Entire release with stats/standings/results attached in PDF format. Notes and Players of the Week pasted below.

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

T.J. Williams • Northeastern

So., G, 6-3, 201 – Pflugerville, Texas/Pflugerville

Williams averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in Northeastern’s two road victories last week. The sophomore guard scored 15 of his career-high 20 points in the second half of a 58-57 triumph at Richmond, including a game-winning trey with 18 seconds left. He also had six rebounds and six assists vs. the Spiders. Williams followed with 12 points, five boards and four assists as the Huskies defeated Delaware 72-53 in their CAA opener. For the week, Williams shot 52.4% from the floor, including 7-of-9 from beyond the arc.

 

PLAYER AND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:

Elijah Bryant • Elon

Fr., G, 6-4, 225 – Gwinnett, Ga./New Hampton School

In Elon’s inaugural CAA game, Bryant poured in a career-high 32 points and grabbed a season-best seven rebounds as the Phoenix posted a 77-67 road victory over Drexel on Saturday. It was the most points by an Elon player since 2012 and was Bryant’s third game with 20+ points this season. He finished 10-of-20 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three, and made 9-of-10 at the free throw line. He leads all CAA freshmen in scoring with 13.9 ppg.

 

CONFERENCE NOTES:

 

BUSY STRETCH OF CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES: Conference play in the CAA resumes on Monday night with all 10 squads in action. For the first time since 2004-05, teams will play a double round-robin 18-game slate where all schools meet each other at home and on the road. The schedule gets off to a busy start with four conference games over an eight-day stretch between January 3-10.

 

ROAD TEAMS GO 3-2 IN CAA OPENERS: Away teams won three of the five conference openers on Saturday afternoon. Elon, which was playing its inaugural CAA contest, Hofstra and Northeastern all picked up victories on the road, while James Madison and William & Mary came out on top at home. Last season, home teams went 44-28 (61.1%) in conference play.

 

YOUTH MOVEMENT: There are only seven seniors among the CAA’s top 30 in scoring, five seniors among the league’s top 20 in rebounding and two seniors among the top 15 in assists. Through games of Jan. 4, there were 11 sophomores, 10 juniors and two freshmen on the list of top 30 scorers, while there were 10 juniors and five sophomores on the list of top 20 rebounders.

 

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT: Freshmen are making a big impact for several CAA teams this season. Four freshmen have topped the 20-point mark in a game over the past two weeks. Elon guard Elijah Bryant poured in a career-high 32 points at Drexel last Saturday and also had 25 points in a win at Kennesaw State on Dec. 22. Delaware guard Kory Holden tallied a career-best 27 points in a victory over St. Bonaventure last Tuesday. On Dec. 22, Towson guard Byron Hawkins contributed a career-high 23 points at Navy and Delaware guard Chivarsky Corbett netted a career-best 21 points at Robert Morris. Hofstra forward Rokas Gustys grabbed 10 rebounds at UNCW last Saturday. Gustys has been limited to seven games due to injury, but has had 10 or more caroms in four of them.

 

CLIMBING THE 3-POINT LISTS: Three CAA players are climbing the career three-point lists at their respective schools. William & Mary senior guard Marcus Thornton has made 256 career treys, which ranks second in Tribe history behind only David Schneider (278). Delaware senior guard Kyle Anderson has 228 career threes, which is tied for the most in Blue Hens’ history with Mike Ames. Elon junior guard Tanner Samson ranks sixth on the Phoenix’s all-time chart with 186 treys and needs 14 more to pass Chris Chalko for fifth place.

 

CAA IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: CAA teams are 58-63 (.479) in non-conference play. Of the 63 losses, 20 have come against teams from the Power 5 conferences, including seven teams who are currently ranked in the top 25 (#2 Duke, #3 Virginia, #5 Louisville, #8 Villanova, #14 West Virginia, #18 North Carolina and #22 Ohio State).

 

MORE ON THE NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS: CAA teams have played only 48 of their 121 non-conference games (39.7%) at home and the league is a combined 31-17 in those contests. CAA teams have also picked up 18 road victories and are a combined 9-7 in neutral site games.

