Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Dec. 18
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - DEC. 18 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Stuckey Mosley • James Madison
Jr., G, 6-3, 190 - Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek
Mosley scored a game-high 28 points as James Madison earned a 76-67 road victory at FIU. The junior guard was 7-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. He added three rebounds and three steals. Mosley exploded for 23 points in the second half, including a three that put JMU up by four with 1:33 to go. It was the seventh 20-point effort for Mosley, who is second in the CAA in scoring (20.7 ppg).
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 poured in a game-high 33 points and added four rebounds and three assists in Hofstra’s 84-81 road win at rival Stony Brook. The junior guard made 10-of-18 from the floor, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range. He scored 21 second-half points, including three free throws that gave Hofstra the lead for good. Wright-Foreman, who tops the CAA in scoring (23.1 ppg), became the first Pride player with back-to-back 30-point games since 2010.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Kevin Anderson • Delaware
Fr., G, 6-5, 180 - Williamsport, Pa./St. John Neumann
Anderson recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in Delaware’s 68-59 overtime road victory at Delaware State on Sunday. The freshman guard added two steals while playing 41 minutes. For the season, Anderson leads all CAA freshmen in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.9 apg).
CONFERENCE NOTES:
TOWSON OFF TO BEST START EVER: Towson is off to its best start ever at the Division I level with a 10-1 mark. The Tigers’ 10-game winning streak is the program’s longest since 1991-92, and they have the third-longest current win streak in the nation. Towson, which is No. 34 in the latest NCAA RPI ratings, received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the third week in a row. The Tigers face a pair of challenging road games this week at Oakland on Wednesday and Pittsburgh on Friday.
THREE TEAMS IN TOP 90 OF RPI: Three CAA teams are ranked in the top 90 of the latest NCAA RPI through games of Dec. 17. Towson leads the way at #34, Hofstra is #73 and Elon is #86. The CAA is ranked 12th out of the nation’s 32 Division I conferences.
TOUGH TESTS AHEAD: It’s the final full week of non-conference play for CAA teams and there are several big games on tap. Hofstra faces #1 Villanova on Friday night at 8:30 at Nassau Coliseum in a game televised on FS1. Also on Friday, William & Mary travels to #15 TCU and Towson heads to ACC member Pittsburgh. In Wednesday’s action, James Madison is at SEC member Florida and Northeastern heads to St. Bonaventure.
SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: CAA teams have a 60-45 against non-conference competition. Three CAA teams - Towson (10), Northeastern (4) and Hofstra (4) - are riding winning streaks of at least four games. In addition, William & Mary has won six of its last seven, Charleston has won five of its last six and Elon has won four of its last five.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams are a combined 34-7 at home this season and also have 12 victories on neutral courts. Six of the league’s 10 teams are unbeaten on their home floors this season.
SCANNING THE STAT SHEET: Several CAA players rank in the top 20 nationally in various statistical categories through games of Dec. 17. UNCW’s Devontae Cacok ranks 3rd in the nation in rebounding (12.4 rpg) and Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys is 16th (10.5 rpg). W&M’s David Cohn ranks 9th in assists (7.2 apg) and UNCW’s Jordon Talley is 18th (6.6 apg). Drexel’s Austin Williams is 17th (2.8 bpg) and W&M’s Nathan Knight is 18th (2.8 bpg) in blocked shots. W&M’s Connor Burchfield is 3rd in 3-point FG percentage (56.7%) while teammate Matt Milon is 7th (53.6%). Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is 8th (23.1 ppg) in scoring.
W&M, TOWSON AMONG BEST OFFENSIVELY, DEFENSIVELY: William & Mary ranks among the top 5 in the nation in field goal percentage (52.5%/4th), 3-point FG percentage (46.9%/2nd) and free throw percentage (80.6%/3rd). Towson ranks among the top 15 in the nation in FG percentage defense (36.9%/10th), 3-point FG percentage defense (26.5%/6th) and scoring defense (61.7 ppg/13th).
College of Charleston (7-3)
• Dropped a narrow 68-62 decision at A-10 favorite Rhode Island last Saturday, ending a five-game winning streak.
• Grant Riller matched his season-high with 21 points at URI. It was his third 20-point effort of the season and his 7th double-digit outing in nine games.
