CAA Notes: Men’s Basketball

CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL Co-PLAYER OF THE WEEK Matt Janning, Northeastern, Sr., G, 6-4, 195 – Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer. Janning averaged 22.0 points in leading Northeastern to two CAA wins. The junior guard tallied a team-high 20 points and dished out three assists as the Huskies edged George […]

January 27, 2009; 11:31 AM • by FTRea

CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL Co-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Matt Janning, Northeastern, Sr., G, 6-4, 195 – Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer. Janning averaged 22.0 points in leading Northeastern to two CAA wins. The junior guard tallied a team-high 20 points and dished out three assists as the Huskies edged George Mason 58-57 and followed with 24 points and three assists in a 58-42 triumph at ODU. Janning, who shot 61.5% from the floor and 6-of-13 from 3-point range for the week, scored 20 second-half points against the Monarchs.

CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL Co-PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Eric Maynor, VCU, Sr., G, 6-3, 175 – Raeford, N.C./Westover. Maynor repeats as CAA Player of the Week after averaging 27.0 points and 6.0 assists in a pair of Rams’ victories. The senior guard netted a team-high 26 points in a 65-50 win at Georgia State and followed with 28 points in a 76-71 triumph over George Mason. For the week, Maynor shot 56.7% from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range. He also committed only one turnover in 73 minutes of action.

CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Samme Givens, Drexel, Fr., F, 6-5, 215 – Philadelphia, Pa./Academy of the New Church. Givens averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as Drexel increased its winning streak to five with a pair of victories. The freshman forward came off the bench to contribute a career-high 19 points and six boards in 23 minutes as the Dragons downed rival Delaware 79-69 and added four points and five rebounds in a win over William & Mary. For the week, Givens shot 75% (9-12) from the floor.

First-Place Showdown On Tuesday: Northeastern visits VCU on Tuesday night in a battle for first place in the CAA. The 9 p.m. contest will be televised by ESPNU.  Northeastern’s 8-1 record in CAA play is its best since joining the league in 2005-06 and is its best overall conference start in 22 years, VCU, which is also 8-1, is off to an outstanding start in CAA play for the third year in a row. The Rams opened the 2006-07 season with an 11-0 conference mark followed by an 8-1 start last year.

Top Teams Complete Round-Robin: The Northeastern-VCU matchup on Tuesday will complete a round-robin between the top three teams in the CAA standings over a seven-day period. The Huskies edged previously unbeaten George Mason 58-57 last Wednesday in Boston and the Patriots also lost a hard-fought 76-71 contest to VCU in Richmond last Saturday. VCU will only face Mason and NU once this season, while the Patriots and Huskies will meet again in Fairfax on Feb. 14.

Dynamite Defense: Defenses have been dominant in CAA play thus far, with six of the league’s 12 teams allowing less than 60 points per game. Northeastern is giving up only 51.0 ppg and hasn’t allowed more than 57 points in a game to a conference foe. Half of the CAA’s 12 teams are also holding their opponent under 40% FG shooting in CAA competition.

Road Teams Have Success In CAA Play: Home teams won eight of the 12 CAA games played last week, but hosts have won less than 58% (31-23) of the conference contests played this season. Eleven teams have earned at least one conference road victory and nine squads have lost at least one league game at home. Last year, home teams finished with a 71-37 (.657) record in CAA play and only two teams – VCU (7-2) and ODU (5-4) – had winning road marks in league action.

On A Roll: The top six teams in the CAA standings are all playing well. VCU has won seven straight and 12 of its last 14, with the only losses during that stretch coming against #5 Oklahoma and league foe Delaware by two. Drexel has won five in a row and eight of its last 10. Northeastern has won seven of its last eight and is 10-2 in its past 12 games. George Mason has captured nine of its last 12 despite a pair of losses last week. Hofstra is riding a three-game win streak and James Madison has captured five of its last seven.

Streaking: George Mason’s 11-game home court winning streak is tied for the 15th-longest in Division I, while VCU’s seven-game overall winning streak is tied for the 10th-longest nationally. Five CAA Teams In Top 100 Of Latest RPI: A season-high five CAA teams are ranked in the top 100 of the most recent RPI report released by Collegiate Basketball News through games of Jan. 25. George Mason tops the list of CAA squads at #53, followed by VCU at #55, Northeastern at #59, Hofstra at #92 and Drexel at #94. The CAA is ranked #15 among the nation’s 31 Division I conferences.

