Men’s basketball gameday previews

Sacred Heart at Quinnipiac

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden

Records: Sacred Heart (4-3); Quinnipiac (2-3)

Radio: WQUN-1220 AM

Scouting Sacred Heart: This is the Northeast Conference opener for both teams. Shane Gibson leads the Pioneers. The slashing guard scored all 16 of his points in the second half in the win over Brown. He scored a season-high 26 points at Richmond, taking a career-high 21 shots. He has a pair of 20-point games in the first seven outings this year and 14 for his career. SHU is deep, with 10 players averaging over 10 minutes and game, and seven scoring over five points a game.

Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats have won five of the last six games in the series. Quinnipiac lost its last game at Lehigh but James Johnson once again paced the Bobcats with 25 points. Ike Azotam failed to score in just six minutes of action while battling flu-like symptoms but Garvey Young had his best game as a Bobcat scoring 11 points off the bench.

Projected Starters

Sacred Heart

Justin Swidowski, 6-9,Jr.,F,12.1
Evan Kelley, 6-4,So.,G,,9.7
Chris Evans,6-3,So.,G,7.3
Shane Gibson,,6-2,Jr.,G,16.6
Femi Akinpetide,6-6,Jr.,F,1.6
Quinnipiac
James Johnson,6-0,Sr.,G,19.0
Jamee Jackson,6-7,Jr.,F,8.2
Ike Azotam,6-7,So.,F,13.8
Dave Johnson,5-10,Jr.,G,4.0
Alex Jackson,6-6,So.,F,3.0
Off the bench

Sacred Heart: Louis Montes, 6-4, So., G, 5.0 ppg.; Steve Glowiak, 6-3, Fr., G., 8.1; Quinnipiac: Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., F, 4.3; Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 9.0.

-- Bill Cloutier

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jose Campos of West Haven was a member of the 2011 men’s soccer team at Felician College.
Felician is an NCAA Division II member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The Golden Falcons were 10-10 overall (the program’s most victories since 2002) and finished sixth in the CACC with a 6-5 league record. They reached the semifinals of the CACC Tournament for the first time since 2005.
Campos, a redshirt freshman midfielder, appeared in 19 games, starting four. He recorded two goals and two assists on the season, including the only goal of a 1-0 victory over Goldey-Beacom College on Oct. 15. He is a 2010 graduate of Platt Tech.

Yale defeats Hartford 74-69

This is from the Associated Press on former UConn Recruit Elena Delle Donne who leads the country in scoring.

Yale plays against the superstar next week and last year I talked with Yale coach Chris Gobrecht she raved about what a wonderful player Delle Donne is.
A lot of the UConn beat reporters were down on her for leaving the school but she had her reasons and has since elevated Delaware into a Top 25 team and I applaud her for her efforts.

