PSAC Men's Basketball Athletes of the Week - 4 (Dec. 7)
PSAC Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Dec. 7 (pdf)
Stephen Dennis of Kutztown recorded the first triple-double of his illustrious career and for his efforts, he is this week's PSAC East Player of the Week. Bloomsburg's Ed Hall had a hand in leading the Huskies to a pair of wins last week and he earns this week's PSAC East Freshman of the Week award. Slippery Rock's Michael Evans, Jr. is this week's PSAC West Player of the Week after helping The Rock remain unbeaten with three wins in as many games last week. Clarion's Brandyn Mungo turned in a solid performance in the Golden Eagles' only game of the week and is this week's PSAC West Freshman of the Week.
PSAC Players of the Week - Dec. 7
PSAC East Player of the Week
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown
G, Sr., West Chester, Pa./Henderson
Dennis recorded his first career triple-double and averaged 27.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists in helping Kutztown go 3-0 last week with wins over Penn State-Berks, University of the Sciences and Chestnut Hill. He started off the week by recording 22 points and six assists in a 96-51 win over PSU-Berks. He then notched the triple-double in a 92-77 win over Chestnut Hill, going for 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He followed that up with another 30-point effort, scoring 30 in addition to seven rebounds, four steals, four assists and four blocks in a 78-66 win over USP. With his 30 points vs. USP, Dennis moved into second place on the all-time Kutztown scoring list with 1,689 career points.
PSAC East Freshman of the Week
Ed Hall, Bloomsburg
F, Fr., Spencerville, Md./Paint Branch
Hall averaged 8.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games for the Huskies last week, helping Bloomsburg to two wins over Penn State-Hazleton and Wilmington. Against PSU-Hazleton, Hall came off the bench to score 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and also recorded three rebounds and a steal in just 18 minutes in the 75-44 win. On Thursday, Hall earned the first start of his collegiate career and contributed five points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes of action in a 62-58 win over Wilmington. For the week, Hall also went 4-of-6 from the free throw line and committed just three turnovers in 43 minutes of action.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Michael Evans, Jr., Slippery Rock
G, Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo./Thunder Ridge
Evans averaged 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game to help lead Slippery Rock to a 3-0 week with wins over Seton Hill, District of Columbia and Queens. The guard shot 53.7 percent from the floor (22-of-41) and 51.7 percent from three-point range (15-of-29) for the week. He scored a game-high 25 points in the win over Seton Hill, 17 points vs. UDC and 19 points vs. Queens. He was named to the all-tournament team at the 45th annual Pocono Classic after leading The Rock to its win over UDC and Queens at the tournament hosted by East Stroudsburg.
PSAC West Freshman of the Week
Brandyn Mungo, Clarion
G/F, Fr., Westland, Mich./Renaissance
Mungo scored 13 points and also had four rebounds, three assists and two steals in Clarion’s 110-48 win over Penn College in the Golden Eagles’ only game of the week. Mungo went 5-for-9 from the field (55.6 percent) and also made 3-of-4 free throws and only had two turnovers in 16 minutes of action.
PSAC Team Notes
Bloomsburg Huskies
The Huskies went 2-0 this week, evening their record at 2-2 for the season…BU's 75-44 win over Penn State-Hazleton on Monday was the Huskies largest margin of victory since a 99-58 win over Goldey Beacom on Dec. 8, 2000…So. F Larry Webster notched his second double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes...Two other Huskies scored in double figures with Fr. F Ed Hall adding 11 in 18 minutes off the bench and So. G Trevon Johnson scoring 10 with 5 steals for the Huskies…BU added its second win of the week with a 62-58 come-from-behind victory over Wilmington on Thursday…The Huskies trailed by as many as nine before gaining the four-point victory…Johnson scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the second half, sparking the comeback
California Vulcans
The Vulcans are off to a 5-1 start this year after posting a 13-13 overall record last season…With the victory on Tuesday, head coach Bill Brown became the only the 29th active head coach in Division II with 400 career wins…Brown also is among the elite active head coaches with a .628 winning percentage (401-238)…So. F Kelsey Williams posted his first double-double of the year and third of his career on Saturday against Glenville State…The Vulcans have won the last five games…In each its five wins this season, Cal U is averaging only 14.0 turnovers after committing 24 against Bloomfield in the season-opener…The Vulcans have collected 36 steals in the last three games, including 11 by senior guard Jerial Nixon.
Cheyney Wolves
A 2-0 week lifted the Wolves record to 4-1...Cheyney defeated Caldwell 68-52 and Georgian Court 68-65...Against Caldwell the Wolves used a 17-0 late in the second half to secure the victory...Cheyney also shot 65% (13-20) in the second half...Sharif Bray paced the Wolves with 24 points, four assists and three steals...Against Goldey-Beacom the Wolves scored a season low 68 points for the second time in as many games...Bray once again led the Wolves with 22 points...Cheyney trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half before going on a 21-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half...Foul shooting and bench play were keys to the victory as the Wolves converted 9-10 from the charity stripe, 6-7 in the final :47...The Cheyney reserves outscored those from the Lightning 23-3...Cheyney will travel to the University of the Sciences on Wednesday night before taking 10 days off to prepare for the annual Holiday tilt with Lincoln at the Liacorous Center in Philadelphia.
