full game notes as .pdf
TONIGHT'S GAME
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team rides a three game winning streak into tonight's Northeast-10 Conference showdown against the Pace University Setters. The action tips off at 7:30 p.m. from the Goldstein Fitness Center in Pleasantville, N.Y. The Owls enter the game at 4-7 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
LAST TIME OUT
The Owls won their third straight game, defeating Franklin Pierce by a score of 72-70. Ktrice McNeill netted the game-winning tip-in with 2.4 seconds remaining the regulation to give the Owls the victory. John Mazzarella notched his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Mazzarella also added four blocks. Junior guard Derrick Corbett led the Southern Connecticut offense with 15 points.
SCOUTING THE SETTERS
Selected to finish third in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, Pace University enters the game at 6-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play. In their last outing, on Saturday, Jan. 5, the Setters outgunned Merrimack by a score of 97-94. Pace had five players in double figures in the contest, led by 25 points from Ryan Williams. Desmond Quincy-Jones recorded a double-double in the victory with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with five blocks. For the season, Williams leads the Pace offense with 19.0 points per contest, ranking him third in scoring in the Northeast-10. Quincy-Jones is the Setters' leading rebounder, and the second most prolific rebounder in the conference, hauling in 9.8 boards per game.
BREAKING DOWN THE RECORDS
The Owls are 1-3 on the road this season. They are 0-3 in road games in Northeast-10 play and 1-6 in conference play overall. Pace is currently 3-2 in home contests. The Setters are 2-1 at home in Northeast-10 Conference games and 5-2 in conference games overall.
AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS
The Owls and Setters have both defeated Franklin Pierce this season. Both teams have also lost to Saint Michael's. Pace has also knocked off American International and Saint Anselm. The Owls dropped decisions to both teams earlier this season.
HISTORY LESSON
Tonight's game will be the 16th meeting between Southern Connecticut and Pace. The Setters lead the all-time series 13-2 and have won the last 11 meetings. Last season, Pace won at Moore Fieldhouse in overtime by a score of 84-82 on Jan. 9. In the return meeting at Pace, the Setters won 88-82, surviving a career-high 28 point output from Devon Sullivan.
LEADING THE SCORING ATTACK
Senior forward Ktrice McNeill leads the Southern Connecticut offense in the 2007-08 campaign with 14.8 points per game. He posted the game-high for the Owls in four consecutive games spanning Nov. 28 to Dec. 8, averaging 19.5 points per contest in that span. McNeill has scored in double figures in the Owls' last nine games. He also leads the team in field goal percentage at 72-for-114 (.632), slotting him at fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference. Most recently, McNeill scored 12 points, including the game-winning tip-in, against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5.
RIGHT BEHIND HIM
Junior guard Justin Gardenhire and sophomore guard Trevor Harris are also averaging double figures for the Owls with 10.5 points per game each.
DOUBLING UP
Sophomore center John Mazzarella established career highs with 11 points and 13 rebounds en route to his first career double-double in the Owls 89-70 win against Dominican on Dec. 28. The Wallingford, Conn. native shot 5-for-6 (.833) from the field and also blocked two shots in that game. Mazzarella's 13 rebounds matched the game-high for any Southern Connecticut player this season set by senior forward Devon Sullivan on Dec. 6 at Massachusetts-Lowell. Mazzarella picked up another double-double on Jan. 5 against Franklin Pierce, scoring 11 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking four shots in the winning effort.
CAREER DAY
Junior guard Derrick Corbett led the Owls in scoring with a career-high 15 points in the team's victory over Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5. Corbett shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including a 4-for-6 performance from three-point range.
A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
Senior forward Ktrice McNeill led the Owls in scoring during the team's six games in December with an average of 18.2 points per contest. He also ranked second in rebounding behind Devon Sullivan with 6.2 boards per game. McNeill led the team in scoring four times in the month and claimed or shared the game-high in rebounds twice. For his efforts, the Bronx, N.Y. native was named to the Northeast-10 Weekly Honor Roll on three occasions, failing to make the list only for the week ending Dec. 16, a week in which the Owls did not play.
AN OFFENSIVE OUTBURST…
The Owls scored a season-high 89 points in their win over Dominican on Dec. 28. Junior forward Preston Bell led the offensive effort with a career-high 22 points. The Owls' previous season-high of 80 points came in the team's season opening loss to St. Anselm on Nov. 17. Southern Connecticut last scored 89 or more points in a game on Feb. 4, 2006 in a 102-92 overtime loss at Merrimack. SCSU last scored 89 or more points in a 40 minute contest in the 2002-03 season, defeating Le Moyne by a score of 91-75.