Here is the AP story:
By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer
Elena Delle Donne has vaulted the Delaware basketball program to new heights.
The 6-foot-5 star led the Blue Hens to their first Top 25 ranking, entering The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll Monday at No. 24. They will face Princeton on Thursday in their first game as a ranked team.
“It’s pretty neat we’re making history. Not just myself but my entire team,” she said. “It’s something we’ll be able to look back on forever.”
Delle Donne is a huge reason why the Blue Hens (4-0) are unbeaten and in the poll. They are 40-14 in her career when she’s in the lineup and 3-12 when she doesn’t play. She is leading the country in scoring averaging 30.2 points. The junior had 40 points in the school’s upset of then-No. 11 Penn State and had a 54-point game last season. She holds nine of the top 10 individual scoring games in school history.
“She is one of the top five players in the country period,” Delaware coach Tina Martin said. “She has done so much for our program.”
In a recent win over Villanova, Delle Donne had a “quiet” 22 points as she was constantly being double- and triple-teamed. Yet still she managed to hit the big shots or find the open teammate to propel Delaware to the victory.
“She’s like Larry Bird,” Villanova coach Harry Perretta said. “She may not be the fastest kid, or jump the highest, but she can beat you in so many ways. She’s so smart as a player.”
Much was made when Delle Donne decided to transfer to Delaware before her freshman year after spending a few days over the summer at UConn. She never regretted her choice to come home to the state where she starred in high school so that she could be closer to her older sister, Lizzie, who is blind, deaf and has cerebral palsy.
“Anywhere else I don’t know if this would be happening. It makes me extremely happy being at the University of Delaware.”
Delle Donne could pass Cindy Johnson as the school’s all-time leading scorer by the New Year if she keeps up her current pace. She’d probably already have it if she hadn’t missed a dozen games last season because of Lyme disease.
She says she’s completely healthy now, and it shows.
“I’m back and feel great. I worked really hard this summer with our strength and conditioning coach,” Delle Donne said. “He was able to transform my body and do a lot of things with me.”
Delle Donne spent part of her summer playing in the World University Games and helped the United States win a gold medal. That team featured some of the best players in the country, including three members of the preseason All-America team with Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame, Shekinna Stricklen of Tennessee and Nnemkadi Ogwumike of Stanford.
Yet it was Delle Donne who led the team in scoring and rebounding.
“It’s nice to go and play with those types of players and see what I can do and bring to that team,” she said. “I was able to be a force for that squad. My versatility was something that was able help the team get some wins. It was an amazing experience. I had some awesome players surrounding me.”
She left a lasting impression on coach Bill Fennelly.
“She could play at any level and there are not enough good words to say about Elena,” he said. “She’s one of the most talented kids I’ve ever been around. She was a fun kid to coach. She did everything we asked of her. She was a great teammate. As long as she maintains her love for the game, she has a great future in USA Basketball. She has the potential to be on the Olympic team. She’s that good.”
Delle Donne has a choice to make after this season because she would be eligible for the WNBA as her original class will have graduated. She deflected the decision.
“I really haven’t thought about it,” she said. “I’m a junior, that’s what I say to everyone. I do feel like I’ll be at the University of Delaware next year. You never know what can happen but you think about this year and trying to enjoy it.”
Delle Donne hopes that the season ends with an NCAA tournament bid for the Blue Hens. It’s something the school hasn’t received since 2007.
“That would mean everything,” she said beaming. “It’s always been my dream to play in the NCAA tournament. I think it would be a lot of fun getting there. You never know what can happen when you get to that tournament. It would be an incredible thing for us.”
———
Follow Doug at http://twitter.com/dougfeinberg
AP-WF-11-28-11 1319EST

The Ivy League champion Bulldogs will play the Trojans, the Pac-12 title winners, on Friday, December 2, at 10 p.m. Eastern time in Los Angeles, Calif. The other first-round match will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time and features Tulsa (27-6), the Conference USA champions, and Oklahoma (21-11) of the Big 12 Conference.
“I am so happy to be heading to Southern California for the tournament, especially with this group of girls,” Yale team captain and Southern California native Taylor Cramm said. “Most of us are from out there, so it will be great to have a group of fans waiting for us and cheering us on as we take on USC.
“We have worked so hard and had so much fun together this season, and being able to play in the NCAA tournament in front of our friends and family is the cherry on top of an incredible year.”
The winners of each match will play the second-round match on Saturday, December 3, at 10 p.m. Eastern time and will advance to the Honolulu Regional.
Friday’s match marks Yale’s third appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs also qualified

This is from the UNH web site. The Chargers are off to Winston-Salem for the Super Region One finals next week.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. -The No. 5 nationally ranked University of New Haven football team advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 44-37 win over No. 6 Kutztown University in an offensive showdown on Saturday afternoon at DellaCamera Stadium. The Chargers tallied 538 yards of total offense behind the stellar play of Ryan Osiecki (Seymour, Conn./Seymour / Univ. of Louisville) and Jason Thompson (Stuart, Fla./South Fork ). The two connected on four touchdowns as Osiecki threw for 433 yards on 23-of-31 passing with five touchdowns while Thompson hauled in four touchdowns with 214 yards on six catches.

The Chargers are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Super Region One and improved to 11-1 on the season. Kutztown was the No. 3 seed and concludes the 2011 season with an overall mark of 11-2. UNH advances to take on Winston-Salem State University in the NCAA quarterfinals next Saturday.

