Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Feb. 13
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - FEB. 13 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Justin Wright-Foreman • Hofstra
So., G, 6-0, 184 - Queens, N.Y./High School of Construction
Wright-Foreman averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as Hofstra split a pair of road games last week. The sophomore guard contributed a game-high 29 points, seven boards and four assists in a 69-65 setback at Towson and scored a game-high 25 points in a 74-64 win at Northeastern. Wright-Foreman shot 50% from the floor, including 8-of-17 from 3-point range, for the week. He’s scored double figures in 17 straight games and has topped the 20-point mark in his past seven contests.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Ryan Daly • Delaware
Fr., G, 6-4, 185 - Ardmore, Pa./Archbishop Carroll
Daly averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds as Delaware won back-to-back CAA games for the first time this year. The freshman guard posted his third double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 76-74 overtime win over Elon and had team-highs of 12 points and six boards in a 58-57 triumph at James Madison. He hit a jumper with 1.5 seconds left to force OT vs. Elon and nailed a game-tying 3-pointer with 42 seconds to go at JMU.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Grant Riller • College of Charleston
Fr., G, 6-3, 185 - Ocoee, Fla./Ocoee
Riller averaged 22.5 points while shooting 72% from the floor in College of Charleston’s two games last week. The freshman guard scored a team-best 26 points on 11-of-14 FG shooting at William & Mary and tallied 19 points on 7-of-11 FG shooting vs. Northeastern. Riller, who was 4-of-8 from three last week, has reached double figures in 11 straight games and has topped the 20-point mark in four of his past six outings.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
RACE TIGHTENS ATOP CAA STANDINGS: The top three teams in the CAA standings are separated by only two games with two weeks left in the regular season. Preseason favorite UNCW (11-3) has a one-game edge over College of Charleston (10-4) with both teams heading on the road this week to face Hofstra and Northeastern. Towson (9-5) has climbed to third place after winning four in a row and nine of its last 10. The Tigers entertain fourth-place Elon on Thursday and James Madison on Saturday.
CLOSE GAMES CONTINUE: Eight of the last 20 CAA games have been decided by two points or less, including four last week. Last Thursday, freshman Bolden Brace hit a baseline shot at the buzzer to give Northeastern a 73-72 victory at Charleston, and Delaware edged Elon 76-74 in overtime after freshman Ryan Daly made a game-tying jumper with 1.5 seconds left in regulation. On Saturday, Darian Bryant nailed a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds to go to lift Delaware past James Madison, 58-57, and Elon knocked off first-place UNCW, 77-76, after the Phoenix made a key defensive stop in the final seconds.
PILING UP THE WINS: UNCW (22-5) is one of only 15 teams in Division I with at least 22 wins this season as of Feb. 13. The others are #1 Gonzaga (26-0), #2 Villanova (24-2), #3 Kansas (22-3), #4 Baylor (22-3), #5 Arizona (23-3), #6 UCLA (23-3), #7 Oregon (22-4), #18 Cincinnati (22-3), #19 SMU (22-4), #22 Saint Mary’s (22-3), Wichita State (23-4), Vermont (23-5), New Mexico State (22-4) and Middle Tennessee (22-4).
THREE CAA TEAMS IN TOP 100 IN LATEST RPI REPORT: Three CAA teams are ranked in the top 100 in the latest RPI rankings released by Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com) through games of Feb. 12. UNCW (22-5), which has won 19 of its last 23 games, leads the way at #45. College of Charleston (19-8), which has captured 16 of its last 21 contests, is ranked #73. Towson (17-10), which has won nine of its last 10 games, is ranked #94. Only 10 other conferences (American, ACC, Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac 12, SEC and West Coast) have three teams in the top 94 of the RPI. The CAA is ranked #11 among the nation’s 32 Division I leagues.
HOME SWEET HOME: Home teams have won 68.6% (48-22) of their games in CAA play this season, reversing a trend from the past two years. William & Mary is 7-0 at home, while Elon, UNCW and Towson are all 6-1. All 10 teams have won at least three conference games at home. Only UNCW and CofC have winning records (5-2) on the road in league action. Home teams were 45-45 in CAA play last season and 47-43 in 2014-15.
THREE CAA PLAYERS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Three CAA men’s basketball players were selected to the Capital One Academic All-District team, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Elon sophomores Steven Santa Ana and Tyler Seibring were honored on the District 3 first team and College of Charleston junior Evan Bailey made the District 4 first team. All three will be placed on the ballot for Academic All-America accolades.
WILLIAMS, WRIGHT-FOREMAN MAKE BIG SCORING JUMPS: Northeastern’s T.J. Williams and Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman are two of the nation’s most improved scorers this season according to STATS LLC. Wright-Foreman has an improvement of 15.1 ppg, going from 1.6 ppg last season to 16.7 ppg in 2016-17. Williams has a jump of 14.2 ppg, going from 6.8 ppg last season to a league-best 21.0 ppg this year.