Three CAA Teams In Mid-Major Top 25 Poll: Three CAA teams are ranked in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll released by CollegeInsider.com on Jan. 26. VCU jumped to the #6 spot, while George Mason is ranked #9 and Northeastern is #18. Hofstra was among other teams receiving votes.

Maynor Ranked Nationally In Scoring And Assists: VCU’s Eric Maynor is ranked 12th in Division I in scoring (22.4 ppg) and 15th in assists (6.2 apg) according to the latest NCAA statistics through games of Jan. 25. In other individual categories, Delaware’s Marc Egerson is 13th nationally in rebounding (10.4 rpg), W&M’s David Schneider is 23rd in FT percentage (87.1%) and VCU’s Larry Sanders ranks 16th in blocks (2.7 bpg). A complete listing of CAA teams and players in the NCAA stats is on page 7 of this release.

Winning Record In Non-Conference Play: The CAA has a 67-63 non-conference record (.515) for the season with nearly half (32) of those victories coming on either neutral or road courts. Seventeen losses came against teams from the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, SEC or ACC. The only regular-season non-conference games remaining for CAA teams will come on Feb. 21 when the league participates in ESPNU BracketBusters.

Young Guns: Young players continue to make an impact offensively in the CAA this season as there are only six seniors among the league’s top 20 in scoring. Four of the CAA’s top six scorers are sophomores – Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins (17.1 ppg), UNCW’s Chad Tomko (15.7 ppg) and Delaware’s Jawan Carter (16.6 ppg) and Alphonso Dawson (15.7 ppg). Among the top 20 in points, there are eight juniors, six sophomores and six seniors.Maynor Climbs To Fifth On CAA Assist List: VCU senior guard Eric Maynor, who ranks fifth on the CAA career assists chart with 587, passed Edmund Sherod to become the Rams’ all-time assists leader last Saturday. Maynor needs eight assists to pass Mason’s Curtis McCants for fourth place in CAA history.

DELAWARE (9-12 overall, 3-6 in CAA)

The Blue Hens rebounded from a loss at Drexel to defeat Georgia State (60-48) on Saturday. Sophomore guard Alphonso Dawson contributed 17.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg for the week, including a team-high 20 points at DU. Dawson is averaging 18.3 ppg over his last three games. Sophomore Jawan Carter poured in a team-best 18 points against GSU, which was his 18th double-digit effort in the last 20 games. Junior Brian Johnson dished out 16 assists last week and moved into fifth place on UD’s career assists list with 389. Johnson also become one of only 12 players in school history to play over 3,000 career minutes. Senior guard Marc Egerson grabbed 13 caroms against GSU, which was his league-leading 11th game with double-figure rebounds. Egerson ranks 13th in Division I with 10.4 rpg. The Hens allowed their fewest points of the season against Georgia State.

DREXEL (10-8 overall, 6-3 in CAA)

The Dragons are on a season-best five-game winning streak after beating Delaware and William & Mary last week. Drexel shot better than 45% from the floor in both victories and averaged only 9.5 turnovers. Sophomore Jamie Harris tallied 14 points versus UD and a career-high 16 points against W&M. Harris, who has made 20 straight free throws, also dished out eight assists with just one turnover in 77 minutes at the point. Forward Samme Givens, who leads all CAA freshmen in rebounding (6.7 rpg), scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 FG shooting against UD. Junior forward Leon Spencer had 12 points against the Tribe on 5-of-5 FG shooting and grabbed a team-high nine caroms in the Delaware win. Spencer is averaging 13.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg over the past five games. Drexel’s reserves scored 38 points against UD and contributed 22 points and 14 boards versus W&M.

