Colonial Notebook
by Beth Iskoe
Business as usual
There were almost no upsets this week, as every game but one went according to plan. The CAA teams feasted on lesser competition or and were completely overmatched by more dominant squads. UNC Wilmington crushed Campbell 68-36 Wednesday night, while Towson destroyed Maryland-Eastern Shore 65-40 Thursday and snuck by Norfolk State 53-50 Saturday. Old Dominion also had its way with Maryland-Eastern Shore, coasting to an easy 82-62 victory Saturday.
On the flip side, Delaware was overwhelmed 77-59 by a very good St. Joseph’s squad Monday night and trailed the entire time during its 70-60 loss to Rider Saturday night. At Madison Square Garden Saturday night, Hofstra was totally out of its league when it suffered an 84-59 whooping at the hands of St. John’s.
Virginia Commonwealth, one of the few teams in the CAA with a winning record heading into last week, was outplayed 82-68 by a better Mississippi squad Saturday night.
The lone upset occurred Sunday afternoon when Drexel lost 81-78 to Quinnipiac. Sophomore guard Phil Goss had a chance to send the game into overtime, but his three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Getting back to respectability
After starting the season slow, most of the CAA squads have slowly but surely clawed their way back to hover around the .500 mark. While no team owns a winning record, half of the teams are 3-3 including Drexel, George Mason, UNC Wilmington, Towson and Virginia Commonwealth. Delaware and James Madison are just a game away from evening their records, as both squads are 2-3. Old Dominion improved to 2-4, both William and Mary (1-4) and Hofstra (1-5) still have only one victory apiece.
Moving on up
UNC Wilmington senior guard Brett Blizzard continued to move up the CAA career charts. He is now fourth in three-pointers made with 279, needing only fifteen to pass American’s Nathan Smith’s 293 and move into third place. Blizzard is currently sixth in three-point attempts with 661 and seventh in steals with 193. He is also one of 36 finalists for the senior CLASS award.
Saturday night, Virginia Commonwealth senior forward Willie Taylor became the 22nd player in Rams history to go over 1,000 points for his career when he scored a team-high 20 points against Mississippi.
Team records
Maryland-Eastern Shore’s 40 point effort was the lowest point total Towson has allowed since it held Loyola College to 40 points during the 1976 season. Also, the Tigers 25 point win was their largest margin of victory since 2000 when they defeated New Hampshire 80-52. The victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore was Towson’s fifth consecutive home opener win.
Fab freshman
Virginia Commonwealth freshman forward Nick George earned his second consecutive CAA Rookie of the Week Award. He averaged fifteen points and twelve rebounds in the Rams’ three victories, including two double-doubles.
Clutch
Towson senior guard Brian Allen was clutch in the last six minutes of the Tigers’ 53-50 victory over Norfolk State. During that span, he scored all eleven of his points and hit the game winning three-point shot with ten seconds remaining.
In trouble
George Mason senior forward Jesse Young has been suspended two games for violating team and university athletic department policies. Young is the Patriots’ leading rebounder (7.0 rpg) and second leading scorer (12.5 ppg). This season, he has one double-double and has scored in double figures three times.
Change of plans
UNC Wilmington sophomore forward Brandon Clifford decided to take a leave of absence from the team and announced he will transfer at the end of the semester. In four appearances this season, Clifford only averaged four minutes. Over his career at UNC Wilmington he has scored 93 points (2.3 ppg) and grabbed 48 rebounds (1.2 rpg).
Who’s hurting?
Hofstra has a pair of players that are battling injuries. Senior forward Danny Walker hurt his ankle and will be out until January. It is likely that he will be red shirted. Senior forward Osei Millar injured his knee and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.
Upcoming Schedule:
Thursday, December 19th
UNC Greensboro at Delaware – 7:30 pm
Hampton at VCU – 7:30 pm
George Mason at East Carolina – 8:00 pm
Friday, December 20th
James Madison vs. Denver – 1:00 pm (San Juan Shootout)
Dayton at Old Dominion – 7:00 pm
Towson at Morgan State – 7:30 pm (makeup from 12/5)
Saturday, December 21st
Delaware at Siena – 1:00 pm
Hofstra at Stony Brook – 1:00 pm
Drexel at Niagara – 4:00 pm
Texas San Antonio at UNC Wilmington – 7:00 pm
Texas Christian at VCU – 7:30 pm
James Madison vs. TBA (San Juan Shootout)
Sunday, December 22nd
George Washington at Towson – 1:00 pm
Morgan State at William and Mary – 2:00 pm
James Madison vs. TBA (San Juan Shootout)
