#CAAHoops MBB Notebook - Jan. 27

#CAAHoops MBB Notebook - Jan. 27

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Dylan Smith

CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - JAN. 27
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Three teams - Delaware (3-0), Towson (4-0) and William & Mary (4-0) - are undefeated in conference play at home. Charleston suffered its first loss, 85-83, inside TD Arena against UNCW on Thursday. The Cougars responded on Saturday and spoiled Elon’s perfect home record with a 76-62 win on the road.
 
William & Mary is the only team that is unbeaten on its home court with an overall 9-0 mark following its 78-73 win over Monmouth on Saturday. Towson has won all four of its home contests in league play after its 83-67 win over N.C. A&T. 

TOWSON TRIUMPH
The Tigers hold the longest active winning streak with five straight wins in league play since Jan. 9. Nendah Tarke (16.2 ppg), Tyler Tejada (14.6 ppg) and Dylan Williamson (13.4 ppg) have combined for 59.1 percent of the team’s scoring during its win streak. The league’s preseason favorite is also off to its best seven-game start in CAA action in program history with a 6-1 mark. The Tigers currently sit in a tie for first place with William & Mary.
 
WINNING STRIDE
UNCW has won four-straight games after a 3-0 mark last week. The Seahawks knocked off previously unbeaten William & Mary (85-74), edged out Charleston (85-83) on the road and downed Hampton (83-62). Bo Montgomery (16.7 ppg), Donovan Newby (15.3 ppg) and Khamari McGriff (14.3 ppg) lead seven players averaging seven-plus points per game.
 
Campbell is also riding a three-game winning streak into the week with a victory over Monmouth (81-58) and a pair of road wins over Stony Brook (79-54) and Hofstra (69-67, OT). The Camels have outscored their opponents by 16.7 points per game over the stretch. Four players - Colby Duggan (20.3 ppg), Nolan Dorsey (12.3 ppg), Jasin Sinani (11.7 ppg) and Caleb Zurliene (11.3 ppg) - are averaging in double figures.
 
C - A - (TREY)
The CAA is one of three Division I conferences (Southern, ASUN) to have four-plus players with 60+ made 3-pointers this season.
 
Player (Team)                                   Total 3FGM (NCAA Rank)
Abdi Bashir, Jr. (MU)                                                  79 (1st)
Landon Glasper (N.C. A&T)                                       70 (7th) 
Gabe Dorsey (W&M)                                                  64 (17th)
Nick Dorn (Elon)                                                         64 (17th)
CJ Luster (SB)                                                            58
Kobe MaGee (Drexel)                                                 56
John Camden (Delaware)                                           54
Deywilk Tavarez (CofC)                                               50
 
As a team, William & Mary ranks fifth nationally with 11.0 treys made per game.
 
CAA CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Colby Duggan, Campbell
Duggan led the Camels to a pair of road wins in New York last week with 25.0 points per game. The 6-foot-7 forward shot at a solid clip, hitting 62.1 percent (18-29 FG) from the floor, 54.5 percent (6-11 3FG) from distance and 80.0 percent (8-10 FT) from the charity stripe. Duggan went off for a career-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting with five treys in the team’s 79-54 win at Stony Brook. Two days later, the Massachusetts product helped erase an 18-point deficit with a game-winning baseline fadeaway to secure a 69-67 overtime win over Hofstra on Saturday. Duggan scored 23 points in the winning effort, knocking down six of his seven makes inside the arc and sinking 8-of-10 free throws. Duggan has registered 10 straight games in double figures, including six contests with 20-plus points.
 
CAA CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bo Montgomery, UNCW
Montgomery guided UNCW to a 3-0 week with a key win over previously unbeaten William & Mary, a road victory over Charleston and a triumph over Hampton. Entering last week averaging 6.9 points per game, Montgomery shined across three wins with 16.7 points on 53.3 percent shooting (16-30 FG) from the floor. The 6-foot-5 guard also chipped in 5.3 boards per game. He produced a career-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds and two swipes in the Seahawks’ 85-74 win over the Tribe. Montgomery followed up with a team-best 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor with two treys and a 4-for-4 showing at the line to defeat Charleston, 85-83, on the road. He also chipped in five rebounds in the victory. Montgomery scored eight points in 20 minutes of work in the team’s 83-62 win over Hampton.
 
