MBB: Conference of New England

[dwebbs]

N'Western 82 Gordon 87

The biggest story of this game was the freshman Aaron Trigg with 6/7 for three for all of his 18 points. Without Trigg, the Scots were 6/19 from beyond the arc, but Trigg's shots came at big times and kept the Scots up most of the second half.

Marstaller with 23, Kaufman with 8 assists.

Other than that, there isn't much to say. It was an offensive shoot out. N'Western was averaging 82 points/game, and they got that, but Gordon kept up with them.

It was good for the Scots to snap their losing streak going into Saturday's game with Roger Williams. That should be a good game.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Northwestern in a provisional school moving from NAIA, they had not lost to a d3 opponent yet this year and probably still have a few scholarship players on the roster.  That's a nice win for GC, especially seeing how they ended the first semester.  Trigg is a big time talent and he seems to be finding his feet in the GC system.  That will be trouble for the rest of the CCC, the last thing Gordon needs is another weapon.

GC did get pasted on the boards, which will be a huge issue for them against top tier opponents.  They also sent NW to the line 30 times, but their FG% defense was on track and this seems like a good game to warm up for the stretch run.  Marstaller seems to be back in rhythm with 23 points.  Trigg's 18 is nice.  12 and 8 assists from Kauffman and 10 from Logan.  Nobody had more than 3 turnovers.  It seems they were a bit rusty.

The other, perhaps bigger news is that Curry gave Brandeis a game.  CC lost, but 73-81 against a top 3 team in the region is good for the program.  Tim Jones finally made a comeback in a big way leading Curry in every major category with 30 points, 7 boards and 4 assists.  CC didn't get to the line much and can't hit when they're there anyway, but they played a good team very tough.  If they do indeed have some transfers coming in, this could be a very tough team to beat.  Prescod had 11 points.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Tonight:

UNE hosts Middlebury
RWU hosts Conn College

[mattapn02126]

Whats goin on everyone...

Just a couple thoughts from the Gordon game. Both teams really lacked energy which is understandable considering the attendance of about 50. I'm not positive about some names, so give me a break if I mess one up. I see the point guard Kauffman (#24) had good numbers, but his play was really inconsistent. He had about a half dozen turnovers, and refused to get back on defense. He was a little careless with his passes, and he missed three layups. I dont want to sit here and bash anyone, just a tough night it seems. Hes got good strength and quickness, and has a solid jumper. Marstaller (#13) filled it up inside and out. Couple threes and some really nice moves on the block. Soft, soft touch. Herr (#44) is definitely talented; he seemed like he was sleepwalking through this one however. Freshman (#12) has a real nice stroke and was lights out. Gordon runs basically the same set offensively the whole game, a little flex, and some motion with the guards replacing the weak side big man. They know how to run it, spread you out, and they get a lot of good looks. The only liability I could see is rebounding, because the guys they play down low look much more comfortable on the perimeter. Congrats to GC for getting back in the W column.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Middlebury laid the smack down on UNE (as expected) 79-53.  UNE got 13 and 10 from Stickney and 4 assists from bright newcomer Belmonte, but that was it.  They shot poorly were vastly outrebounded and committed 21 turnovers.

RWU made it close against Connecticut College, but fell 60-65 at home.  It's the first game after the break so we'll give them some slack on this one, but they probably should have won this game.  Barranger had 16 points, Laughton and Bashaw had 10 each.  There is no box score yet, but it seems the Camels scouted well and held Billy Barrett in check.  CC hit FTs down the stretch to win.


Tonight:

Salve hosts Worcester State
Nichols travels to Wesleyan

[jj]

Conn College has slowly become a legit team over the past three years.  They are 9-3 this season with decent wins against MIT, RPI, Wheaton, Springfield and now RWU.  They have Charles Stone who is an outstanding player (I would say better than anyone we have in the CCC) and other seveal other solid guys around him.  I am not sure what this loss says about RWU but probably not much.  They are pretty evenly matched teams.  But Salve did win at Conn earlier this season which does speak to how well they can play on any given night and I have a feeling they will win some big CCC games second semester.   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Last night:

Salve over Worcester State 71-65.  Worcester's been up and down this season so far, even so, their up should not have been this close to Salve.  Another rusty post-holiday game for a CCC team?  Grendal had 16 and 11, Woodworth also had 16 points, Goodridge had 11.  They shot pretty well from three and worked the ball around a lot.  Still they lost the rebound battle and they'll need to improve there.

Nichols somehow took out Wesleyan in double OT on the road.  This is their first real big win on the road.  Certainly not a big win from anyone else's standpoint, but NC wasn't expected to win this one and they pulled it out.  What's even more amazing is that Justin Lewis didn't play and is no longer on the roster. Someone let us know what's up with that.  Vallee led the way with 25 and 13.  NC also got big contributions out of Paquin and Lindgren off the bench, chipping in 19 and 18 respectively.  Nichols didn't play all that well, but they hit a lot of threes that kept them in the game and they pulled it out at the end.  Good win for them.