…AND A DEFENSIVE LOCKDOWN
After allowing 74 or more points in their first eight contests this season, the Owls held Dominican to a season-low 70 points in a victory on Dec. 28. Two days later, the Owls bested that benchmark by holding Dowling to only 64 points. Against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5, the Owls defense stepped up once again and held the Ravens to 70 points.
SHARING THE WEALTH
In each of the last three games, nine different Owls have played 10 or more minutes. For the season, 10 Owls are averaging double figures in minutes played and 11 different SCSU players have made two or more starts.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
With his two free throws against Dowling on Dec. 30, Lance Long became the 12th Owl to score this season. Every Southern Connecticut player who has seen game action has now scored.
IT TOLLS FOR THEE
Junior forward Preston Bell scored a game- and career-high 22 points against Dominican on Dec. 28. Bell also matched his career highs in rebounds (five) and assists (two).
RUNNING THE POINT
Despite being held to a season low of one point, sophomore guard Trevor Harris contributed to the Owls' 89-70 victory over Dominican on Dec. 28 with a team season-high nine assists. On the season, the Nanuet, N.Y. native is the Owls' leading assist man with 50 dimes (4.5 apg). Harris led the 2006-07 Owls with 3.3 per contest.
SEND IT BACK!
Sophomore center John Mazzarella blocked five shots on Dec. 21 against Felician College. On the season, Mazzarella's 21 rejections (1.91 per game) lead the Owls and place him third in the Northeast-10 Conference through games played on Jan. 5. As a team, the Owls are third in the Northeast-10 with 4.00 blocked shots per game.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Senior forward Devon Sullivan pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds in consecutive games, once against Massachusetts-Lowell on Dec. 6 and then again two days later at American International on Dec. 8. On the season, Sullivan leads the Owls with 7.2 rebounds per contest, putting him on pace to break into the top ten in career rebounds in Southern Connecticut history this season. Senior forward Ktrice McNeill leads SCSU with 31 offensive rebounds, and is contributing 6.1 boards per game overall.
GRAB YOUR WINDEX
As a team, Southern Connecticut is among the best in the Northeast-10 Conference in several rebounding categories. The Owls are second in the conference in overall rebounding with 38.9 per game, fourth in rebounding margin at +1.7 and first in offensive rebounding with 14.09 per game.
RESERVATIONS FOR THREE
In their 75-74 victory over New Haven on Nov. 25, the Owls shot 7-for-11 (.636) from three point range, the best three point shooting percentage posted in a game by any Northeast-10 team this season. Trevor Harris shot 5-for-6 from behind the arc in that game en route scoring a career-high 24 points.
MAKING HIS SHOTS COUNT
Senior forward Ktrice McNeill currently holds a career field goal percentage of .591 (198-for-335). If maintained, that figure will put McNeill in the SCSU record books for highest career field goal percentage, topping Jon Blandin, who connected to the tune of .583 from the field from 1995 through 1998. Most recently, McNeill shot 6-for-9 from the floor against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5.
ACCEPTING CHARITY
Junior guard Justin Gardenhire has delivered two foul shooting performances of 8-for-10 (Nov. 17 against St. Anselm and Nov. 25 at New Haven) and a 7-for-8 shooting day at the stripe (Dec. 6 at Massachusetts-Lowell). On the season, Gardenhire is 40-for-56 (.714), leading the team in free throws made and attempted, and also slotting him second behind Devon Sullivan (22-for-29, .759) in free throw percentage.
STEP RIGHT UP
The six newcomers to the SCSU lineup have accounted for 24.2 points per game this season, nearly 33% of the team's total scoring. Junior guard Justin Gardenhire leads the new Owls in scoring with 10.5 points per contest.
SETTING THE BAR
In his fifth game in an SCSU uniform against No. 19 Saint Michael's on Dec. 1, junior forward Preston Bell posted 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, and dished out two assists in 26 minutes of action. All of these statistics marked career highs for Bell.
AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
Junior guard Justin Gardenhire scored a team-high 20 points in his Southern Connecticut debut against St. Anselm on Nov. 17. Gardenhire shot 6-for-13 (.462) from the field and 8-for-10 (.800) from the free throw line in the game. His 20 point performance remains his career high through nine games.
BACK IN ACTION
After missing the entire 2006-07 season, senior forward Ktrice McNeill returns to the Owls lineup in the 2007-08 campaign. In the 2005-06 season, McNeill posted 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Owls.
LEADING THE SQUAD
Senior forwards Devon Sullivan and Ktrice McNeill have been named team captains for the 2007-08 season.
ON DECK
The Owls return to the court on Thursday, Jan. 10 as they host the second game of their season series with the Le Moyne Dolphins. The action tips off from Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn. at 7:30 p.m., and will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.SportingNewsCT.com.
