As MAAC grind approaches, Fairfield grateful for its ability to learn to win games

Caleb Fields posted career-high 27 points as Fairfield turned back Le Moyne for seventh straight win. (Photo by Fairfield Men’s Basketball)

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Chris Casey was his normal poised self in the postgame press conference after watching his Stags beat Le Moyne, 78-72, on Saturday afternoon at Mahoney Arena to wrap up their non-conference slate at 7-6. He is focused on the long game with his talented roster that has rallied around the interim coach and his new staff.

The win over Le Moyne marked Fairfield’s sixth straight victory, the program’s longest streak since rattling off seven in a row in 2017-18 that resulted in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game berth, and also the fourth straight against a Northeast conference opponent. In a game where Fairfield led for all but 56 seconds, the Dolphins didn’t shy away from the challenge against a hot team in front of a solid holiday crowd on hand. After leading by as much as 18, Fairfield took its foot off the gas, and it almost proved costly. The closest Le Moyne came was within five with just over two minutes left, before Caleb Fields buried any last hopes from the visitors by making all six of his free throw attempts over the final 1:17. 

Still, a win is a win, regardless of whether it comes against an unheralded Le Moyne team or a mid-major force like Yale, the Stags’ second victim on their current win streak. 

“Every game prepares you for MAAC play and every game is different,” Casey said when asked about how the four-game stand against NEC opponents has helped Fairfield prepare for MAAC play. “Any win translates and it helps your confidence.”

There is no questioning the value of learning how to win, an experience Fairfield will take any day even if the stretches of sustained success have come against teams the Stags may not be favored to beat and not yet for the typical conference toss-up games. There is also not as steep a learning curve to do that when the guards continue to march over opposing back courts like they have, with Fields getting his time to shine against Le Moyne to the tune of 27 points, five rebounds and four assists. He was complemented by a less pronounced 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists from Jasper Floyd, who continues to be a difference maker in his own right.

“I trust in my teammates and they trust in me,” said Fields, whose 27 points marked a career high. “We faced a lot of adversity during the summertime and that brought us closer together.” 

Fairfield continues to do whatever necessary to win. In many games, Jalen Leach was one of the hot hands, but on Saturday, he had an off performance by going 2-for-10 from the field after dropping 20 points in the last two wins over FDU and Wagner. There is a next man up mentality for Fairfield and most importantly, the players are all happy when anyone in their locker room succeeds, according to Fields. That has undeniably raised the morale, while showing the Stags what the sum of their pieces looks like in their current operating state. 

“This is definitely the most fun I’ve had in my career,” Fields said. “Everyone’s cheering for each other even if someone else is having a career high or a great game. We’re all happy for one another.”

Of course, there are things to clean up, too. Fairfield failed to take care of the ball at times in the first half against Le Moyne, and allowed too many easy baskets in transition from those turnovers. The impending return of Alexis Yetna, who hasn’t played since March 2022 due to injury, will go a long way toward helping the Stags defend the paint better and let Peyton Smith and Birima Seck the needed rest to really let the Stags get creative with matchups when at full strength. 

“He’s been really good,” Casey said about Yetna, who he says may be ready to play by mid January. “And I told him over the break, just because you aren’t playing doesn’t mean you’re not having an impact on what we’re doing.”

Hofstra’s valiant fight comes up just short against St. John’s

Tyler Thomas led Hofstra with 24 points as Pride narrowly missed out on upset of St. John’s. (Photo by Hofstra Men’s Basketball)

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

ELMONT, N.Y. — In a local rivalry renewed for the first time in 14 years, Hofstra and St. John’s gave fans at UBS Arena a treat to end 2023, one that ended in an 84-79 victory for the Red Storm.

“I’m proud of my guys,” Speedy Claxton declared after a game in which Hofstra was without Jacco Fritz, who continues to battle a back injury. “I thought we came out there and we played hard, and I told these guys if we came out there and play like we did today in conference, we’re gonna win a lot of ballgames. We fell a little short, we were undermanned today and it cost on the boards in the second half. But I’m proud of the effort. We could have easily won this game if the ball bounced other ways.”

