Men's Basketball Weekly Honors - Feb. 6
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY REPORT - FEB. 6 (PDF format)
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Daniel Dixon • William & Mary
Sr., G, 6-6, 210 - Great Falls, Va./Langley
Dixon averaged 27.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in W&M’s three games last week. The senior guard scored 32 points with six rebounds in a victory over Drexel, had 28 points, seven boards and four assists in a win over Northeastern and had 23 points and four assists in a two-point setback at Towson. For the week, Dixon shot 56.6% from the floor, including 13-of-18 (72.2%) from 3-point range.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Bolden Brace • Northeastern
Fr., G, 6-6, 221 - Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara
Brace averaged 20.5 points while draining 11-of-20 (55%) from three-point range in Northeastern’s two road games last week. The freshman guard, who entered the week averaging 4.5 ppg, hit 6-of-9 treys and scored a career-high 20 points at William & Mary and then topped it by hitting five threes and tallying 21 points with five rebounds at James Madison. He shot 58.3% from the floor for the week.
CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Kurk Lee • Drexel
Fr., G, 5-10, 150 - Baltimore, Md./St. Frances Academy
Lee averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals in Drexel’s three road games last week. The freshman guard scored a career-high 25 points with eight assists and four steals at William & Mary and matched it with 25 points and five assists at Towson. He closed the week with 19 points, five assists and three steals at Hofstra. For the week, he shot 50% from the floor, including 10-of-19 from three.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
CHARLESTON MOVES INTO TIE WITH UNCW ATOP CAA STANDINGS: College of Charleston and UNCW are tied atop the CAA standings at 10-2 with three weeks to go in the regular-season race after CofC edged the Seahawks, 67-66, last Thursday. Freshman Grant Riller led the Cougars with 22 points and Jarrell Brantley provided the game-winning bucket on a three-point play with 8.7 seconds to go. C.J. Bryce tallied 21 points for UNCW, which lost at home for the first time this season. The game featured 13 ties and 15 lead changes.
PILING UP THE WINS: UNCW (21-4) is one of only 11 teams in Division I with at least 21 wins this season as of Feb. 6. The others are #1 Gonzaga (24-0), #2 Villanova (22-2), #5 Oregon (21-3), #8 North Carolina (21-4), #9 Arizona (21-3), #10 UCLA (21-3), #11 Cincinnati (21-2), #20 Saint Mary’s (21-2), New Mexico State (22-2) and Wichita State (21-4).
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. 5. UNCW (21-4), which has won 18 of its last 21 games, leads the way at #45. College of Charleston (19-6), which has captured 16 of its last 19 contests, jumped to #51 after victories over UNCW and Elon last week. Towson (15-10), which has won seven of its last eight games, is ranked #95. Only 9 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.
EXCITING FINISHES, BIG COMEBACKS: Four of the 11 CAA games played last week were decided by two points or less. Towson outlasted Drexel 104-103 in double OT on Thursday and then rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat William & Mary, 82-80, on Saturday. Hofstra trailed Delaware by 11 at the half before winning 73-65 on Thursday and then went on a 12-0 run over the final minute to knock off Drexel, 79-77, on Saturday.
UNCW MATCHES NU’S CAA MARK FOR 3-POINTERS: UNCW went 21-of-32 from 3-point range against Delaware last Saturday, tying the CAA record for threes in a game set by Northeastern (21-of-33) vs. Delaware on Jan. 5. The previous CAA treys record was 20, set by VCU in 2010 and Navy in 1990.
HOME SWEET HOME: Home teams have won 70% (42-18) of their games in CAA play this season, reversing a trend from the past two years. William & Mary is 6-0 at home, while UNCW, CofC, Towson, Elon and Northeastern are all 5-1. Only UNCW and CofC have winning records (5-1) on the road in league action. Home teams were 45-45 in CAA play last season and 47-43 in 2014-15.
UNCW RECEIVES VOTES IN NATIONAL POLLS FOR 7TH STRAIGHT WEEK: UNCW received three points in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll, which marked the seventh straight week that the Seahawks have gotten votes in the national rankings.
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. Williams leads the nation with a jump of 14.5 ppg, going from 6.8 ppg last season to a league-best 21.3 ppg this year. Wright-Foreman ranks third with an improvement of 14.3 ppg, going from 1.6 ppg last season to 15.9 ppg in 2016-17.
College of Charleston
• Moved into a tie for first place after wins over UNCW (67-66) and Elon (71-58).
• Grant Riller averaged 17.5 ppg last week, including a team-high 22 points at UNCW, which was his 6th 20-point effort. He’s tallied double digits in 9 straight games and is averaging 19.4 ppg over that stretch.
