#CAAHoops MBB Notebook – Dec. 22, 2025

#CAAHoops MBB Notebook – Dec. 22, 2025

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Dylan Smith

CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK – DEC. 22, 2025
 
Overall stats can be found at the back of the attached #CAAHoops MBB Notebook.
 
CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jlynn Counter, Charleston
Graduate Student | Guard | Oklahoma City, Okla.
Counter unleashed 24.0 points on 75.0% shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in a 2-0 week for Charleston. The graduate guard went off for 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, including a pair of makes from distance, in an 82-78 win over The Citadel. Counter also pulled down seven boards and dished out six assists. The Oklahoma City, Okla., product posted his first career double-double in the Cougars’ 85-74 victory at Northern Kentucky. Counter rattled off 26 points on a 9-of-13 shooting clip before finishing with 11 rebounds and six helpers on Sunday. The Cougars’ leading scorer helped Charleston to a three-game winning streak entering league play.
 
CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Preston Edmead, Hofstra
Freshman | Guard | Deer Park, N.Y.
Edmead was crucial in Hofstra’s 74-66 victory over one of the hottest mid-major teams in the country, Quinnipiac. The freshman guard unloaded all 18 of his points in the second half on Sunday, shooting 6-for-13 from the floor and knocking down three triples in the final 20 minutes of action. The Deer Park, N.Y., native added a game-high four assists and a steal across his 35 minutes of work to snap the Bobcats’ five-game winning streak. Edmead has tallied double figures in scoring 10 times this season.
 
FOUR CALLING DUBS
Hofstra picked up its fourth-straight win, a 74-66 triumph over Quinnipiac, behind a 27-point outing from Cruz Davis. The Pride’s leading scorer produced 20 of the team’s 31 points in the first half to deadlock the score at the intermission. Preston Edmead stepped up in the second half with all 18 of his points coming in the final 20 minutes. German Plotnikov, who finished with 12 points, put the game away with a late 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to expand the Pride’s lead to two possessions.
 
Jlynn Counter’s 26-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance helped lift Charleston to its third-straight win with an 85-74 road win over Northern Kentucky on Sunday. Connor Hickman chipped in 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Jaxon Prunty and Christian Reeves added 11 points apiece, while the latter joined Counter with a double-double, pulling down 10 boards.
 
Monmouth cruised to a 76-62 win over Lehigh at home after Justin Ray went 7-for-11 from the floor with a trio of 3-pointers en route to a 17-point showing. Cornelius Robinson Jr. shot similarly, going 6-for-11 from the field and finishing with 15 points. Jason Rivera-Torres tallied 11 points, eight boards and five assists.
 
Drexel blew past Maine, 74-56, thanks to a five-trey, 19-point effort from Victor Panov. Shane Blakeney and Eli Beard each dished four assists before logging 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Dragons shot 57.1% from the floor (28-49 FG) and 48.3% from distance (14-29 3FG) on Sunday.
 
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
CAA teams have been steady on their respective home courts, going 52-11 to start the season. Six programs are still undefeated at home.
 
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE WIN STREAK
Hofstra will enter league action with the longest win streak at four games. Charleston and North Carolina A&T will both ride three-game winning streaks in the start of conference play as well.
 
BAH HUMBUG
Just five games remaining before the 13 CAA programs start the 2025-26 conference slate. Towson will welcome Sacred Heart on Monday for a 2 p.m. contest on FloCollege. The Tigers have won 14 straight games inside SECU Arena.
 
Elon will close out its non-conference slate against Greensboro College at 4 p.m. on Monday. The game can be streamed on FloCollege.
 
Northeastern will travel to Rhode Island on Monday evening for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. The Huskies will face the Rams for the 80th time in program history.
 
Campbell will return home on Tuesday to welcome Green Bay for the league’s final game before the holiday break. The Camels hold a 3-2 series lead against the Phoenix.
 
UNCW will close out the CAA’s non-conference slate against Columbia College on Saturday in a 12 p.m. contest on FloCollege.
HALL OF FAME BOUND? - TOM MURPHY
A career that spans seven decades and resulted in more than 1000 victories at the high school, Division I and Division III levels, Northeastern’s Tom Murphy was named a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 in December. Murphy, who coached Bill Coen at Hamilton College before hiring him as an assistant coach at his alma mater in 1987, was on Coen’s staff at Northeastern for 19 years as an associate head coach and coordinator of basketball advancement before his retirement in 2025.
 