 

CAA RANKED 16TH AMONG DIVISION I CONFERENCES: The CAA is ranked 16th out of the nation’s 32 Division I conferences according to the latest RPI report produced by Collegiate Basketball News (rpiratings.com) through Jan. 4. Northeastern is ranked #70 in the RPI while William & Mary is ranked #109 and Hofstra is #161.

 

W&M’S THORNTON ON NATIONAL TOP 10 LISTS: William & Mary senior guard Marcus Thornton ranks fourth among active Division I players in career 3-pointers made (256) and he’s seventh in career scoring (1,745 points). The CAA preseason Player of the Year ranks third in the CAA in scoring (18.8 ppg) this season and has hit 33 treys.

 

CAA TEAMS AMONG TOP 25 IN NATIONAL STATS: Several CAA teams ranked among the top 25 nationally in various statistical categories through games of Jan. 4. Hofstra is 12th in Division I in 3-point FG percentage (40.4%), 11th in 3-pointers per game (9.4 pg) and 17th in scoring offense (80.4 ppg). Northeastern is 11th in free throw percentage (75.7%). Towson ranks 10th in rebound margin (+10.1 rpg).

 

MCGLYNN LEADS NATION IN FT PERCENTAGE: Towson junior guard Four McGlynn was 8-for-8 at the free throw line against Fairleigh Dickinson last Monday, continuing his near-perfect accuracy. For the season, he is an incredible 66-of-69 (95.7%) at the charity stripe, which currently leads the nation. Last season, McGlynn led the CAA and ranked sixth nationally in free throw percentage at 91.3%.

 

DREXEL’S LEE RANKED 9TH NATIONALLY IN SCORING: Drexel junior guard Damion Lee is ranked 9th nationally in scoring with 20.5 ppg. He had a team-high 29 points against Elon last Saturday, which was his sixth 20+-point effort of the season. Hofstra’s Ameen Tanskley is 32nd in scoring (19.1 ppg) and W&M’s Marcus Thornton is 38th (18.8 ppg).

 

HOFSTRA’S 3-POINT THREATS: Hofstra features two of the nation’s top three-point threats this season. Junior Ameen Tanksley is shooting 48.7% from beyond the arc, which ranks 10th in Division I,  while sophomore Brian Bernardi is 18th nationally with 3.14 treys per game and 13th in 3-point percentage (48.4%). Feeding them the ball is junior Juan’ya Green, who is 12th in Division I in assists (6.4 apg) and 15th in assist/turnover ratio. Green is the only player in the nation to be averaging at least 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest.

 

CAA COACHES TELECONFERENCES BEGIN ON JAN. 6: The CAA weekly coaches teleconference series begins on Tuesday, January 6 and will continue each Tuesday through March 3. More information can be found on page 5 of this release.

 

College of Charleston

 

•  Dropped road games at Miami (Fla.) (67-40) and William & Mary (75-45) last week.

 

•  Sophomore Canyon Barry scored a team-high nine points at W&M and has reached double figures in four of his last six games. He’s second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg) and has a team-high 19 steals.

 

•  Sophomore Joe Chealey added six points and four assists at W&M. He’s averaging 13.8 ppg over his last six games and ranks 7th in the CAA in assists (3.1 apg).

 

•  Junior David Wishon came off the bench to contribute a career-high tying 10 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes at Miami.

 

•  Senior Anthony Stitt scored seven points at Miami and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Stitt has seven double-figure outings this season and is averaging 9.2 ppg.

 

•  Freshman Cameron Johnson scored 9 points and freshman Donovan Gilmore had 7 points and 5 rebounds off the bench at W&M.

 

Delaware

 

•  Rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat St. Bonaventure 82-77, but lost 72-53 to Northeastern last week.

 

•  Senior Kyle Anderson tallied 11 points vs. SBU and 10 against NU. He hit five treys to tie the UD career record with 228. Anderson has scored double figures in all five of his games this year and is averaging 14.8 ppg.

 

•  Freshman Kory Holden hit 4-of-5 threes and scored a career-high 27 points vs. SBU. It was the 4th-most points ever for a UD rookie. He also dished out five assists and ranks third in the CAA with 3.9 apg.

 

•  Freshman Chivarsky Corbett had 12 points and 6 rebounds vs. SBU. He has five double-digit efforts in the past seven games.