GEORGE MASON (14-5 overall, 7-2 in CAA)

The Patriots slipped to third in the CAA after narrow road losses at Northeastern and VCU. Sophomore guard Cam Long averaged 17.5 ppg for the week, highlighted by a career-high 24 points on 7-of-10 FG shooting at VCU. Long, who also dished out seven assists last week, has scored double digits in six of his last seven games. Senior John Vaughan made 5-of-7 treys and scored a team-high 19 points at NU before suffering a concussion after being hit in the head late in the game. Vaughan sat out the VCU contest and will also miss Tuesday’s game with Delaware. Senior Dre Smith hit 4-of-6 treys and added 16 points at VCU, while freshman forward Ryan Pearson contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.VCU was only the second team in the past 12 games to score more than 60 points against Mason. The Patriots are allowing only 58.6 ppg in league play.

GEORGIA STATE (5-15 overall, 3-6 in CAA)

The Panthers suffered setbacks to VCU and Delaware last week and have dropped six of their last seven. State led the Hens by seven at the break, but shot only 30.8% in the second half. Sophomore Dante Curry came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points at UD and is averaging 10.0 ppg over his past three games. Over the last three contests, Panther reserves Kevin Lott, Ousman Krubally and Curry are averaging 16.0 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Junior guard Joe Dukes continues to rank among the CAA’s top 20 in scoring (13.0 ppg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). Senior guard Leonard Mendez netted a team-high 16 points versus VCU and ranks 12th on State’s all-time scoring list with 1,127 points. Senior forward Rashad Chase, who is averaging 7.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg over the last four games, moved into fourth place on State’s all-time rebounding list with 623.

HOFSTRA (13-7 overall, 5-4 in CAA)

The Pride is on a three-game winning streak following victories over William & Mary and James Madison. Sophomore Charles Jenkins finished with a team-high 22 points at JMU, including the game-winning bucket with 1.9 seconds left. The Pride, which is 8-1 in games decided by five points or less, has trailed in the final minute in four of those eight wins and Jenkins has scored the points to put Hofstra ahead to stay in all of them. Junior guard Cornelius Vines scored all of his team-high 15 points in the second half versus W&M. Vines was 8-of-15 from 3-point range last week and ranks second in the CAA with 56 treys. Sophomore forward Greg Washington blocked a career-high seven shots versus W&M and is second in the CAA with 45 on the year. Hofstra, which leads the CAA in FG percentage defense (38.1%), limited W&M to 29.2% shooting and JMU to 36.4%.

JAMES MADISON (13-8 overall, 5-4 in CAA)

The Dukes split a pair of home games, topping Towson but falling to Hofstra on a last-second shot. Senior Juwann James had another great week, scoring a team-high 20 points versus Hofstra and 17 against Towson. James, who is shooting 58.7% from the floor for the season, ranks 10th in career scoring (1,333 pts) and eighth in rebounding (601) at JMU. Freshman guard Devon Moore averaged 14.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg for the week, including a career-high 18 points against the Pride. Moore leads the Dukes with 65 assists. Forward Julius Wells posted his second double-double in three games with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds against TU. Wells has hit 42 treys this season, which is third-most ever by a JMU freshman. JMU’s league-leading FT percentage (74.7%) would be a school record. The Dukes have already matched their overall and CAA win totals from a year ago.

UNC WILMINGTON (5-16 overall, 2-7 in CAA)

The Seahawks bounced back from a loss at ODU to outlast Towson 103-98 in double overtime on Saturday. UNCW shot 53.3% from the floor, had five players score in double figures for the first time this season and also picked up their first CAA road victory. Sophomore Chad Tomko recorded his first double-double at Towson with a team-high 25 points, a school-record 15 assists and six steals. Tomko, who is among the CAA’s top six in scoring, assists and steals, scored 10 of UNCW’s 23 points in the overtime sessions. Sophomore forward Dominique Lacy averaged 13.5 ppg last week and scored double figures in consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 3. Junior Montez Downey, who has battled injuries all season, contributed a season-high 15 points off the bench at TU. Johnny Wolf added 19 at TU as the Seahawks’ reserves accounted for 52 points.