Both teams were dealing with injured starters, as St. John’s (9-4) was without forward Chris Ledlum, nursing a sprained ankle. The question for the Pride was how it would deal with the size of the Johnnies, namely Joel Soriano. Claxton played small ball for a majority of the contest, with Dstone Dubar at the five spot, a lineup that paid massive dividends as the 6-foot-11 Soriano was unable to solve Hofstra’s backcourt defensively. Dubar tallied 23 points in the losing effort for Hofstra (7-6), while Tyler Thomas overcame foul trouble to post 24 points and nine rebounds, knocking down several clutch shots to keep the Pride within earshot.

The predominantly St. John’s crowd was not vocal for most of the first half, as Hofstra fought the Red Storm tooth and nail through an opening stanza from which the Johnnies emerged with a 36-32 lead. The Pride kept Soriano in check through the initial half, keeping him off the glass as the fifth-year senior struggled to find his footing.

Nine unanswered points out of the locker room put the hosts ahead by 13 points, St. John’s largest lead of the afternoon. But with each unfolding possession, Hofstra’s lethal outside shooting brought the Pride back into a game it connected on 12 of its 28 long-distance calls in. Thomas would bring his team within three with 4:09 remaining in regulation, but Hofstra was unable to draw closer.

After the game, Pitino could only rave about Claxton, who defeated him last season when he was the head coach at Iona.

“I’ve shaken hands with Dean Smith, Frank McGuire, Lou Carnesecca, Bill Self, you name it,” he began. “Speedy Claxton’s one of the best coaches I’ve coached against in my lifetime, because he takes advantage of every mismatch that’s out there and he’ll sub accordingly. This is a rising star in our game. He was a great player, and now he’s a great coach. I’m really proud of what he’s done on the sidelines.”

Many fans have clamored for St. John’s and Hofstra to play one another annually, something Pitino has openly expressed a desire to do and something his counterpart was also on board with.

“Absolutely,” Claxton proclaimed. “Previous coaches, I guess they chose not to play us, so I’m happy Coach Pitino got the job because I knew once he got the job, he would definitely be up to playing us not just this year. Moving forward, hopefully this will be a yearly thing.”

Hofstra heads into the new year with a 7-6 record through a non-conference slate that also included Duke, Saint Louis and UNLV, and opens Coastal Athletic Association play Thursday against defending CAA champion Charleston. Dubar admitted he liked where his team was at this season despite not executing in some games where the Pride admittedly should have won, and Claxton concurred, citing a similar mark through this point of the season last year before Hofstra went on to win the CAA regular season title.

“I feel like we’re in a good place,” he said. “We have the same record as we did last year going into conference play, so we’re just gonna try to keep building as the season progresses. The positive is we played against a local opponent on a big stage and we held our own.”

“I’m not worried about it. We had a very tough non-league schedule like we do always, but it’s to prepare us for when we get into conference play. We design our schedule to be like that, but I’m proud of my guys. A 7-6 record, we’re in a good place.”

Pitino still believes St. John’s can build homecourt advantage off campus

Rick Pitino addresses media at Big East media day in October. St. John’s head coach still believes homecourt advantage can be cultivated outside of Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden despite lackluster crowds so far this season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ELMONT, N.Y. — While Rick Pitino’s hire has brought a sufficient amount of buzz back to the St. John’s program this season, the response from the Red Storm’s fan base has been lukewarm at best through two months of the season.

St. John’s christened its third home court Saturday, hosting Hofstra inside UBS Arena for the first of three contests the Johnnies will hold at the home of the New York Islanders. And while the crowd of 7,486 that saw the Red Storm gut out an 84-79 victory is a respectable turnout on the penultimate day of the calendar year, it could be argued that the atmosphere resembled that of a neutral site at times, perhaps lending more to the close margin of victory than if the game were played on campus at Carnesecca Arena.

When he was hired in March, Pitino envisioned most of St. John’s games taking place in larger venues, as the Hall of Fame coach did not believe Carnesecca could adequately accommodate the brand of basketball he and his staff have begun to build. Two months into that task, he continued to emphasize the patience needed in resurrecting the once-proud brand.

“It’s much better than Barclays Center,” Pitino said of UBS, comparing it with the atmosphere in Brooklyn for St. John’s loss to Boston College on December 10. “Look, I’m not a complainer. I don’t complain about the portal, I don’t complain about the NIL. I could sit here and tell you I’d like to change 100 things at St. John’s because nothing’s been changed for 100 years. So that being said. Carnesecca is a big-time homecourt advantage, but the restrooms are terrible, there’s no concessions, so it’s difficult. We didn’t sell out against Xavier, we didn’t have anybody come at Barclays. We don’t have an abundance of fans, we’re not UConn or Villanova with fans, and there’s a reason.”

