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OWLS CONTINUE CROSS-DIVISIONAL PLAY
The Owls (13-4, 8-2 NE-10) continue their stretch of eight straight games against Northeast-10 Northeast Division opponents on Wednesday, Jan. 21 when they travel to Stonehill for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. The Owls will then host a Saturday matinee against last season's NCAA Regional semifinalist, Franklin Pierce on Jan. 24.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST STONEHILL AND FRANKLIN PIERCE
The Owls enter this week's matchups with a 24-32 mark all-time against Stonehill and a 16-26 record versus Franklin Pierce.
 
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
•  Last season, the Owls scored a season-high 110 points as part of a 110-84 win in their only meeting with Stonehill. Tylon Smith led all scorers with 22 points and six assists, while shooting 80 percent from the floor. Luke Houston added 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Deshawn Murphy used a hot shooting game to net 21 points. Departed senior Greg Langston had 20 points and five rebounds for the Owls. Ryan Logan (13 points), Stuart McEwen (12 points) and Pierce Cumpstone (11 points) led the Skyhawks.
• The Owls last faced the Ravens in the semifinals of the NCAA East Regional last season on March 16. The Owls advanced to the regional finals with a 79-77 win. Smith led the way for SCSU with 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Michael Mallory had 17 points and Houston added nine points and 12 rebounds. Ryen Vilmont led all Ravens' returners with 20 points.
• On Jan. 25, 2014 in Rindge, N.H., the Owls tallied their second-highest point total all season in a 106-95 win over the Ravens. Smith tallied 31 points, while Mallory chipped in 13. Stefon Williams also reached double digits with 10 points. Langston led the Owls with 33 points, while Vilmont led FPU with 33 points.
 
SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill (10-6, 5-5 NE-10) enters the matchup coming off a non-conference, 84-73 win over Bloomfield. They are 1-2 against NE-10 Southwest Division opponents this year, with their one win coming over Adelphi. The Skyhawks are 4-4 versus common opponents this season with SCSU, while the Owls hold a 6-2 mark against those teams. Junior guard Carter Smith leads the club with 13.6 points per game. He is closely followed by sophomore Ryan Logan (13.2 ppg), junior Pierce Cumpstone (12.5 ppg), and senior Jack Cole (12.1 ppg). Cole leads the team and ranks fifth in the NE-10 with 8.1 rebounds per contest, and Logan ranks second with 7.1 rpg. Cole is also third in the conference by shooting 60.2 percent from the field, while Adam Bramanti is fourth in the conference with a 46 percent three-point percentage. The offensive unit is averaging an even 72 points per game while allowing 70.1 ppg.
 
SCOUTING THE RAVENS
Franklin Pierce (10-6, 5-4 NE-10) will host Pace on Wednesday before battling the Owls this weekend. The Ravens had their three-game winning streak snapped at home on Saturday by New Haven, 69-62. FPU enters the week 1-1 versus NE-10 SWD opponents, with their win coming over Saint Rose. As a team, the Ravens are outscoring their opponents by a margin of 77.8-75.1. Ryan Vilmont leads the team with 20.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, while Donte Gittens is second on the squad with 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Paul Becklens is top on the Ravens, averaging 5.6 assists per game. Vilmont's 20.3 ppg ranks fourth in the NE-10, while freshman Dustin Cole ranks fifth in the conference by shooting 45.9 percent from three-point range.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Owls lost for the first time on the road this season, and second time this year to Saint Michael's by a score of 96-87. Deshawn Murphy led the team with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including 7-for-12 from three-point range. Tylon Smith added in 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Desmond Williams added 20 points and three steals off the bench.
 
SOARING ATOP THE REGION
The Owls retained the No. 1 ranking in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region rankings. The Owls unanimously received all three place votes, while neither of this week's opponents are ranked in the poll.
 
SHOOTING THE LIGHTS OUT
Southern had a sizzling 63.5 percent (47-for-74) shooting night on Jan. 13 against Saint Anselm, topping the Hawks 120-100. The team also shot 67.9 percent (19-for-28) from three-point range. Four Owls scored 22+ points, with Tylon Smith leading the way with a season-high 32 points.
 
PRESENT IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
SCSU finds itself ranked No. 26 nationally in this week's Bennett Rankings, released on January 20. The Owls were also ranked No. 19 in last week's D2SIDA national rankings and were receiving votes in the official National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II rankings. The next D2SIDA and NABC national rankings will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
 
SCORE BIG OR GO HOME
As of Jan. 12, SCSU ranks sixth in the nation by averaging 91.5 points per game this season. The Owls are the only East Region team ranked in the top 49 in Division II in scoring. The team's 1,373 total points are fourth-most in the nation.
 
LIVING DOWNTOWN
As of Jan. 12, the Owls are tied for ninth-most three-pointers attempted in all of DII this season with 410. Their 162 made three-pointers rank seventh-best in the nation. For the season, the squad is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arch.
 