 

•  Sophomore Maurice Jeffers led UD with 11 points vs. NU. He’s reached double figures in three of his last five contests after not hitting the plateau in his first 25 games.

 

•  Delaware set season-highs for points (82) and FG percentage (53.7%) vs. SBU.

 

Drexel

 

•  Lost 77-67 to Elon in their CAA opener on Saturday.

 

•  Junior Damion Lee posted a team-high 29 points, six rebounds and six assists vs. Elon. Lee leads the CAA in scoring (20.5 ppg), is 13th in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and first in steals (1.7 spg). He’s scored double figures in nine straight games and has topped the 20-point mark six times this season.

 

•  Junior Tavon Allen contributed 15 points vs. Elon. Allen has tallied double digits in his last five games and is averaging 14.4 ppg over that stretch.

 

•  Freshman Rashann London had 14 points and a season-high six rebounds against Elon. He’s scored double figures in three of his past five contests.

 

•  Sophomore Rodney Williams, who ranks second in the CAA in rebounding (8.1 rpg), missed the Elon game and will be out 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture.

 

•  Drexel was 14-19 at the FT line vs. Elon and is shooting 72% for the season.

 

Elon

 

•  On a four-game winning streak after a 77-67 victory at Drexel. Off to their best overall start (9-5) since 1996-97.

 

•  Elijah Bryant scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed a season-best 7 rebounds at Drexel. He leads all CAA freshmen and ranks 7th overall in scoring (13.9 ppg) and has reached double figures 11 times.

 

•  Junior Tanner Samson drained four treys and scored 12 points at Drexel. Samson leads the CAA with 47 threes this season and ranks 6th on Elon’s career 3’s list (186).

 

•  Senior Kevin Blake chipped in 9 points at Drexel and is averaging 14.5 ppg over his past two contests.

 

•  Elon’s defense forced Drexel into 19 turnovers and Phoenix opponents are averaging 17.6 turnovers over the past five games.

 

•  Elon went 11-for-20 from 3-point range at Drexel, including 10-of-15 in the first half. The Phoenix have made 10 or more treys four times this season.

 

Hofstra

 

•  Have won three in row and seven of nine after road victories at Central Connecticut (84-56) and UNCW (68-56) last week.

 

•  Juan’ya Green averaged 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 4.0 apg in the two wins, including 19 points at CCSU. He’s tallied double figures in all 14 games and ranks 4th in the CAA in scoring (17.5 ppg), 16th in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and 1st in assists (6.7 apg).

 

•  Ameen Tanksley scored 15 points in each game last week and is averaging 21.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg over his last four contests. He’s 2nd in the CAA in scoring (19.1 ppg), 9th in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and is shooting 48.7% from 3-point range and 53.7% overall.

 

•  Brian Bernardi, who hit 3-of-4 threes at CCSU, ranks 2nd in the CAA with 44 treys and is shooting 48.4% from beyond the arc.

 

•  Guard Dion Nesmith added 11 points off the bench in both victories. He has 10 double-figure efforts in 14 games.

 

•   Freshman Rokas Gustys returned to action at UNCW and grabbed 10 rebounds.

 

James Madison

 

•  Rebounded from a 79-52 loss to Valparaiso by topping Towson 61-52 on Saturday.

 

•  Jackson Kent hit 3-of-4 treys and scored a team-high 15 points vs. Towson. He’s shooting 84% from the line and 43.9% from 3. It was his 9th double-digit effort of the year.

 

•  Sophomore Yohanny Dalembert added 14 points and didn’t miss a shot (4-4 FG/6-6 FT) vs. Towson. He leads the Dukes in rebounding (5.7 rpg), ranks 2nd in scoring (10.4 ppg) and is shooting 59% from the floor.

 

•  Junior Ron Curry, who ranks second in the CAA in assists (4.7 apg), dished out six assists with only 1 turnover vs. Towson.

 

•  Junior Andre Nation scored 12 points on 5-7 FG shooting vs. Towson. It was his second double-figure outing in the past four games.

 

•  JMU shot 59% from the floor vs. Towson, which was its highest shooting percentage since 2011. The Dukes shot a program-record low 23.8% from the floor against Valpo, including just 17.9% (5-28) in the first half.