“We lost the brand. Looie’s been gone a long time. So we’ve gotta build the brand back, and people will come back. We’ve gotta change the facilities, we’ve gotta change everything. It takes time.”

Pitino went on to reveal in his postgame press conference that he is intending to play reigning national champion UConn at Carnesecca Arena next season. The Huskies have not visited the St. John’s campus for a men’s basketball game since January 2, 1990, when the building now named for the Red Storm’s all-time winningest coach was still known as Alumni Hall, with Carnesecca coaching against a then-fourth-year UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. UConn will play at Madison Square Garden for the fourth time this season when it visits St. John’s on February 3, and will likely have a majority in the crowd as it usually does when the Huskies take the court in midtown Manhattan.

“Right now, the only game that’s going to be played in Carnesecca is Connecticut,” Pitino reiterated. “Every other game, we’re going to negotiate.”

When asked by Zach Braziller of the New York Post whether that comment was meant in jest, Pitino doubled down, intimating his seriousness.

“Oh, 100 percent,” he said. “We’re playing them at Carnesecca. It’s definitely not a joke. I have my reasons.”

Home venues aside, St. John’s has announced sellouts of 5,602 for each of the four on-campus games so far this season, with crowds of 14,188 and 12,720 for the Madison Square Garden matchups with Michigan and Fordham, respectively. Pitino was not one to place blame on the arena, again stressing that the rebuild of the St. John’s brand and tradition is still in its infancy, and would attract a larger gathering in the future if all goes according to plan.

“I don’t think it’s the building,” he said. “I think (UBS is) a wonderful building, the Garden’s great, Barclays Center is terrific. The fans just don’t go there for some reason in college. I don’t think we have a magic bullet. I think there are a lot of things that have to improve, but it takes time.”

Tretout focused on winning with Iona in bittersweet return to Harvard

Idan Tretout (7) has enjoyed success through first two months at Iona. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

Before Idan Tretout had even graduated from Harvard last spring, he committed to join Iona and the large-scale rebuild that was just starting up under newly appointed coach Tobin Anderson.

The Brooklyn native made the decision to return closer to his home, without prescribing to any belief that he was transferring down or up by choosing the 14-time MAAC Champions. It was not a transfer against his own will or the will of his Ivy League home, either, given that he had exhausted his undergraduate eligibility at Harvard. Oddly enough for Tretout, the move to Iona has set the stage for a fun scenario that will play out Saturday.

“I have thought about it a semi-good amount but just excited for the opportunity,” Tretout said when asked about Iona’s matchup with Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion.

Given the homecoming for Tretout, Saturday’s game in Cambridge promises to be a unique footnote in Iona’s wayward season to date. Iona has a roster welded by solid veterans and a few surprise freshmen who have wasted no time making a splash. But given there were 13 new players, the bumps in the road were inevitable, but would have probably been made worse without the presence of Tretout. His impact goes beyond just the court, where he is averaging 13 points per game, to how he approaches his goals and to him simply being comfortable in his own skin. It only felt right that Tretout, who is unique in his own cool style, will get the unique honor of playing in a game that is important to him in ways that winning or losing could never reveal. But as Tretout himself pointed out, the homecomings are not as unique in the current structure of college basketball.

“It’s been popping up more recently given the fifth year more players are opting to use,” Tretout said. “It’s a unique feeling in that I was bought in for all of those teammates and now I’m on a different team.”

Tretout insisted that what drew him to Iona was the vision Anderson had for a program accustomed to excellence, more than anything personal like getting to play his old school. As a junior, Tretout played against Iona at the Hynes Center, a 90-87 overtime win for the Gaels. At that point, Tretout never envisioned the idea of finishing his career at Iona. The possibility of playing for the Gaels only emerged toward the end of his senior season before his plans were made official in April.

Tretout had to overcome multiple injuries and the misfortune of having his sophomore season canceled thanks to the Ivy League putting sports on the backburner during the pandemic. No games meant no film, despite the fact that Tretout worked out each day for countless hours while living off campus in Massachusetts, quarantining with a teammate. And when he wasn’t around his Harvard teammates and the trainers who helped them, Tretout found himself back home reunited with old trainers, trying to stay ready for his next chance. The lost opportunities from that season irked the openly ambitious Tretout, he admits, but it did put a chip on his shoulder that has been with him since.

