Hofstra lets 20-point lead go by wayside in first-place showdown against UNCW

Juan'ya Green (left) and Rokas Gustys (right) were magnificent for Hofstra, but Pride could not sustain their brilliance, seeing 20-point lead evaporate against UNC Wilmington. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Simone via Big Apple Buckets)

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Hofstra had not seen a game of this magnitude in nearly a decade. Ironically, it came against the same team with whom they matched up Thursday night. Yet the Pride, who entered their home game against UNC Wilmington tied with the Seahawks for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, found a way to control the proceedings for 30 minutes and protect their lead for another seven after that.

But college basketball games are 40 minutes long, and the same issues that plagued Hofstra at various points last season reared their collective ugly heads once more.

Leading by as many as 20 points late in the first half, and by double digits well into the second stanza, Hofstra (16-7, 8-3 CAA) saw their offense come to a screeching half after the intermission, making just four field goals as UNCW (17-5, 9-2 CAA) used a game-ending 29-12 run to score a come-from-behind 70-67 victory on a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.6 seconds remaining in regulation, silencing a raucous crowd at the Mack Sports Complex.

"It kind of stings," Joe Mihalich would begrudgingly admit after the Pride were stymied by a combination of timely shooting and the full court pressure defense UNCW head coach Kevin Keatts learned from his mentor, Rick Pitino, "but it was a heck of a game, two heavyweights going toe-to-toe. I thought for stretches, we had some of our best basketball, but there were some other stretches where we didn't play as well as we had to."

Hofstra fed off their supportive home crowd early and often, with the tandem of Juan'ya Green (21 points, 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season; he also recorded five assists and four blocked shots) and Rokas Gustys (9 points, but 21 rebounds) igniting a 27-9 run to start the game. The Pride would open their largest cushion of the night with 2:24 remaining before the intermission, at 38-18, but eight unanswered points by the visiting Seahawks pared the margin down to a much more manageable 12 points going into the locker room. As it turned out, it was a harbinger of things to come.

"I'm not sure we kept our composure the way we needed to down the stretch," Mihalich conceded. "We did it at Northeastern in that triple overtime game, we did it possession by possession the last few games; whether it was Elon, Drexel, but for whatever reason, we didn't do that tonight. We have to own that, we have to deal with that, and we're going to have to make sure it motivates us."

Going into a pivotal Virginia road trip against James Madison and William & Mary, Hofstra could have used a momentum-swinging victory on Thursday, but instead finds itself in the long too familiar role of chaser as the CAA season heats up. Below, we try to put this one in perspective as the Pride begin the process of dusting themselves off and gearing up for the next one:

• Work it inside.
  Hofstra had no problem doing that in the first half, with Gustys setting an efficient pace for himself after collecting eight points and ten rebounds, but as the UNCW press combined with the physical nature of the second half, he became a non-factor after the intermission, taking just one shot from the floor and missing two of three at the free throw line. Fatigue may have been an issue for the sophomore as well, but with the state of affairs surrounding Hofstra's front line, there really is, unfortunately, not much Mihalich can do to help his big man. Andre Walker registered just four minutes spelling Gustys, and Ibrahim Djambo; the 6-10 transfer from Clemson who was expected to shore up the depth on the front line alongside Gustys and Denton Koon, has still not returned from his native Mali, where he went to handle personal off-court issues before the season started. There is still no update on Djambo's status, sadly, and tonight, Hofstra showed just how vital his services could have been.
  
  Regarding Gustys, Mihalich lamented not taking further advantage of his start to the game. "We probably should have got the ball to him more," he said in retrospect after the Lithuanian big man was held to one point in the final period. "The one time we tried to do it, he's drawing so much attention that they make it hard to get him the ball."
  
  On that note, UNCW's commanding 44-22 edge in points in the paint becomes magnified when you separate the Seahawks' 26-0 whitewash in the second half. The visitors were able to wear down the short Hofstra rotation to the point where guard C.J. Bryce attacked the lane at will, scoring 19 of his 24 points after halftime and giving UNCW the lead with his mid-range jumper at the 3:18 mark. "It could have been (fatigue)," said Green when searching for an explanation of UNCW's comeback. "We didn't make good plays and got a couple of turnovers. We definitely didn't get stops on the defensive end."
  
  
• Should Hofstra have fouled in the final seconds?
  Jerry Beach, who has seen the highs and lows of Hofstra basketball through parts of three decades from his time at the Hofstra Chronicle to his current outlet, Defiantly Dutch, brought up a rather intriguing question in Mihalich's press conference. After Green drained a step-back three-pointer from the left corner to tie the game at 67 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation, Hofstra could have fouled UNCW on the possession that turned out to be Ingram's eventual game-winning triple. Considering the Pride had increasing difficulties stopping UNCW from getting in the lane down the stretch, and with the Seahawks only making eight of twelve at the charity stripe for the game, putting the visitors on the line for a one-and-one may have enabled Hofstra to escape with a win.
  
  Mihalich, however, dismissed the notion of openly giving UNCW a chance to take the lead for free, and made no excuses about his decision to play out his hand. "The kid made a heck of a shot," he said of Ingram. "We didn't let him use the ball screen and he took a pretty deep three. I thought Desure (Buie) did a pretty good job on him. They're going to get a shot off. They got a deep three off the bounce, and the kid knocked it down."
  
  "They made the plays down the stretch," Mihalich stated matter-of-factly. "Whether it was Ingram making the shot, a driving layup, or whatever, they made the plays down the stretch and we didn't."
  
  
• Brian Bernardi's slump is starting to become concerning.
  Hofstra does not necessarily need Bernardi to set the box score on fire, as the Pride have more than enough offensive weapons in Green, Gustys, and Ameen Tanksley to display their firepower. But when Bernardi is firing on all cylinders, it adds a facet to Hofstra's game that positions them head and shoulders above the rest of the CAA in terms of the multi-pronged attack Mihalich can send out. The Staten Islander has had a rough go of it lately, shooting just 26 percent (23-for-88) from the floor in his last eight games. Furthermore, following a string of 11 double-figure efforts in 13 games, Bernardi was held under 10 points for the fifth consecutive contest, managing only nine markers on Thursday while going 3-for-12. Against James Madison and William & Mary, Hofstra's next two opponents, he was a mere 5-for-27 earlier in the season. The Pride are no doubt hopeful that the sharpshooter will soon turn into a slump buster as the road to Baltimore continues to twist and turn in the coming weeks.
  