• Joe Chealey scored a team-high 20 points vs. Elon and added 15 points at UNCW. He’s reached double figures in 14 of his last 15 games and ranks 5th in the CAA in scoring. Chealey went over 1,000 pts. for his career.
• Jarrell Brantley posted his 6th double-double (11 pts/14 reb) vs. Elon and had a game-winning 3-pt play with 8.7 sec. left at UNCW. He’s scored double digits 21 times.
• Nick Harris matched his career-high with 16 points on 8-of-10 FG shooting at UNCW. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
• CofC is shooting 75.2% from the free throw line in CAA play.
• CofC’s 19-6 record is its best 25-game mark since 2002-03.
Delaware
• Dropped road games at Hofstra (73-65) and UNCW (108-80) last week.
• Ryan Daly averaged 17.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 3.5 apg last week, including 20 points and 7 boards at UNCW. He’s had a UD freshman record 7 20+-point efforts, and has scored double digits in 15 of his last 17 games.
• Daly has been UD’s top scorer in 11 of the last 14 games and top rebounder in 11 of the past 13 contests. He’s averaging 17.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg in conference play.
• Darian Bryant scored 11 points at HU and is averaging 10.3 ppg over the past 4 games.
• Eric Carter scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-10 FG shooting at UNCW. He’s contributing 15.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg while shooting 67.9% over the past three games.
• Jacob Cushing hit 3-of-5 treys and tallied a career-high 11 points at UNCW.
• UNCW shot 52.5% from the floor at UNCW, which was its best shooting percentage since hitting 55.8% vs. UNCW on Jan. 7.
Drexel
• Suffered road losses at William & Mary (108-85), Towson (104-103/2ot) and Hofstra (79-77) last week.
• Rodney Williams averaged 24.0 ppg and 9.3 rpg last week, including his 5th double-double at TU (27 pts/16 reb) and 26 points at HU. He has 10 20-point outings this season and has scored double figures in 13 of the past 14 games.
• Kurk Lee averaged 23.0 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.0 spg last week, including a career-high 25 points, 8 assists and 4 steals at W&M and 25 points at TU. He ranks 10th in the CAA in scoring, 4th in assists and 3rd in steals.
• Kari Jonsson added 14 points at W&M and TU. He’s averaging 13.3 ppg while hitting 12-of-24 treys over the past four games. He leads the CAA in 3-point FG% (44.8%).
• Sammy Mojica had 12 points at W&M and 10 at Towson.
• Drexel has shot at least 45% from the floor in the past 6 games. The 103 points at TU were the most for DU since joining the CAA.
Elon
• Defeated JMU, 67-61, before having their 5-game win streak snapped at CofC (71-58).
• Brian Dawkins made five treys and scored a career-high 29 points at CofC. He’s reached double digits in 13 of his last 16 games and is shooting 48.6% from three for the season.
• Dainan Swoope tallied team-highs of 17 points and 7 rebounds vs. JMU. He’s scored double figures in 14 games this season.
• Tyler Seibring averaged just 7.5 ppg last week but grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds at CofC. He’s averaging 17.0 ppg over the past 8 games.
• Dmitri Thompson had 10 points and 8 rebounds at CofC and is averaging 10.6 ppg over his past seven contests.
• Elon was 22-of-23 at the FT line vs. JMU and is shooting 78.5% from the line in CAA play.
• Elon made 10 threes at CofC, which was the 12th time it has hit double-digit treys.
• Elon leads the league in FG% defense (41.2%) during CAA play.
Hofstra
• Overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Delaware (73-68) and went on a 12-0 run in the final minute to top Drexel, 79-77.
• Justin Wright-Foreman scored a team-high 22 points vs. UD and tallied 20 points vs. DU, including a game-winning 3-pointer. He has nine 20+-point efforts and has reached double figures in 15 straight games. He’s averaging 21.4 ppg in CAA play.
• Hunter Sabety averaged 11.5 ppg and 11.0 rpg last week, including his first double-double vs. Delaware (14 pts/15 reb).
• Deron Powers had 20 points and 6 assists in the DU win and averaged 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 6.0 apg for the week. He’s averaging 15.4 ppg and 6.2 apg over his last 8 games.
• Eli Pemberton scored 16 points vs. Drexel and added 12 points against Delaware.
• Brian Bernardi had scored double figures in seven of his past eight contests.
• Rokas Gustys, who ranks 4th in the nation in rebounding (12.0 rpg), has missed the past three games due to injury.
James Madison
• Lost 67-61 at Elon but picked up a 73-69 win over Northeastern to end a 5-game slide.
• Jackson Kent scored a team-high 25 points vs. NU and had 15 points and a season-high tying 9 rebounds at Elon. He’s scored double digits in 12 of the past 13 games and is averaging 17.0 ppg in CAA play.