After only playing 29 games across three years including the lost season, Tretout showed he had far more left in the tank last season, averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game during Ivy League play. Tretout shot 36 percent from three for the year, and as a team, the Crimson clinched its 13th winning season in 14 years. A big key to that happening was Tretout’s emergence as the second-option behind former first team all-Ivy League selection Chris Ledlum, who, like Tretout, returned closer to his Brooklyn roots by playing for St. John’s. The bulk of the scoring may have run through Ledlum with but a sense of independence and leadership sprung forth in Tretout’s game and was a final reward for his patience against the uncontrollable factors he had to play through.

“Taking on the leadership role with Chris Ledlum last year prepared me for this leadership role,” Tretout said. 

Anderson knew the services of a player with Tretout’s skill set was sought after in the transfer portal. As a veteran who does a little of everything, Tretout fit into Iona’s plans of finding veterans who could help set up a foundation for the program’s identity from day one. 

“There’s a lot of things he can do besides just score,” Anderson said a few days after Iona beat Fairfield earlier this month when Tretout posted 12 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. “He’s been a leader and a vocal person for us.” 

The academic stature of a player like Tretout will always stand out, too. He didn’t just leave Harvard with a prestigious degree, but he won the team’s Academic Excellence Award last season while studying sociology. Tretout is currently pursuing an MBA at Iona.

“It’s all new for him but he’s picked up things fairly quickly,” Anderson said about acclimating the fifth-year guard into a new system. “Obviously, he’s a smart kid.”

Tretout had to adjust to Anderson’s style after playing for Tommy Amaker, who he cited as being more laid back. Both are true competitors which Tretout gravitates to, but it’s Anderson who is the hard-nosed one, which garners a certain type of respect.

“Coach Anderson is one of the most intense coaches I’ve played for,” Tretout said. “He brings intensity every day.”

Harvard and Iona share the distinction of being successful mid-major programs and forces in their own conferences. The winning tradition at Iona attracted Tretout in the first place and he has performed to the tune of a 13 points per game scoring average through 12 games.

“We felt like we always had a target on our back at Harvard,” Tretout said. “Iona is similar. One of the top contenders every year we are going into every game with a target on our back.”

After playing in rivalry games against teams like Yale and Princeton, Tretout believes he is prepared for the big games in the MAAC gauntlet, while calling the MAAC more free-flowing than Ivy League games in terms of pushing the pace. For Tretout, his New Year's resolution won’t need to be anything extreme other than finding more consistency in the heat of MAAC play. He believes the Gaels are getting closer each day to playing the brand of Iona basketball Anderson has long preached about.

“If I am able to play up to my standard and the team plays up to our standard, I think we can have a really successful season,” Tretout said. “A large part is being consistent.” 

Saturday at Harvard is a good place to start, a game the Gaels fully expect to win led by the man who has been on both sides. Tretout expects to have around a dozen family and friends in attendance to support him in his return to Lavietes Pavilion.

“We are focused on Harvard and getting the win and I think that it’s our main goal,” Tretout said. “There are emotions that come with it, but I am really just treating it as another game.”

Rutgers signee Ace Bailey drops 40 at the RAC, other news & notes from The Battle

On his future home floor, Rutgers signee Ace Bailey (4) made strong first impression, dazzling with 40 points and 21 rebounds as his McEachern High School team competed in The Battle. (Photo by Rutgers Men’s Basketball)

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ace Bailey came to the middle of the court and threw his hands in the air.

The No. 2 recruit in the country and Rutgers signee had just given Scarlet Knights fans a sneak peek of what he brings to the table by scoring 40 points and grabbing 21 rebounds on his future home court.

He earned every last clap of that raucous standing ovation.

On the floor at Jersey Mike’s Arena, ten elite high school basketball teams played five games Friday in an afternoon’s journey into the night billed as The Battle. While the event was supposed to be headlined by Rutgers commit Dylan Harper, it was Bailey, a fellow five-star future Scarlet Knight, who stole the show, and left with praise from everybody in attendance.

“It felt like I was already playing (for Rutgers) in the RAC,” Bailey remarked after his herculean effort leading his McEachern Indians over Camden High School in blowout fashion.