Kutztown received the ball first after New Haven won the toss and deferred to the second half. After the opening kickoff went out-of-bounds, the Golden Bears gained possession at their own 40-yard line. Nine plays later, they capped off a 3:27 drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Mashall Vogel to Josh Mastromatto.

On New Haven's next two possessions, the Chargers drove to the goal line but couldn't find the endzone. Instead they settled for 23- and 21-yard field goals to cut the deficit to one with 4:08 remaining in the first quarter.

The Chargers began the second quarter with the ball and took advantage. After completions to Josh Smart (New Haven, Conn./Hamden ) and Kameel Lashley (Boston, Mass./Boston Comm. Leadership Academy) on the drive, Osiecki finished the possession with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Thompson as New Haven went ahead, 13-7.

The two teams exchanged scores all throughout the first half. Kutztown scored on another touchdown pass from Vogel to reclaim the lead before Osiecki and Thompson connected on a five-yard score with 4:55 remaining in the half to take a 20-14 lead.

The Golden Bears regained possession and began the drive with several rushes by Robbie Frey and Josh Mastromatto. After success on the ground, Kutztown went back to the air and eventually scored on a six-yard pass to Colby Tuell as they went up 21-20 with 17 seconds remaining and a sure lead heading into the break.

However, the Chargers retaliated and with their drive starting at the New Haven 38-yard line, Osiecki completed consecutive passes to Thompson and Smart for 12 and six yards to set up a hail mary opportunity. With four seconds remaining and the ball at the Kutztown 44-yard line, Osiecki threw the ball to the back of the endzone as Thompson pulled it down with several Golden Bears opponents surrounding him. The score marked his third touchdown of the half and after a failed two-point conversion, New Haven took a 26-21 lead at halftime with the momentum in their favor.

After an offensive showdown from both teams in the first half, the third quarter featured an entirely different game as both defenses stepped up. The Chargers received the ball but had to punt for the first time in the game. Kutztown regained possession at the New Haven 44-yard line. Eight-plays later, Mastromatto scored on a 34-yard pass to give the Golden Bears a two-point advantage, 28-26.

After a scoreless third quarter for New Haven, Kutztown added to their lead on a 19-yard field goal. Despite giving up three points, the Chargers defense held strong and stopped the Golden Bears at New Haven's own two-yard line.

Trailing by five with 12 minutes to go, New Haven began their next drive at their own 29-yard line. After a nine-yard pass to Anthony Tillman (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway), the Chargers were faced with a third-and-two. Osiecki found Smart for a 13-yard reception to keep the drive going and two plays later, Mike DeCaro (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay ) juked several defenders on his way to a 45-yard score after catching a short pass from Osiecki.

After Raheem Stanley (Hartford, Conn./Weaver ) sacked Vogel on third-and-10, the Chargers got the ball back after a quick three-and-out. On the first play of the possession, Osiecki found Thompson down the middle of the field on a play-action that resulted in the eventual game-winning touchdown as Thompson ran 64-yards untouched into the endzone.

J.D. Chalifoux (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) picked off Vogel seven plays later as New Haven was well on its way of advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals. They added another field goal and Kutztown scored a touchdown with one second to play as the Chargers won, 44-37.

Thompson's career game featured 214 yards on six catches and four touchdowns. Osiecki was 23-of-31 for 433 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 38 yards on six carries with a long of 15 yards. Kicker Chris Scifo (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas / Central Connecticut State University) was also a perfect 3-for-3 with kicks from 23, 21 and 19-yards out.

Defensively, Desmond Anderson (Jacksonville, Fla./Edward H. White / Becker College) and Mike Gomes (Brockton, Mass./Brockton ) each had a game-high of 12 tackles. Anderson also recorded an interception and broke-up two passes. Robert Hill (Suffield, Conn./Suffield / Dean Junior College) was a force on the defensive line. He had three tackles-for-loss including two sackes. Charlie Hatchet (Bridgeport, Conn./Stratford / Santa Monica College) also picked off Vogel and added six tackles.

New Haven will now face the No.1 seeded Winston-Salem State in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday, December 3 in the NCAA Quarterfinal Round. The Rams are ranked No. 3 nationally and are coming off a 35-28 win over fifth-seeded California (Pa.). Complete game details will be made available on Monday, November 28.