• Paulius Satkus averaged 13.0 ppg last week, including 16 points at Elon. He’s scoring 11.9 ppg in CAA play while shooting 58.5% from the floor.
• Ivan Lukic scored 10 points in both games last week and is contributing 12.3 ppg over his past three contests.
• Joey McLean hit 4-of-8 from 3-point range and scored 12 points at Elon. He’s reached double figures in 14 games this season.
• Shakir Brown tallied 16 points with 6 rebounds vs. NU. It was his third double-digit outing in the past 4 games.
• JMU ranks 2nd in scoring defense and 3rd in FG percentage defense in CAA play.
UNCW
• Went 1-1 at home last week, falling 67-66 to CofC before beating Delaware, 108-80.
• Devontae Cacok averaged 17.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 3.5 bpg while shooting 86.7% from the floor last week. He leads the nation in FG percentage (79.3%), ranks 14th in Div. I with 10.6 rpg and has 10 double-doubles.
• C.J. Bryce scored 21 points vs. CofC, which was his 7th 20-point effort. He’s tallied double digits in 20 of his last 21 games.
• Chris Flemmings scored 22 points vs. UD, which was his most points since Dec. 3.
• Denzel Ingram leads the CAA in 3’s per game and assists and ranks 9th in scoring.
• UNCW shot 69.2% from the floor vs. UD and tied a CAA record by hitting 21-of-32 treys.
• Ambrose Mosley (18 pts) and Jaylen Fornes (17 pts) both scored career-highs vs. UD and combined to make 11 three-pointers.
• UNCW has reached the 20-win mark in back-to-back years for the 2nd time ever.
Northeastern
• Suffered road losses at William & Mary (94-69) and James Madison (73-69) last week.
• T.J. Williams, scored 18 points at W&M, but missed the JMU game due to injury. He’s tallied double digits in all 23 games with 14 20+-point efforts. He leads the CAA in scoring and ranks 3rd in assists.
• Freshman Bolden Brace hit a career-high 6-of-8 threes and scored 20 points at W&M and followed with a career-best 21 points at JMU, which included five treys.
• Alex Murphy added 13 points in both games last week and has reached double figures in 5 straight contests. He ranks 13th in the CAA in scoring and 4th in FG percentage.
• Devon Begley averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals last week. He’s averaging 11.5 ppg over his last 8 games and tops the CAA in steals (1.9 spg).
• NU is shooting 40.1% from three in CAA play and 38.4% for the season. The Huskies are averaging 10.2 treys per game in CAA play.
Towson
• Defeated Drexel 104-103 in 2ot and rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat W&M, 82-80, last week. Have won 7 of their last 8 games.
• Mike Morsell scored a season-high 32 points vs. DU and had 11 points, including a game-winning trey with 7 seconds left, vs. W&M.
• John Davis recorded double-doubles vs. DU (19 pts/career-high 17 reb) and W&M (11 pts/15 reb). He’s scored double figures in 8 of his past 9 games and leads the Tigers with seven double-doubles.
• William Adala Moto posted his 4th double-double (21 pts/11 reb) vs. DU. It was his 5th game with 20+ pts and 6th with 10+ boards.
• Eddie Keith II was 3-of-4 from three and scored a career-high 16 points vs. W&M.
• Towson beat W&M 49-27 on the glass and has out-rebounded 40 of its last 44 foes. TU leads the CAA in rebound margin.
• The Tigers are 8-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points.
• Towson has shot better than 47% from the floor in 5 of its past 8 contests.
William & Mary
• Went 2-1 last week, beating Drexel (108-85) and Northeastern (94-69) before having a 4-game win streak end at Towson (82-80).
• Daniel Dixon averaged 27.7 ppg last week with a team-high 32 points vs. DU, 28 points vs. NU and 23 points at TU. He was 13-of-18 from 3 in the three games. Dixon has reached double digits in 16 straight games and has 10 20+-point efforts. He’s averaging a league-best 22.5 ppg in CAA play.
• Omar Prewitt, who missed the TU game due to injury, hit a 6 treys and scored 24 points vs. DU. It was his 8th 20-point outing.
• Nathan Knight averaged 11.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg last week and had 8 blocked shots. He had a career-high 15 points at Towson.
• Jack Whitman has made 19-of-20 shots from the floor over the past five games and is shooting 74.6% in CAA play.
• W&M shot 63.2% from the floor vs. DU and 64.3% vs. NU and made 27-of-49 from 3 in the 2 games. W&M is averaging 92.0 ppg over the past five games.
• W&M blocked 23 shots last week. The Tribe is averaging 5.3 bpg in CAA play.