complete game notes (.pdf)
SUPER TUESDAY
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team travels to North Andover, Mass. for the second time in 12 days to challenge to Warriors from Merrimack College in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. The action tips off from Volpe Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Owls dropped an 84-82 decision to the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday night. Shanty Robinson converted a layup with 0.1 seconds remaining to give the Golden Knights the win. Junior guard Justin Gardenhire led the Southern Connecticut offense with 17 points.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Selected to finish ninth in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, which is where they currently stand, the Merrimack College Warriors enter the game at 13-9 overall and 8-9 in conference play. In their last outing, Micky Burtnyk netted a team-high 15 points as the Warriors dropped a tightly-played game against American International, losing 77-74 on Saturday afternoon. On the season, Darren Duncan leads Merrimack with 18.5 points per game, slotting him at fourth in scoring in the Northeast-10 Conference. As a team, the Warriors are the highest scoring team in the conference, posting 81.5 points per game.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
Junior forward Preston Bell netted 19 points, and junior guard Derrick Corbett joined him in double figures with 12 points, but the Owls fell at Merrimack by a score of 61-57 on Jan. 24. The game was tight throughout, as evidenced by the 11 ties and 15 lead changes that occurred. The final lead change came when 52 seconds remaining and the score knotted at 57-57, when Merrimack's Darren Duncan drove into the lane and floated a jumper over an Owls' defender to give Merrimack the decisive lead. The 61 points scored by Merrimack was the fewest surrendered by the Owls defense this season. The home team sank only 5 of 23 field goals in the second half, but the Warriors' 15-for-24 shooting performance from the free throw line in the final stanza was enough to propel them to victory.
HISTORY LESSON
Merrimack leads the all-time series 17-14. The Warriors have won four of the last five meetings.
LEADING THE SCORING ATTACK
Senior forward Ktrice McNeill leads the Southern Connecticut offense in the 2007-08 campaign with 13.3 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 also leads the team in field goal percentage at 115-for-180 (.639), slotting him at second in the Northeast-10 Conference. Most recently, the Bronx, N.Y. native netted 14 points on Jan. 30 against the College of Saint Rose.
DOUBLE DIGIT OWLS
Junior guard Justin Gardenhire is averaging double figures in his first season with the Owls with 10.5 points per game. Junior forward Preston Bell is right on the figures barrier with 10.0 points per contest.
FROM ALL ANGLES
Five Owls scored in double figures in the team's 84-82 loss to the College of Saint Rose on Jan. 30. Junior guard Justin Gardenhire led the way with 17 points. Senior forward Ktrice McNeill netted 14 on a 7-for-9 shooting day. Sophomore guard Trevor Harris and junior forward Preston Bell each added 13, and junior guard Terron Jones matched his career-high with 12. The Owls previously had five scorers in double figures on Dec. 28 in an 89-70 win over Dominican.
WE WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN
Southern Connecticut has showed vast improvement when playing an opponent for the second time this season. After losing at Le Moyne by a score of 88-68 on Nov. 28, the Owls held Le Moyne to 65 points on Jan. 10. American International could muster only 62 points against the Owls on Jan. 12, despite defeating them by a 79-61 mark in Springfield, Mass. on Dec. 8.
IF IT'S UP… IT'S GOOD
Junior guard Terron Jones shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor en route to scoring a career-high 12 points on Jan. 26 against Southern New Hampshire.
THE 600 CLUB
Senior forward Devon Sullivan scored eight points on Jan. 26 against Southern New Hampshire to bring his career total to 600 points. Senior forward Ktrice McNeill is 31 points shy of joining Sullivan at the 600 point plateau.
WITH HONORS
Junior forward Preston Bell was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending on Jan. 21. Bell averaged 15 points and 6.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Owls.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
By netting eight points in his Southern Connecticut debut at Assumption on Jan. 19, sophomore guard Tocari Davis became the 13th Owl to score this season. Every Southern Connecticut player who has seen game action has converted at least two field goals and two free throws this season.
