Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE WEEK AHEAD
Coming off a six-point win at Saint Rose to start the 2013 calendar year, the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team faces two stern Northeast-10 Conference games this week. The Owls host No. 10 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m., followed by a road contest at UMass-Lowell on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Three players were in double-figures as the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team opened 2013 by defeating Saint Rose, 66-60, in a Northeast-10 Conference game on Saturday.
• Trevon Hamlet led the Owls with 17 points, three rebounds, and two blocks. Greg Langston 16 points and six rebounds, and Deshawn Murphy  also had 15 points and two rebounds.
• In the second half, Saint Rose would take a 46-39 lead with 11:17 remaining, its biggest of the stanza.
• Murphy then helped lead the Owls back into the game with 13 second half points. Murphy put the Owls ahead for good, 52-51, with a three-pointer, assisted to Langston, and 8:26 remaining.
• Hamlet's three-point play gave SCSU a 60-51 lead with 5:57 remaining.
• James Wilson brought Saint Rose within 60-57 after a layup with 2:57 remaining, but the Owls would not relinquish the lead.
• Langston made it 62-57 with two minutes remaining, and would play strong defense to put the game away.

HAMLET NAMED TO WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet has been selected to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll in each of the last two weeks. He was tabbed on Dec. 31 for his play in the Owls' final game of the calendar year against Bridgeport and was then selected after his effort in Saturday's win over Saint Rose.

WORKING OVERTIME
Two of the last three contests, and three of the last five games for the Owls, have required extra time. SCSU defeated Concordia, 99-94 in double overtime on Dec. 15 and then played an extra session against Bridgeport on Dec. 19. It was the first time since 2006 that the Owls played back-to-back overtime games. In addition, the last time that Southern Connecticut played three overtime games in four outings since the 2000-01 campaign.

LANGSTON CLOSING IN ON CENTURY MARK
Junior Greg Langston enters the week just 18 points shy of reaching the 1,000 point mark for his career.

ALL-TIME AGAINST FRANKLIN PIERCE
Franklin Pierce leads the all-time series, 25-13. The Owls lost 93-72 on the road last season.

ALL-TIME AGAINST UMASS-LOWELL
UMass-Lowell leads the all-time series, 33-27. The Owls lost both meetings last season, including an 86-68 loss on the road in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.

AGAINST FRANKLIN PIERCE - JAN. 3, 2012
Dominique Langston recorded team-highs of 23 points and seven rebounds, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team lost a 90-72 decision to Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 Conference contest in Rindge, N.H.
• Greg Langston finished with 19 points and hit on all four three-pointers he took on the evening. Tylon Smith  added a dozen points for the Owls.
• It was a tightly contested game for most of the first half. Greg Langston hit a layup with just under six minutes to play in the stanza, the Owls had built a five point lead, 36-31.
• However, the Ravens closed the half on a 16-1 run over the final 5:48 to build a 47-36 lead at the break.
• Franklin Pierce built the lead up to 15 points within the first four minutes of the second half. The Owls hung around and used a 10-3 spurt to close within just four, 65-61, with 9:29 remaining.
• The Ravens pulled away from there and went on to the 18-point win.

AGAINST UMASS-LOWELL - JAN. 7, 2012
Dominique Langston posted a double-double with team-highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team lost to UMass-Lowell, 89-83, at Moore Field House.
• Greg Langston finished with 21 points for the Owls, while Luke Houston and Tylon Smith added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
• Southern Connecticut led for practically the entire first half and held a lead as large as nine points. However, the River Hawks connected on a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the frame to take a 38-37 lead into halftime.
• The Owls forged back in front briefly Greg Langston connected on a three-pointer for a 48-47 lead with 16:21 remaining. However, UMass-Lowell hit a jumper on its next trip down the floor and didn't trail again. The visitors extended their lead to nine points with just over five minutes left, 75-66.
• SCSU countered with a run of the next four a half minutes to close within two points, 85-83, with 25 seconds left. However, UML hit four free throws the rest of the way to secure the win.

