Complete Game Notes as a PDF
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team returns to Moore Field House on Tuesday as they host Northeast-10 Conference opponent Pace. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. After a few days of rest for the holiday, the Owls return to action on Sunday when they travel to Springfield, Mass. for another Northeast-10 match-up against AIC. Tip-off is set to start at 3:30 p.m. at Henry A. Butova Gym.
OFFENSIVE THREAT
The Owls have found their scoring threat early on in the 2009 season, one that they lacked a year ago. Freshman guard
Tobin Carberry as dropped 20 or more points in three of the team's first four contests as he leads the squad with 20.8 points per game.
LIGHTS OUT
In the team's loss to Le Moyne on Wednesday, junior guard
Andrew Zito and freshman guard
Tobin Carberry combined for 8-for-15 shooting from behind-the-arc. Zito had a stretch of four consecutive three's as he matched a career-high, 18 points.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
In his first game as an Owl, freshman
Tobin Carberry shot 8-for-10 from the floor and 10-for-15 from the charity stripe as he dropped 28 points against Felician. Carberry also lead the team defensively with three steals and was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for his performance.
KEY RETURNERS
The Owls have just five returning players from last year's squad but they will be looked upon to lead the team this season. Senior John Mazzeralla was a force down low in 2008-09 and his leadership will play a pivotal role for the Owls in 2009-10. Juniors
Lance Long and
Andrew Zito return with six years of veteran experience and sophomores
Chris Harris and
Kieran Ramsey look to improve on impressive freshman seasons.
WELCOME ABOARD
The Owls welcome seven newcomers to this year's squad including veterans
Johnnie Bird,
Clyde Chapman and
Dexton Williamson and freshmen
Tobin Carberry,
Brandon Ennis,
Ante Cosic and
Jonathan Schofield.
IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls have been ranked No. 16 in this year's Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll.
GOING OUT STRONG
On Feb. 24, 2009, the Owls honored their three senior class members;
Terron Jones,
Preston Bell and
Justin Gardenhire before their game against Le Moyne. In his final game as an Owl, Jones dropped a career-high 27 points as he went 9-for-17 from the floor and 9-for-12 from the line. He also grabbed six boards, had two steals and blocked one shot to earn recognition on the Northeast-10 Weekly Honor Roll. Bell joined him on the weekly honor roll for his stellar performance as he scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He also pulled down five boards and was a defensive force with four steals. Gardenhire dished out a career-high eight assists and added seven points to end his career at Southern.
STEPPING UP
On Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, freshman forward
Kieran Ramsey stepped right up for the Owls as he dropped a career-high 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He also grabbed 13 boards; both stats were game-highs. Saturday's double-double against Merrimack was Ramsey's fifth of the season. As a freshman, Ramsey proved he can be a strong contributor for the Owls in years to come.
LEADING THE OFFENSE
Derrick Corbett led the Owls in scoring during the 2008-09 campaign with a total of 272 points, averaging 11.3 points per game. Joining Corbett in double-digits were seniors
Preston Bell and
Terron Jones. Bell and Jones finished their senior seasons with 11.3 and 10.9 points per game respectively. Corbett also led the Owls in 3-point field goals made with 39 on 113 attempts (.345). He was second on the team in 3-point field goal percentage behind sophomore
Lance Long who made .421 percent from behind-the-arc but only took 19 attempts. Jones made the most trips to the line and shot a team-best .811 percent from the charity stripe and freshman
Chris Harris was the leading assist man with 2.7 per game.
BLOCK PARTY
John Mazzarella finished the 2008-09 season ranked third in the Northeast-10 Conference in blocks per game with 2.42. Earlier in the season, Mazzarella had a career-high seven blocks against Pace (1/10). He also had two games this season in which he blocked six shots each.
OVERTIME THRILLER
On Feb. 10, 2009, the Owls faced off against St. Michael's for the second time during the season and first time at Moore Field House. The Purple Knights forced overtime but the Owls remained composed. In the final five minutes, freshman guard
Chris Harris took control and dropped two buckets to tie the game at 64-64. With 31 seconds remaining, senior guard
Terron Jones was fouled and sent to the line. He hit one of two foul shots to give his team the lead and the victory, 65-64.
LEADING THE OWLS TO VICTORY
In the game against St. Michael's (2/10),
Terron Jones had the game of his career. He dropped 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and grabbed 11 boards, both career-highs. Most importantly, his performance led the Owls to their first Northeast-10 win. Jones was also 5-for-6 from the line and made the game winning foul shot with 31 seconds remaining to defeat St. Michael's in overtime, 65-64. The Purple Knights had no answer for Jones as he continuously made great back-door cuts for easy lay-ups.
DOWNLOW PRESENCE
Junior center
John Mazzarella and freshman forward
Kieran Ramsey had a combined 46 rebounds in two conference games on Nov. 19 and Nov. 22. Mazzarella had back-to-back games with a career-high 15 rebounds a piece and totaled six blocks. Against St. Rose (11/22) he dropped a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards. On Nov. 22, Ramsey recorded his second double-double in only his fourth game with the Owls and set a career-high 16 points against Saint Michael's.
OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Freshman
Tobin Carberry was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll on November 16 for his performance against Felician. In his Owls debut, Carberry dropped 28 points on 8-for-10 shooting and lead the team defensively with three steals.
ON DECK
The Owls return to the court on December 2 as they host the newest member of the NE-10, Adelphi at 7:30 p.m.