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Isaiah Mbeng, William & Mary
Mbeng averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game in three contests last week. The Tribe’s freshman chipped in eight points with two of his three makes coming from distance, while logging three boards, three swipes and a trio of helpers. After a four-point, five-assist showing in a 94-83 victory over Hampton, Mbeng registered his fourth double-digit scoring effort in reserve with a 10-point performance in the team’s 78-73 victory over Monmouth. The 6-foot-1 guard out of Maryland also chipped in five assists and four steals during Saturday’s outing.
 
CAMPBELL CAMELS (10-11; 5-3 CAA)
  • Campbell earned its third straight win after erasing an 18-point deficit after Colby Duggan hit the game-winner in a 69-67 overtime win over Hofstra. Duggan scored 23 points in the victory, reaching double figures in 10 straight games. He has logged six 20-point outings during the stretch.
  • The Camels lead the CAA in 3-point defense (26.0%) and turnover margin (+3.6).  a 1.55 AST/TO ratio in league action.
  • Campbell has outscored its opponents by 16.7 points during its three-game win streak, shooting 48.5% from the floor and 38.2% from deep.
 
CHARLESTON COUGARS (16-5; 6-2 CAA)
  • Charleston handed Elon its first home loss of the season with a 76-62 victory behind a collaborative effort from AJ Smith (20 pts.), Ante Brzovic (18 pts, 12 rebs., 5 asts.) and Lazar Djokovic (13 pts., 11 rebs., 4 stls.).
  • CJ Fulton is among the top guards in the conference with a league-leading 4.5 assist/turnover ratio (2nd in NCAA), 6.1 assists (20th) and 1.6 steals.
  • The Cougars rank 16th in KPI in adjusted tempo at 71.6.
 
DELAWARE BLUE HENS (11-10; 4-4 CAA)
  • Cavan Reilly scored 17 points and Erik Timko added 14 points against Drexel.
  • The Blue Hens pace the conference with 47.8% shooting from the floor and 38.1% from distance in eight CAA contests.
  • Delaware is also second in the conference with a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio and third with 8.4 made treys per game in league action.
 
DREXEL DRAGONS (12-9; 4-4 CAA)
  • Kobe MaGee registered a 22-point effort with four of his eight makes coming from distance in Drexel’s 67-54 win against Delaware. Cole Hargrove chipped in 10 points, eight boards and three blocks
  • Drexel is one of two CAA teams to have an overall road record over .600 with a 6-3 mark, joining Charleston (5-2).
  • Cole Hargrove is sixth in the conference with 7.6 rebounds and tied for fourth with 1.8 blocks per game through eight league games. His 3.3 offensive boards also sit second.
 
ELON PHOENIX (14-7; 5-3 CAA)
  • TK Simpkins scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game with a 20-point effort against Charleston. Averaging 17.3 points over that stretch.
  • The Phoenix ranks sixth in NCAA Div. I with 41.9 boards per game and sits sixth with a +9.3 rebounding margin.
  • Elon has been stellar defensively, sitting fourth in the nation with 12.6 fouls per game while holding the opposition to 39.0% from the floor, good for 14th in NCAA Division I.
 
HAMPTON PIRATES (10-11; 3-6 CAA)
  • Noah Farrakhan finished with a team-best 15 points in Saturday’s game against UNCW, reaching double figures in five of his last seven games.
  • The Pirates pace the conference with 7.6 steals per game and rank second with a +2.2 turnover margin.
  • Hampton’s reserves, who rank 3rd nationally in bench scoring (38.1 ppg), are shooting at a 42.3% clip from the floor.
 