  
• A tale of two halves.
  In this case, it was the same half, but on two separate ends. After the intermission, Hofstra made just four of their 22 field goal attempts, while the defense, an Achilles' heel of sorts for the Pride in second halves throughout the year, surrendered a 56 percent (18-for-32) clip to UNCW in the final 20 minutes. "You do have to give them credit," Mihalich said of Hofstra's opponent. "They're a good defensive team and they take you out of a rhythm. I'll say it again, I thought we got some good looks. I thought Brian had some good looks, I thought we had a couple go in and out. Right in front of us, Ameen took a shot that was halfway down and came out, Juan'ya had a couple of good looks that just didn't quite go. They take you out of your rhythm and they make you work."

Kevin Willard enjoying coaching Seton Hall during "roller coaster" season

Kevin Willard and Seton Hall have emerged from last year's morass stronger and wiser, as NCAA Tournament is clearly within reach for Pirates. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

NEWARK, NJ -- Kevin Willard has seen and heard of the NCAA Tournament talk surrounding his Seton Hall team, now 16-6 and 6-4 in Big East play after a commanding 79-62 victory against Marquette Wednesday at the Prudential Center. But the sixth-year coach, whose patience has been tested several times throughout his tenure, is unfazed by the media attention, choosing instead to focus on the progress his group has made from a tumultuous end to last season.

"No, not at all," Willard frankly answered when asked if he addressed the possibility of being among the field of 68 with his team. "Embrace the process, one day at a time."

Part of that process has seen Seton Hall evolve from a precocious overachiever at the beginning of conference play last year, led by a trio of freshmen and a senior point guard in Sterling Gibbs, only to see a promising start whose pinnacle was a No. 19 national ranking come crashing down amid controversy both on the floor and in the locker room, centered around whether Gibbs or highly touted newcomer Isaiah Whitehead ultimately had the keys to the car that was the Seton Hall offense.

This season has seen last year's rookies become sophomores. Gibbs has moved on to the University of Connecticut, replaced by the calming and motivating presence of fifth-year senior Derrick Gordon, a New Jersey native coming home for one more moment in the sun. And the turmoil that plagued last year's well-documented collapse has been supplanted by a synergy and two-way stream of endless confidence that belies the tender age of Whitehead, Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Ismael Sanogo, and Angel Delgado.

"The difference in Isaiah this year and last year is he would not have bounced back from that Villanova game," Willard said after Whitehead, whose 21 points Wednesday evening led all scorers, capped off a third consecutive stellar performance following a hard loss on January 20 where, despite his valiant rally to get the Pirates back into the game against Jay Wright's Wildcats, he and Seton Hall fell one point short. "He has bounced back, he's been great in practice, he's been great in film. I think he's shown a level of maturity that he understands every once in a while, you're not going to play great, but you've got to be able to bounce back, and I think that's the difference between all of them, all five of those sophomores."

"They've all understood that it's not life or death anymore," Willard elaborated. "Last year, they just didn't understand the league. They didn't understand if you played bad, it wasn't the end of the world. This league will make you play bad once in a while. You've just got to mentally prepare yourself to be able to play the next game. That's where they've taken it to a different level."

For a team who entered conference play with a 10-2 record highlighted by a thrilling overtime victory against Wichita State, not to mention a home win against a "power five" opponent in Georgia, Willard has done a remarkable job of remaining grounded with his roster, not getting too high off monumental victories such as those. Nor has the coach looked ahead to upcoming battles against the likes of Providence and Xavier, both of whom have been ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press and ESPN coaches' polls during the year, and both of whom visit the Prudential Center later this month.

"We haven't had great success this year," he admitted, remaining pragmatic when assessing how the season has fared to date. "We're 6-4 in the league now. Last year, it was like a skyrocket, then a skyfall. This year, we're just like a roller coaster, like a kiddie roller coaster. We're up, we're down, we're up, we're down, and that's good. That's the way I want these guys to be."

Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski, no stranger to a team blended with young talent and experience, as he himself has a junior leader in Luke Fischer teaming with potential NBA lottery pick Henry Ellenson down low to offset a stable of guards that are still learning on the job, believes Seton Hall has taken last season's adversity and used it for the better, proclaiming the Pirates to be what Willard will not buy into just yet, a team whose name will be announced by Greg Gumbel on Selection Sunday.

"I admire the Seton Hall kids," Wojciechowski said, a compliment that echoed the class and grace of his mentor, Mike Krzyzewski. "A year ago at this time, they had their noses rubbed in it as freshmen. They've been hardened from it and it's galvanized them, so I give those kids a lot of credit, because they're playing really well. They're a surefire NCAA Tournament team."

For now, though, all that matters in South Orange is living in the present. With Georgetown, a team hungry to shake off a rocky non-conference season and prove they belong among the Big East's elite as well, coming to town Saturday night, what happens in March is the among the far reaches of Willard's mind. What he did do, though, was reflect on the team he has led to this point, and what they have done for him.

"I will say this: I enjoy coaching these guys every second I'm with them," he said with a proud, beaming smile. "I enjoy being around them."

Seton Hall 79, Marquette 62: JP's 5 Thoughts

Isaiah Whitehead is no doubt satisfied after 21 points and eight assists in Seton Hall's win over Marquette. (Photo courtesy of SHUHoops.com)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

Heading into last week's game against St. John's, Seton Hall had lost back-to-back games to Villanova and Xavier and sat at 3-4 in the Big East. Ahead of them was a critical stretch of four of their next five at home that, if they truly fancied themselves an NCAA Tournament team, they had to take advantage of.

Flash forward to three games later, and the Pirates have won three games in a row, having taken care of St. John's, played one of their best games of the year in getting revenge at Creighton from an earlier home loss, and Wednesday night, dispatched Marquette with a big second-half run by 17, 79-62. The Hall did it by dominating inside and closing strong all over, shooting 58% from the floor after halftime and turning it into an inevitability against one of the biggest and most-talented frontcourts in the conference.