Clarion Golden Eagles
Clarion is 3-1 for the first time since 2004-2005…The Eagles have shot better than 50 percent in 3 of 4 games after doing so just 5 times last year. They are shooting 57.6 percent on the year…Jr. Shameel Carty had 18 rebounds vs. Penn College tying for the 8th most in a season at Clarion since 1981. He also set a career high with 4 blocked shots & recorded his second double-double of the year…Paul McQueen had a career-high 23 points vs. PC …Clarion had 5 slam dunks in the win over Penn College and also had 22 steals (the 7th most at Clarion since 1981) and 31 assists (the 10th most at Clarion since 1981)…Clarion has now reached 100 points twice this year, the first time that has happened since 2003-2004.
East Stroudsburg Warriors
ESU improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1991-92 with three wins, beating USP (59-50) on Tuesday and Queens (93-71) and UDC (62-58) in the Pocono Classic...Sr. G Robby Pines and Jr. F Mike Tobin were named all-tournament...Pines had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists vs. Queens and career-high 13 points vs. UDC...Tobin had career-high 13 rebounds (Queens) and 11 points and 8 boards (UDC)...Sr. G Andy Heimbach had 20 points and was 6-7 from the 3-point line vs. Queens and hit five 3's vs. USP...The Warriors have eight players averaging at least 7.0 ppg and are scoring 86.7 ppg and shooting 49.2 percent for the season...Tobin leads ESU in rebounding (7.8 per game, 19 offensive) and 16 steals...Pines has 36 assists and 8 turnovers.
Edinboro Fighting Scots
Edinboro ended up splitting its back-to-back games with Lake Erie...After defeating the Storm 77-61 in the Gary Miller Classic on Saturday, November 28, the Fighting Scots dropped a 61-54 decision at Lake Erie this past Saturday...Edinboro held Lake Erie to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, but the Fighting Scots shot just 31.8 percent, including 21.9 percent in the first half…Justin Moore recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds…Cory Somerville led Edinboro with a career-high 18 points…Leading scorer Byron Knight was held scoreless in the game, missing all three of his field goal attempts…After outrebounding three of its first four opponents, Edinboro was outrebounded, 51-37…The Fighting Scots conclude the 2009 portion of their schedule with three straight home games, beginning on Wednesday, December 9 against Penn State-Greater Allegheny.
Gannon Golden Knights
Gannon dropped an 85-59 decision at Urbana during its only action of the week...The Golden Knights were swept by Urbana this season after the Blue Knights won at the Hammermill Center on November 21...Jr. Daren Dexter led Gannon with a season-high 14 points...Jr. Travis Brannen netted 10 points, reaching double digits in scoring for the second time in four games...The Golden Knights out-scored the Blue Knights 30-22 in the paint...Gannon is now off for two weeks until hosting Glenville State December 19.
IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP broke into the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 10 for the first time since 2001-02 with a No. 8 ranking this week…The Crimson Hawks will look to go 7-0 for the first time since the 1995-96 team opened 11-0 when they host Wheeling Jesuit Tuesday and then Felician and Urbana in the Indiana Regional Medical Center Classic this weekend…Thomas Young led IUP to a 94-61 win over Penn State Beaver with 23 points, eight rebounds and four steals in only 26 minutes, falling one shy of his IUP scoring high set versus Slippery Rock last season…Young also had 23 versus Vermont in 2006-07 while playing at UMBC… Darryl Webb fell just short of his third straight double-double with 18 points and eight boards and moved into 14th place in school history with 553 rebounds…The Crimson Hawks shot 79.2 percent from the line versus the Lions after making just 56.8 percent in their first three games.
Kutztown Golden Bears
Stephen Dennis has scored 30 or more points in consecutive games for the second time in his career. He scored 31 points against Mansfield and 32 against Slippery Rock last year in the PSAC playoffs…Kutztown has won 18 straight home games…Steve Coffey grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against USP…The Golden Bears faced their largest deficit of the season at Chestnut Hill (19-7)…Dennis passed Lock Jennings, who was inducted into the Kutztown Athletics Hall of Fame early this year, for second on the KU all-time scoring list. Dennis has 1,689 points and Jennings has 1,682…Ryan Washington and Julius Gray have scored in double figures in every game this season…Coffey had eight assists and seven rebounds in a victory over PSU-Berks early in the week…Kutztown plays its next two games on the road at the University of DC and Holy Family before finishing its non-conference schedule at home.