LOU HENSON AWARD WATCH LIST
The CAA’s top two leading scorers, Elon’s Chandler Cuthrell and Hofstra’s Cruz Davis, as well as UNCW’s Nolan Hodge and Towson’s Tyler Tejada, all earned a spot on the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List, as announced last week.
 
CAMPBELL CAMELS (5-7; 0-0 CAA)
  • The Camels will wrap up their three games in six days on Tuesday when they return home to face Horizon League’s Green Bay. Campbell fell to tough opponents, ranked Gonzaga and Big Ten standout Minnesota, last week.
  • Last time at home, Campbell picked up a 69-64 win over Ball State on Dec. 14. A 22-point, 10-rebound double-double from Dovydas Butka and a 20-point showing from DJ Smith led the Camels to their fourth-straight win at home this season.
 
CHARLESTON COUGARS (7-6; 0-0 CAA)
  • Jlynn Counter’s 26-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance helped lift Charleston to its third-straight win with an 85-74 road win over Northern Kentucky on Sunday. Connor Hickman chipped in 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
  • After trailing by as many as 16 at home, Charleston rallied behind a 22-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance from Counter to earn an 82-78 win over The Citadel. Martin Kalu and Connor Hickman chipped in 17 and 15 points apiece, respectively.
 
DREXEL DRAGONS (6-7; 0-0 CAA)
  • The Dragons blew past Maine, 74-56, thanks to a five-trey, 19-point effort from Victor Panov. Drexel shot 57.1% from the floor (28-49 FG) and 48.3% from distance (14-29 3FG) on Sunday.
  • Drexel also secured a 75-67 win at home over Mount St. Mary’s on Friday. Victor Panov led five players in double figures with 16 points and seven boards. Shane Blakeney matched Panov with two of his five makes coming from distance, finishing with 16 points and six helpers.
     
ELON PHOENIX (7-5; 0-0 CAA)
  • Elon found itself mounting a comeback for the second straight game, picking up a 73-70 win over Richmond after erasing a nine-point deficit behind a 16-point showing from Kacper Klaczek. Ja’Juan Carr added 13 points and five boards before stuffing a Will Johnston 3-point attempt with five seconds remaining to help seal the win.
  • The Phoenix took Virginia Tech to the brink of defeat with an 82-81 overtime setback. Chandler Cuthrell produced 18 points, while Isaac Harrell went 6-for-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from deep en route to a 16-point, nine-rebound effort.
     
HAMPTON PIRATES (6-7; 0-0 CAA)
  • Hampton went 1-1 at the Chris Paul HBCU Classic, opening play with an 84-77 win over Jackson State. Michael Eley utilized a 31-point effort, while Christian Watson provided 18 points and four assists in 28 minutes off the bench. The Pirates fell to Grambling State, 81-72, despite a 22-point, five-assist showing from Jalyke Wyatt-Gaines.
  • Hampton has won four of its last six games entering conference play.
 
HOFSTRA PRIDE (9-4; 0-0 CAA)
  • Hofstra picked up its fourth-straight win, a 74-66 triumph over Quinnipiac, snapping the Bobcats’ five-game winning streak. Cruz Davis spoiled former Hofstra head coach and current Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora’s homecoming with a 27-point outing. Preston Edmead stepped up in the second half with all 18 of his points coming in the final 20 minutes.
  • Davis is averaging 25.0 ppg on 54.4% shooting to go with 5.5 apg during the Pride’s four-game winning streak.
 
MONMOUTH HAWKS (6-7; 0-0 CAA)
  • Monmouth cruised to a 76-62 win over Lehigh at home after Justin Ray went 7-for-11 from the floor with a trio of 3-pointers en route to a 17-point showing. Cornelius Robinson Jr. shot similarly, going 6-for-11 from the field and finishing with 15 points and three steals.
  • The Hawks remain the CAA’s top blocking team, averaging 5.2 swats per game (28th in NCAA). Jason Rivera-Torres ranks second in the league with 21 total blocks, while Dok Muordar sits tied for third with 17 stuffs.
 