My five cents:

1. Angels Among Us

Angel Delgado is playing out of his mind right now, and put up a masterful performance with his third-straight double-double, tying his career-high with 19 points and adding 13 rebounds on 8-9 shooting from the floor. And it wasn't just the numbers that stood out - he completely dominated inside against super-frosh Henry Ellenson and veteran Luke Fischer. While Ellenson also eventually managed 10 points and 10 rebounds and Fischer scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, there was zero doubt that Delgado was the master inside, scoring with a variety of moves and just running circles around the highly-touted Ellenson. There were even a couple points down the stretch where he ripped rebounds away from both at once. Possibly the best game he's played this year.

2. Swarming D

Delgado had some help in neutralizing the Marquette bigs, though. Ish Sanogo and Michael Nzei played with just as much intensity on defense to keep Ellenson in particular at bay. Sanogo didn't even score and fouled out of the game, yet he made a major impact. Nzei had five points, four rebounds and a couple blocked shots (which Sanogo also had). The numbers don't tell the story with those two guys, but their hustle and minutes are so valuable. The turning point of the game was a sequence where Sanogo pulled down not one, but two offensive rebounds with the Pirates up 52-49. Sanogo then fed Isaiah Whitehead for a deep triple that kicked off a 12-2 run that essentially put the game away.

3. The Prophet Isaiah

The story of the season up through the new year with Isaiah Whitehead was his inconsistency. He'd have games where he'd look brilliant and then others where nothing would seem to go his way. Well, he was stellar again, coming off a virtuoso performance in front of 18,000+ Creighton fans to put up another game of First-Team All-Big East quality. He struggled a little in the first half, but exploded efficiently in the second to end up with 21 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three blocks (!) and two steals. He needed only 12 shots (6-12) to amass those numbers and just ran the show in near-perfect fashion. It's safe to say that if he keeps this up, the Pirates will be going places.

4. It's Pronounced Gor-DON

Ok, not really, but Derrick Gordon was quietly superb off the Seton Hall bench. Scoring 13points with a trio of assists and no turnovers while helping the team turn up the intensity that led to the 17-point win. Kevin Willard described him as a "winner" and he seems to be constantly making winning plays whenever we see him on both ends. He may not be adept from long range, but that makes the deep shots he does hit (he made the second of three straight threes in that aforementioned 12-2 run for the Pirates) matter a lot because you know he's going to bring the other stuff every time.

5. Big Game Ahead

With the victory, the Hall pulled into a three-way tie for third place in the Big East with Providence (who they've beaten on the road) and their next opponents, Georgetown. The Hoyas can look great one night and terrible the next, but their offense is a tough one to defend. It requires some smarts on that end as well as effort. Luckily, the Pirates are really playing well on the defensive side of the ball, so despite the relatively quick turnaround, I think Seton Hall will be hot enough to keep up, especially because the Prudential Center will be rocking on Saturday night in prime time. 

Something the Pirates head coach talked about in his postgame presser was that his team is picking things up much quicker in practice and in walkthroughs than they did last year, a testament to the team's maturity being so much better this time around. You get the sense that he's right- Seton Hall hasn't really broken out big like they did last year early in conference play. Likewise, they haven't ever been too low. Right now, they're riding a three-game conference win streak. The last Pirates team to win four in a row in the Big East was the 2011-12 squad that featured Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope. That was also the last time the NCAAs seemed so close. The Hall still has work to do, but if they keep playing like they did on Wednesday, it's not unrealistic to think that this could finally be the year to dance in South Orange after 10 long years.

Danielle Burns: Inside The Numbers

Danielle Burns studies stat sheet after Fordham defeats George Washington. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

BY RAY FLORIANI

Bronx, NY -­ As the story goes, Danielle Burns was interested in George Washington. The Colonial staff did not reciprocate. Burns, a native of Gainesville, Virginia, chose Fordham. In the Rams’ 76-­69 victory over George Washington on Wednesday, Burns did appreciable damage as the Colonials suffered their first Atlantic 10 setback of the season. Burns insists there was no revenge factor. “That’s how I come out and play hard every game,” she said. The numbers, though, bore a closer look:

Points: 31
Field goals attempted: 14
Field goals made: 11 (4-of-6 from three)
Free throws attempted: 7
Free throws made: 5
Rebounds: 7
Fouls: 2
Assists: 4
Turnovers: 4
Minutes: 38
Effectiveness Factor: 38
EF per minute: 1.00

“Danielle just comes to play every day. She is a great competitor and a pleasure to coach.” ­ - Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley

Fordham 76, George Washington 69: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

Fordham huddles following their victory over George Washington. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

Bronx, NY -­ The visitors came in with nineteen wins and an unblemished record in Atlantic 10 play, the home five at 9­-12 and a .500 mark in conference, 4-4. On this night, Fordham, wearing the home white, put it together scoring a 76­-69 victory over George Washington at Rose Hill Gym.

First Quarter: The obligatory good start was realized by the Rams, who took a 7-­3 lead four minutes in. Inside threat Samantha Clark set effective high post screens, not rolling, but instead fading to the perimeter. In one sequence, she buried a three to the delight of a boisterous crowd. George Washington chose to push the ball, looking for opportunities in transition.
End of First Quarter: Fordham 16, George Washington 8

Second Quarter: George Washington looks to run on almost every chance. A look at the tempo-free printout from Basketball State shows the Colonials average a conference-best 77 possessions. Though they got out and ran a few times the first quarter, the Rams are more focused on playing half court and running their sets. Some of those sets feature lobs to Clark and G’mrice Davis. The Colonials had trouble matching up with the Rams inside.

Fordham owned a ten-point lead with just over three minutes remaining, but had their own concerns on defense as Brianna Cummings was effective inside.

Halftime: Fordham 37, George Washington 27
Possessions: Fordham 34, George Washington 33
Offensive efficiency: Fordham 109, George Washington 82

Third Quarter: George Washington came out running. Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley gestured with her hands and verbally implored her team not to get caught in a track meet. George Washington’s man to man defense made field goals hard to come by. Outside threat Hannah Missry was shadowed by fresh bodies all night. With under a minute to go, the Ram lead was reduced to one. In the last five minutes of the quarter, Fordham only made two field goals, both by Danielle Burns.