AGAINST UMASS-LOWELL- FEB. 26, 2012
Tylon Smith scored a career-high 25 points and added five rebounds and four assists, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team dropped its Northeast-10 Conference Tournament quarterfinal contest to UMass-Lowell, 86-68, in Lowell, Mass.
• Luke Houston and Dominique Langston each added a dozen for the Owls. Langston also finished with seven rebounds.
• Smith had 21 points in the first half for the Owls. UMass-Lowell scored the first eight points and held a 14-4 lead after four minutes of play. Southern Connecticut responded with a 20-7 run to close within two, 21-19, with 9:27 to go in the opening half.
• The River Hawks closed the half on a 24-10 spurt to take a 45-29 lead into halftime and held on in the second half.

BALANCED ACROSS THE BOARD
For the season, the Owls have seven members of the squad averaging between 7.0 and 18.6 points per game. Two are in double figures - Trevon Hamlet (18.6) and Greg Langston (16.7). Rounding out the group are Stefon Williams (8.4), Tylon Smith (8.3), Rashamell Vereen (8.2), Luke Houston (8.1) and Deshawn Murphy (7.0).

RETURN TO SENDER
Trevon Hamlet is first in the NE-10 in blocks per game (2.5). He is also No. 12 in the NCAA in that department.

AMONG THE NE-10 LEADERS
Trevon Hamlet ranks second in the NE-10 with 18.6 points per game, while Greg Langston is seventh with 16.7 points a contest. Tylon Smith is sixth in assists/game. Luke Houston is seventh in steals/game, while Rashamell Vereen is one spot back in that department.

HAMLET NAMED CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Trevon Hamlet was named the Co-Player of the Week during the week of Dec. 17 as he helped lead the Owls to a 1-0 week.Hamlet scored a game-high 28 points, five rebounds and five blocks during a 99-94 double overtime win against Concordia.
Hamlet sent the game into overtime when he tied the game at 73 with a 30-foot three-pointer.
• Freshman forward Stefon Williams was also named to the weekly honor roll after scoring a career-high 20 points and five rebounds against Concordia.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Tylon Smith posted the second double-double of his career with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Concordia. He also had a double-double in last year's four overtime contest against St. Michael's.

HOUSTON HEATING UP
Sophomore Luke Houston scored a career-high 20 points in the win over LeMoyne on Dec. 4. In all, he averaged 16.0 points and four rebounds per game to earn a selection to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Dec. 10.

MURPHY POSTS A NEW CAREER-HIGH
Freshman Deshawn Murphy scored a career-high 15 points, including four three-pointers, in the Dec. 8 game against New Haven.

ALMOST A RARE FEAT
The Owls had five players in double figures in the Dec. 1 contest against AIC, and nearly had a half-dozen hit the mark. In addition to Trevon Hamlet (18 points), Greg Langston (16 points), Tylon Smith (15 points), Stefon Williams (11 points) and Luke Houston (10 points), senior Rashamell Vereen also had nine points.

HAMLET REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
Trevon Hamlet became the 24th player in Southern Connecticut history to reach the 1,000 mark after eclipsing that milestone on Nov. 28 against Pace. Including the statistics from his freshman year as a member of the squad at Post University, Hamlet now has 1,707 points in his college career.

HAMLET NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet was named to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Dec. 3. Hamlet helped the Owls go 1-1 on the week. Hamlet led the Owls with 24 points to achieve 1,000 points at SCSU during an 84-75 win at Pace on Nov. 28. Hamlet also had four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He then led the Owls with 18 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, two assists and one steal during an 84-82 loss to AIC in overtime on Dec. 1.

LANGSTON NAMED NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Greg Langston was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week during the week of Nov. 19 after posting 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Owls' win at Adelphi. The double-double was the fourth of Langston's collegiate career. Coincidentally, three of those four double-doubles have come against Adelphi, one in each of the past three seasons. The fourth came against Bentley in 2010-11.

A QUICK START
The Owls jumped off to a 3-0 start for the second time in the last three seasons. The 2010-11 squad won its first four games of the year.

PAIR NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet and Greg Langston made the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Nov. 12 for their performances during a 2-0 week for the Owls. Hamlet led the Owls with 28 points and five rebounds against Goldey-Beacom. He then had 10 points, five rebounds, four rebounds and four blocks against Bridgeport. Langston had 17 points against Goldey-Beacom, and then led the Owls with 26 points and seven rebounds against Bridgeport.

REBOUNDING LIKE A CENTER
Sophomore guard Luke Houston pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds in the win at Pace.

AT THE UB MEN'S BASKETBALL CLASSIC
The Owls opened the 2012-13 season with two wins at the UB Men's Basketball Classic in Bridgeport, Conn. The Owls defeated Goldey-Beacom, 94-77, and Bridgeport, 71-57.