College of Charleston
• Lost consecutive games for the first time since November, falling 73-72 at the buzzer to Northeastern and 89-79 at W&M.
• Grant Riller scored a team-high 26 points at W&M and had 19 points vs. NU while shooting 72% from the floor for the week. He’s tallied double digits in 11 straight games and is averaging 20.0 ppg over that stretch.
• Joe Chealey averaged 21.5 ppg last week, including a team-high 28 points vs. NU. It was his 9th 20-point outing and he’s reached double figures in 16 of his last 17 games.
• Jarrell Brantley posted his 7th double-double (20 pts/10 reb) at W&M and averaged 17.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg for the week. He’s scored double digits 23 times this season.
• Nick Harris grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds vs. NU and scored 10 points at W&M. It was his third game 10+ boards and his third game with 10+ points this season.
• CofC shot a season-best 58.5% from the floor and had only 7 turnovers at W&M.
Delaware
• Defeated Elon (76-74 in OT) and JMU (58-57) for their first back-to-back CAA wins of the season. Ended a 15-game road losing streak in conference play at JMU.
• Ryan Daly posted his 3rd double-double (18 pts/10 reb) vs. Elon and added 12 points at JMU. He hit game-tying shots in the final minute of both contests. Daly has scored double digits in 17 of his last 19 games.
• Daly has been UD’s top scorer in 13 of the last 16 games and top rebounder in 13 of the past 15 contests. He’s averaging 17.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg in conference play.
• Darian Bryant scored 14 points vs. Elon and had 12 at JMU, including a game-winning 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds left. He’s tallieddouble figures in 4 of the last 5 games.
• Cazmon Hayes had 13 points and 7 rebounds vs. Elon, which was his most points since Jan. 19.
• Eric Carter is contributing 12.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg over the past five games.
• UD committed a season-low 5 TO’s vs. Elon.
Drexel
• Went 1-1 at home last week, beating W&M (79-61) but losing to Towson (69-65).
• Kari Jonsson made 6-of-12 threes and scored a team-high 23 points vs. W&M. He’s averaging 13.8 ppg over the past six games and leads the CAA in 3-point FG% (44.4%).
• Kurk Lee had a team-high 18 points and 5 assists vs. TU and is averaging 20.0 ppg and 5.6 apg over the last 5 games. He’s 11th in the CAA in scoring and 4th in assists.
• Rodney Williams averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg last week. He has 10 20-point outings this season and has scored double figures in 15 of the past 16 games.
• Sammy Mojica scored 15 points against Towson and 12 vs. W&M. He’s reached double digits in 8 of his last 9 contests.
• Drexel has shot at least 45% from the floor in seven of the last eight games.
• The Dragons limited their two opponents to 6-of-32 shooting (18.8%) from 3-point range last week.
Elon
• Fell 76-74 in OT at Delaware, but knocked off first-place UNCW, 77-76, last week.
• Brian Dawkins scored a team-high 24 points on 9-of-15 FG shooting vs. UNCW. It was his third 20+-point game and his 14th double-digit effort in the past 18 games.
• Dainan Swoope averaged 17.0 ppg last week, including a team-high 21 points at UD. It was his third 20+-point effort.
• Tyler Seibring contributed 13.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg last week. He’s averaging 16.2 ppg over the past 10 games.
• Steven Santa Ana posted a double-double (15 pts/10 reb) at UD, which was the first by an Elon player this season.
• Luke Eddy averaged 12.0 ppg and 4.5 apg off the bench last week. His 14 points at UD were his most since Dec. 4.
• Elon is shooting a league-best 77.3% from the free throw line in CAA play.
• Elon averages 9.5 threes per game and has hit double-digit treys 13 times.
Hofstra
• Split a pair of road games last week, losing 69-65 at Towson before earning a 74-64 victory at Northeastern.
• Justin Wright-Foreman scored a team-high 29 points with 7 rebounds at TU and had 25 points and 5 boards at NU. He’s reached double figures in 17 straight games and has 20+ points in his last 7 contests.. He’s averaging a league-high 22.2 ppg in CAA play.
• Brian Bernardi hit three treys and scored 17 points at NU. He’s tallied double figures in eight of his past 10 contests.
• Deron Powers is averaging 14.0 ppg and 5.9 apg over his last 10 games.
• Eli Pemberton scored double figures for the 17th time with 13 points at NU. He’s 4th among CAA freshmen in scoring (13.1 ppg).
• Rokas Gustys returned at NU after missing 4 games due to injury and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. It was his 15th game with at least 10 rebounds.