N.C. A&T AGGIES (7-4; 0-0 CAA)
  • The Aggies blew past Mid-Atlantic, 95-55, for their third straight win. Trent Middleton Jr. led six players in double figures with 16 points, seven assists and five boards. Bryson Ogletree went 5-for-5 from the floor with four triples en route to 15 points.
  • North Carolina A&T picked up a 71-65 road win over UNCG on Tuesday, thanks to a 21-point, four-rebound effort from Trent Middleton Jr. Dwayne Pierce chipped in 13 points, with two of his four makes coming from distance.
 
UNCW SEAHAWKS (10-2; 0-0 CAA)
  • UNCW has won nine of its last 10 games. The Seahawks nearly erased a 14-point deficit in the second half, including an eight-point deficit with three minutes remaining, before falling, 67-66, to Howard on Saturday.
  • Before opening CAA action against N.C. A&T on CBS Sports Network next week, UNCW will close out its non-conference slate against Columbia College (S.C.) on Saturday.
 
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (4-6; 0-0 CAA)
  • Northeastern will look to secure its first win over Rhode Island since 1989 when the two teams square off on Monday evening.
  • Despite outscoring the Orange in the second half (52-50), the Huskies pulled within two possessions before falling to Syracuse, 91-83. Ryan Williams notched 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. Xander Alaire recorded 19 points and 11 boards.
 
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (8-5; 0-0 CAA)
  • Stony Brook has matched its win total from last season, going 8-5 during non-conference play. The Seawolves secured key wins over Columbia and Loyola Marymount.
  • Erik Pratt has emerged as the Seawolves’ top scorer, registering 18.1 points (5th in CAA), while adding 1.6 steals per contest.
 
TOWSON TIGERS (7-5; 0-0 CAA)
  • Towson will welcome Sacred Heart to SECU Arena on Monday to close out the non-conference slate. The Tigers hold the lone win in the series, an 83-61 victory on Dec. 5, 2015.
  • Towson went 3-3 over the toughest part of its schedule, earning wins over Rhode Island, Liberty and Cornell. The Tigers also faced quality opponents during the stretch, including UC San Diego, UCF and ranked Kansas.
 
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE (9-3; 0-0 CAA)
  • Six players produced double-digit scoring, led by a 22-point, seven-rebound, three-steal performance from Kyle Pulliam, to help William & Mary earn a 96-83 win over Radford. For just the seventh time in school history and first since 1982-83, William & Mary has won nine or more games during the nonconference portion of the schedule.
  • The Tribe has won seven of its last eight contests. William & Mary paces the CAA and ranks eighth in the nation with 20.0 assists per game. Chase Lowe paces the team with 4.2 helpers per contest and a +2.6 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Schedule and Results
Sunday, December 21
Charleston 85, Northern Kentucky 74
Marist 70, Stony Brook 51
Hofstra 74, Quinnipiac 66
Monmouth 76, Lehigh 62
Drexel 74, Maine 56
Minnesota 78, Campbell 50
 
Monday, December 22
Sacred Heart at Towson (FloCollege)                                                    2:00 P.M.
Greensboro College at Elon (FloCollege)                                              4:00 P.M.
Northeastern at Rhode Island                                                                7:00 P.M.
 
Tuesday, December 23
Green Bay at Campbell (FloCollege)                                                    12:00 P.M.
 
Saturday, December 27
Columbia College (S.C.) at UNCW (FloCollege)                                  12:00 P.M.
 
Monday, December 29
Towson at William & Mary (FloCollege/MASN)                                     5:00 P.M.
Stony Brook at Hampton (FloCollege)                                                  7:00 P.M.
UNCW at N.C. A&T (CBS Sports Network)                                          7:00 P.M.
Northeastern at Elon (FloCollege)                                                        7:00 P.M.
Campbell at Hofstra (FloCollege/MSGSN)                                           7:00 P.M.
Drexel at Charleston (FloCollege)                                                        7:00 P.M.
 
Wednesday, December 31
Campbell at Monmouth (FloCollege/NBC Sports Phi./SNY)                 2:00 P.M.
Charleston at Elon (FloCollege)                                                            2:00 P.M.
Stony Brook at William & Mary (CBS Sports Network)                         2:00 P.M.
Towson at Hampton (FloCollege/Monumental)                                     2:30 P.M.
Northeastern at N.C. A&T (FloCollege)                                                 3:00 P.M.
Drexel at UNCW (FloCollege)                                                               7:00 P.M.