA with 6.0 assists per game.
• Freshman Tyler Seibring chipped in 13 points vs. UNCG and 12 against ASU. He also grabbed six rebounds in each contest.
• Elon made a season-high 18 threes against ASU and has hit 44 over the past three games. The Phoenix rank 6th nationally with 11.1 treys per game.
Hofstra
• Dropped a 71-68 decision at rival Stony Brook on Sunday.
• Ameen Tanksley scored a game-high 23 points with six rebounds at SBU. He’s reached double figures in all 10 games and has 20+ points in 3 of his past 5 contests.
• Brian Bernardi hit 4-of-6 treys and scored 22 points at SBU. He’s averaging 18.8 ppg over his last four games. He leads the team with 32 treys on 49.2% shooting from the arc.
• Juan’ya Green was held to 5 points at SBU, ending his 43-game double-digit scoring streak. He’s averaging 16.3 ppg and leads the CAA in assists (6.4 apg).
• Rokas Gustys added 8 points and a team-high 13 rebounds at SBU. He ranks second in the CAA in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and has grabbed 10+ boards five times this season.
• Denton Koon has scored double digits in 6 of 10 games and is second on the team in rebounding with 6.6 rpg.
James Madison
• On a 7-game winning streak for the first time since 2010-11 after defeating East Carolina 67-61 on Sunday.
• Ron Curry tallied a season-high 23 points with seven rebounds vs ECU. He’s scored double digits in 10-of-12 games and has four 20+-point performances.
• Shakir Brown added 13 points vs. ECU, which was his 8th game in double figures. He’s averaging 14.3 ppg and tops JMU in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and threes (32).
• Yohanny Dalembert contributed 8 points and a team-high 8 rebounds vs. ECU and is second on the team in rebounds (6.4 rpg).
• Dimitrije Cabarkapa, who scored 11 points vs. ECU, has made at least one trey in 20 consecutive games.
• JMU out-rebounded ECU 37-34 and is 8-0 when winning the battle of the boards.
• JMU limited ECU to 34.4% FG shooting. The Dukes have held four of their last six foes to under 36% FG shooting.
UNCW
• Suffered road losses to East Carolina (78-73) and Radford (69-67) last week. UNCW has lost its three games by a total of 12 points.
• Chris Flemmings tallied a team-high 16 points at ECU and RU on combined 12-of-18 FG shooting. He’s averaging 18.2 ppg over his last six games and has been the top scorer in each contest.
• Marcus Bryan nearly posted his 2nd straight double-double with 9 points and a team-high 10 rebounds at ECU and grabbed a team-best nine boards at Radford.
• Craig Ponder scored 14 points at ECU and 10 points at Radford, including a game-tying shot with 18 seconds to go.
• Jordon Talley had 13 points and 8 rebounds at ECU and 10 points at RU. He’s averaging 11.3 ppg over his past three contests.
• UNCW is ranked among the nation’s best in TO margin, TO’s forced and steals.
• Freshman C.J. Bryce tied his career high with 14 points at Radford.
Northeastern
• Fell 78-58 to #1 Michigan State before a sellout crowd at Matthews Arena on Saturday.
• David Walker scored 13 points and tied a career-high with 8 assists vs. MSU. He’s scored double figures in nine straight games and has six games with 20+ points.
• Quincy Ford chipped in 10 points and a team-high 8 rebounds against MSU. He’s reached double figures in all 11 games this season.
• Zach Stahl tallied a team-best 18 points and added 7 rebounds and 2 blocks vs. MSU. He’s shooting 52.8% from the floor and has six games with 15+ points.
• Freshman Jeremy Miller had 5 points and 6 rebounds vs. MSU. He’s averaging 11.7 ppg while starting the past three games.
• The Huskies were the first team to out-rebound MSU (35-33) this season.
• The sellout at Matthews Arena was the first since playing Duke on Dec. 30, 1995.
Towson
• Lost 69-68 at Fairleigh Dickinson, but rebounded for an 88-47 victory over Rio Grande. Have won 7 of their last 8 games and improved to 5-0 at home.
• Byron Hawkins tallied a team-high 16 points at FDU on 6-of-6 FG shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and had 13 points vs. Rio Grande. He’s reached double digits in 8 of his last 9 games.
• Arnaud William Adala Moto had 12 points and six rebounds at FDU and posted his 2nd double-double (12 pts/11 reb) of the season vs. Rio Grande.
• John Davis nearly had a double-double at FDU with 14 points and 9 rebounds and had 13 points and 8 boards vs. Rio Grande.
• Mike Morsell chipped in 11 points vs. Rio. He has 7 double-figure outings this year.
• The Tigers out-rebounded both opponents last week and are +7.8 in rebound margin.
• Walter Foster recorded his 2nd double-double (11pts/10reb) vs. Rio Grande.
William & Mary
• Moved to 4-0 at home after beating Mary Washington 94-64 on Friday.
• Omar Prewitt scored a team-high 21 points vs. UMW and has reached double figures in 11 straight games. He’s 34 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Daniel Dixon added 17 points in the UMW win. He hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range and leads the team with 28 treys. He’s shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc.
• Terry Tarpey, who ranks third in the CAA in rebounding (8.8 rpg), first in steals (2.8 spg) and fourth in blocked shots (1.4 bpg), didn’t play against UMW due to injury.
• Greg Malinowski recorded his first career double-double vs. UMW with 15 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
• Point guard David Cohn has 34 assists and only 12 turnovers this season.
• W&M leads the CAA in FG percentage defense (38.5%) and 3-point FG% defense (25.4%).