• Hofstra has made 34 three-pointers over the past three games.
James Madison
• Dropped decisions to UNCW (88-71) and Delaware (58-57) last week.
• Jackson Kent scored a team-high 17 points against Delaware and has reached double digits in 13 of the past 15 games. He’s averaging 16.4 ppg in CAA play.
• Paulius Satkus scored 13 points at UNCW. He’s averaging 11.7 ppg in CAA play while shooting 56.1% from the floor.
• Ivan Lukic added 12 points vs. UD and is scoring 11.0 ppg over his past 5 games.
• Shakir Brown contributed 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals at UNCW. He has four double-digit efforts in the last six games.
• Dimitrije Cabarkapa scored a season-high 13 points at UNCW, making 3-of-4 treys.
• Ramone Snowden filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers against Delaware.
• JMU leads the league in scoring defense (65.9 ppg) in CAA play.
UNCW
• Beat JMU 88-73 to tie the school record for regular season wins but fell 77-76 at Elon.
• C.J. Bryce scored 19 points in both games last week and averaged 6.5 rpg. He’s tallied double digits in 22 of his last 23 games.
• Denzel Ingram averaged 16.0 ppg last week, including 17 points at Elon. He leads the CAA in 3’s per game (3.2) and assists (5.5 apg) and ranks 10th in scoring.
• Devontae Cacok leads the nation in FG percentage (78.8%), ranks 2nd in the CAA with 10.1 rpg, and has 10 double-doubles.
• Chris Flemmings averaged 12.5 ppg last week and has 11 double-figure outings in the past 13 games.
• UNCW made 13-of-24 threes vs. JMU and 12-of-29 at Elon. The Seahawks are 46-of-85 from 3 in the past three games.
• Jordon Talley came off the bench to score a season-best 20 points at Elon.
• UNCW has reached the 20-win mark in back-to-back years for the 2nd time ever.
Northeastern
• Overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to edge Charleston, 73-72, but fell 74-64 to Hofstra, last week.
• T.J. Williams had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists vs. HU. He’s tallied double digits in all 25 games with 15 20+-point efforts. He tops the CAA in scoring and is 2nd in assists.
• Bolden Brace scored 9 points at CofC, including the game-winner at the buzzer. He’s averaging 14.3 ppg over his last 4 games.
• Alex Murphy averaged 16.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg last week, including a team-high 19 points with 8 rebounds at CofC. He’s reached double figures in 7 straight games.
• Devon Begley scored all 16 of his points in the 2nd half at CofC. He leads the CAA in steals (1.8 spg) for the season.
• Anthony Green posted his first career double-double (15 pts/10 reb) at CofC.
• NU made 10 threes at CofC and is shooting 39.2% from three in CAA play and 38.0% for the season. The Huskies are averaging 9.9 treys per game in CAA play.
Towson
• Defeated Hofstra (69-65) and Drexel (69-65) to extend their winning streak to four. Have gone 9-1 since starting 0-4 in CAA play.
• John Davis posted his team-best 8th double-double (14 pts/10 reb) at DU. He’s scored double figures in 9 of his past 11 games.
• Deshaun Morman scored 13 points at Hofstra and averaged 11.0 ppg for the week.
• Mike Morsell tallied 12 points vs. Hofstra and is averaging 16.0 ppg over the last four contests.
• Alex Thomas scored 8 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the Drexel win.
• Freshman Zane Martin contributed 9 points off the bench in both games last week.
• Towson beat Drexel 41-31 on the glass and has out-rebounded 42 of its last 46 foes. TU leads the CAA in rebound margin.
• The Tigers have won five games in which they have trailed by double digits.
• Towson was 25-of-29 at the FT line last week, including 11-of-11 vs. Drexel.
William & Mary
• Went 1-1 last week, losing 79-61 at Drexel before beating CofC, 89-79. Now 7-0 at home and 1-6 on the road in CAA play.
• Omar Prewitt averaged 23.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg last week, including a season-high 30 points vs. CofC. It was his 9th 20+-point outing of the season and 9th double-figure effort in the past 10 games.
• Daniel Dixon had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists vs. CofC, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 18 games. He has 10 20+-point efforts for the year and is averaging 20.9 ppg in CAA play.
• Nathan Knight tied his career-high with 15 points and added 6 rebounds vs. CofC. He’s averaging 12.5 ppg over the past 4 games and leads the CAA in blocks (1.5 bpg).
• Jack Whitman has made 28-of-34 shots from the floor over the past seven games and is shooting 72.7% in CAA play.
• W&M has shot better than 53% from the floor in each of its last five home games and is averaging 93.8 ppg over that stretch.
• W&M leads the CAA in blocks (5.3 bpg).