CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP - JAN. 3
Northeastern 60, William & Mary 44
Box Score
Matt Janning scored 22 points on a blistering 7-of-9 shooting and the Northeastern men's basketball team's defense limited William & Mary to a season-low 44 points as the Huskies routed the Tribe 60-44 Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.
The win improves Northeastern's record to 7-5, 2-0 in the CAA while William & Mary drops to 5-7, 0-2 in the CAA. The Huskies have won four of their last five games, and it was the third time this season that they have held an opponent under 50 points, all wins. It was the second straight season at Matthews Arena that the Huskies held the Tribe to under 50 points. NU won 51-42 on Feb. 9, 2008.
For Janning. it was his fifth 20-point game of the season, 16th of his career. He connected on five three-pointers in the contest, tying a career-high. He made three of them in a two-minute span in the first half and then followed it with a fastbreak three-point play as the Huskies built a 18-7 lead at the 12:02 mark.
William & Mary threatened to come back as Danny Sumner made three free throws after being fouled while shooting behind the arc. The Tribe were down eight, 26-18, with 3:22 to play in the first half, but Janning came right back down the floor and bombed home a three to regain the double-digit advantage, 29-18. The half ended with NU on top 30-22 with Janning scoring 17 of the team's 30.
In the second half, the Tribe got within four points, 34-30, after Quinn McDowell had a steal and a fastbreak layup at 12:47. However, the Northeastern defense barreled down and held the Tribe without a field goal between 10:34 and 1:12. In that span, the Huskies went on a 16-6 run, helped immensely by Chaisson Allen, who had four big baskets, including a fall-away jumper with the shot clock winding down at 4:34 that put NU up by 13, 49-36.
Manny Adako also had a big second half. His jumper at 2:09 gave Northeastern its largest lead of the game, 16 points, and put the game on ice. He had seven points in the last 2:09 of the game and finished with 13 points and a career-high three blocks.
Allen finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. William & Mary was led by Sumner, who had 14 points, but was just 2-for-8 from the field.
Drexel 63, Hofstra 56
Box Score
Hempstead, NY (Jan. 3) - Drexel's Scott Rodgers poured in a game-high 25 points and Jamie Harris added 14 points to help the Drexel Men's Basketball team to a 63-56 win over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.
The Dragons improve to 1-1 in the CAA and 5-6 overall with their third straight win. Hofstra sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) scored all 10 of his points in the second half but it wasn't enough as Drexel led virtually wire-to-wire in defeating the Pride (other than a 2-2 tie). Senior forward Dane Johnson (Brooklyn, NY) notched his fourth career double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 10 rebounds, but the Pride fell to 1-1 in the conference and 9-4 overall.
Junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY) led Hofstra with 14 points, all coming in the second half, as he attempted to lead a late comeback after Jenkins fouled out with 3:54 left in the game on an offensive foul. Jenkins' streak of double-figure scoring looked to be in jeopardy after the guard was shut out in the first half, but Pride's leading scorer also came on strong in the second half before fouling out. He extended his streak of consecutive games in double figures to 28 straight, though his point total was his lowest this season.
Both teams as a whole struggled to score, with each school shooting less than 40 percent from the field. Drexel led 24-18 after a defensive first half, and Rodgers extended the lead by drilling a three-point from the right elbow 2:03 into the half. Rodgers scored another three points in less conventional fashion almost two minutes later when Evan Neisler stole the ball in the Hofstra end and hit Rodgers with a long pass that resulted in a three-point play following a layup and foul by Jenkins, giving the Dragons a 32-20 lead with 16:23 remaining.
Johnson's jump hook shoot along the baseline cut the deficit to 38-34 at 10 minute mark. But Drexel reeled off the next nine points, capped by Gerald Colds' four free throws on two straight possessions to extend the Dragons lead to 47-34 with 7:21 left.
Vines provided Hofstra with its last chance at a comeback, scoring eight points in three minutes after Jenkins fouled out. Vines hit a three-ball from the right wing, followed that up with a driving layup and then connected on another three during the next possession to cut Drexel's edge to 56-51 with 1:15 on the clock. Rodgers answered by hitting a jumper late in the shot clock and Harris hit two free throws following Lester's last basket to provide a 58-51 Drexel cushion.
The Dragons established the pace to start the contest and Hofstra struggled to put points on the board. Jenkins picked up his second foul barely five minutes into the game. The Pride guard did not record a point in the first half. Rodgers hit a three-pointer from the top of the key while Vines fouled him, completing a four-point play to make it 9-2 Drexel. It marked one of Rogers' trio of three-pointers in the opening minutes of the half, helping the Dragons take a 14-4 lead.
