Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Jan. 30
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - JAN. 30 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Omar Prewitt • William & Mary
Sr., G/F, 6-7, 195 - Mount Sterling, Ky./Montgomery Co.
Prewitt filled the stat sheet in William & Mary’s 2-0 week, averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists. The senior wing scored a season-high 28 points on 12-of-17 FG shooting and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as the Tribe knocked off first-place UNCW, 96-78, on Saturday. He also had nine points, a career-high eight assists and no turnovers in an 82-58 victory over Delaware. For the week, Prewitt shot 59.3% from the floor.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tyler Seibring • Elon
So., F, 6-8, 225 - Normal, Ill./Normal Community
Seibring repeats as Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a pair of Elon road victories. The sophomore forward scored a team-high 15 points with eight rebounds as the Phoenix handed Northeastern its first home loss of the season, 51-49, on Thursday. He followed with a team-best 23 points and six boards in an 84-70 win at Hofstra on Saturday. For the week, Seibring shot 53.6% from the floor.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Grant Riller • College of Charleston
Fr., G, 6-3, 185 - Ocoee, Fla./Ocoee
Riller receives his third Rookie of the Week honor after contributing 27.5 points and 4.5 steals as Charleston split two road games last week. The freshman guard poured in a career-high 30 points with a career-best six steals in a 90-76 win at Drexel on Saturday, and contributed a team-high 25 points in an overtime setback at Towson last Thursday. For the week, Riller shot 58.6% from the floor, including 6-of-11 from three, and was 15-for-15 at the free throw line.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
W&M ENDS UNCW WINNING STREAK: Behind 28 points from Omar Prewitt and 27 from Daniel Dixon, Willliam & Mary handed UNCW its first CAA loss on Saturday, 96-78. The Seahawks’ 9-0 conference start matched the 4th-best in league history and was only two wins shy of the 11-0 marks compiled by Delaware (2013-14), VCU (2006-07) and Richmond (1985-86). It was UNCW’s first setback to a CAA foe since Feb. 15, 2016.
PILING UP THE WINS: UNCW’s 20 overall victories are tied for the second-most of any Division I team in the nation through games of Jan. 29. The Seahawks (20-3) only trail #1 Gonzaga (22-0) and are tied with #2 Baylor (20-1), #4 Villanova (20-2), #5 Arizona (20-2) and New Mexico State (20-2).
THREE CAA TEAMS IN TOP 100 IN LATEST RPI REPORT: UNCW is ranked #33 in the latest RPI rankings released by Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com) through games of Jan. 29. The Seahawks (20-3) have captured 17 of their last 19 games, with the only losses coming on the road at Clemson and William & Mary. College of Charleston (17-6) is #79 in the RPI and has won 14 of its last 17 contests. Towson (13-10) is #95 in the RPI and has won five of its past six games. Only nine other conferences (American, ACC, Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac 12 and SEC) have three teams in the top 95 of the RPI. The CAA is ranked #11 among the nation’s 32 Division I leagues.
WILLIAMS, WRIGHT-FOREMAN MAKE BIG SCORING JUMPS: Northeastern guard T.J. Williams and Hofstra guard Justin Wright-Foreman are two of the nation’s most improved scorers this season according to STATS LLC. Williams leads the nation with a jump of 14.7 ppg, going from 6.8 ppg last season to a league-best 21.5 ppg this year. Wright-Foreman ranks third with an improvement of 13.8 ppg, going from 1.6 ppg last season to 15.4 ppg in 2016-17.
AUTISM AWARENESS GAMES SET FOR THIS WEEKEND: Coaches throughout the country will be raising money for autism this weekend through Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefiting Autism Speaks. Towson head coach Pat Skerry, whose son Owen has autism, developed the campaign along with TCU assistant coach Tom Herrion. The program has gained national attention, with coaches across the country wearing the blue puzzle piece lapel pins on their jackets. Towson’s game against William & Mary on Saturday will be televised by Comcast SportsNet and the Tigers will be wearing special blue uniforms courtesy of Under Armour.
UNCW RECEIVES VOTES IN NATIONAL POLLS FOR 6TH STRAIGHT WEEK: UNCW was once again among other teams receiving votes in the national Top 25 rankings. The Seahawks (20-3) received 8 points in the USA Today Coaches poll, which placed them 31st.
College of Charleston
• Went 1-1 on the road last week, falling 83-77 in OT at Towson before winning 90-76 at Drexel. The 90 points were a season-high.
• Grant Riller scored a career-best 30 points with a career-high 6 steals at DU and tallied 25 points at TU. He’s reached double digits in 7 straight games and is averaging 19.9 ppg over that stretch.