Tonight:

Wentworth is playing FDU-Fordham in a tournament down in Virginia

Tomorrow:

WIT plays either MCLA or Marymount in the second game of the tournament
ENC hosts Connecticut College
EC @ AMC
CC @ UNE
SRU @ CSC
GC @ RWU
NC hosts WNEC
NEC travels to Johnson State

Sunday:

CSC hosts Middlebury

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

After seeing Lewis disappear (I have to assume he transfered, right?) from the NC roster, I checked the other schools and found no major changes.  Bynes is back on the roster at Wentworth, but other than that, no one has updated anything if there are changes.

The only other one we really expected was to perhaps see Onyechi show up at Curry, which could still happen.

[James]

Article:
Bristol, RI- The Roger Williams men's basketball team (6-3, 3-0) extended its home win streak to five games with a 77-67 victory Saturday over visiting Gordon College (7-3, 2-1). Four Hawks posted double-digit points in the game, including junior Dan Gumb (Patterson, NY) who tallied a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The match-up between the top two vote getters in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll began with Gordon taking the early 13-8 lead. The Hawks however quickly fought back to move ahead, 15-14, and would not trail again throughout the game.

RWU's biggest lead of the half was 15 thanks to a pair of free throws from freshman Rick Laughton (Durham, NH) with 2:16 remaining in the stanza. Gordon cut the lead to 46-34 at intermission with a tip-in by Jon Marstaller five seconds before the buzzer. Marstaller finished the game with a team-high 17 points.

Missed free throws hurt the Fighting Scots in the first half, as the team went 13-24 from the line.

A strong start by Gordon in the second half cut its deficit to just seven, 52-45, after 4:38 of play. Back-to-back jumpers by sophomore Tucker Bashaw (Williston, VT), including one of his game-high three three-pointers sparked the Hawks back into action. Bashaw finished the game 5-7 from the field for 13 points, while grabbing six rebounds.

Junior Ben Camobreco (Duxbury, MA) also went 5-7 from the field, including 1-2 from behind the arc, to total 11 points along with his game-high six assists.

Gumb helped the Hawks' to their biggest lead in the game with a jumper at the 8:47 mark to put the home team ahead by 18, 70-52.

Sophomore Billy Barrett (Fairfield, CT) notched his seventh game of the season with double digits, as the guard posted 12 points to help the Hawks remain undefeated in the CCC.

The win for the Hawks avenges last year's 58-40 loss

[gullfan]

RWU is sooooo much better with a healthy Dan Gumb. He is to RWU what Sully (Mike Sullivan) is to my Gulls. A HORSE!!!! Watch out for the RWU guys, they're tough. They have been right there and now they are ready to step up! The CCCis better for having them strong - but you better show up ready to play them.

The EC - AMC game was enlightening! The AMCATS do not appear to be the doormats everyone makes them out to be. They played hard, lots of intensity. They may not have the athletes, but the system seems to work - the new coach seems to really be getting it done. I was impressed. They (AMC) have probably the worst lit gym in all of D3 College hoops! Maybe they could make some more shots if it wasn't so dark!!!!!

[James]

RWU-Conn Coll:
I am I missing something here? Gumb only 16 minutes? I heard he got in foul trouble early, but to let him end the game without fouling out is a major coaching mistake. Early on Barranger was eating them up and then Conn Coll went to a zone. RWU's perimeter shooting was off. Wouldn't you stack the inside with big bodies? Stone and Gumb have the same body types. Have them commit to either big man. Both can score and Conn Coll couldn't cover both. In their last outing Gumb outscored Stone with a game high 22 points. The only excuse here is that Gumb is still day to day. If not, then this is a coach's loss.



RWU-GC: After the first 7 minutes this one wasn't even close. Gordon was oversized (Barranger 6' 11" and Gumb 6' 6" 240 lbs) and only showed spurts of defensive intensity that they are capable of. Last year RWU had a problem getting off a shot never mind taking a commanding 17 point lead with 1:39 left in the game. GC had their chances with 32 FT attempts verses RWU's only 14 (so much for home court advantage). Unfortunately for the Scots they could only convert 19 of them. RWU killed them on the boards 29 to 39 and just plain out shot GC.

Over all it was a good game to watch if you were a RWU fan and to paraphrase Borak  "not so much the other side".

PS. I did like seeing Marstettlar, Herr and Kaufman. They are all good ballers. Look forward to the rematch. I am sure their coach will have them on fire next time. Looks like there is a lack of starting seniors on either team. I guess we will be talking about these guys for two more years.

[backboard]

Wentworth went 1-1 during their tournament losing to FDU (by 34) and defeating MCLA by 12 (Blue had 29, Doyle had 23).

[dwebbs]

Roger Williams looked real good, and they made Gordon look bad. It was a big win for the Hawks.

But since I have to put a positive spin on it for my team, it was just one of those days when Gordon shooting stunk and Roger Williams was lights out, shooting especially well from beyond the arc. Gordon looked like they did at Endicott last year, so should the teams play each other in the playoffs, it would be interesting to see how Gordon would respond.