HOFSTRA PRIDE (11-10; 3-5 CAA)
  • Cruz Davis registered seven assists for the second-straight game, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds against Campbell. Averaging 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists over the last two games.
  • The Pride’s Michael Graham produced a 12-point, 21-rebound double-double, marking the most boards by a Hofstra player since Rokas Gustys on Feb. 15, 2018.
  • The Pride paces the league defensively, holding the opposition to 37.7% shooting (7th in NCAA) and 64.6 ppg (28th).
 
MONMOUTH HAWKS (5-16; 3-5 CAA)
  • Cornelius Robinson finished with 20 points on an 8-of-9 clip from the floor and Abdi Bashir Jr. logged 18 points of his own against W&M.
  • Bashir paces the conference with 21.0 ppg and 3.8 made 3-pointers per game.
  • Monmouth has won 16 of its last 17 home games, including a program-record 15-game winning streak over that stretch.
 
N.C. A&T AGGIES (4-18; 0-9 CAA)
  • The tandem of Landon Glasper (29 pts.) and Ryan Forrest (28 pts.) accounted for 57 of the team’s 74 points in Saturday’s game against Stony Brook, including 35 of the team’s 39 points in the second half alone.
  • Forrest (19.1 ppg) and Glasper (18.5 ppg) rank second and third in the league in scoring.
  • One of two NCAA Division I teams to have two players averaging 18.5+ ppg with Forrest and Glasper, joining Rutgers.
 
UNCW SEAHAWKS (16-5; 6-2 CAA)
  • Khamari McGriff led five UNCW players in double figures with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting for its fourth straight win with an 83-62 win over Hampton. 
  • The Seahawks rank 13th with 18.1 made free throws per game and 25th in Div. I averaging 40.0 rebounds. Paces CAA with a +9.7 scoring margin
  • With wins in four straight games, six players are averaging over 9.5 ppg. Montgomery (14.3 PPG), Newby (14.0 PPG), McGriff (12.5 PPG) and Sean Moore (10.0 PPG) all in double figures.
 
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (11-9; 3-4 CAA)
  • A pair of 19-point efforts from JB Frankel and Rashad King lifted Northeastern to a 70-61 victory over Drexel on Thursday.
  • King is among the league leaders with 18.9 points (4th), 7.1 boards (8th), 3.3 assists (T-9th) 2.3 steals (1st) and 1.9 blocks (3rd) per contest through seven conference games.
  • Frankel has seen increased minutes over the last seven games, reaching double figures in five of those contests. Averaging 12.1 ppg on 52.7% shooting over that stretch.
 
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (5-16; 1-7 CAA)
  • A career-high 31 points from CJ Luster gave Stony Brook its first win of the conference play with an 89-74 victory over N.C. A&T. Luster went 9-of-13 from the floor with four treys and a 9-for-9 showing from the charity stripe.
  • Andre Snoddy chipped in a personal-best 22 points and 13 boards in the win.
  • Scored 46 points in the first half against A&T, marking the most in an opening half since joining the CAA.
 
TOWSON TIGERS (11-9; 6-1 CAA)
  • The Tigers secured an 83-67 win against N.C. A&T to remain perfect at home (4-0) in league action. Tyler Tejada led all scorers with 20 points and Nendah Tarke also chipped in 17 points and six boards.
  • Towson has won five straight games, led by Tarke (16.2 ppg), Tejada (14.6 ppg) and Dylan Williamson (13.6 ppg, 3.6 apg) all in double figures over that span.
  • The Tigers are off to its best seven-game start (6-1) since joining the CAA in 2001.
 
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE (13-8; 7-1 CAA)
  • William & Mary had nine different scorers with Noah Collier scoring a team-best 15 points in a 78-73 victory over Monmouth. The Tribe scored 22 points off of 21 Hawks’ miscues and had 29 points come from its bench
  • The Tribe leads the CAA with a 78.6 ppg. They also pace the conference with 17.0 assists per game.
  • Undefeated at home (9-0), +17.4 scoring margin and averaging 87.0 ppg. Eight players posting seven points or better: Leader Gabe Dorsey (15.3 ppg)