End of Third Quarter: Fordham 48, George Washington 45

Fourth Quarter: Burns continued, stroking two threes to build the lead back to seven at the eight-minute mark. Fordham, not giving up the lead, maintained momentum­ heading into ‘crunch’ time. George Washington coach Jonathan Tsipis was opinionated after he felt an offensive foul by Fordham was not called with the Rams burying a trey. He is assessed a technical foul, increasing the Fordham lead to ten with six minutes to go. A transition conversion by the Colonials with just under three minutes remaining makes it a one-possession affair, but the Rams never allowed the visitors to lead or even draw even. The final minute­-plus became a succession of Fordham trips to the line.

Final: Fordham 76, George Washington 69
Possessions: 68
Offensive efficiency: Fordham 112, George Washington 101

Four Factors:
eFG: Fordham 63, George Washington 42
FT Rate: Fordham 50, George Washington 17
OREB%: Fordham 15, George Washington 39
Turnover Rate: Fordham 19, George Washington 12

Leading scorers:
George Washington: ­ Lauren Chase, 18 points, EF 28
Fordham:­ Danielle Burns, 31 points, EF 38

What George Washington did well: Rebound and stay resilient. The Colonials won the offensive rebounding percentage battle and had a 41­-32 edge in raw rebounding numbers. Several times, the Rams established momentum and threatened to pull away but coach Jonathan Tsipis’ club would not fold.

What Fordham did well: Shoot. A 50 percent mark from three (8-of-16) accentuated a strong overall shooting percentage, resulting in an outstanding 60% eFG rate. Fordham also showed the ability to draw fouls with an excellent 50% free throw rate.

The game was basically a close affair that was not settled until the Rams iced it the final seconds. Oddly enough, there were no ties nor lead changes. Ciara Washington of George Washington pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Clark led Fordham with eight boards. In addition to her 18 points, Lauren Chase handed out eight assists against one turnover in 36 minutes. With a rotation of just six, Fordham was outscored 22­-4 off the bench. George Washington led 13-­0 in second chance points.

Final Thoughts “It feels good. I went out and did what I had to do on both sides of the ball. Just because they didn’t want me (Burns was interested but not offered by George Washington) makes no difference.” - Fordham forward Danielle Burns

“Great team victory, one of the best since I’ve been here. So special. Total team effort. Short rotation, a few freshmen I had to teach a lesson to. Great win, because we knocked off a top team and showed our kids what we were capable of. Great to finish and put it together in this situation. Danielle has come into her own. One of our biggest factors is controlling tempo. If we have horses, we run. We didn’t have the horses, so we tried to get it into our pace. Hats off to Danielle Burns, her work ethic is incredible.” ­- Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley

Manhattan 65, Rider 57: 5 Observations

A handful of takeaways as Manhattan moved back over .500 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a 65-57 home victory over Rider:

• "I recognized us."
  Following Friday night's loss to Iona, a showing that prompted Steve Masiello to credit the Gaels for making his team appear "out of sync a little bit offensively," the Jaspers played a style that was much more reminiscent of Manhattan basketball. Although only forcing 12 turnovers, Manhattan held Rider to a 3-of-14 showing from three-point range, something the Jasper coach admitted was integral to the game plan, particularly against point guard Teddy Okereafor. The offense was among its most efficient points of the season in the second half, where the Jaspers shot 14-for-22 (64 percent) from the floor after the intermission.
  
• The full Rich Williams experience.
  The junior swingman only scored 11 points on the night, but what he lacked on the box score, he made up for in hustle plays that helped Manhattan grind out a win. Williams struggled with just three rebounds, and missed four of five free throw attempts, but arguably served as the Jaspers' most vocal force on the defensive end, particularly in the second half. His block on Khalil Alford with 5:49 remaining in regulation preserved a one-point Jasper lead at that juncture, and although Rider would fight back and retake the lead, his aggression set the tone for Manhattan's stretch run.
  
• A major pick-me-up.
  Tonight's game was not necessarily a must-win, and Masiello agreed with that assessment, but what it did do was give Manhattan renewed confidence on a night where the sense of urgency was somewhat magnified following the Iona game. "I tried to come out as aggressive as possible," said Shane Richards, whose 28 points led all scorers. "I took some bad shots, but I just wanted to get going early, get the momentum going in our favor, and I think I did that for the most part."
  
• Big game on Super Bowl Sunday?
  Sunday's trip to Webster Bank Arena for the second meeting of the season with Fairfield, who lost to Manhattan at Draddy Gymnasium in a hotly-contested 72-66 Jasper victory on January 2, looms even larger considering that Masiello has yet to experience a win in Bridgeport, something he openly admitted when asked what he expected from the matinee before Super Bowl 50 kicks off outside San Francisco. "I expect them to be ready," the coach declared. "Sydney (Johnson) does a great job, they have Marcus, (Gilbert) who's a terrific player. They're going to be ready to come at us. They're playing good basketball, they're a very good team."
  
• Once again, cooler heads prevailed.
  As he did against Monmouth on January 21, when Zane Waterman and Chris Brady exchanged words after Brady flexed in Waterman's direction following a made basket, which nearly led to extracurricular activities by both benches, Masiello was again thrust into the roles of both peacemaker and defender, running onto the floor to break up a scrum that started when Waterman and Rider's Khalil Alford aggressively pursued a rebound in the final minute, with Manhattan holding a six-point lead at the time. Rider head coach Kevin Baggett took umbrage with Masiello's actions, stating "the only problem I had was one of their guys grabbed Shawn (Valentine). When you're in that, just grab your own guys. I think what happens is once you grab somebody else's guys, it just escalates things."
  
  With all due respect to Baggett, it is baffling at times to see the lack of credit Masiello gets for not just protecting his players, but those on the other team as well, in attempts to keep the peace and prevent minor incidents from becoming uncontrollable. One could argue that had he not come out onto the court to break it up, things possibly could have gotten worse.

Jaspers bounce back with comeback win against Rider

Shane Richards rebounded from Friday's loss to Iona with 28 points as Manhattan returned to winning ways against Rider. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Simone via Big Apple Buckets)

RIVERDALE, NY -- In the 1993 film "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray's character relives the same day over and over again.