• Joe Chealey was held to 12 points at URI, but grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. He’s tallied double figures in 27 straight contests.
• NIck Harris poured in a career-high 18 points on 8-of-11 FG shooting and added 6 rebounds at URI. He’s shooting a team-best 57.4% from the floor this season.
• CofC, which is 6-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points or less, limited URI to its second-lowest point total of the season.
• CofC is second in the CAA in scoring defense (62.7 ppg) and FG% defense (40.3%).
• CofC is committing just 10.3 turnovers per game and tops the CAA in TO margin.
Delaware (5-6)
• Picked up a 68-59 overtime victory at rival Delaware State on Sunday night to stop a four-game slide.
• Ryan Allen hit 4-of-8 threes and scored a team-high 15 points off the bench. He’s reached double digits in 6 straight contests and is shooting 41.3% from beyond the arc.
• Ryan Daly added 13 points and a career-high 8 assists at DSU. He’s scored double digits in nine consecutive games and ranks 10th in the CAA with 16.5 ppg.
• Kevin Anderson posted his first career double-double with 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds at DSU. He leads all CAA freshmen in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.9 apg).
• Eric Carter chipped in 11 points and 7 boards at DSI. He’s averaging a team-high 8.4 rpg for the season.
• Darian Bryant returned from a 2-game absence and contributed 12 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Drexel (5-6)
• Fell 63-60 at Philly rival Temple last Saturday. Game was tied 57-57 with 1:21 to go.
• Alihan Demir scored a career-high 16 points at Temple on 7-of-12 FG shooting and also grabbed 8 rebounds.
• Austin Williams recorded his 3rd double-double with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds at Temple. He’s 2nd in the CAA in FG% (63%), 4th in rebounds (8.5 rpg) and 1st in blocked shots (2.8 bpg).
• Sammy Mojica hit 3-of-6 treys and scored 11 points at Temple. He’s made a team-best 22 treys this season and has tallied double figures in five straight games.
• Drexel out-rebounded Temple 43-32 and had 14 offensive boards. The Dragons are +3.4 rpg in rebound margin this season.
• Tramaine Isabell was held to 6 points, endng an 8-game double-figure scoring streak, but had five assists. He’s 4th in the CAA in scoring (19.1 ppg), 6th in rebounds (8.2 rpg) and 12th in assists (2.9 apg).
Elon (7-4)
• Erased a 12-point deficit and beat Boston U., 77-69, on Sunday for their first road win.
• Steven Santa Ana hit 5-of-8 threes and finished with a team-high 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists at BU.
• Tyler Seibring was 3-of-4 from three and had 15 points and a team-best 8 rebounds at BU. It was his 9th game in double digits.
• Dainan Swoope filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists at BU. He’s 11th in the CAA in scoring and 7th in assists.
• Dmitri Thompson scored 12 points on 5-of-5 FG shooting at BU. He’s shooting a team-best 43.6% from 3-point range.
• Sheldon Eberhardt chipped in 7 points and a team-high 7 assists at BU. The reserve guard ranks 5th in the CAA in assists (3.8 apg).
• Elon tied a season-high by making 15-of-33 from 3-point range at BU. The Phoenix average 10.6 treys made per game.
• Elon is 5-0 when out-rebounding its opponent this season.
Hofstra (7-3)
• Beat Stony Brook 84-81 in the Battle of Long Island. On a four-game winning streak, including three straight road victories.
• Justin Wright-Foreman poured in a season-best 33 points at SBU. The CAA’s top scorer (23.1 ppg) has tallied double figures in 32 straight games, has 20+ points in seven contests and has two 30-point efforts.
• Desure Buie came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points at SBU. He also contributed five rebounds and four steals.
• Eli Pemberton was limited to 7 points at SBU, ending a 12-game double-digit scoring streak. He ranks 8th in the CAA in scoring (17.6 ppg) and is among the league’s top 10 in 3’s per game (2.3) and 3-pt FG% (44.7%).
• Rokas Gustys, who grabbed 7 rebounds at SBU, ranks 7th on the CAA’s career rebounds list (1,038). He’s had 10+ boards in 7 games and is 2nd in the CAA with 10.5 rpg.