 

UNCW

 

•  Fell 72-53 at Ohio and 68-56 to Hofstra last week. Led both games at the half.

 

•  Senior Addison Spruill scored a team-high 16 points at OU and followed with 11 points and 7 rebounds vs. Hofstra. He’s reached double figures in five straight games.

 

•  Senior Craig Ponder poured in 13 points in both games last week. He has 10 double-digit scoring efforts this season, including six in a row.

 

•  Sophomore center C.J. Gettys tallied six points and a career-high 13 rebounds at Ohio and followed with 11 points and 9 boards against Hofstra.

 

•  Senior Freddie Jackson has scored double figures in eight of his 12 games and is among the CAA’s top 10 in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg).

 

•  The Seahawks’ defense limited Hofstra to 30.5% FG shooting, including 21.2% (7-33) in the first half, and just 4-of-22 shooting from 3-point range.

 

Northeastern

 

•  Earned road victories at Richmond (58-57) and Delaware (72-53) last week. Rallied from a 13-point deficit at UR.

 

•  Sophomore T.J. Williams averaged 16.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 5.0 apg last week. He hit 5-of-6 threes, including the game-winner with 18 sec. left, and scored a career-high 20 points at UR and followed with 12 points at UD.

 

•  Junior Quincy Ford averaged 10.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg last week. He had 12 points and a team-high 7 rebounds at UR and 8 points and 8 boards at UD. Ford has scored double digits in five of his last six contests

 

•  Senior Scott Eatherton had his 10-game double-figure scoring streak snapped at UR (6 pts), but posted a team-high 15 points and 7 rebounds at Delaware.

 

•  Senior Reggie Spencer averaged 8.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg off the bench last week.

 

•  Coach Bill Coen won his 131st game at NU on Saturday, which tied Karl Fogel for the 3rd-most victories in school history.

 

Towson

 

•  Suffered losses to Fairleigh Dickinson (85-84/ot) and JMU (61-52) last week.

 

•  Sophomore John Davis averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg last week. He scored 15 points in each game and added a team-high 9 boards vs. FDU. He leads the CAA in rebounding (8.4 rpg) and double-doubles (6).

 

•  Junior Four McGlynn scored a career-high 27 points on 7-of-9 FG shooting vs. FDU, including 5-of-6 from three. He has eight double-digit efforts in the past 11 games and is averaging a team-best 13.9 ppg.

 

•  McGlynn was 8-for-8 at the FT line against FDU and is 66-of-69 (95.7%) from the stripe for the season, which leads the nation.

 

•  Freshman Byron Hawkins scored 14 points in 22 minutes at JMU. He’s averaging 14.3 ppg over his last three contests.

 

•  Towson out-rebounded FDU 47-24 and JMU 26-21. Towson tops the CAA in rebound margin (+10.1 rpg).

 

William & Mary

 

•  Fell 86-64 at #19 North Carolina last Tuesday, but rolled past CofC 75-45 on Saturday.

 

•  Senior Marcus Thornton scored 17 points at UNC and had 16 points and a season-high 5 rebounds vs. CofC. He has reached double figures in 18 consecutive contests.

 

•  Sophomore Omar Prewitt had a season-best 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the victory over CofC.

 

•  Daniel Dixon hit 4-of-8 threes and scored a career-high 20 points at UNC. He’s reached double digits in six of the last eight games.

 

•  Junior Terry Tarpey posted his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards vs. CofC and had 9 rebounds at UNC. He’s 3rd in the CAA in rebounding with 7.2 rpg.

 

•  Freshman Greg Malinowski averaged 8.0 ppg last week, including 9 points at UNC.

 

•  W&M shot 55.2% from the floor vs. CofC and has topped the 50% percent mark in six of its last 10 contests.

 

Rob Washburn

Assoc. Commissioner/Communications

Colonial Athletic Association

8625 Patterson Avenue

Richmond, VA  23229

(w) 804-525-1219

(c) 804-229-4796

(f) 804-754-1973

 

 

 

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From: “Big Ten – Brett McWethy” <bmcwethy@bigten.org>
To: “Big Ten – Brett McWethy” <bmcwethy@bigten.org>
Sent: Monday, January 5, 2015 5:01:54 PM
Subject: Big Ten Men’s Basketball Weekly Release