MILESTONES
Two Southern Connecticut players reached career milestones in the Jan. 15 victory at Nyack. Senior forward Ktrice McNeill netted his 500th career point and junior guard Derrick Corbett pulled down his 100th career rebound. Both Owls were playing in their 42nd career game. One game later, on Jan. 19 at Assumption, Corbett netted his 300th career point.
CAREER DAY
Junior guard Derrick Corbett scored a career-high 19 points in the team's victory at Nyack on Jan. 15. The New Haven native shot 6-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, and knocked five of six attempts from the free throw line. Corbett's previous career best was a team-high 15 points, posted this season in a victory over Franklin Pierce on Jan. 5.
TENACIOUS D
After surrendering 55 points in the first half against Nyack on Jan. 15, the Southern Connecticut defense allowed just 16 points to the Warriors en route to a comeback victory. Nyack shot 19.2% (5-for-26) from the floor and 41.7% (5-for-12) from the free throw line in the half.
EVERYBODY CHIPPING IN
In the 76-62 victory on Jan. 12 over American International, all 10 Owls who saw game action hit a field goal. Senior forward Devon Sullivan led the balanced scoring attack with 16 points. Sophomore guard Trevor Harris and junior forward Terron Jones joined him in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.
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 on Feb. 25, 2003, defeating Le Moyne by a score of 91-75.
…AND A DEFENSIVE LOCKDOWN
After allowing 74 or more points while posting a 1-7 record in their first eight contests this season, the Owls held Dominican to only 70 points in a victory on Dec. 28. Two days later, they topped that performance by holding Dowling to only 64 points. The Southern Connecticut defense stepped up again on Jan. 12, as they held American International to a season-low 62 points. Though it came in a losing effort, the Owls bested this mark once again on Jan. 24 at Merrimack, holding the Warriors to 61 points.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Senior forward Devon Sullivan has notched double figures in rebounds in five games this season. He 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 6.3 rebounds per contest.
A PAIR OF TWO-FERS
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. The sophomore fell one point shy of third double-double of the season, registered nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, on Jan. 12 against American International.
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.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Ten Owls are averaging double figures in minutes played this season, and 11 different Southern Connecticut players have made two or more starts.
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
Sophomore guard Trevor Harris contributed to the Owls' 89-70 victory over Dominican on Dec. 28 with a season-high nine assists. On the season, the Nanuet, N.Y. native is the Owls' leading assist man with 83 dimes (4.2 apg). Harris led the 2006-07 Owls with 3.3 per contest.
SEND IT BACK!
Sophomore center John Mazzarella blocked a career-high five shots on Dec. 21 against Felician College and repeated the deed with five more rejections at Pace on Jan. 8, tying him with four other players for the highest single game block total by a Northeast-10 Conference player this season. On the season, Mazzarella's 31 rejections (1.55 per game) lead the Owls and place him fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference through games played on Jan. 26. As a team, the Owls are fourth in the Northeast-10 with 3.50 blocked shots 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 second 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 to scoring a career-high 24 points.
MAKING HIS SHOTS COUNT
Senior forward Ktrice McNeill currently holds a ca¬reer field goal percentage of .601 (241-for-401). If maintained, that figure will put McNeill in the SCSU record books for highest career field goal percentage, topping Jon Blandin, who con¬nected to the tune of .583 from the field from 1995 through 1998. Most recently, McNeill shot 7-for-9 from the field against the College of Saint Rose on Jan. 30.
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 64-for-89 (.719), leading the team in free throws made and attempted. Senior forward Devon Sullivan (28-for-35, .800) leads the team in free throw percentage.
STEP RIGHT UP
The seven newcomers to the SCSU lineup have accounted for 24.8 points per game this season, nearly 35% 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 that game. His 20 point performance remains his career high through 19 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 head north to Colchester, Vermont to challenge the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights in a Northeast-10 Conference showdown on Saturday, Feb. 9. The action tips off from the Ross Sports Center at 3.30 p.m.