• Joe Chealey scored 25 points at TU and 23 points at DU, which was his 7th 20-point effort of the season. He’s tallied double figures in 12 of his last 13 games and ranks 4th in the CAA in scoring and 8th in assists.
• Jarrell Brantley added 18 points and 7 boards at DU. He’s scored double digits in 20 games and has five double-doubles. He’s 3rd in the CAA in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
• CofC shot a season-best 53.8% from the floor at Towson and 51% at Drexel.
• CofC went 30-of-31 at the free throw line at Drexel and is shooting 74.9% from the charity stripe in CAA play.
Delaware
• Split games last week, losing 82-58 at W&M before winning 66-61 over JMU.
• Ryan Daly averaged 12.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg last week, including 16 points and 9 boards vs. JMU. He’s had a UD freshman record six 20+-point efforts, and has scored double digits in 13 of his last 15 games.
• Daly has been UD’s top scorer in 9 of the last 12 games and top rebounder in 9 of the past 11 contests. He’s averaging 17.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg in conference play.
• Devonne Pinkard scored a team-high 21 points at W&M and 12 vs. JMU. He’s 10-of-20 from three over the last four games.
• Eric Carter scored a career-high 16 points and added 8 rebounds in the JMU win.
• Darian Bryant had 11 points vs. JMU and added 10 points on 5-of-6 FG shooting at W&M. He’s hit double figures six times.
• Delaware limited JMU to 33.9% FG shooting and forced 14 turnovers.
Drexel
• Edged Hofstra, 81-80 in OT, but fell 90-76 to Charleston last week.
• Rodney Williams had team-highs of 22 points and 8 rebounds vs. HU and added 15 points vs. CofC. He has eight 20-point outings and has scored double figures in 10 of the past 11 games. Williams also went over the 1,000-point mark for his career.
• Kari Jonsson made 4-of-8 treys and scored a team-high 17 points against CofC. He’s fifth in the CAA with 2.2 threes per game.
• Sammy Mojica averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists last week.
• Kurk Lee scored all 17 points vs. HU, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 17.1 seconds left in OT. He ranks 14th in the CAA in scoring, 4th in assists and 6th in steals.
• Miles Overton has scored double digits in 9 of his last 10 games and is averaging 11.9 ppg over that stretch.
• Drexel shot 50.8% from the floor vs. HU, which was its best FG% since Nov. 20, and hit 46.4% against CofC.
Elon
• Got their first CAA road wins at Northeastern (51-49) and Hofstra (84-70). Have won four straight and 6 of their last 7 games.
• Tyler Seibring scored a team-high 23 points with 6 rebounds at HU and had 15 points and 8 rebounds at NU. He’s averaging 20.2 ppg over the past six games.
• Brian Dawkins averaged 17.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg last week, including a career-high 22 points at HU. He’s scored double digits in 12 of his last 14 games and is shooting 52.9% from the floor and 49.2% from three.
• Dmitri Thompson scored a season-high 17 points at Hofstra and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds at Northeastern.
• Steven Santa Ana had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists at Hofstra. He’s averaging 15.2 ppg over his past eight contests.
• Elon held an opponent (NU) under 50 points for the first time since Feb. 2014.
• Elon’s 4-game conference win streak is its longest since 2013-14. The Phoenix had their best January record (6-3) since 2013.
Hofstra
• Fell 81-80 in OT at Drexel and 84-70 to Elon last week.
• Justin Wright-Foreman scored 30 points for the 3rd time at DU and had 20 points vs. Elon. He’s reached double figures in 13 straight games and is averaging 21.5 ppg in CAA play, which is tied for the league lead.
• Brian Bernardi scored 20 points against Elon and had 14 points at DU. He’s reached double digits in five of the last six games.
• Rokas Gustys posted his 8th double-double (10 pts/10 reb) at DU, but missed the Elon game due to injury. He ranks 4th in the nation in rebounding (12.0 rpg).
• Deron Powers added 14 points and 4 assists vs. Elon and is averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.2 apg over his last six games. He ranks 3rd in the CAA in assists with 5.1 apg.
• Eli Pemberton, who has reached the 20-point mark six times, missed the Elon game due to injury.
• Hunter Sabety scored a season-high 11 points vs. Elon on 5-of-6 FG shooting.
James Madison
• Suffered setbacks to UNCW (87-76) and Delaware (66-61) last week.
• Shakir Brown tied a season-high with 18 points vs. UNCW and then topped it with 20 points at Delaware. He’s tallied double digits in three of his past four contests.