One game into the second month of the year, Manhattan College looks as if they may be ready to hit their best stride once again en route to what would be a third consecutive conference championship.

Coming off an uncharacteristically lackluster offensive effort last Friday at Iona, the Jaspers (9-11, 6-5 MAAC) put another tally in the win column Tuesday night, scoring the final nine points of the night to close out a 65-57 victory over Rider (9-14, 5-7 MAAC) for Manhattan's third triumph in its last four attempts.

"For me, the win is huge, but I'm just happy with the way we played," said Steve Masiello as Manhattan's 9-0 run harkened back to the exact same outburst the Jaspers used in a comeback victory against Monmouth on January 21, also at Draddy Gymnasium. "I didn't recognize us at Iona, and you have to give Iona credit for that. Tonight, I liked us, I recognized us. I liked our grit, I liked our fight, I liked our focus, and that led to some good things."

Shane Richards, whose 28 points led all scorers, was the catalyst behind the game-changing spurt, stretching the Jasper lead to four points on a three-pointer he pushed in from the right arc with 2:18 remaining in regulation, making the score 61-57 before he sank a pair of free throws nearly a minute later. In preparing his troops for their come-from-behind rally, the message from the senior leader was a simple one.

"Just get one stop at a time," Richards implored his teammates. "We knew the offense would come late. Really, we had to take away Teddy, (Okereafor, 19 points) because he's a really good player. He was killing us in the first half and we knew we had to take him out, especially late in the game, because we knew they were going to go to him. I think we did a great job just getting stops at the end of the game."

"Shane Richards put himself in a Player of the Year status tonight," Masiello added, a tangible sense of pride echoing through his compliments. "I don't think I've ever been on a player as hard as I was after the Iona game as I was on Shane Richards. It's a tribute him, a testimony to his character and what he's about, the way he responded, because a lot of kids would have pouted. Shane responded like I hoped he would."

Manhattan got off to a fast start, leading 12-4 nearly seven minutes into the contest, but runs of 9-2 and 10-2 by the visiting Broncs swung the pendulum to the side of the visitors, who led by a slim 27-26 margin at halftime. The second half was a seesaw battle, with neither side leading by more than four points until Richards' aforementioned free throws with 1:27 on the clock turned a nip-and-tuck four-point game into a more comfortable six-point cushion. Rider had led, 57-56, after a jumper by Zedric Sadler with 3:25 to play, but Rich Williams' basket on the ensuing possession gave the Jaspers the lead for good.

"They did a good job," Rider head coach Kevin Baggett said of Manhattan. "They made baskets when they needed it, and we didn't. We had some close shots we just couldn't make we needed, and then we missed some free throws at the end. In the first half, we were moving it, but in the second half, we just got too stagnant."

With the score 63-57 in favor of the Jaspers, and 38.1 seconds remaining, a minor fracas occurred when Zane Waterman and Khalil Alford contested a rebound, nearly spurring on extracurricular activities. Both players received technical fouls, while Sadler and Josh Williams were ejected for leaving the Rider bench.

"I was trying to get the rebound," Waterman, who finished with 12 points and seven boards, firmly stated. "That's all I was trying to do."

What Manhattan did do was get a much-needed win going into another pivotal matchup on Sunday, when the Jaspers travel to Bridgeport to take on a Fairfield team that is much improved this year despite their 6-6 conference record.

"I wouldn't say it was a 'must-win,'" Masiello conceded, "but it's a great confidence win in February, because this is the time of the year we want to start playing our best basketball."

Robinson's career night keeps Monmouth rolling in win at Siena

Justin Robinson's 36 points were career-best for junior as Monmouth completed season sweep of Siena. (Photo courtesy of Vincent Simone via Big Apple Buckets)

BY NORMAN ROSE (@ECoastBias)

The best part of low-major basketball is that when the two or three really good teams get together, it's a passionate barnburner. The coaches and players know that those games are one-game tournaments for position in the postseason. Siena was within a game of the league leading Monmouth Hawks, and it was a fiery time in the Capital Region from the get-go.

The Siena crowd wanted it so badly.

And so did Monmouth's Justin Robinson, who exploded for a career-high 36 points - 23 in the first half - on the way to a high-energy 93-87 victory in Albany. 

How high energy? Monmouth scored 1.23 points per possession, with only seven turnovers (9% of their possessions) and 44% shooting from beyond the arc. The Siena Saints scored 1.13 points/ possession, but the 17 turnovers (22% of possessions) sunk their comeback attempts. Robinson was smoking early, shooting treys from the left side for 11 of the Hawks' first 13 points in the first four minutes to improve Monmouth's record to 18-5 overall, 10-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. Siena fell to 15-8, 8-4 in the MAAC. 

Siena forward Javion Ogunyemi (a career-high 31 points) spoke about the way that Robinson transforms a game with his energy and quickness. "Justin does a great job of pushing the ball," Ogunyemi said. "He makes everybody play at that pace. He's so fast, he's so quick that once there's a loose ball, he gets the ball and likes to run." 

"We just can't let Justin Robinson get the first twelve points," Jimmy Patsos exclaimed after the game. "I'm doing a poor job of communicating with my team. My car's in the shop right now because the computer won't communicate with your airlift system, so maybe that was a sign of things to come because I'm not communicating enough with my guards to get them to understand how good he is, that you have to have the foot on the throttle for forty minutes defensively." 

"I think our kids got going on offense," King Rice said after the game, "especially Justin early. I think that quited the crowd and let our kids get into the groove some. From there it was a good game." 

That groove led the Hawks to spread the scoring, with Je'lon Hornbeak adding nine of his 10 in the first half. Seven other players got into the scoring action as Robinson conducted the offense with quickness and poise, dishing out three assists and drawing attention as the Hawks moved the ball with precision and speed. "I didn't think I had that many points," Robinson said, "until Austin [Tilghman] took me aside and said I had 23 in the first half." 

Ogunyemi's 16 points (of his career-high 31) helped keep the Saints within nine at the half. 

In the beginning of the second half, Siena went to work, enticing the home crowd with a run that brought the Saints within two. Ogunyemi and Bisping went to the paint on nearly every possession against a Monmouth team that seemed to be hard to bang against.

"I think they did some things inside we couldn't deal with," Rice said.