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
Sunday night is the reward for the Yale volleyball team.
After battling through a rugged Ivy League schedule and winning the league title for the fourth time in eight years, the Bulldogs get a chance to sit down and watch TV.
No practice. No running. No endless diving on the floor digging balls.
The Bulldogs will watch NCAA volleyball selection show on ESPNU (6 p.m.) knowing that there name will be called among the field of 64.
“It’s really exciting. Everyone’s like,’ Shhhh. I want to hear,” Yale coach Erin Appleman said. “It’s not like were on the bubble. We know they’re going to call our name. Then it’s usually crazy.”
And followed by a lot of noise.
Yale (18-6, 12-2 Ivy) made plenty of noise during the season. Led by setter Kendall Polan, a sophomore who was named the league’s Player of the Year, Yale won seven straight games down the stretch to wrap up the title before the final match of the season getting huge contributions from freshmen Allie Frappier (238 kills), Mollie Rodgers (267 kills) and Maddie Rudnick (375 digs).
The championship came a year after Yale lost to Penn in a heart-breaking one-game playoff last season to determine the conference’s NCAA representative.
The 2011 title is Appleman’s fourth Ivy League crown in her nine years at the school. Appleman has gone to three NCAA tournaments compiling a 2-2 record with wins over Albany and Ohio. The win over Albany came at New Haven but the Bulldogs won’t have a chance to host this year’s tournament as the NCAA changed its format for selecting host sites giving the top 16 overall teams in the tournament the right to host the tournament regardless of the region that they come from.
All 16 venues will host four teams and Appleman said that because of geographical considerations she thinks there is a 60 percent chance the Bulldogs will play at Penn State and 40 percent chance they’ll be shipped somewhere else in the country.
Said Appleman: “The first night you have a good chance of winning and the second night you go out there and swing for the fences.”
Yale is still a bit handcuffed in its effort to compete with the nation’s powers because it doesn’t offer scholarships and Appelman said that most of the best players in the country commit to schools as early as sophomores when Yale can’t even being to talk to potential recruits.
But that hasn’t stopped her from bringing in talent from all over the country including the volleyball-affluent state of California. The Bulldogs feature eight players from Calif. And they’re so young they should be an NCAA player for years to come.
“Volleyball is just a part of the culture in California,” Yale senior captain Taylor Cramm said. “You go to the beach and you see girls walking along with their volleyballs and there’s always games going on.”
Appleman said that this year’s team certainly has the potential to be the best she’s ever fielded. She feels that her teams in 2008 which beat a top 25 Ohio team in the NCAA first round and 2009 which failed to make the tournament had superstars like Alexis Crusey and Cat Dailey.
“This year’s team is so balanced,” Appleman said. “(Polan) is just a great player. She’s the glue who keeps us together basically because of the position she plays but everyone has taken over the leadership role on the floor at some time. It’s been a different player all the time.”
Appleman and Cramm were proud of how the youngsters didn’t cave under the pressure.
“We start three freshmen and three sophomores,” Appleman said. “What I’m very proud of is how well they handled things during the season. They didn’t get distracted. They followed the game plans and they managed the stress of the long season.”
Said Cramm: “The chemistry on our team has been the biggest key. We love being together. We have so much fun playing together and from the first day everyone always wanted to work and were excited to be together.”
If Yale does get sent to Penn State for the first and second rounds, Appleman feels that Yale could meet conference winners Albany, Sacred Heart, Niagara, Delaware or Maryland Eastern-Shore in the opener. She believes Yale could get seeded third in that region.
And with a win they’re virtually guaranteed to play one of the nation’s elite squads.
“I’m 6-1 so I don’t usually look up to anyone but those teams obviously have a physical advantage,” Cramm said. “They’re all so tall and athletic. At first it’s a little intimidating because these are the girls that you watch on TV and you hear all about. They’re the girls trying out for the national team.
“But when it starts you just play your game.”
Cramm was part of the Yale’s last tournament that was also sent to Penn State. She’d love to get the opportunity to travel somewhere else for the her finale.
“I’d love to go to the Midwest or even California,” she said. “But where ever we go it’s going to be great. This is the best possible way to end my career. Emotionally it’s going to be pretty rough. I’ve been playing volleyball for 10 years so it’s really going to be tough to think about this being my last match but it’s the best way to go out.”
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From the Yale web site:

WACO, TEXAS — The Yale University women's basketball team actually created a little bit of a stir in its opening game of the three-game trip to Texas. Few expected much of a challenge out of the Bulldogs when they took on the nation's top-ranked team, but for the first 12 minutes of the game, Yale proved to be the better team on the floor. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the nation's best player took control of the game and proved why she and her Baylor teammates are receiving so many accolades this season.