• Jackson Kent scored a team-high 23 points vs. UNCW, which was his fifth 20-point outing. He added 10 points at UD and has 10 double-digit efforts in the past 11 games. He’s averaging 16.4 ppg in CAA play.
• Paulius Satkus averaged 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg last week. He’s scoring 11.7 ppg in CAA play while shooting 62.2% from the floor.
• Senior Ivan Lukic scored a career-best 17 points on 6-of-9 FG shooting at UD.
• Senior Yohanny Dalembert (9.2 ppg/5.8 rpg) will miss the remainder of the season due to a health concern.
• JMU shot 50.9% from the floor vs. UNCW, which was its best performance since Jan. 7. The Dukes shot just 33.9% at UD.
UNCW
• Became the 2nd team in the nation to reach 20 wins after beating JMU (87-76), but fell 96-78 at W&M, ending a 9-game win streak.
• Devontae Cacok tops the CAA with 10 double-doubles after posting them at JMU (16 pts/10 reb) and W&M (21 pts/16 reb). He leads the nation in FG percentage (78.7%) and is 2nd in the CAA with 10.7 rpg.
• C.J. Bryce has tallied double figures in 19 straight games after scoring 15 points at W&M and 11 at JMU.
• Chris Flemmings had a team-high 18 points, 8 boards and 5 assists at JMU. He’s reached double digits in 8 of his last 9 games.
• Denzel Ingram added 14 points at JMU and 12 points and 7 assists at W&M. He’s scored double figures in 12 straight games and tops the CAA in 3’s per game and assists.
• Jordon Talley added 14 points and 7 assists off the bench at JMU.
• UNCW has reached the 20-win mark in back-to-back years for the 2nd time ever.
Northeastern
• Lost their first home game to Elon (51-49), but rebounded for a 69-62 victory over Towson that ended a four-game slide.
• T.J. Williams averaged 17.5 ppg last week, including 23 points vs. TU. He’s tallied double digits in all 22 games with 14 20+-point efforts. He tops the CAA in scoring, ranks 2nd in assists and is 6th in FG%.
• Williams is the first NU player since Reggie Lewis in 1986-87 to reach the 20-point mark 14 times in his first 22 games.
• Alex Murphy posted his first double-double (11 pts/team-high 10 reb) vs. Elon and scored 16 points with 6 rebounds vs. TU. He’s 11th in the CAA in scoring, 5th in FG% and 16th in rebounding.
• Devon Begley had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals vs. Towson. He’s averaging 12.0 ppg over his last 6 games and leads the CAA in steals with 1.8 spg.
• NU is shooting 39.7% from three in CAA play and 38% for the season. The Huskies are averaging 10.2 treys per game in CAA action.
Towson
• Rallied past CofC 83-77 in OT, but fell 69-62 at Northeastern last week. Have won five of their last six games.
• Deshaun Morman scored 16 points vs. CofC and had a team-high 11 points at NU. He’s averaging 13.0 ppg over the past 4 games.
• William Adala Moto scored a team-high 20 points with nine rebounds vs. CofC. It was his 4th game with 20+ points.
• John Davis averaged 13.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg last week. He’s scored double figures in six of his past seven games. Davis is now 21st on Towson’s all-time scoring list.
• Brian Starr added 13 points against CofC, including a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go in regulation that gave TU a 1-point lead.
• Towson beat CofC 42-30 on the glass and has out-rebounded 38 of its last 42 foes. TU leads the CAA in rebound margin.
• The Tigers are 6-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points and the 83 points vs. CofC were the most scored against the Cougars this season.
William & Mary
• Now 9-0 at home following wins over Delaware (82-58) and UNCW (96-78) last week.
• Daniel Dixon scored 27 points vs. UNCW and a team-high 21 points with 7 rebounds vs. UD. He’s reached double digits in 13 straight games and has seven 20-point efforts. He’s averaging 22.3 ppg over his last 9 contests.
• Omar Prewitt tallied a season-high 28 points with 7 rebounds vs. UNCW and had 9 points and a career-high 8 assists vs. UD. He’s scored double digits in 6 of his last 8 games.
• Jack Whitman averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in the two wins. He was 10-of-11 from the floor for the week and is shooting 65.1% for the season.
• W&M shot 56.9% from the floor vs. UD and 55.7% against UNCW. W&M has topped the 50% mark in 6 of its last 8 games.
• W&M blocked 11 shots against UD and 8 vs. UNCW. The Tribe tops the CAA with 4.9 bpg.
• Point guard David Cohn posted his 2nd double-double with 10 points and 10 assists vs UNCW and didn’t commit a turnover.