There the Saints were, only down two just after Bisping picked up his fourth foul with 13:30 left - striking distance for a resounding win at home, with the crowd at full throat, the Times Union Center rocking.

Monmouth's Austin Tilghman, the stocky sophomore, picked up some of the scoring slack at that point, scoring ten of his twelve points in the second half. And the Hawks would not be denied, going on an 8-0 run to stabilize their lead. "Austin was tremendous," Rice said. 

Siena's dependence on freshmen didn't help. Nico Clareth (the scoring punch off the bench), Kenny Wormley (the starting point guard until Marquis Wright returns from injury), and Evan Fisher (the backup big man who played when Bisping had foul trouble) had their moments, but each of them made critical turnovers in a game where Siena had to achieve a higher level of mistake-free crispness than they have this season. 

"It was a great event. We made some really gutsy plays. We had to get a stop and a bucket," Patsos said. "Instead we missed a layup and they got a bucket."

"They have a really good backcourt. Their backcourt beat our backcourt very badly," he added. 

Monmouth's combo of Robinson, Tilghman, Hornbeak and Micah Seaborn scored 70 points. Wormley, Clareth, (15 points) Kinnon LaRose and Ryan Oliver scored 25.

Patsos was proud of his squad.

"But we didn't quit," he said. "That's the best team and we want to beat the best team. We scored 87 points! We didn't give up, we're doing a lot of good things. We did everything we could, we just didn't get enough stops."

And looking at the opponent, Patsos showed deep admiration. 

"You look at what Monmouth's done, they deserve an at-large bid," Patsos said, talking about the Hawks' realistic but slim at-large chances. "They didn't have one win," Patsos continued, lauding Rice's squad. "They didn't [just] get two lucky wins at a neutral site. They went to Pauley Pavilion and won, they went to Georgetown and won." 

"We're getting better too," said Rice. "That's the cool thing. Early in the year, we had some big wins, but we're a better basketball team than we were early. That's all we've been talking about, focus on one game at a time and not let the outside noise make us focus on other things."

Erika Livermore: Inside The Numbers

FDU head coach Pete Cinella and forward Erika Livermore entertain postgame questions. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

Teaneck, NJ -- Erika Livermore canned the two free throws giving FDU a 73­-72 victory over Saint Francis University. Livermore’s heroics were just the finisher on an outstanding night.

Minutes: 33
Field goals attempted: 15
Field goals made: 8
Free throws attempted: 10
Free throws made: 10
Rebounds: 18
Personal fouls: 2
Points: 26
Assists: 1
Turnovers: 0
Steals: 1
Blocks: 0
Effectiveness Factor: 46

EF per minute: 1.39

“Erika’s turnover rate on the season has been phenomenal when you consider how many times she gets the ball on the low blocks. Plus, we use her to handle the ball in our press offense and she inbounds the ball for us. The ball is in her hands so much, yet she rarely turns it over. That is amazing.” ­- FDU coach Pete Cinella

FDU 73, Saint Francis U 72: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

FDU brings up the ball against the Saint Francis defense. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

Teaneck, NJ -- Coming off a loss Saturday at LIU, the FDU Knights hoped to regroup against visiting Saint Francis University. 

The Red Flash came in following a home win over Robert Morris two days ago. For the Knights, it was an opportunity to get back in the win column and settle a score. They seized that opportunity in a most unorthodox manner. FDU defeated the Red Flash 73-72 in another of those ‘typical’ Northeast Conference thrillers.

First Quarter: The first time the teams  met, Saint Francis emerged an 87-67 victor over the Knights. In that light, a good start was vital for the Knights. At the five-minute media timeout, FDU had a 7-6 lead. Both teams are running early. St. Francis has height, bringing 6-3 freshman Courtney Zezza off the bench. FDU would counter, setting up inside threat Erika Livermore on the high post to set screens before going to the low blocks. Height aside, it was a guard, Halee Adams, who hit a three and two in close to allow the Red Flash to open a five-point lead late in the first quarter.

End of First Quarter: Saint Francis 18, FDU 15

Second Quarter: FDU was still looking to run as Saint Francis ran a three-out, two-in set, moving the ball on the perimeter and taking the open shot, preferably from beyond the arc. The visitors had trouble finding the mark early, as a 9-2 FDU run built a four-point lead just before the media timeout. The lead hit a dozen as FDU’s defense sparked transition. The inside work of Livermore also contributed to the spurt. Saint Francis' Brielle Ward scored on a layup with seven seconds remaining, the only field goal of the quarter for the Red Flash, compared to ten for FDU. 

Halftime: FDU 43, Saint Francis 25

Possessions: Saint Francis 43, FDU 44

Offensive efficiency: Saint Francis 58, FDU 98

Third Quarter: Saint Francis took to the perimeter to get back in the game. The Red Flash offense is four, sometimes all five out (on the perimeter). Finding the shooting range, plus some full court pressure, got the deficit to a manageable 13 points. The pace is helter-skelter as the Knights, on beating pressure, finished their possessions in transition. The outlook for Saint Francis was much better than at halftime, with the offense clicking and defense responding as well.   

End of Third Quarter: FDU 58, Saint Francis 47

Fourth Quarter: FDU chose to run more sets, rather than get caught in all out transition. The Knights are not getting totally conservative on offense to protect the lead. Rather, it is designed to eliminate turnovers and get a shot while using some clock in the process. With just over four minutes left, it is a two-possession game. The three-pointer is an offensive weapon, and Saint Francis is using it. With two minutes to go, an eternity, FDU leads 69-65. Closing out is tough when the offense has four on the perimeter, all willing to fire. Alisha Brock’s three with just under a minute left cuts FDU’s lead to three. Katie Reese’s penetration basket with under 15 seconds left is Saint Francis’ only one in the lane this quarter. It gives the Red Flash the lead. FDU comes down and Kelsey Cruz commits an offensive foul.  The ball falls out of bounds, and on the inbounds, FDU steals and Livermore is fouled. She cans both to give the Knights a thrilling victory.

Final: FDU 73, Saint Francis 72  

Possessions: Saint Francis 81, FDU 84

Offensive efficiency: Saint Francis 89, FDU 87

A ‘5 per center’: That is roughly the percentage of times the ‘winner’ in efficiency comes up short on the scoreboard.

