Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Dec. 11
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - DEC. 11 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Justin Wright-Foreman • Hofstra
Jr., G, 6-1, 185 - Queens, N.Y./High School of Construction
Wright-Foreman averaged 27.0 points and 4.0 assists in Hofstra’s road victories at Monmouth (85-84) and Rider (88-82) last week. The junior guard hit 5-of-8 threes and scored a game-high 24 points at Monmouth and followed with a season-best 30 points and five assists at Rider. For the week, he shot 50% from the floor. Wright-Foreman, who leads the CAA in scoring (22.0 ppg), has topped the 20-point mark in six of nine games this season.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Jalen Ray • Hofstra
Fr., G, 6-2, 175 - Hampton, Va./Hampton
Ray averaged 15.5 ppg and recorded back-to-back scoring highs as Hofstra earned a pair of road wins last week. The freshman guard tallied 14 points and hit a game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left as the Pride edged Monmouth, 85-84, and then scored a career-best 17 points in an 88-82 triumph at Rider. Ray, who had scored just 24 points over Hofstra’s first seven games, went 8-of-14 from 3-point range last week.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
TOWSON CONTINUES HOT START: Towson is off to its best start ever (10-1) at the Division I level after beating Baltimore rivals Morgan State and UMBC last week. The Tigers’ 10-game winning streak is the program’s longest since 1991-92, and they are tied with Villanova for the second-longest current win streak in the nation. Towson, which is No. 29 in the latest NCAA RPI ratings, picked up three votes in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.
SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: CAA teams were a combined 10-8 against non-conference foes last week. For the year, the league is 55-41 against non-conference competition. Four CAA teams - Towson (10), Charleston (5), Northeastern (4) and Hofstra (3) - are riding winning streaks of greater than three games.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams are a combined 33-6 at home this season and also have 12 victories on neutral courts. Seven of the league’s 10 teams are unbeaten on their home floors this season.
EXAMS LEAD TO LIGHT SCHEDULE: With exams taking place on many CAA campuses, there are only nine total games on this week’s schedule. However several of those are in-state battles as Hofstra visits Stony Brook, UNCW travels to UNCG, Drexel faces Temple and Delaware meets Delaware State. Charleston faces a big non-conference test as it visits preseason Atlantic 10 favorite Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon.
HOFSTRA’S GUSTYS MOVES TO 7TH ON CAA’S CAREER REBOUNDS LIST: Hofstra senior Rokas Gustys moved up to 7th place on the CAA’s career rebounds list after grabbing 10 at Rider last Saturday. With 1,031 rebounds, Gustys needs just 56 more to vault to third on the CAA’s career caroms chart. He ranks second among all active Division I players in rebounds, trailing only Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado.
SCANNING THE STAT SHEET: Several CAA players rank in the top 20 nationally in various statistical categories through games of Dec. 10. UNCW’s Devontae Cacok ranks 5th in the nation in rebounding (11.7 rpg) and Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys is 11th (10.9 rpg). UNCW’s Jordon Talley ranks 8th in assists (7.6 apg) and W&M’s David Cohn is 12th (6.9 apg). Drexel’s Austin Williams is 15th (2.9 bpg) and W&M’s Nathan Knight is 18th (2.8 bpg) in blocked shots. W&M’s Connor Burchfield is 5th in 3-point FG percentage (57.4%) while teammate Matt Milon is 12th (52.9%). Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is 18th (22.0 ppg) in scoring.
W&M, TOWSON AMONG BEST OFFENSIVELY, DEFENSIVELY: William & Mary ranks among the top 15 in the nation in field goal percentage (51.0%/15th), 3-point FG percentage (46.2%/3rd) and free throw percentage (79.6%/7th). Towson ranks among the top 20 in the nation in FG percentage defense (36.9%/11th), 3-point FG percentage defense (26.5%/10th) and scoring defense (61.7 ppg/19th).
Col. of Charleston (7-2)
• Extended their winning streak to five after beating High Point (70-58) and North Greenville (92-60) last week.
• Joe Chealey averaged 18.5 ppg and was 6-of-12 from three last week. He’s led CofC in scoring in the past 7 games and has tallied double figures in 26 straight contests. He’s 13th on CofC’s all-time points list.
• Grant Riller averaged 13.0 ppg last week, including 15 points vs. High Point. He’s hit double digits in six of eight games.
• Cameron Johnson added 12 points vs. NGU and 11 points against HPU. He’s shooting 60% from the floor in the past 3 games.