IN SEASON OPENERS
With the win over Goldey-Beacom, the Owls improved to 27-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last three season openers.

NEW FACES IMPACTING EARLY
Freshmen Deshawn Murphy and Stefon Williams made the most of their collegiate debuts in the opening weekend for the Owls. Murphy had 11 points and seven rebounds against Goldey-Beacom, and added two points and six rebounds against Bridgeport. Williams had 14 points and five rebounds against Goldey-Beacom, and added four points and three rebounds against Bridgeport.

VETERANS HELP SET THE TONE
The four returning starters for the Owls all played a significant role in the team's two wins over the opening weekend. Greg Langston averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Trevon Hamlet finished with 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per outing. Tylon Smith averaged 8.5 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds, while Luke Houston averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

WORTH THE WAIT
Senior guard Rashamell Vereen was an immediate contributor on both ends of the floor in his first two games as an Owl over the opening weekend. After sitting out all of last year due to NCAA transfer rules, he stepped in and averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In addition, he played a key role in defending Bridgeport's Darian David in that game between the clubs. David averaged 32 points in two games against the Owls last year, but was held to just nine points in the game.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Greg Langston handed out a single-game high seven assists in the season opener against Goldey-Beacom. He had previously handed out half a dozen assists on two occasions. Tylon Smith also set a new personal-best with nine assists against Bridgeport.

IN THE NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were selected sixth in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll. They finished tied for fifth in the regular season standings last season.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome four newcomers to the squad for the 2012-13 season - Jack McCarthy, Deshawn Murphy, Lucas Van Nes and Stefon Williams.

VETERAN PRESENCE
Southern Connecticut returns seven players from last year's squad - seniors Trevon Hamlet and Rashamell Vereen, junior Greg Langston and sophomores Ryan Belote, Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith.

OWLS CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team continued its upward climb in 2011-12 with its best season in a decade. The Owls concluded the campaign with a 14-13 mark, good for their first winning season since 2001-02. In addition, the team also finished in fifth place in the Northeast-10 Conference, the highest placement since joining the league.

THREE OWLS RECOGNIZED BY NORTHEAST-10
Trevon Hamlet, Greg Langston and Tylon Smith were all recognized by the Northeast-10 Conference for their play during the 2011-12 campaign. Hamlet and Langston were both selected for the All-Conference squads, while Smith was tabbed for the All-Rookie Team. It was the second year in a row that Hamlet had collected All-NE-10 honors.

EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM
Southern Connecticut had six student-athletes selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the 2011-12 academic year.

HAMLET FINISHES AMONG NCAA BLOCKS LEADERS
Trevon Hamlet finished the year ranked No. 17 in Division II blocks/game. Hamlet averaged 2.3 blocks per contest on the year.

CONFERENCE RESURGENCE
The Owls registered 21 conference victories combined during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, the highest win total since they entered the league with 22 conference wins from 2000-02.

ONE FOR THE AGES
The Owls played just their third four-overtime game in program history in the game against St. Michael's on Jan. 11, 2012. SCSU also went to four extra frames against Pace in 1996 and Coppin State in 1984. Ironically, the Owls have yet to win one of those four overtime contests.

DEFENSE TELLS THE STORY AGAIN
In 2010-11, the Owls merited just 67.4 points per game in their 12 wins, but allowed 75.9 points per game in their 15 losses. A similar trend followed the Owls in 2011-12, who  meriting just 65.7 points in their 14 wins, but 83.1 points in their 13 losses.

OWLS RANKED NEAR THE TOP
Greg Langston finished the season ranked third in the Northeast-10 in scoring with 16.7 points a contest, while Trevon Hamlet was fifth with an average of 16.3 points per game.

BALANCED SCORING TRANSLATES INTO WINS
In eight of its 14 wins in 2011-12, Southern Connecticut had at least four players reach double digits in scoring. The Owls had a quintet hit the double digit mark in wins over Post, Adelphi and Concordia.

BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES
After being amongst the leaders in blocks within the Northeast-10 Conference in 2010-11, Trevon Hamlet picked up right where he left off with 61 blocks, which ranked first in the NE-10.

ON DECK
The Owls are back in action on Jan. 15 for a 7:30 p.m. road game against St. Michael's.