CAA Notes

From Rob Washburn, Colonial Athletic Association Assistant Commissioner: Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week Larry Sanders — VCU freshman, Forward, 6-9, 210, Sanders recorded VCU’s first double-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots as the Rams rolled past Longwood 78-45 on Saturday. The freshman forward, who was 6-of-8 from the floor, set […]

December 17, 2007; 9:46 PM • by FTRea

From Rob Washburn, Colonial Athletic Association Assistant Commissioner:

• Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week

Larry Sanders — VCU freshman, Forward, 6-9, 210,

Sanders recorded VCU’s first double-double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots as the Rams rolled past Longwood 78-45 on Saturday. The freshman forward, who was 6-of-8 from the floor, set career-highs for points and rebounds and his blocks total was the highest by a CAA player this season.

• GMU (7-3 overall, 1-0 in CAA)

The Patriots were idle last week but return to action this Friday at Florida International. It will be Mason’s second straight road game after playing its first eight contests on home or neutral courts. The Patriots were successful in their first venture to Florida this season when they beat Kansas State and South Carolina to finish third at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando over Thanksgiving. Sophomore forward Louis Birdsong is averging 10.0 ppg and 5.6 rpg over his past five games and has scored double digits three times during that stretch. Senior forward Will Thomas ranks 18th in career points (1,169) and 8th in career rebounds (740) at Mason and senior guard Folarin Campbell is 20th (1,137) on the all-time scoring list. Thomas is among the league’s top 10 in scoring (15.1 ppg/10th), rebounding (10.0 rpg/2nd) and FG percentage (60%/3rd) this season.

• JMU (6-1 overall, 1-0 in CAA)

The Dukes, who are off to their best start since 1986-87, end a 12-day layoff by hosting Radford tonight. JMU is riding a four-game winning streak for the first time since December, 2002 and is looking to make it five in a row for the first time since winning the final five games of the 1995-96 regular season. Senior forward Terrance Carter has scored double digits in all seven games this season. Carter ranks 3rd in the CAA in scoring (17.3 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (8.0 rpg). Junior guard Abdulai Jalloh is averaging 16.0 ppg while shooting 44% from 3-point range. The Dukes lead the CAA in scoring (82.0 ppg), scoring margin (+11.1 ppg), FG percentage (52.0%) and 3-point FG percentage (41.9%), and are second in FT percentage (72.8%). JMU has shot 50% or better from the floor in five of its seven contests. The Dukes travel to Big East foe Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon.

• ODU (6-4 overall, 1-0 in CAA)

The Monarchs knocked off ACC foe Virginia Tech 72-69 on Sunday before the second sell-out crowd of the season at the Constant Center. It was ODU’s fourth win over Tech in their past five meetings. Senior guard Brandon Johnson led the Monarchs with 15 points, five rebounds, nine assists and four steals, including a pair of key thefts in the final six minutes. Johnson has 175 career steals and is four away from a tie for 6th place on ODU’s all-time steals chart. He also took over the CAA lead in assists this season with 5.6 apg. Backcourt mate Abdi Lidonde added 12 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. The Monarchs were a season-best 10-of-19 on treys for the game, including 7-of-8 in the first half as they built a 12-point advantage. Freshman forward Ben Finney tallied double figures (10 pts) for the second straight game and also made four steals.

• VCU (7-3 overall, 1-0 in CAA)

The Rams extended their winning streak to four and improved to 5-0 at home with a 78-45 victory over Longwood on Saturday. The 33-point margin of victory was the team’s largest since 2003. Junior guard Eric Maynor, who has tallied double digits in eight straight games, poured in a team-high 17 points including 12 during an 18-3 run to begin the second half. With 344 career assists, Maynor is only two away from 9th place on the Rams’ career assists list. Freshman forward Larry Sanders recorded his first career double-double with 13 points, a team-best 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots. It was the first double-double by a VCU player this season. VCU’s defense limited Longwood to five first-half field goals and 25.9% shooting for the game. The Rams, who have allowed just 45 points to their past two foes, lead the CAA in scoring defense (61.0 ppg), FG percentage defense (37.3%) and 3-point defense (26.6%).

• Wm. & Mary (2-5 overall, 0-1 in CAA)

The Tribe returns from a 13-day break this week by hosting VMI and Montreat. William & Mary has won 10 straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2005-06 season. The Tribe has played six of its first seven on the road this year. Senior forward Laimis Kisielius, who is 144 points shy of 1,000 for his career, has tallied double digits in six of W&M’s seven contests this season and is 19th in the league in scoring with 12.1 ppg. Sophomore guard David Schneider is shooting a league-best 88% from the free throw line and is also among CAA leaders in scoring (12.9 ppg/16th), rebounding (4.9 rpg/17th), assists (3.7 apg/7th), steals (1.6 spg/12th), 3-pointers (2.6 pg/4th) and 3-point percentage (45%/5th). Sophomore guard Danny Sumner, who only scored double figures once during his rookie year, is averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg in his past two contests.

• Five CAA Teams In Top 113 Of RPI: Five CAA teams are ranked among the top 113 in the latest RPI report produced by Collegiate Basketball News through games of Dec. 16. George Mason led all CAA teams at #36, followed by James Madison at #74, VCU at #78, Northeastern at #110 and Old Dominion at #113. The CAA was ranked #14 among the 31 Division I conferences.

December 17, 2007 9:46 PM 0