What Saint Francis did well: Stay tough. Down 18 at the half and looking at a 23-point deficit with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Red Flash, possession by possession, stayed with it. Their ability to pressure and force turnovers went a long way toward completing the comeback.

What FDU did well: Get four players in double figures. All season long, coach Pete Cinella preached the positives of having more than two (Livermore with 26 and  Cruz 14) hit double figures. Tonight, Kiana Brown (12 points) and Anastasia Williams (11) got into the act.

Coach Joe Haigh’s Red Flash shot 51 of their  79 attempts from three. On the NEC season, 46 percent of their attempts have been from long distance. Saint Francis shot 10-of-51 (19.6%) from three. FDU was 3-of-11 (27.3%) while enjoying a 34-16 points in the paint advantage, no surprise as Saint Francis lived on the perimeter and FDU had Livermore with her ‘interior decorating.’

Using transition as a means to come back, Saint Francis led 20-10 in fast break points. Brielle Ward led the Red Flash with 15 rebounds, while Livermore paced all rebounders with 18.

Saint Francis is 6-4 in NEC play. FDU is now at .500, 5-5.

“When they made their run, we made it a point not to panic. We rushed a bit and turned it over, but we were determined. We were not going to lose this game.”- FDU’s Kelsey Cruz

“We had 11 players contribute to a great win. We led for 39 minutes (actually 33) and could have folded at the end. The last play, we made a great steal and decision getting into Livermore’s hands. We were resilient. We knew they would go on runs. They run, press and shoot the three, that’s their game. Every time they went on a significant run with a few threes, we answered with a big bucket, answering threes with a two. Anastasia Williams was huge. She gave us 11 points and 12 rebounds, but more importantly, the energy we needed at certain spots.”- FDU coach Pete Cinella 

Iona trumps Saint Peter's for second time this season despite late Peacock rally

A.J. English led all scorers with 21 points as Iona completed season sweep of Saint Peter's. (Photo courtesy of Brian Beyrer via Iona College Athletics)

JERSEY CITY, NJ -- While one of the Republican party's high-profile candidates entered the Iowa caucuses on Monday seeking a testimonial to his pledge of making America great again, one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's superstars merely went about his business of leading his team to another win.

The results for Donald Trump are still being determined, but the final statistics for A.J. English showed a game-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists as Iona (12-9, 9-3 MAAC) held off a courageous rally to dispatch Saint Peter's (8-12, 6-5 MAAC) by the final of 75-67, completing a regular season sweep against the pesky Peacocks on their home floor at the Yanitelli Center.

"I just tried to keep playing basketball," English humbly stated as he guided the Gaels through a late threat from Saint Peter's, who got within five points in the final minute after being down as many as 20 earlier in the second half. "Every game I've played Saint Peter's, whether we're up or we're not, they're the type of team where they have a resume where they won't give up."

On the heels of one of the best defensive efforts under Tim Cluess, which came in a 70-56 pasting of bitter adversary Manhattan on Friday, Iona carried the momentum from that side of the ball over into the first half Monday night, surrendering only 27 points and holding Saint Peter's to just nine field goals in the opening stanza.

"That's what we're stressing more than anything else right now," said Cluess of his team's exploits on the defensive end. "Since that Fairfield game, (January 24) to be honest with you, that was the low point defensively. All we're trying to do right now is just play with effort. Whatever the score shows at the end, the score shows at the end, but if we play really hard, we'll give ourselves a chance every time out."

Trailing 59-39 with 10:44 to play in regulation, Saint Peter's slowly whittled away at their deficit, as John Dunne's teams have been reputed for over the years. A 13-5 run capped off by four points from Trevis Wyche, who finished with 15 on the night, brought the Peacocks within 12 at the 5:37 mark of the second half. Following a Deyshonee Much jumper that stretched the Iona lead to 14 with 3:11 on the clock, Saint Peter's would rip off an 11-2 spurt that made the score 72-67, but would get no closer the rest of the way.

"It's four games in a row now where we haven't shown up in the first half," Dunne lamented of his team's struggles to start the game. "It's getting to be very disappointing that we're not showing up to start games. We need to figure it out quick."

Despite the lack of immediate success, two bright spots emerged for the Peacocks on this night, as Quadir Welton and Elisha Boone both posted career-high point totals, collecting 19 and 15 points, respectively.

"I just took what the defense gave me, really," said Boone, the former Lincoln High School product who has taken on a larger role in his sophomore season. "Starting with the first half, I brought as much energy as I could off the bench, and it led into the second half."

"I think he's really beginning to learn how to play," Dunne expounded. "He's becoming cerebral on his cutting, when to cut, when not to cut. He's far better now than he was at any time last year, and his energy level is great."

Saint Peter's, who has now lost four straight heading into Friday's pivotal matchup at Siena, has been through stretches like this before, and as one of the more experienced voices in the locker room, Welton has urged his younger teammates to stay the course amid the adversity.

"I'm really just telling them to play hard all the time," the junior forward revealed, serving as a beacon of positive reinforcement to a youthful roster picked ninth among eleven in the MAAC's preseason poll. "Anything can happen in our league, anybody can beat anybody. If we play hard, just play together, you can win games."

Across the court, Iona now hits the road for their Western New York swing against Canisius and Niagara, wrapping up a three-game road trip where the Gaels are, according to their coach, still not where they need to be.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Cluess admitted, "and we're just going to concentrate and work to try to get better. We're nowhere near where we want to be, but we're on the right path and we need to stay on that path, because sometimes you do it for a little bit and then you stray. We don't want to stray."