• Hunter Sabety added 9 points on 4-of-4 FG shooting and 7 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench at SBU.
James Madison (4-8)
• Picked up their first road win of the year with a 76-67 triumph at FIU.
• Stuckey Mosley scored a game-high 28 points at FIU, including 23 in the 2nd half. He was 4-of-6 from three and 10-of-10 at the FT line. He’s second in the CAA in scoring and has seven games with 20+ points.
• Darius Banks tallied 16 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting. The freshman guard is averaging 14.5 ppg over his past four games and is shooting 56.1% (23-41) over that stretch.
• Ramone Snowden filled the stat sheet at FIU with 5 points, 6 rebounds, a career-high 7 assists and 2 steals.
• Freshman Matt Lewis added 8 points and 4 assists off the bench at FIU.
• JMU made 10 steals vs. FIU, which was its fourth game with at least 10 thefts. The Dukes lead the CAA with 8.1 spg.
• JMU’s last seven games have been decided by 10 points or less.
UNCW (2-7)
• Dropped contests to UNCG (71-58) and Furman (90-84) last week.
• Devontae Cacok averaged 23.0 ppg and 15.0 rpg last week with double-doubles vs. UNCG (22pts/17reb) and Furman (24pts/13reb). He shot 76% (19-25) from the floor. Cacok leads the CAA in rebounding (12.4 rpg) and FG% and ranks 4th in scoring (19.1 ppg).
• Cacok leads the CAA with 7 double-doubles and has scored double digits in 13 straight games.
• Ty Taylor posted his first double-double (16pts/10reb) at UNCG and averaged 14.5 ppg for the week. He has seven double-figure efforts in the past eight games.
• Jordon Talley was 3-of-4 from three and scored 21 points vs. Furman. Talley ranks 9th in the CAA in scoring (16.9 ppg) and 2nd in assists (6.6 apg). He’s scored double figures in eight of UNCW’s nine contests.
• Jaylen Fornes poured in a career-high 20 points against Furman.
Northeastern (6-4)
• Off last week for exams. On a 4-game win streak with victories over pre-season favorites from the Ivy (Harvard), Patriot (Bucknell) and America East (Vermont).
• Vasa Pusica has scored double figures in 6 straight games and is averaging 19.2 ppg over that stretch while shooting 59.4% (41-69) from the floor and 50% (15-30) from 3.
• Donnell Gresham, Jr. has averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals over his past three games.
• 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.
• The Huskies have nine players averaging better than 12 minutes per game and all are averaging less than 30 minutes per contest.
• 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 last week for exams. Tigers are off their best start ever as a Division I program.
• Towson’s 10-game winning streak is its longest since 1991-92 and is tied for the 3rd-longest in the nation as of Dec. 18.
• Zane Martin has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games and is averaging 20.8 ppg over that stretch. He ranks among the CAA’s top 10 in scoring and FG%.
• Eddie Keith II posted his first career double-double vs. UMBC with 12 points and a career-high 15 boards.
• Mike Morsell has scored at least 8 points in every game this season and has tallied double figures seven times.
• Justin Gorham is averaging a team-high 5.7 rpg while coming off the bench.
• 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 (7-3)
• Set a school record for points in a 126-69 win over Milligan on Sunday.
• Nathan Knight scored a team-best 21 points on 8-of-9 FG shooting vs. Milligan. He ranks among the CAA’s top seven in scoring, rebounding, FG% and blocked shots.
• Justin Pierce posted his 4th double-double in 8 games with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds vs. Milligan.
• Matt Milon hit 3-of-5 treys and added 19 points vs. Milligan. He’s shooting 53.6% from beyond the arc.
• David Cohn dished out 10 assists vs. Milligan, which was his 4th game with at least 10 assists. He leads the CAA with 7.2 apg.
• Connor Burchfield was 3-for-3 from three vs. Milligan and leads the CAA in 3’s per game (3.4) and 3-pt FG% (56.7%).
• W&M leads the CAA in scoring (88.2 ppg), FG% (52.5%), FT% (80.6%), 3-point FG% (46.9%) and 3-pointers per game (11.9).
• W&M has won 23 straight non-conference home games.