• Jaylen McManus averaged 12.0 ppg last week on 6-of-9 FG shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. He also contributed 4.0 rpg.
• CofC is 6-0 this season when holding its opponent to 60 points or less.
• CofC is second in the CAA in scoring defense (62.1 ppg) and FG% defense (40.1%).
Delaware (4-6)
• Suffered setbacks to Buffalo (75-72) and #9 Notre Dame (92-68) last week.
• Ryan Daly scored a team-high 22 points vs. Buffalo and had 15 points vs. UND. He’s scored double digits in eight consecutive games and is averaging 16.8 ppg.
• Kevin Anderson scored a career-high 23 points with 7 assists and no turnovers vs. Notre Dame. He leads all CAA freshmen in scoring (13.0 ppg) and assists (3.1 apg).
• Freshman Ryan Allen was 6-of-13 from three and averaged 15.0 ppg last week, including 16 points vs. Buffalo. He’s scored double figures in 5 straight contests.
• Eric Carter grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds with 4 blocks vs. UB and had a team-best 9 boards vs. UND. He’s averaging 8.6 rpg for the season.
• Notre Dame was the highest-ranked opponent to ever play at the Bob Carpenter Center and the game was played before the 39th sellout crowd in building history.
Drexel (5-5)
• Split a pair of road games last week, defeating Philly rival La Salle (72-70) but losing at Robert Morris (74-60).
• Kurk Lee averaged 19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg and 3.0 spg last week, highlighted by a season-high 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the win at La Salle.
• Tramaine Isabell scored 12 points at RMU after missing the La Salle game due to injury. He’s 2nd in the CAA in scoring (20.8 ppg), 4th in rebounds (8.5 rpg) and has tallied double figures in eight straight games.
• Sammy Mojica contributed 15.0 ppg last week, including 19 points and 6 boards at Rider. He leads the CAA in steals (1.6 spg).
• Austin Williams averaged 11.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg last week. He snared 11 boards at RMU, which was his 5th game with double-digit caroms. He tops the CAA with 29 blocks.
• Drexel shot a season-best 61.5% (8-13) from 3-point range at La Salle and also hit a season-high 52.9% from the floor.
Elon (6-4)
• Fell 75-44 at UNCG last Thursday, ending a three-game winning streak.
• Tyler Seibring tallied team-highs of 11 points and 8 rebounds at UNCG. He’s scored double digits in eight of 10 contests.
• Sheldon Eberhardt came off the bench to contribute 11 points on 5-of-6 FG shooting at UNCG. He’s shooting a team-best 54.5% from the floor for the season.
• Dainan Swoope suffered an ankle injury at UNCG and was limited to three points, ending a 7-game double-digit scoring streak. He’s still averaging a team-best 15.7 ppg.
• Brian Dawkins chipped in seven points and four rebounds at UNCG. He’s second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and leads the Phoenix in rebounding (6.4 rpg).
• Elon made a season-low four threes (4-of-28) at UNCG. The Phoenix average 10.2 treys made per game.
• Elon went undefeated at home (4-0) in non-conference play for the first time.
Hofstra (6-3)
• On a 3-game winning streak following road victories at Monmouth (85-84) and Rider (88-82) last week.
• Justin Wright-Foreman poured in a season-best 30 points at Rider and had a game-high 24 points at Monmouth. The CAA’s top scorer (22.0 ppg) has tallied double figures in 31 straight games and has netted 20+ points in six of nine contests this season.
• Freshman Jalen Ray scored 14 points at MU, including a game-winning trey, and followed with a season-best 17 points at Rider. Ray, who had scored just 24 points over HU’s first 7 games, was 8-of-14 from three.
• Eli Pemberton averaged 22.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg last week, including a career-high 28 points and 8 rebounds at Rider. He’s scored double digits in all eight games and ranks 6th in the CAA in scoring (18.9 ppg).
• Rokas Gustys grabbed 10 rebounds at Rider and moved to 7th on the CAA’s career rebounds list (1,031). He’s had 10+ boards in 7 games and is 2nd in the CAA with 10.9 rpg.
James Madison (3-8)
• Dropped road games at The Citadel (84-82) and Richmond (74-71) last week. Past four losses have been by a total of 10 points.
• Stuckey Mosley averaged 22.0 ppg last week, including a team-high 25 second-half points at UR. He’s topped the 20-point mark six times this season and ranks 3rd in the CAA in scoring (20.0 ppg).