Despite Johnson's six points off the bench, the Pride still shot just 24 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes but only trailed 24-18 heading into the locker room thanks to a defense that held Drexel to 9-30 shooting. Sophomore forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) led the way on the defensive end, hauling in five rebounds while blocking three shots in the period. Washington finished with 10 rebounds overall.
Georgia State 55, Old Dominion 54
Box Score
ATLANTA?Trae Goldston’s three-point basket with 11 seconds left lifted Georgia State to a 55-54 victory over Old Dominion in a Colonial Athletic Association game Saturday at the Georgia State Sports Arena.
The Panthers (4-9, 2-0 CAA) moved to 2-0 in conference play, snapped a five-game losing streak and earned their first victory over Old Dominion (8-4, 1-1 CAA) since joining the CAA.
Georgia State led virtually the entire game, building a 17-point advantage midway through the second half before Old Dominion rallied, tying the game on a Darius James’ three-pointer with 1:27 left and taking the lead on a jumper by Kent Bazemore with 37 seconds to play.
After Goldston nailed his trey from the corner, off a feed from Joe Dukes, the Panthers survived a final shot by Jonathan Adams, who missed from beyond the arc with two seconds left. Trey Hampton grabbed the rebound for Georgia State.
Goldston’s winning trey was his second buzzer-beating shot; the junior from Atlanta also hit a last-second game-winning three-pointer last season against Northeastern.
“We got the ball to the right guy, and he knocked the shot down,”
said Georgia State head coach Rod Barnes. “I just wanted us to be aggressive. I thought we might have an opportunity to get the ball to the basket and get fouled, but we work every day on penetrating and pitching.
“When we left the huddle, I heard Trae Goldston tell Joe Dukes, Hey, I got it. That was refreshing for me as a coach. I really felt good about that, whether he made the shot or not because he wanted the ball at the end of the game. Joe Dukes did a good job of getting in there and giving Trae some space. It was a good penetration and pitch.
“When Trae let it go, I had confidence that it was going in. I was happy it went in, but I wasn’t surprised. As I said, we got the ball to the right guy with the opportunity to make a shot.”
Dukes and Xavier Hansbro led State with 11 points each. Goldston finished with nine points and four assists, and Dante Curry added nine points and four assists off the bench. The Panthers won despite being outshot from the field, 41 percent to 38 percent, and being outrebounded, 40-28. State committed just six turnovers and executed effectively on offense, evidenced by 16 assists on 21 field goals.
State led from the early going, building a 34-23 advantage at the half, and then extending the lead in the second half. Up 38-29, the Panthers scored seven straight points, taking a 46-29 lead on James Fields’ bucket with 13:47 to play. But Old Dominion answered with 11 straight points, before Curry’s layup made the score 48-40 with 8:29 left.
After a pair of free throws by ODU’s Marsharee Neely but the State’s lead to six, the Panthers ran three minutes off the clock on one possession by running down the shot clock and missing but grabbing three consecutive offensive rebounds. When the Monarchs finally grabbed a defensive rebound, they still trailed 48-42 with 4:27 left.
Dukes hit two key baskets down the stretch, the second one giving the Panthers a 52-45 lead with 2:47 on the clock, but ODU scored the next nine points. Lee hit two free throws, and then Ben Finney’s bucket with two minutes left pulled the Monarchs with in 52-49 before James tied the game.
“The big thing for me is that we’re 2-0 in conference play, and it feels even better because they’re one of the best programs in our league,” said Barnes.
Delaware 81, VCU 79
Box Score
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware connected on three straight three-pointers as part of a pivotal 14-0 run midway through the second half and held on down the stretch to post an exciting 81-79 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball victory over pre-season favorite Virginia Commonwealth Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.
The Hens (7-7, 1-1 CAA) used a balanced effort en route to snapping a 10-game losing streak again the Rams (8-5, 1-1 CAA) as Marc Egerson scored 19 points, pulled nine rebounds, and dished out six assists, Brian Johnson added 16 points, Alphonso Dawson chipped in with 15 points, Jawan Carter posted his 13th straight double-figure scoring effort with 13 points, and Jim Ledsome contributed nine points and eight rebounds.