OWL'S AMONG NATION'S LEADERS
Tylon Smith enters the week of Jan. 12 tied for 31st in DII with 5.5 assists per game. Michael Mallory is tied for 19th in the nation with 299 total points and is 32nd nationally, fourth in the NE-10, with 19.9 points per game.
 
SNEAKERS FOR A GOOD CAUSE
On Saturday, the Owls will take part in a Coaches vs. Cancer event at Saint Michael's. Both coaching staffs will don sneakers while dressed in their familiar game attire in conjunction with the Jan. 23-25 Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend. Fans will be able to make donations to the American Cancer Society during the afternoon.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Owls enter Wednesday's matchup at Stonehill with a 6-1 record on the road this season, with their only defeat coming at Saint Michael's on Jan. 17. The team also boasts a 3-0 record in neutral site matchups.
 
SMITH EARNS NE-10 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior Tylon Smith was named the NE-10 Conference's Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 12. He averaged19.5 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 3 assists per contest in the previous week's matchups against SNHU and Bentley. He shot 53.5 percent (16-for-30) on the week, including 40 percent (2-for-5) from beyond the arch. His 20-point performance at SNHU on Jan. 7 was his sixth 20+ point performance of the season. He shot 50 percent from the field on Jan. 10 against Bentley, totaling 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
 
PRIMETIME TELEVISION COVERAGE
On Jan. 7, the Owls held on to defeat Southern New Hampshire 75-70 in a regionally televised game on NESNplus.
 
MALLORY TAKING THE NEXT STEP
The reigning NE-10 Rookie of the Year has continued to blossom in his sophomore season. Mallory ranks fifth in the conference with 19.8 points per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free throw line. He is also averaging 4.5 rebounds per game and is tied for the team lead with 30 steals. He set a new-career high with 31 points against Caldwell on Nov. 22 and was perfect 7-for-7 from beyond the arch against Saint Anselm on Jan. 13, when he shot 71.4 percent overall.
 
HOUSTON SETS NEW CAREER HIGH
Luke Houston set a new career-high with 32 points in the season-opener against Dowling. He has scored at least 27 points on four separate occasions this season.
 
SMITH STANDS ALONE ON CAREER ASSISTS LIST
Senior Tylon Smith became the program's all-time leader in career assists on Dec. 17 against Bridgeport. His 411th career assist passed Daryle Breland (1976-80) and T.J. Trimboli (1996-00).
 
HISTORIC START
The Owls 7-0 start to the 2014-15 season is tied for the second best start in program history, matching that of the 1996-97 team.The best start in program history came back during the 1949-50 season when the team opened the campaign 16-0.
 
EIGHT NET DOUBLE-DIGITS
On Nov. 21 against Felician, the Owls had eight players score in double-figures for the first known time in program history. Deshawn Murphy (18), Tylon Smith (16), Luke Houston (15), Michael Mallory (13), Desmond Williams (12), Michael Bozzuto (11), Austin Carter (11) and Stefon Williams (11) all helped the Owls to a 123-81 victory.
 
SCORING BIG
The 123 point outburst by Southern against Felician on Nov. 21 was tied for the second-most points in program history. The only other time the Owls scored 123 was in the 2000-01 season in a 124-123 OT loss to Pace. The program record of 124 points was set during the 1956-57 campaign against Hillyer (now the University of Hartford). The team later put up 120 points on Saint Anselm on Jan. 13.
 
POLL WATCHING
Southern's No. 2 national ranking early in the 2014-15 season matched the highest mark in program history. The Owls peaked as high as No. 2 in the Bennett Rankings last year. Southern's preseason No. 2 mark in the NABC poll was also the highest ranking ever for the Owls in the coaches' poll.
 
PLENTY OF PRESEASON FANFARE FOR SMITH
The only player in Division II to average 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in 2013-14, Tylon Smith has received significant attention from the media in the preseason. He was named a preseason All-American by the Sporting News and the Basketball Times and was a "Super 16" pick by the Division II Bulletin.
 
IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
In the release of the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll, the Owls were picked first in the Southwest Division. SCSU received 14 out of a possible 15 first-place votes.
 
THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Michael Donnelly announced that seniors Tylon Smith and Luke Houston will serve as team captains for the 2014-15 season. It's the second consecutive year that the pair has filled this role.
 
NEW ARRIVAL
The lone newcomer to the Owls' roster this season is another talented Connecticut product, guard Desmond Williams. He was a two-time junior college All-American at the Community College of Rhode Island. In addition, his older brother, Jordan, has played in the NBA with the Nets.
 
WELCOME BACK
Southern Connecticut returns 12 players from last year's squad - seniors Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith, juniors Stefon Williams, Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy and sophomores Michael Bozzuto, Austin Carter, Michael Mallory, Dominic Migliaro, Jonathan Paul and Lucas Van Nes.
 
GETTING IT DONE ON BOTH ENDS
In addition to collecting a host of accolades for his on the court play, Tylon Smith was named to the 2013-14 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II basketball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was a Third-Team selection.
 