Baylor's Brittney Griner, the consensus preseason national player of the year, recorded 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds and five blocks to lead Baylor to a 109-59 win over Yale Tuesday night in front of 7,681 fans at the Ferrell Center.

It was Yale's second-ever meeting with Baylor, but it was the Bulldogs' first-ever encounter with a team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

However, despite the 50-point margin, the Bulldogs came out of the gates and challenged the Bears in every aspect of the game. By the first media timeout with 14:34 remaining in the opening half, Yale held a 15-11 lead thanks in large part to a flurry of big plays from sophomore center Zenab Keita against Griner. Keita scored Yale's first seven points of the game, passing her previous career high of six points just 3:57 into the game, and she made big plays on both ends of the court. And when the game reached its third media timeout with 7:51 left in the half, Yale was still on top, 26-25.

That's when Griner took charge. She scored 13 points in a 32-7 run over the final over the final 7:17 of the half to propel the Bears into a 57-33 halftime lead. At the halftime break, Griner had 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and five rebounds.

Yale had trouble regaining the control that it had in the opening 12 minutes of the game, but there were some shining stars in the Yale Blue uniforms.

Keita finished the game with 13 points to go along with two assists, two steals and two blocks, reaching new career-high marks with all of those statistics. Freshman guard Sarah Halejian also had a career-high 13 points.

The Bulldogs still have four more days in Texas before they return home to New Haven. The trip ends with a pair of games in the David Jones Classic holiday tournament, which opens with Yale facing the tournament host University of Houston on Friday in junior guard Allie Messimer's hometown of Houston, Texas. Yale closes out the tournament against Texas-Pan American on Saturday.

From the Yale web site:
NEWARK, N.J. – For much of Tuesday night's game, the Yale men's basketball team stayed right with Seton Hall. The Pirates, though, had two big spurts and escaped with a 73-62 victory over the pesky Bulldogs before a crowd of 6,287 at the Prudential Center.

The Bulldogs led 28-25 late in the first half before the Pirates used a 13-3 run to take a 37-31 lead at the intermission. Yale pulled within two, 48-46, midway through the second half, but Seton Hall scored the next 15 points. The Bulldogs made one last push, getting within seven with 1:14 left but couldn't complete the comeback.

"They started the second half in man-to-man [defense] and we were able to take advantage," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Men's Basketball. "They went back to zone, and we struggled. We need to move the ball and hit the open man and we didn't do that."

Yale also didn't do a very good job of taking care of the basketball. The Bulldogs committed 22 turnovers, which led to 25 points for Seton Hall.

Jeremiah Kreisberg scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to lead Yale. Greg Mangano also had 14 points, while Reggie Willhite and Austin Morgan each had 11.

Fuquan Edwin scored 20 points, and Herb Pope added 17 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Pirates (4-1). Jordan Theodore, who entered the game averaging nearly 20 points, was held to just 13 but contributed on defense and hit some big foul shots down the stretch.

"Theodore did a great job pressing our guards," Jones said.

Yale (2-2) started the game strong, building a 15-7 lead after seven minutes. The Bulldogs also came out of the gate strong in the second half, opening with a 9-4 run, capped by a Mangano layup off a nice feed from Kreisberg.

That, however, was one of few easy baskets Yale was able to get. Seton Hall outscored the Bulldogs 42-18 in the paint and had a 20-2 edge in fast break points.

"I thought we did a great job defensively in the second half in the half court," Jones said. "There's no defense, though, on layups in transition off turnovers."

Michael Grace had seven points and three assists in 24 minutes off the bench for Yale, and freshman Brandon Sherrod contributed three points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.