Delaware, which won its second straight game and its fifth in its last six outings, also snapped a personal four-game home losing streak to VCU and downed the Rams for the first time since a 55-53 win Jan. 11, 2003 at the BCC. The Hens connected on 10 of 18 three-pointers for the game and drained a season-high 27 free throws, including nine in the final minute of play, to pull out the victory.
"This was a great team win and the crowd did a great job of cheering us on," said Delaware head coach Monté Ross, who downed VCU for the first time in five tries. "Our entire starting five was fantastic and I'm most proud of our defensive effort because we kept getting stops in the second half. Jim Ledsome did a very good job on Larry Sanders and did a good job of attacking him on their press."
All-American senior guard Eric Maynor, the 2008 CAA Player of the Year, led VCU with 28 points - his league-leading ninth 20-point effort so far this year - and dished out seven assists, backcourt mate Joey Rodriguez chipped in with 13 points, and Bradford Burgess added 11 points. Sanders, a pre-season All-CAA selection, scored eight points and pulled seven rebounds before fouling out with 8:11 remaining.
The 14-point scoring explosion helped the Blue Hens build the lead to as much as 13 points at 59-46 with 8:50 remaining before the Rams made a furious comeback attempt that fell just short. VCU made it a one possession game several times in the final minute and pulled to within 78-76 on two Burgess free throws with 17 seconds left, but Carter connected on three of four free throws the rest of the way to preserve the win.
The Rams pulled to within 80-79 on a Rodriguez three-pointer with three seconds left and Carter followed with one of two free throws to give the Rams a chance. Maynor's desperation shot just inside the midcourt line was well off the mark as the horn sounded.
VCU, which has won three of the last five CAA regular season titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2007, sprinted out to a 35-31 lead at the half and pushed the lead to as many as eight points at 39-31 in the opening minute of the second stanza. Delaware rallied to tie the score at 45-45 on a D.J. Boney free throw with 12:36 left, but VCU regained the lead moments later when Maynor hit a free throw for a
46-45 advantage.
The Blue Hens then dominated the next six minutes of action to take a double-digit lead as Delaware scored 14 straight points, including consecutive three-pointers by Egerson, Johnson, and Carter in a span of 83 seconds, and on a dunk by Ledsome to go up 61-49 with 6:42 left. VCU missed eight straight shots at one point as the Hens pulled ahead.
VCU stayed in striking range, making it a one possession game at 75-72 after a layup by Burgess with 38 seconds left and pulling to within 80-79 in the final seconds. Delaware stayed in front by hitting six free throws in the final 38 seconds, including three by Carter and two by Boney.
George Mason 101, UNC Wilmington 60
Box Score
The George Mason men's basketball team used a 41-8 run to close the first half and open the second half as the Patriots remained unbeaten at home and in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, beating UNC Wilmington 101-60 before a crowd of 8,010 at Patriot Center. The Patriots shot 61.9 percent from the field and had a 47-20 advantage on the boards as the Patriots are now 6-0 at home, 9-3 on the year and 2-0 in the CAA. The Seahawks fell to 3-11, 0-2 in CAA action.
It is just the fourth time under Coach Jim Larranaga that a Mason team has reached 100 points and first since a 104-99 double-overtime win over William & Mary on February 12, 2005. Every Mason player scored in the contest. The 41-point defeat is the largest a UNCW team has suffered in CAA play.
Chad Tomko had 15 points, but just four in the second half and Dominique Lacy had 11 and Jerel Stephenson had 10 for the Seahawks. Mason had five players in double figures led by John Vaughan's 20 points. Ryan Pearson added 13 and seven rebounds while Mike Morrison had 13 on 6 of 7 shooting. Dre Smith and Andre Cornelius each added 10. Darryl Monroe had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Mason used an 11-0 run in the game's opening minutes to take the lead and after the Seahawks closed to 33-30 with three minutes to go in the half, the Patriots used an 8-0 run in the closing minutes to take a 42-32 halftime lead. Maosn shot 53.3 percent in the first half but UNCW was right there shooting 50 percent. Both teams also shot better than 50 percent from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. The big difference in the period was rebounding, as Mason had a 19-9 edge overall and a 7-0 advantage on the offensive boards leading to an 11-0 Mason lead in second-chance points.
Mason erased any doubt in the opening minutes of the second half as they opening with a 14-2 run to effectively end the game. Smith, Vaughan, Monroe and Louis Birdsong all had baskets in the run which was capped by Vaughan's fifth 3-pointer of the game, a new career-high for the fifth-year senior. The Seahawks didn't help themselves on the offensive end as they were just 3 of 13 to open the second half and an 18-0 Mason run pushed later in the period pushed the lead to better-than 30 points.
