Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Dec. 4
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - DEC. 4 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Connor Burchfield • William & Mary
Sr., G, 6-4, 180 - Concord, N.C./Concord
Burchfield averaged 28.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in William & Mary’s 2-0 week. The senior guard was 15-of-21 (71.4%) from 3-point range and shot 73% from the floor overall. He set a school and tied a CAA mark with 10 treys while scoring a career-high 30 points in the Tribe’s 114-104 victory over Marshall. He followed with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-13 FG shooting in a 108-85 road win at Savannah State. Burchfield had scored 40 total points in W&M’s first five games before getting 57 last week.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tramaine Isabell • Drexel
Jr., G, 6-1, 180 - Seattle, Wash./Garfield
Isabell averaged 27.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in Drexel’s 2-0 week. The junior guard poured in a career-high 35 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and added three assists and three steals as the Dragons handed Rider just its third loss of the season, 89-77. He also contributed a team-best 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, including one that set up the game-winning bucket, as Drexel edged Lafayette, 68-67. Isabell shot 54.5% from the floor and was 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Ryan Allen • Delaware
Fr., G, 6-2, 195 - Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic
Allen averaged 13.5 points in Delaware’s two games last week. The freshman guard was the Blue Hens’ second-leading scorer with 16 points in a setback to Yale and followed with 11 points and three rebounds against Navy. Allen has tallied double digits in three straight games.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
TOWSON WINS BELFAST CLASSIC: Towson won its second tournament title in two weeks, defeating La Salle (67-60) and Manhattan (56-55) to capture the Belfast Classic in Ireland. Sophomore Zane Martin earned MVP honors after scoring 20 points in each game and MIke Morsell hit a game-winning jumper vs. Manhattan with 1.5 seconds left. The Tigers are 8-1 for the first time ever as a Division I program and are on an 8-game winning streak for the first time since 1993. They also picked up a vote in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll for just the second time in school history.
SUCCESSFUL WEEK IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: CAA teams combined for a 14-4 record against non-conference foes last week. For the season, the league is 45-33 against non-conference competition. Towson is on an eight-game winning streak, William & Mary has won four in a row and Charleston and Elon have each won their past three contests.
OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS: Along with the sensational performances turned in by CAA Players of the Week Connor Burchfield (28.5 ppg) and Tramaine Isabell (27.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg), there were numerous other noteworthy efforts. Towson’s Zane Martin averaged 21.3 ppg in three wins, while Northeastern’s Vasa Pusica tallied 21.0 ppg and 5.0 apg in a pair of victories. William & Mary’s Nathan Knight averaged 24.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg and 5.0 bpg, while James Madison’s Stuckey Mosley tallied 26.5 ppg. Elon’s Tyler Seibring averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in two overtime wins and UNCW’s Devontae Cacok scored a career-high 35 points on 16-of-19 FG shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds at East Carolina.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams are a combined 27-4 at home this season and also have 12 victories on neutral courts.
DELAWARE HOSTS #9 NOTRE DAME: Delaware welcomes 9th-ranked Notre Dame to the Bob Carpenter Center on Saturday night in a game televised by CBS Sports Network. UD coach Martin Ingelsby was an assistant for 13 seasons under Irish head coach Mike Brey, who served as head coach of the Blue Hens from 1995-2000.
PAWS FOR PUERTO RICO: Northeastern will raise funds for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico at its game against Bucknell on Tuesday night. Dubbed “Paws for Puerto Rico”, the funds will help support former NU standout Jose Juan Barea’s charitable foundation. Barea, the only native Puerto Rican in the NBA, has already raised over $500,000 for the cause.
HOFSTRA’S GUSTYS MOVES TO 8TH ON CAA’S CAREER REBOUNDS LIST: Hofstra senior Rokas Gustys moved up to 8th place on the CAA’s career rebounds list after posting his 4th double-double of the season (14 pts/15 reb) and the 38th of his career against Molloy last week. With 1,017 rebounds, Gustys needs just 70 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.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: William & Mary is averaging 101.0 points over its current four-game winning streak. Over the four-game stretch, the Tribe is shooting 58.9% (145-246) from the floor, 59.0% (69-of-117) from 3-point range and 80.4% (45-56) from the free throw line.
SCANNING THE STAT SHEET: Several CAA players rank in the top 15 nationally in various statistical categories. UNCW’s Devontae Cacok leads the nation in rebounding (13.0 ppg) and Hofstra’s Rokas Gustys is 6th (12.0 rpg). UNCW’s Jordon Talley ranks 8th in assists (7.7 apg) and W&M’s David Cohn is 9th (7.6 apg). W&M’s Nathan Knight is 10th in blocks (3.3 bpg) and Drexel’s Austin Williams is 11th (3.3 bpg). W&M’s Connor Burchfield is 6th in 3-point FG percentage (57.4%) and 8th in 3’s per game (3.9), while teammate Matt Milon is 10th in 3-point percentage (54.8%).