• DeVelle Phillips posted double-doubles vs. Citadel (10pts/11reb) and Richmond (11pts/career-high 17 reb) and has four for the year. He ranks 5th in the CAA with 8.5 rpg.
• Freshman Darius Banks averaged 15.0 ppg last week, highlighted by 17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals at The Citadel.
• Joey McLean averaged 11.0 ppg last week and dished out 8 assists with only 2 turnovers in the two games.
• The Dukes are 2nd in the CAA in rebound margin (+4.9 rpg) after dominating The Citadel (42-30) and Richmond (42-28) on the glass last week.
UNCW (2-5)
• Suffered a 97-84 setback at LSU on Sunday in their only game last week.
• Jordon Talley scored a team-high 22 points and handed out 7 assists with no TO’s at LSU. Talley ranks 8th in the nation in assists (7.6 apg) and 9th in the CAA in scoring (17.6 ppg). He’s hit double digits in all 7 games.
• JaQuel Richmond, who had scored 18 points over his past four games, broke loose for 16 points at LSU. He was 7-of-11 from the floor.
• Ty Taylor hit three treys and poured in 15 points at LSU. It was his fifth double-figure effort in the past six games.
• Devontae Cacok sat out the first half at LSU but netted 10 second-half points to extend his double-digit scoring streak to 11 games. He’s 5th nationally in rebounds (11.7 rpg).
• UNCW is averaging 84.9 ppg and has reached the 70-point mark in all 7 games.
• Freshman Jeffrey Gary scored a career-high 12 points in 24 minutes at LSU.
Northeastern (6-4)
• Beat Patriot favorite Bucknell (82-64) and America East favorite Vermont (71-67) last week to push their winning streak to four.
• Donnell Gresham averaged 14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.0 spg last week, including a team-best 17 points vs. Vermont.
• Vasa Pusica scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting vs. Bucknell and added 4 assists and 3 steals. He’s scored double figures in 6 straight games and leads NU in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg).
• Shawn Occeus tallied a season-high 16 points in the win over Vermont. He made three steals vs. Bucknell and is tied for the CAA lead in steals with 1.6 spg for the year.
• Anthony Green was 7-of-8 from the floor and averaged 8.0 ppg last week. He’s shooting 66.7% for the season.
• NU has shot 47.8% or better from the floor in its past six games, including three games over 52%.
• NU is a perfect 5-0 at home this season.
Towson (10-1)
• Off to their best start as a Div. 1 program after defeating Baltimore rivals Morgan State (82-78/ot) and UMBC (78-65) last week.
• Towson’s 10-game winning streak is its longest since 1991-92 and is tied for the 2nd-longest in the nation as of Dec. 11.
• Zane Martin averaged 20.0 ppg last week. He scored a career-high 25 points vs. MSU, including a trey with 8.1 seconds left that forced OT. He’s averaging 20.8 ppg over his past five games.
• Eddie Keith II posted his first career double-double vs. UMBC with 12 points and a career-high 15 boards. He added 3 blocks.
• Mike Morsell contributed 13.0 ppg last week, including 17 points against MSU.
• Towson, which ranked 7th nationally in rebound margin (+7.9 rpg) last year, tops the CAA with a +7.9 rpg margin this season.
• Towson leads the CAA in scoring defense (61.7 ppg), FG% defense (37.0%), 3-point FG% defense (26.6%).
William & Mary (6-3)
• Split two road games last week, rallying past George Mason (77-70) before falling at Ohio State (97-62) to end a 5-game win streak.
• Nathan Knight averaged 20.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg last week while shooting 68.2% from the floor. He poured in 27 points at Mason. Knight ranks among the CAA’s top 10 in scoring, rebounds, FG% and blocked shots.
• Matt Milon hit 4-of-8 treys and scored a career-high 22 points at George Mason. He’s shooting 52.9% from beyond the arc.
• David Cohn averaged 13.0 ppg and 4.5 apg last week, highlighted by a team-best 15 points and 5 assists at OSU. He ranks 12th in the nation in assists (6.9 apg).
• Cole Harrison came off the bench to score a season-best 8 points on 4-of-5 FG shooting in just 11 minutes at Ohio State.
• Connor Burchfield leads the CAA in 3’s per game (3.4) and 3-pt FG% (54.4%).
• W&M leads the CAA in FG% (51.0), FT% (79.6%), 3-point FG% (46.2%) and 3-pointers per game (11.4).