Towson 58, James Madison 57
Box Score
TOWSON, Md. ? After trailing for most of the game, Towson University (6-8, 1-1) grabbed a 58-57 lead in the final minute and held on to edge James Madison University (8-6, 0-2) in a wild Colonial Athletic Association game at the Towson Center on Saturday evening.
Playing their first home game since December 9, the Tigers battled from behind all evening against the Dukes, who had won four of their last five games. However, the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure in the final minutes, enabling them to come from behind and win.
When senior Junior Hairston gave the Tigers a 58-57 lead by hitting two free throws with 45.7 seconds remaining, it marked Towson’s first lead since 15-13 with nine minutes left in the first half.
After Hairston gave the Tigers a lead, their defensive pressure made it difficult for the Dukes to get an open shot. With 25 seconds left, a steal by Hairston gave the Tigers the ball. However, sophomore Robert Nwankwo was fouled with 21 seconds left. When he missed two free throws, the Dukes had another chance to win the game.
With four seconds left, freshman guard Devon Moore was double-teamed in front of the JMU bench and the Dukes called timeout. After the timeout, the Dukes had trouble finding an open shot. When freshman Andrey Semenov’s long three-point field goal attempt was short, the Tigers owned their first CAA win of the season.
“It wasn’t the ?Mona Lisa’ but we’ll take it,” said Towson Coach Pat Kennedy. “This was a huge win for us. We’ve been on the road for weeks and it feels great to come home and pull out a tough win. In the final minutes, they had some trouble with our 1-3-1 extended defense and they couldn’t get the open looks they wanted. Our guys played tremendous defense down the stretch.”
After the Dukes took a 54-51 lead on a basket by senior Juwann James with 5:18 remaining, they were held without a basket the rest of the way. On their final seven possessions of the game, JMU had three turnovers, made 3 of 6 free throws and missed a long three-point basket.
James Madison owned a 56-53 lead with 4:19 left after Semenov canned a pair of free throws. When Nwankwo made one of two foul shots with 3:54 remaining, the Tigers’ deficit was cut to 56-54.
With 3:18 left, senior Kyle Swanston upped the Dukes’ lead to 57-54 when he made one of two free throws.
But, the Dukes did not score again.
Senior Rocky Coleman, who gave the Tigers a huge lift off the bench by scoring 12 points in 19 minutes, pulled Towson to within 57-56 when he scored on a short bank shot with 2:59 remaining.
A turnover by Semenov gave the Tigers their first chance to grab a lead. However, Hairston missed a hook shot and JMU got the ball back. James had a chance to extend the Dukes’ lead with 2:08 remaining but he missed both free throws, giving the Tigers another opportunity to go ahead. But, Hairston missed a short jumper in the lane and JMU got the ball back.
With a minute remaining, freshman guard Troy Franklin gave the Tigers another chance to go ahead when he made a steal. Moments later, junior Josh Thornton missed a three-point jumper and Hairston got the rebound. He was fouled immediately by James, who fouled out. When he gave the Tigers the lead, it ended a stretch of 28:15 in which Towson had trailed.
“Rocky gave us a tremendous lift off the bench,” said Kennedy. “He gave us some great defense and made some big shots. We’re happy for him.”
In a game which featured eight ties and six lead changes, the Dukes had their biggest lead with 11:45 remaining when they owned a 47-39 advantage. However, Franklin made three free throws and hit an NBA-long three-point basket to pull the Tigers to within 47-45 with 9:29 left.
The Dukes, who overcame an early 5-0 deficit in the game, responded with an 8-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. JMU closed out the first half by scoring the final six points before intermission to grab a 33-27 halftime lead.
Hairston, who recorded his third “double double” of the season, led the Tigers with 16 points and 10 rebounds as four Tigers scored in double figures. Coleman, who shot four-for-four from the floor, added a season high 12 points. Sophomore Jarrel Smith scored 10 points with 8 rebounds while Franklin had 10 points and four steals.
James led the Dukes by scoring a career high 24 points, making 12 of 15 shots from the floor. However, he missed all four free throw attempts. Moore scored 13 points with 10 rebounds for the Dukes as he posted the first “double double” of his career.
The Dukes, who came into the game as the top three-point shooting team in the CAA with a .398 mark, were held to a 1-for-15 performance by the Tigers.
Towson ended a three-game losing streak with the win.