Charleston (5-2)
• Have won four of their last five after beating Western Carolina, 69-60, last Thursday.
• Joe Chealey scored a team-high 18 points and added 8 rebounds and 7 assists vs. WCU. He’s led CofC in scoring in the past 5 games and has tallied double figures in 24 consecutive contests.
• Grant Riller returned to the starting lineup vs. WCU and responded with 17 points, which was his fourth game in double digits.
• Cameron Johnson was 3-for-3 from 3-point range and finished with 11 points vs. WCU. He’s shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
• Freshman Osinachi Smart came off the bench and contibuted career-highs of 7 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
• CofC is 4-0 this season when holding its opponent to 60 points or less.
• CofC is second in the CAA in scoring defense (63.0 ppg) and FG% defense (40.2%).
Delaware (4-4)
• Dropped games to Yale (76-66) and Navy (82-76) last week.
• Ryan Daly scored a team-high 23 points with four steals at Navy and had 13 points vs. Yale. He’s scored double digits in six consecutive games and is averaging 16.4 ppg.
• Freshman Ryan Allen averaged 13.5 ppg last week, including 16 points vs. Yale. He’s scored double figures in 3 straight contests.
• Anthony Mosley set season-highs for points (23) and rebounds (9) against Yale. He followed with 14 points at Navy and is averaging 12.3 ppg for the season.
• Freshman Kevin Anderson returned from a concussion and netted 15 points at Navy. He has five double-figure outings in seven games and is second on the team with 12.3 ppg.
• Delaware has had sxi different players lead the team in scoring in eight games (Daly, Anderson, Derrick Woods, Allen, Mosley and Eric Carter).
Drexel (4-4)
• Picked up home victories over Lafayette (68-67) and Rider (89-77) last week.
• Tramaine Isabell scored a career-high 35 points with 13 rebounds and 3 steals vs. Rider and added 19 points, 8 boards and 4 assists vs. Lafayette. He leads the CAA in scoring (22.0 ppg) and is 4th in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and 8th in steals (1.4 spg).
• Sammy Mojica poured in a career-high 22 points in the win over Rider. He’s averaging 12.0 ppg for the season.
• Austin Williams had the game-winning dunk and posted a double-double (15 pts/10 reb) in the win over Lafayette. He added 12 points vs. RU. Williams blocked 6 shots last week and is 2nd in the CAA with 3.3 bpg.
• Alihan Demir averaged 10.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg off the bench last week, including 12 points and 6 rebounds vs. Lafayette.
• Point guard Kurk Lee filled the stat sheet with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals against Rider.
Elon (6-3)
• Have won five of their last six after beating USF (79-78) in overtime and St. Peter’s (71-65) in double overtime last week.
• Tyler Seibring averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg last week, including a season-best 23 points vs. St. Peter’s. He’s scored double digits in seven of nine contests.
• Dmitri Thompson tied a career-high with 23 points vs. USF and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds vs. St. Peter’s.
• Brian Dawkins snared a career-best 13 rebounds vs. USF and had 21 points and 8 boards against St. Peter’s.
• Dainan Swoope averaged 15.0 ppg last week, including 17 points against St. Peter’s. He’s scored double digits in 7 straight games and is averaging a team-best 17.1 ppg.
• Elon is averaging 10.9 treys made per game and has made double-digit threes in six of nine contests.
• Elon went undefeated at home (4-0) in non-conference play for the first time.
Hofstra (4-3)
• Cruised past Molloy, 107-72, last Thursday to improve to 3-0 at home.
• Justin Wright-Foreman scored a team-high 23 points vs. Molloy. He’s 2nd in the CAA in scoring (20.6 ppg) and has tallied double figures in 29 straight games. He’s topped the 20-point mark four times this season.
• Rokas Gustys posted his fourth double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds vs. Molloy. He’s grabbed 10+ rebounds in 6 of 7 games and is 2nd in the CAA with 12.9 rpg.
• Gustys rose to 8th place on the CAA’s career rebounds list (1,017). He’s 2nd among all active Div. I players in career caroms.
• Eli Pemberton added 19 points vs Molloy. He’s scored double digits in all six games and is 7th in the CAA in scoring (17.7 ppg).
• Matija Radovic hit 4-of-5 threes and scored a season-high 16 points off the bench.
• Hofstra topped the 100-point mark for the first time since 2014.