Notes: This was the first meeting between Yale and Seton Hall since 1943… The Pirates were playing their fourth game in the last six days. They reached the championship game of the Charleston Classic over the weekend but lost to Northwestern… Kreisberg's double-double was the second of his career. He also did it against Harvard last year… Both teams had 37 rebounds… The Bulldogs held the Pirates to just 38.5 percent from the field in the second half… Seton Hall was 21-of-31 from the free throw line, while Yale was 8-of-12… The Bulldogs are off until Saturday when they play at Army. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

From the Quinnipiac web site:

HAMDEN, Conn. – Sophomore Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) posted his fourth consecutive double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday night, but a free-throw with eight seconds left proved to be the difference for American University, as the Eagles defeated the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team by the final score of 74-73 on Tuesday evening at Bender Arena.

With the setback, the Bobcats dropped to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 against opponents from the Patriot League. On the other side, the Eagles ascended back over the .500 mark and extended their unbeaten streak to three games, moving to 3-2 on the year.

Azotam led all Bobcats with 20 points, as the power forward went 7-of-12 from the floor. He connected on 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and blocked two shots in another stellar performance.

Charles Hinkle, who entered the game as the nation's ninth ranked scorer, compiled 31 points on just 6-of-16 shooting. However, the senior forward made a living at the charity stipe, collecting 15 points on 19 total attempts. Freshman John Schoof registered nine points, whereas three other Eagles tallied six points in the game.

A quick start offensively and defensively propelled the Bobcats to an early lead in this one. QU scored the game's first seven points, while forcing the hosting Eagles to a 0-for-3 start on offense. Despite foul trouble around the midway mark of the opening stanza, Quinnipiac maintained its advantage through much of the first half.

The Eagles chipped away at their deficit late in the frame, and even took a one-point lead with just over three minutes to go in the half. However, the Bobcats rallied off a 9-2 run to close out the opening 20 minutes of play, granting the away team a 37-31 advantage as the halftime whistle sounded.

In the second half of action, foul trouble continued to plague QU, as the Bobcats finished with 33 infractions by the end of the night. The second stanza also featured 15 lead changes and 10 times that the score was tied.

With 1:08 left on the clock, Azotam put the Bobcats on top, 72-70, after completing an old-fashioned three-point play. Nonetheless, on the ensuing possession, Hinkle connected on a shot from behind the arc to give the home team a 73-72 lead with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation.

Senior James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.), who missed much of the game because of foul trouble, raced down the court and drew a foul on his way to the basket. Johnson knocked down 1-of-2 from the stripe, giving the Bobcats a mere one-point advantage with 33 seconds showing on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the whistle sounded for another infraction with just eight seconds left in the game. AU's Blake Jolivette missed the first free-throw, but rattled home the second, which proved to be the difference in a heartbreaking loss for Quinnipiac.

Quinnipiac totaled 33 fouls in the contest, eight more than the Eagles. AU went to the line 48 times, compared to 32 for the Bobcats, and made nine fewer field goals as well. Quinnipiac held American to just 25 percent shooting in the first half and 37 percent overall. The Bobcats continued their dominance on the boards, controlling a plus-20 rebounding margin (45-25).

Joining Azotam with double-figures were freshman Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and junior Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.). Gause finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting (2-of-4 from long-distance) and Jackson added 13 on 5-of-10 shooting. James Johnson finished with eight points, surpassing Robert Vacca for 17th on the all-time career scoring list. Sophomore Alex Jackson (Baltimore, Md.) chimed in with six points.

The Bobcats will enjoy a few days off for Thanksgiving before heading out to Pennsylvania for their next contest. QU is set to take on Lehigh University, who was selected to win the Patriot League, on Monday, November 28 at 7 p.m. Live audio and statistics will be provided for the contest at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

Contact: Tony Distasio; Ardistasio@quinnipiac.edu

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut State University senior running back Rashaad Slowley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) has been selected as one of nine finalists for the 2011 Harlon Hill Award, given annually to the Division II College Football Player of the Year. The finalists were selected by the NCAA Division II sports information directors in regional voting and will now be placed on the national ballot where all 149 of the division's SIDs will select the award's 26th winner.