MAAC Monday: Efficiency refresher, stat leaders, power rankings

With the conference season now in its second half, this week's "MAAC Monday" revisits each team's efficiency numbers in its opening segment, before transitioning into stat leaders and power rankings once again. In our November 30 debut edition of this column, Fairfield held the top spot in possessions, averaging 76.33 trips down the floor per game. Two months later, the numbers stand as follows:

Possessions per game (from highest to lowest)
1) Fairfield (75)
2) Monmouth (74.5)
3) Iona (73.05)
4) Siena (73)
5) Canisius (72.43)
6) Marist (71.3)
7) Quinnipiac (70.53)
8) Manhattan (70.21)
9) Niagara (67.83)
10) Saint Peter's (67.53)
11) Rider (67.36)
Analysis: The Stags retain the top spot, and have not sacrificed their uptempo ways through the first half of the MAAC slate. Monmouth has seen a slight uptick in possessions since our last chart prior to the opening week of league play, whereas Iona, Siena, and Canisius have all slowed down a bit since then. Marist, however, has picked up the pace by over three full possessions to vault into the middle of the leaderboard as head coach Mike Maker is starting to get greater contributions from his young squad despite a long losing streak. Quinnipiac has also pushed the ball further over the past several weeks, and while Rider has gained over five trips down the floor since our last look, the Broncs still bring up the rear from a pace perspective.

Points Per Possession (from highest to lowest)
1) Canisius (1.09)
2) Iona (1.08)
3) Monmouth (1.07)
4) Fairfield (1.065)
5) Siena (1.062)
6) Marist (1.01)
7) Rider (1.005)
8) Saint Peter's (0.98)
9) Manhattan (0.977)
10) Niagara (0.94)
11) Quinnipiac (0.93)

Defensive Efficiency (points per possession against from lowest to highest)
Monmouth (0.97)
Siena (0.99)
Quinnipiac (1.003)
Rider (1.004)
Saint Peter's (1.006)
Iona (1.038)
Manhattan (1.046)
Niagara (1.049)
Fairfield (1.07)
Canisius (1.12)
Marist (1.20)

Scoring Leaders (* denotes players not among leaders due to not meeting MAAC requirement for minimum games)
1) A.J. English, Iona (22.4 PPG)
2) Khallid Hart, Marist (22.2)
3) Justin Robinson, Monmouth (20.1)
4) Marcus Gilbert, Fairfield (18.9)
5) Shane Richards, Manhattan (17.4)
*Marquis Wright, Siena (17.3)
6) Matt Scott, Niagara (16.8)
7) Brian Parker, Marist (16.7)
8) Jordan Washington, Iona (16.6)
9) Tyler Nelson, Fairfield (16.0)
10) Brett Bisping, Siena (15.7)

Rebounding Leaders
1) Brett Bisping, Siena (9.3 RPG)
2) Quadir Welton, Saint Peter's (7.8)
3) Kahlil Thomas, Rider (7.8)
4) Isaiah Williams, Iona (7.2)
5) Matt Scott, Niagara (6.9)
6) Deon Jones, Monmouth (6.9)
7) Abdulai Bundu, Quinnipiac (6.8)
8) Rich Williams, Manhattan (6.7)
9) Javion Ogunyemi, Siena (6.5)
10) Jordan Washington, Iona (6.2)

Assist Leaders
1) A.J. English, Iona (6.0 APG)
2) Tyler Wilson, Manhattan (5.8)
3) Jerome Segura, Fairfield (5.4)
4) Trevis Wyche, Saint Peter's (4.8)
*Marquis Wright, Siena (4.6)
5) Teddy Okereafor, Rider (4.4)
6) Malcolm McMillan, Canisius (4.3)
7) Justin Robinson, Monmouth (3.6)
8) Lavon Long, Siena (3.6)
9) Tyler Nelson, Fairfield (3.3)
10) Brian Parker, Marist (3.2)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Chris Brady, Monmouth (.567)
2) Kahlil Thomas, Rider (.564)
3) Jordan Washington, Iona (.541)
4) Javion Ogunyemi, Siena (.524)
5) Brian Parker, Marist (.522)
6) Trevis Wyche, Saint Peter's (.517)
7) Xavier Lundy, Rider (.497)
8) Deyshonee Much, Iona (.486)
9) Zane Waterman, Manhattan (.476)
10) Lavon Long, Siena (.474)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Tyler Nelson, Fairfield (.880)
2) Je'lon Hornbeak, Monmouth (.873)
3) Justin Robinson, Monmouth (.857)
4) Shane Richards, Manhattan (.838)
5) Malcolm McMillan, Canisius (.822)
6) Khallid Hart, Marist (.820)
7) Micah Seaborn, Monmouth (.813)
8) A.J. English, Iona (.809)
9) Antwon Portley, Saint Peter's (.809)
10) Giovanni McLean, Quinnipiac (.806)

Three-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders (* denotes players not among leaders due to not meeting MAAC requirement for minimum games)
*Marquis Wright, Siena (.548)
1) Deyshonee Much, Iona (.484)
2) Justin Robinson, Monmouth (.418)
3) Kassius Robertson, Canisius (.412)
4) RaShawn Stores, Manhattan (.412)
5) Khallid Hart, Marist (.411)
6) Ibn Muhammad, Iona (.410)
7) Thomas Capuano, Manhattan (.408)
T-8) Daniel Harris, Quinnipiac (.405)
T-8) Isaiah Lamb, Marist (.405)
10) Marcus Gilbert, Fairfield (.404)

Power Rankings
1) Monmouth (17-5, 9-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 vs. Saint Peter's (W 73-57)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 at Siena, 7 p.m.

2) Siena (15-7, 8-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 vs. Marist (W 77-66)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m.

3) Iona (11-9, 8-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Friday 1/29 vs. Manhattan (W 70-56)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 at Saint Peter's, 7 p.m.

4) Fairfield (12-9, 6-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Friday 1/29 vs. Canisius (W 84-77)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

5) Saint Peter's (8-11, 6-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 at Monmouth (L 73-57)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.

6) Rider (9-13, 5-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 1/31 vs. Canisius (W 79-68)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/2 at Manhattan, 7 p.m.

7) Manhattan (8-11, 5-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Friday 1/29 at Iona (L 70-56)
Next Game: Tuesday 2/2 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.

8) Canisius (10-13, 5-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 1/31 at Rider (L 79-68)
Next Game: Friday 2/5 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.

9) Quinnipiac (6-13, 3-7 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 vs. Niagara (W 82-68)
Next Game: Monday 2/1 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.

10) Niagara (6-17, 4-8 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 at Quinnipiac (L 82-68)
Next Game: Friday 2/5 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.

11) Marist (4-16, 1-10 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Saturday 1/30 at Siena (L 77-66)
Next Game: Thursday 2/4 at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.