Following a sequence in which Bailey went on a personal 8-0 run to give McEachern an eight point lead in the third quarter, the crowd erupted into the famed “R-U” chant.

“It was just a high school game,” Bailey said. “I wonder what it’s gonna be like when I get here. It made me feel good that they came to watch me and supported me.”

Bailey’s performance started with an emphatic slam dunk, instantly igniting the crowd.

“Once I got that one, I knew it was going to be a good night,” the future Rutgers star said.

Boy, was he right.

By halftime, Bailey had 19 points and 13 rebounds, completely taking over segments of the game on both ends. His ethereal explosiveness and fantastic finishing was on display for all to see in the opening frame. The five-star forward was able to get to his spots with ease, gliding across the floor.

While he tired easily and began to give less consistent hustle on the defensive end, he showed off his shotmaking prowess in the second half. Bailey drained three triples and nine of his 13 field goals in the second half to finish with his 40-point stat line.

While Bailey may have stolen the headlines, he was not the only highly-touted recruit to take the court on Friday. Here’s a quick look at the rest of the day’s games.

Richwoods (IL) vs. College Achieve Central (NJ)

Fellow Rutgers commit Lathan Sommerville also starred in his RAC debut, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds. For a player of his size, at 6-foot-9 with a big frame, his touch around the rim was extremely impressive. He hit multiple fallaway jumpshots while also cashing in a plethora of triples. Sommerville didn’t show excellent physicality, perhaps surprising for somebody of his size, but CA’s David Munro deserves credit for keeping him away from the rim.

The Peorians came all the way to the Garden State simply for Sommerville, and he did not disappoint, leading his team to victory on his future home hardwood. Nick Louderman also showed off his three-point shooting, while Daquan Little scored in a variety of ways in the second half for Richwoods.

As for College Achieve, it was a very young team that turned the ball over 15 times and simply didn’t have the size to deal with what Richwoods brought to the table. Freshman Anthony Mauro flashed some ability to get out in transition and grab steals.

Hudson Catholic vs The Patrick School

Three Division I commits took the floor, along with a plethora of other players with Division I offers, for an excellent high school basketball game that went all the way down to the wire.

In the early going, Brandon Lee, who has offers from Missouri State and NJIT, hit a pair of threes to build a lead for the Celtics, but Auburn commit Tahaad Pettiford brought Hudson Catholic back into it in the second quarter.

Pettiford scored in isolation in an impressive amount of ways, getting to the basket for a moon-touching floater, while also draining stepback three-pointers. However, his game was marred with inefficiency and the tendency to be a ball hog. Pettiford finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-27 shooting, with zero assists and five turnovers. He dribbled the ball a ton, and sometimes he created excellent looks for himself, but others, not so much.

St. John’s signee Jaiden Glover struggled to shoot the ball for much of the game, but came alive with two triples in the fourth quarter to put his team into the drivers’ seat. Glover is known as a three-point specialist, as he shot nearly 40 percent on the AAU circuit this past summer, and finishing 3-of-8 from deep is nothing to scoff at.

Penn commit Alex Massung only scored eight points, but displayed an impressive ability to get the basket and finish through contact, regardless of the size of who was defending him. On a Quaker team filled with shooters, having guards who can really get to the basket can open up that offense.

With The Patrick School ahead by three and less than 10 seconds to play, Pettiford missed a stepback three that would have tied the game. It was definitely not the best shot that Hudson Catholic could have gotten, but it was also a shot Pettiford made earlier in the game.

Overtime Elite: JellyFam vs RWE

It was the game with the most high-major talent on the floor of any on the afternoon, and it didn’t disappoint.

North Carolina commit Ian Jackson opened the game with back-to-back triples, and a drive to the basket. He makes the game look so easy with how smooth and explosive he is as an athlete. He looks like a ready-made NBA combo guard thanks to his three-level scoring ability and athleticism.

Jackson finished the night with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field, also grabbing seven rebounds. However, his JellyFam team couldn’t hold onto the early lead that they’d gained for very long. The matchup was close the whole way, and clutch shotmaking from former Providence commit Daquan Davis stood out. Davis had 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting for RWE, knocking down multiple important triples down the stretch in his team’s 73-69 win.