But not to take anything away from Roger Williams... they're a very good team.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

James, Gumb hasn't played more than 20 minutes yet this year with the exception of the Gordon game.  The coach seems to be working him in slowly after this huge traumatic injury last year.  That kind of thing can have a big psychological effect on a kid and this coach seems to be ensuring that they'll have a full-strength Dan Gumb next year.  Weekend round-up:

Friday:

WIT got crushed by FDU-Fordham 55-84.  Gaine went for 13 and 11, Bolton had 12 points and 7 turnovers.  The guards were held quiet and the team couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.  Typically overmatched game.

Saturday:

WIT beat an awful MCLA squad 86-74.  Bynes got the start and pulled down 10 boards.  The guards made up for their weak Friday performance with 29 from PB & J and 23 from Doyle.  Bolton chipped in 11 off the bench.  They shot much better, but MCLA is really bad and WIT still played no defense.

ENC 46 Conn Coll 57.  This is probably closer than CC expected; decent performance from ENC.  Christian Corey led ENC with 14 off the bench, most on threes.  Seaberg had 11.  The score was 19-11 (yes, really) at the half, but each team scored more than that in the second half.  Weird game.  Jasmin did nothing and ENC couldn't shoot (with the exception of Corey).  The Crusaders rebounded well and actually could have won this game with a mediocre shooting night.  Scary.

EC big over AMC 70-55.  Check out AMC's boxscore; craziest thing ever.  All five starters had 2 points each and some guy named Joshua Wells scored 22 points in 23 minutes off the bench.  Marinkovic didn't play for EC, is there a story there?  Sullivan had 19, Whitelaw had 11 and Corbett had 10.  EC is done if Marinkovic is out.

Curry goes down to UNE somehow 74-73.  This was the craziest weekend ever.  Bowers didn't play for Curry (another CC grade casualty?) which allowed Stickney to run wild for 19 and 13.  Farynaz woke up from his two year nap and scored 17 (thus giving the most disappointing CCC career after a blowout freshman campaign to RWU's Brandon Parrish), Mike Floyd had 11.  For CC Tim Jones led with 23, Prescod had 21, Mastrullo had 13 and Brittian had 11.  Lots of turnovers all around, equal rebounding, nobody could hit FTs.  Somehow UNE pulled it out.  Odd.

CSC pulls out a good win over Salve 69-53.  Goodridge had 15 for Salve; Grandal had 14.  CSC was led by 28 from Szelinga, who slipped into St Clair mode for one game at least.  They also got 10 from Cox.  Everybody on CSC hit the boards hard and they once again miraculously begin to play defense once January rolls around.  I guess CSC is beginning to gel.  We'll see if they can remain the #2 team in the North.

Nichols comes up with another solid win over WNEC 66-61.  WNEC had been on a fast start and this is a good win for the Bison.  They seem to be doing really well despite the loss of Lewis.  Lindgren had 12, Wilcox had 11 and Valle had 10.  They spread the ball around, everybody contributed.  They were vastly outrebounded and they shot horribly from deep, but they made it up with good defense.  Another solid hard-nosed win.  I like what I see here.

NEC took out Johnson State 83-58.  33 from Jaziri, 13 from Tonkovich, 12 from Quinn and 10 and 12 from Sylvia.  They didn't play all that well, but they didn't really have to.  The coach should have upped their non-con schedule difficulty this season.  It's going to be tough for them to keep going back and forth in their level of play.

RWU strikes first with a ten point win over Gordon 77-67.  Gumb saw his first big minutes and led them to a win with 21 and 11, exposing Gordon's interior weakness.  Bashaw had 13, Barrett had 12 and Camobreco had 11.  It seems RWU won in the paint and GC did well on the outside.  Notice which won out.  Martsaller did get 17, but a lot of it was shooting and not post moves.  Kauffman had 13, Logan 12 and Herr got 10 rebounds.  Trigg wasn't able to duplicate his previous performance.  Gordon got to the line, but couldn't nail the FTs.  If they had shot close to their average, it would have been a tight game.  They also could not stop RWU from scoring in the paint and they went back again and again.  GC didn't have the best shooting night, but they will have to work to regain the conference favorite rep after this one.

Sunday

CSC dropped one to Middlebury in New London 85-96.  I don't think CSC would have beaten Salve if they played like this on Saturday.  Although back to back games, you'd rather lose the non-conference one.  Szeliga had 21, Carter and Truncilleto had 12 each, Cousins and Tracy had 11 each and Fouriner got 5 assists.  They had no legs left to play defense and Middlebury ran them over.  This seems to be fatigue mostly.

[James]

Hoops Fan:

First, thanks for highlighting the games the way you do. I enjoy reading them.

As for Gumb's 16 minutes against Conn College, I would agree with you except that in the three previous games leading up to Conn College he played 26 min vs UMass Darthmouth, 22 Minutes vs Curry and 20 minutes vs CSC avg 12 pts 7 rebs. It appeared he was slowly getting more time each progressive game. Maybe the coach saw something in practicew that week that made him rethink the minutes. Better to be safe than sorry.

It was nice to see Bashaw come up big from the arc two games back to back.  They need at least three shooters to win the big ones. I think Bashaw's production was huge in the win over GC.b