NO EASY GAMES
The Owls will face six teams that reached the NCAA Division II Tournament a year ago (Bridgeport, East Stroudsburg, Franklin Pierce, Le Moyne, New Haven and Saint Anselm).
 
CAPTAINS LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Senior captains Tylon Smith and Luke Houston were both named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for their work in the classroom and on the court last year. Both have also been recognized as Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipients for their classroom prowess in each of the last two years.
 
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Southern Connecticut finished last year with a record of 30-3 and reached the Elite Eight for the second time in school history, where it lost to the eventual national champion, Central Missouri. Along the way, the Owls also won their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament titles. SCSU also produced a school-record 19 game winning streak during the course of the year.
 
IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 29-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last five season openers, including an 104-88 win over Dowling this year.
 
A DIFFERENT YEAR
The Owls won 13 more games last year than in 2012-13. The baker's dozen win improvement was third best in Division II. Here's a look at the teams and the win improvements (2012-13/2013-14 win totals in parentheses).
1. UC-Colorado Springs  +16 (5-21)
2. Delta State   +15 (11-26)
3. Southern Connecticut  +13 (17-30)
3. Cal-State Stanislaus  +13 (10-23)
3. Fort Valley State  +13 (8-21)
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
Deshawn Murphy set a new single-season record with 78 made three-pointers last year, surpassing Angelo Parenti (73, 1988-89). In addition, Murphy's 201 three-point attempts were also a new single-season record.
 
HOME COURT EDGE
Southern Connecticut went 11-1 at Moore Field House in the regular season and was 16-1 on its home court last year.
 
SMITH ETCHES NAME IN RECORD BOOK
Tylon Smith surpassed the 1,000 career points mark on Feb. 19 versus Pace. The guard totaled 1,171 points in his career over his first three years as an Owl. He enters his senior season in 20th place on the all-time scoring list at SCSU and is also 13th in career rebounding.
 
WHAT A TURNAROUND
In the eight seasons prior to the arrival of Mike Donnelly, Southern Connecticut won 34 games. Last year, he guided the Owls to 30 wins.
 
DONNELLY BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Owls' coach Michael Donnelly is in his fifth season at the helm of the SCSU men's basketball program in 2014-15. Over the course of his first four years, he has guided the Owls to steady win total improvements. Donnelly inherited a team that won just two games the year prior to his arrival and followed up with campaigns of 12, 14 and 17 with 30 victories. The 2014 NE-10 and NABC Regional Coach of the Year has a 73-41 record as head coach at SCSU, which includes four straight trips to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, a program first. Prior to his hiring at SCSU in May, 2010, Donnelly spent seven years as the head coach at Post University.
 
THE ONE DEPARTURE LEFT QUITE AN IMPACT
The only player not returning from last year's milestone season is Greg Langston, who finished his career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,890 points. He capped his career by earning All-America honors from four separate organizations along with Northeast-10 Conference and ECAC Player of the Year honors.
 
MALLORY MAKE A QUICK IMPACT
Guard Michael Mallory made his presence felt during the 2013-14 season, earning ECAC and Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year honors. He finished the year with averages of 15.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
 
ON THE GLASS
Team rebounding was a strength for the Owls a year ago. SCSU averaged 43.3 boards per game, tops in the Northeast-10 Conference.
 
LAST YEAR'S CONFERENCE LEADERS
Many Owls finished among the NE-10 leaders in the regular season statistics.
•Greg Langston placed second in scoring average (21.1).
•Tylon Smith was fifth in scoring (18.3) and fourth in both shooting percentage (55.5%) and assists (4.8).
•Michael Mallory led all freshmen (16th overall) with 15.8 points per game.
• Luke Houston finished second in steals per contest (2.3).
 
20 WINS EQAULS THE POST-SEASON
The 2013-14 season was the sixth time in program history that SCSU won 20 games in a season. The Owls have earned a spot in the postseason (NCAA five times, ECAC once) every time it hit that total.
 
THRIVING IN THE CLASSROOM
Nine of the 13 members of last year's team were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll during the course of the 2013-14 academic year. Student-athletes must maintain a semester average of at least 3.0 in order to be eligible for this honor.
 
100 NOTES
For the first time since the 1974-75 season, Southern Connecticut broke the century mark in consecutive games last year. The Owls followed up a 110-point showing in a win over Stonehill on Jan. 22 with 106 points in the road victory at No. 21 Franklin Pierce on Jan. 25.
• During the middle of January, the Owls surpassed the 100 point mark in three out of four contests.
• SCSU just missed triple digits in the 99-73 victory over AIC on Feb. 25.
• The extra made free throw versus the Yellow Jackets would have tied a program record set during the 1956-57 season.
 
WINNING SEASON
With the win over Stonehill on Jan. 22, the Owls secured their third straight winning season. The program last recorded three consecutive winning seasons from 1999-2000 to 2001-2002.
 
UP NEXT
Next week, Southern wraps up its final two games of an eight-game stretch against NE-10 Northeast Division opponents as they welcome Merrimack to Moore Field House on Tuesday, Jan. 27, before traveling to Assumption on Saturday, Jan. 31.