Other Notes

Peyton Marshall, Missouri: One of the biggest human beings I’ve ever seen on a basketball court, and a really good outlet passer. Just needs a ton of refinement.

Brandon Crawford: 2024 prospect with offers from a plethora of schools including Manhattan. Was very impressed with his ability to protect the rim. He swatted four blocks and kept Jackson and the JellyFam guards from getting what they wanted at the basket.

Dellquan Warren, Mississippi State: The former Rutgers commit seems like a perfect fit for what Chris Jans wants to do. Gives off serious Shakeel Moore vibes.

Don Bosco Prep vs. Cardinal Hayes

This game was supposed to be the headliner, with Dylan Harper making his first appearance as a Rutgers commit at the RAC. However, due to the injury that he suffered in his last game, he didn’t suit up.

With Harper sitting on the bench, cheering on his teammates in a Rutgers shirt, a star may have been born in New Jersey high school basketball. Brady Loughlin, a junior with just four offers, including from Iona and Fairfield, took over the game.

Loughlin is well-regarded for his shooting ability, but it wasn’t the only impressive part of his performance on Friday. He scored 11 of his 22 points in the third quarter, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Loughlin’s big third period coincided with Bosco extending its lead to double digits and beyond, eventually winning, 68-49.

Led by seven-foot sophomore Keiner Asprilla, Bosco outrebounded a very small Cardinal Hayes team by an outrageous 40-16 margin, keeping its opponents out of the rim at an exceptional level.

Three key takeaways from Winthrop's win over Toccoa Falls

 

Winthrop Coliseum following Friday's contest.  (Photo by Brian Wilmer/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop got in its final tuneup for Big South play Friday afternoon, throttling Toccoa Falls, 113-62, before an announced crowd of 1,362 at Winthrop Coliseum. The battle of predatory birds saw the non-Screaming variety of the Eagles crack the 100-point barrier for the first time since November 23, 2022, against Eastern Michigan.

Here are three key observations from that contest:

No stars, no problem:  Winthrop played the contest without forward Kelton Talford and guard Kasen Harrison to help manage their workloads, and it never mattered. The Eagles recorded an almost-laughable 64 paint points even without Talford’s post moves and dished 24 dimes on 43 conversions. The home side also procured 59 rebounds, creating a lot of one-shot offensive trips for the already-challenged Screaming Eagles.

      Diallo down low:  Redshirt freshman forward Yoro Diallo showed Friday the flashes of what Winthrop coach Mark Prosser and his staff have known he could do since he arrived on campus. Diallo notched his first career double-double, tallying career-highs in points (14) and boards (12). The Cincinnati native also played 23 minutes, which could prove quite handy with Big South play beginning Wednesday.

“I just go out there and try to play my role,” Diallo said after the game. “I don’t know if it’s going to be two minutes one night, or 10 (another). I just go out there and try to play hard and play for my teammates, because I know they’re going to play hard for me. I’m just going to work and do what I can to help the team.”

Return of the Mike:  Grad student Micheal Anumba took the floor for the Eagles for the first time in a season and a half following a serious foot injury. Anumba’s numbers were fine – 2-for-6 from the deck, 1-for-5 from three, 2-for-2 from the line – but the key sign was that he did not seem limited in his 15 minutes of play. He moved well, defended well, and even took a charge just as he did before his injury.

“It felt great to get another chance to compete with my teammates and to play after so long,” Anumba said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I definitely felt really good and very excited.”

Notable stats

Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 22, Toccoa Falls 10.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 64, Toccoa Falls 14.  Second-chance points:  Winthrop 19, Toccoa Falls 9.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 24, Toccoa Falls 7.  Bench points:  Winthrop 57, Toccoa Falls 15.

Big South schedule for Wednesday, January 3 (all times Eastern and streaming on ESPN+, unless otherwise noted)

USC Upstate at Asheville, 6

Longwood at Winthrop, 6:30

Presbyterian at Charleston Southern, 7

High Point at Radford, 7

Gardner-Webb, OFF

Big South standings

Longwood 12-2

High Point 10-4

Radford 10-5

Winthrop 9-6

UNC Asheville 8-7

Presbyterian 7-7

Gardner-Webb 5-9

USC Upstate 4-8

Charleston Southern 4-9 

 

LIU vs. Albany Photo Gallery

Photos from LIU’s 86-69 loss to Albany at Barclays Center on December 28, 2023:

(All photos by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)