National voting will conclude on December 2 and the top three finishers will be invited to the Florence, Ala. for the presentation banquet.

Slowley, the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Most Valuable Player, currently ranks No. 3 in all of NCAA college football at all levels in scoring (29 touchdowns and 174 total points). He is also currently sixth among student-athletes at all levels in rushing yards/game (158.4) and ranks second in Division II in scoring, third in yards/game and sixth in all-purpose yards/game (181.7).

Slowley set a new school single-season record for touchdowns with 29, and a new SCSU single-game record with six touchdowns in a win over St. Anselm on Sept. 17.

He finished the year with 274 carries for 1,584 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns and also hauled in 21 catches for 233 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He reached the 100 yard mark in all nine Division II games this year and rushed for more than 200 yards on three occasions. Slowley led the Northeast-10 Conference in rushing yards, touchdowns and in all-purpose yards this year.

In all, Slowley finished his career ranked No. 2 all-time at SCSU in rushing yards (3,460), touchdowns (45) and points (272).

Southern Connecticut concluded the 2011 season with an overall mark of 7-3 (6-2 Northeast-10 Conference). It marked the 11th consecutive winning season for the Owls.

Brittany McQuain recorded a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, for the Quinnipiac women’s basketball team in a 64-55 win over visiting Fairfield Sunday at Hamden.
Felicia Barron added 11 points and six assists, while Jasmine Martin added 10 points, for the Bobcats (1-2).
Desiree Pina scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a career-high six assists for the Stags (2-2).
Men’s soccer

UConn 2, Monmouth 1: At Storrs, UConn, the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in front of 3,979 fans.
UConn advances to the NCAA 3rd Round to be played at Morrone Stadium on Sunday.
Women’s basketball

Albertus Magnus 86, Pine Manor 66: At Boston, the Falcons won the Boston Invitational Tournament title to improve to 4-0, their best start in program history.
Bianca Brown led the Falcons with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while she added four blocked shots in 26 minutes of work earning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Lindsay Karle finished with 11 points.
Walter Camp honors
Baylor junior quarterback Robert Griffin III was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation offensive player of the week.
Griffin III broke his own single-game records for passing yards (479) and total offense (551) in a 45-38 win over then-No. 5 Oklahoma. He completed 21-of-34 passes and four touchdowns.
Houston senior linebacker Sammy Brown was honored on defense.
Brown had a game-high 10 tackles and three sacks in a 37-7 win over SMU.
Columbia fires Wilson
Columbia fired football coach Norries Wilson the day after the Lions beat Brown to avoid a winless season.
Athletic Director M. Dianne Murphy announced he move in a release from the school Sunday.
Wilson, a former assistant at Connecticut, was hired after the 2005 season and went 5-5 to start his career at Columbia, the winningest season of any first-year coach in school history since the start of Ivy League play in 1956.
He is the only head football coach in school history to lead Columbia to victories over Princeton in consecutive seasons, but his overall record was 17-43, 10-32 in the Ivy.

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
HAMDEN — Ike Azotam is making the transition from role player to star look mighty easy at Quinnipiac.
Replacing Justin Rutty, the face of the Bobcats’ basketball team for the past few seasons, Azotam recorded his third consecutive double-double to start the season as Quinnipiac hammered Navy 78-54 at the TD Bank Sports Center Saturday.
Azotam, a 6-7 sophomore power forward, scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in an efficient 22 minutes.
“I’ve been hungry,” Azotam said. “I’ve been put in a bigger role this year and I’m trying to capitalize on it.”
James Johnson led the Bobcats (2-1) with 18 points including five 3-pointers. In all Quinnipiac was 10 for 30 from 3-point range.
“I don’t think that’s going to be our identity,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. “They were playing zone and we were reversing the ball pretty good. They did a good job of packing it in and the 3-pointers were more a by-product of how they were playing.”
The Bobcats raced out to a 16-3 lead and were never threatened in front of the crowd of 1,690 notching their second straight win. Nate Gause added 13 points.
Isaiah Sugars led Navy (2-2) with eight points but the Midshipmen were unable to establish any offensive rhythm against Quinnipiac’s pressure defense. Navy turned the ball over 22 times and shot just 38 percent in the game.
Garvey Young, a transfer from Vermont, made his debut for the Bobcats. Young was just 1 for 7 from the field but he had three steals.
“He had some rust on him, you could see that,” Moore said of Young who missed the first two games with a shoulder injury.
“It was good to have him get his feet wet. He’s been a mystery man because he’s been here for so long and people have been waiting to see him play. He’s a good defender and when he makes a gamble for a steal he picks and chooses a good spot for it.”
That was the play that led to Young’s only basket as he picked off a pass on one end of the court and raced to the basket for a slam dunk.