NORTHEASTERN (13-6 overall, 8-1 in CAA)

The Huskies moved back into a tie for first after victories over George Mason and ODU last week. Northeastern has won 10 of its last 12, which is its best 12-game stretch since 2004-05. The Huskies are giving up just 51.0 ppg in league play and have not allowed a CAA foe to score 60 points this season. Junior Matt Janning scored 20 of his team-high 24 in the second half at ODU and also had a team-best 20 points against Mason. Janning has scored double figures in eight straight games and has seven 20-point efforts this season. Junior Manny Adako made the game-winning layup versus Mason with 25 seconds left. Adako is shooting a league-best 69.3% from the floor in CAA contests. Senior Matt Smith hit 3-of-4 treys and scored a season-high 11 points off the bench against Mason. Senior Eugene Spates has made 13 of his last 25 from 3-point range. NU outscored ODU 51-20 after falling behind 22-7 early in the game.

OLD DOMINION (11-8 overall, 4-5 in CAA)

The Monarchs cruised past UNCW 87-57 before suffering a 58-42 setback to Northeastern. ODU shot 57.1% from the floor against UNCW, but made only 29.1% against NU. Junior guard Marsharee Neely scored a career-high 20 points in 19 minutes versus UNCW and is averaging 11.8 ppg over his past four games. Junior Gerald Lee tallied just 7.0 ppg last week and saw his league-best double-digit scoring streak end at 18 games. Lee ranks second in the CAA in FG percentage (57.1%) and is second in FT percentage (84.1%). Sophomore Ben Finney contributed 10.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg for the week, including 14 points and eight boards in the UNCW win. Freshman Kent Bazemore came off the bench to net a career-high 11 points on 5-for-5 FG shooting versus the Seahawks. Darius James matched a career-high with nine assists against UNCW.

TOWSON (7-14 overall, 2-7 in CAA)

The Tigers are in a six-game losing skid after falling to James Madison (70-59) and UNC Wilmington (103-98/2ot) last week.  Junior Josh Thornton poured in 25 points against UNCW and hit the shots that sent the game into both overtimes. Thornton, who leads the CAA with 61 treys, is averaging 19.8 ppg over his past five games. Senior Junior Hairston recorded his fifth double-double of the year with a season-high 25 points and 15 boards. Sophomore Robert Nwankwo scored all of his career-high 13 points in the first half at JMU and grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds versus UNCW. Nwankwo is averaging 8.2 rpg over his past six contests. Senior guard Rocky Coleman came off the bench to contribute a season-high 13 points against the Dukes. Point guard Troy Franklin dished out a career-best 10 assists against the Seahawks and committed only one turnover in 33 minutes.

VCU (15-5 overall, 8-1 in CAA)

The Rams pushed their winning streak to seven and moved into a tie for first after victories over Georgia State and George Mason. Senior Eric Maynor tallied team-highs of 26 points at GSU and 28 points versus Mason to take over fourth place on VCU’s all-time scoring list (1,640 pts). He also dished out 12 assists with only one turnover and became the Rams’ career assists leader (587). Sophomore Larry Sanders contributed 13.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg last week and is averaging 14.5 ppg and 9.2 rpg over the past 10 contests. He leads the league with 53 blocks. Guard Joey Rodriguez is shooting 57.1% from 3-point range in CAA play. VCU has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in four of its past five games. Anthony Grant has guided VCU to a 43-7 record in his first 50 CAA games. The Rams are 9-0 at home this year and 72-11 versus CAA foes at the Siegel Center.

WILLIAM & MARY (6-13 overall, 1-8 in CAA)

The Tribe dropped road games at Hofstra (54-44) and Drexel (62-49) last week and has lost seven of its last eight. Junior guard David Schneider was the only W&M player in double figures at HU with 18 points and he netted a team-high 17 points at Drexel. Schneider, who leads the CAA in FT percentage (87.1%), has scored double digits in 14 of his last 17 games. Freshman Quinn McDowell added 10 points against the Dragons and is contributing 11.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg while starting the past three games. Junior forward Danny Sumner, who has scored 15 or more points 12 times this season, was held to only eight points over the two games last week. The Tribe defense limited Hofstra to 15 points and 25% FG shooting in the first half. It was the fewest points by a Tribe foe in the first half since Jan. 24, 2007. W&M made just nine turnovers at Drexel, which tied a season-low.

– The information above was provided by Rob Washburn, CAA Associate Commissioner/Communications

January 27, 2009 11:31 AM 0