James Madison (3-6)
• Split home games last week, falling 76-72 to George Mason but beating Charlotte, 87-82.
• Stuckey Mosley had another huge week, leading JMU with 28 points vs. Mason and 25 points against Charlotte. He’s topped the 20-point mark five times this season and ranks 3rd in the CAA with 19.6 ppg.
• DeVelle Phillips averaged 16.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg last week while shooting 82.4% (14-17) from the floor. He posted his 2nd double-double (15 pts/11 reb) vs. Mason and added six blocked shots over the two games.
• Freshman Matt Lewis netted 13 points vs. Mason and 11 vs. Charlotte. He’s reached double digits in 3 of the past 4 games.
• JMU’s 87 points against Charlotte was its most in two seasons under coach Lou Rowe.
• The Dukes lead the CAA with 8.3 steals per game. Ramone Snowden ranks 3rd in the league with 1.7 spg, while Mosley (1.6 spg) and Joey McLean (1.4 spg) are also in the top 10.
UNCW (2-4)
• Edged 93-88 in overtime at rival East Carolina last Thursday.
• Devontae Cacok scored a career-high 35 points on 16-of-19 FG shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds at ECU. He leads the nation in rebounding (13.0 rpg), ranks 4th in the CAA in scoring (19.3 ppg) and 2nd in FG% (62.7%). It was his 4th double-double.
• Jordon Talley talled 13 points and 6 assists at ECU. He leads the CAA in assists (7.7 apg) and has scored double figures in all six games this season.
• Marcus Bryan had his second double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds at ECU. He’s 5th in the CAA in rebounding (9.0 rpg).
• Jaylen Fornes added 10 points at ECU, which was his 4th double-digit effort in six games.
• UNCW is averaging 85.0 ppg and has reached the 70-point mark in all six games.
• UNCW has had two players record double-doubles in the same game three times.
Northeastern (4-4)
• Topped Ivy League members Harvard (77-61) and Cornell (84-66) last week.
• Guard Vasa Pusica had a sensational week, averaging 21.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 5.0 apg. He scored a team-high 22 points vs. Harvard and 20 against Cornell. Pusica shot 58.3% from the floor, including 6-of-10 from three.
• Donnell Gresham, Jr. set career-highs for points (22) and steals (4) and grabbed a team-best 9 rebounds against Cornell. He’s averaging 10.6 ppg for the season.
• Devon Begley contributed a season-high 14 points off the bench against Harvard.
• Maxime Boursiquot had a solid all-around week with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Harvard and 11 first-half points against Cornell.
• NU drained 21 three-pointers last week and is averaging 8.5 treys made per game.
• Northeastern made 16 steals vs. Cornell, which was its most against a Division I opponent since 2002.
Towson (8-1)
• Capped a 3-0 week by defeating La Salle (67-60) and Manhattan (56-55) to win the Belfast Classic in Ireland. It was Towson’s second tournament crown of the year.
• Towson’s 8-game winning streak is its longest since 1993 and the Tigers are 8-1 for the first time as a Division I program.
• Zane Martin averaged 21.3 ppg last week and earned Belfast Classic MVP honors. He had a team-high 20 points vs. La Salle and Manhattan and has five 20-point outings.
• Mike Morsell hit a game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds left vs. Manhattan and scored 17 points in the La Salle win.
• Eddie Keith II filled the stat sheet, averaging 7.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in the Belfast Classic.
• Towson, which ranked 7th nationally in rebound margin (+7.9 rpg) last year, tops the CAA with a +9.1 rpg margin this season.
• Towson leads the CAA in scoring defense (59.6 ppg), FG% defense (37.8%), 3-point FG% defense (23.9%).
William & Mary (5-2)
• On a four-game winning streak after beating Marshall (114-104) and Savannah State (108-85) last week.
• W&M shot better than 60% from the floor in both games and hit 34 three-pointers last week. The Tribe has scored over 100 points in three of their past four contests.
• Connor Burchfield tied a CAA record by hitting 10-of-12 treys vs. Marshall and scored a career-high 30 points. He followed with a team-high 27 points at Savannah State.
• Justin Pierce set career-highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds at SSU. He’s averaging 15.4 ppg and is 3rd in the CAA with 9.6 rpg.
• Nathan Knight also had a big week with 31 points and 12 rebounds vs. MU and 18 points, 12 boards and 7 blocks at SSU. He’s in the CAA’s top six in scoring (19.3 ppg), rebounds (8.9 rpg) and blocks (3.3 bpg).
• David Cohn had 24 assists last week.
• W&M leads the CAA in scoring (88.1 ppg), FG% (51.2), FT% (79.8%), 3-point FG% (48.1%) and 3-pointers per game (12.9).