Lock Haven Bald Eagles
Lock Haven (1-3) will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak tonight when the Bald Eagles host Millersville...LHU went 0-2 last week with losses to Philadelphia and Shippensburg...On the year, The Haven is getting tremendous numbers from sophomore forward Eric Brennan. He's averaging 14.8 points and 19.8 rebounds. He's scored in double-figures in all four games for LHU and has a double-double in points and rebounds in three of four contests this season...Sr. F Warren Christian is LHU's leading scored with 15.5 points a game. He's also grabbing 10.5 boards per game to help pace Lock Haven...So. Andres Carpio is scoring 10.5 points-per-game...Lock Haven hosts Millersville tonight before traveling to the IUP tournament this weekend for a pair of games.
Mansfield Mountaineers
The Mountaineers improved to 4-0 on the season with wins over Penn State-DuBois and Penn College…It is the best start since starting off the 2007-08 season with five straight wins…Jr. F Yuseff Carr and So. F Tony Fannick have scored in double figures in each of the first four games…Mansfield hosts Mercyhurst in Decker Gymnasium on Monday to conclude a five-game season opening home stand before hitting the road for four games including two in Florida…The Mountaineers won't return to Decker until a pair of cross-over PSAC West games against Edinboro and Lock Haven on Jan. 2-3.
Mercyhurst Lakers
Mercyhurst travels to Mansfield Monday for the teams' first meeting since the 1999-00 season...Mercyhurst was 3-1 against teams from the PSAC East a year ago, the Lakers’ first season in the league…Their only loss came at home to West Chester…The 2009-10 edition has provided a balanced offense as five different players have led the team in scoring through five games…Also of note, the Lakers have had four different rebounding leaders, with only senior forward Jordan Armstrong posting team-highs on two different occasions…Mercyhurst has been outrebounded in each of the last two games…The Lakers hit at least six 3-pointers in their first four games but were held to just 3 in a 70-67 loss to Urbana…Head coach Gary Manchel is just 12 wins away from becoming Mercyhurst's all-time wins leader.. the seventh-year leader is 95-77 overall…The Lakers return to action Dec. 12-13 for their Holiday Tournament, hosting Shippensburg, Virginia Union and Washington Adventist.
Millersville Marauders
Millersville did not play last week...The Marauders (3-1) travel to Lock Haven Monday evening...Millersville went 1-1 in the previous week, defeating USP on the road and then falling to Philadelphia at home...The Marauders started 3-0 for just the fourth time in head coach Fred Thompson’s 12-year tenure...Millersville improved to 3-0 all-time vs. USP, holding USP to 18-of-45 shooting from the field in the win...Sr. Jason Blake scored in double figures for the third time in as many games vs. USP before scoring just eight in the loss to Philadelphia.
Shippensburg Red Raiders
Shippensburg (5-1) started off the year with five consecutive wins for the second straight season…SU earned a 71-58 victory over Lock Haven…overall, the team committed just 11 turnovers, grabbed 40 rebounds and scored 40 points in the paint...Shippensburg has now held five of its six opponents under 60 points this season and shot at least 43 percent from the field in every game except for the season opener…The versatility and depth of the team was on display again Wednesday night, as all 10 players that took the floor played at least 10 minutes and scored at least two points…It was the third time this season that Shippensburg has achieved this feat, and Wednesday's game also marked the sixth consecutive game to start the season in which at least nine players have scored points.
Slippery Rock - The Rock
Jabril Bailey was named as MVP and Michael Evans Jr. was named to the all-tournament team after leading SRU to two wins in the Pocono Classic at East Stroudsburg...Bailey had a double-double in each game and had a total of 42 points and 24 rebounds in wins over District of Columbia and Queens, while Evans added a total of 36 points...Wins over Seton Hill, UCD and Queens last week extended The Rock's regular-season win streak to 13 games...The Rock is 5-0 for the second straight season under second-year head coach Kevin Reynolds after winning a total of seven games in 2007-08...Reynolds' win total of 26 games is the third highest recorded by a Rock head coach in his first two seasons, one shy of the second-place total of 27 by Mel Hankinson (1970-72) and seven behind the school record of 33 set by Cliff Wettig (1973-75).
West Chester Golden Rams
West Chester University improved to 7-0 on the year with a win over Philadelphia University and Chestnut Hill...West Chester is off to its best start in the modern era of men's basketball at the university...The Golden Rams have not begun a season 7-0 since before the 1947-48 campaign when the school started charting game-by-game season results...The seven-game win streak is the longest for the Golden Rams since 2002-03...West Chester has won its first seven games despite playing five of those contests on the road...West Chester is undefeated without the services of senior preseason all-league honoree Kenneth St. George, who is out with a concussion...Jr. transfer Elie Daniel registered nine steals in West Chester's two wins last week.