Men’s basketball gameday capsule
LYNDON STATE AT YALE
When: Tonight at 7 p.m.
Where: Lee Amphitheater, Yale
Records: Lyndon (0-1); Yale (1-1)
Radio: wybc.com
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs were frustrated by Quinnipiac falling 68-62 Tuesday at Hamden. The Bobcats shut down Greg Mangano, hold the Yale star to just five points on 1-for-7 shooting. Reggi Willhite led Yale with 17 points but most came early in the contest. This game should give Yale coach James Jones an extended time to look at his reserves and see who are ready to contribute as the games get more important.
Scouting Lyndon State: Lyndon finished 12-15 last season but went 10-4 in its conference reaching the championship game. Only two players return from that team, Jason Gray and Ben Sackett. Sackett is a fine outside shooter and Gray gives the Hornets an inside presence.
Probable starters
Yale
Name;Ht;Year;Pos;PPg.
Jeremiah Kreisberg;6-10;So.;F;8.5
Greg Mangano;6-10;Sr;C;14.0
Reggie Willhite;6-4;Sr;F;19.5
Austin Morgan;5-10;Jr;G;10.0
Isaiah Salafia;6-3;So;G;1.0
Lyndon State
Name;Ht;Year;Pos;PPg.
Jason Gray;6-4;Jr;F;8.0
Ben Sackett;5-11;Sr;G;24.0
John Williams;6-1;Fr.;F;8.0
Asa Smith;6-4;Fr.;F;19.0
Richie Hackett;6-0;So.;G;2.0

Off the bench: Yale: Michael Grace, 6-0, Jr., G, 5.5 ppg; Sam Martin 6-3, Jr., G, 5;5; Lyndon State: Algia Lovelace, 5-9; So. G, 6.Chris Paine, 6-4, Fr., C, 0.0

James Johnson will make his season debut tonight when the Quinnipiac men’s basketbal team opens the home portion of its season with an interesting matchup against Yale (SNY) at the TD Bank Sports Center at 7 p.m.
Johnson, who was suspended for one game for disciplinary reasons surrounding an alleged on-campus assault, is expected to start at guard for the Bobcats which lost their season-opener to Fairfield at the Connecticut 6 Classic on Friday night.
Without Johnson, the Bobcat’s leading returning scorer, Quinnipiac roared back from 15 points down in the second half to tie the game but Fairfield made all the plays down the stretch on the way to a 72-60 victory.
“I thought we were game with our effort,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. I thought once the stage fright went away we were able to get out legs under us.”
Yale won its opener, 73-69 over Central Connecticut State, at the same venue. The Bulldogs got 23 points and 13 rebounds from Greg Mangano and a 21 points from Reggie Willhite, tying his career high.
Willhite has gained the well-deserved reputation as the team’s stopper and could get the assignment of chasing Johnson all over the court.
“Coming out and stopping somebody is something that I know he can do but offfensively having the wherewithall to do what he did (in the opener) was special,” Yale coach James Jones said of Willhite.
Mangano was named the Ivy League’s Player of the Week for his efforts in the opener and Willhite earned honor roll mention. The two expect this to be a big year for the Bulldogs.
Ike Azotam notched a double-double for the Bobcats in their opener. Azotam seems poised to fill the big shoes left by the graduation of Justin Rutty.
“I’ve been telling people all summer that (Azotam) can go from a five-point, five-rebound guy to something special,” Moore said. “He only averaged around 19 mintues a game last year but I figured to we put him in the deep end of the pool and see if he can swim. Last week in a scrimmage against Iona I don’t think he played particularly well and he had 14 points and eight rebounds against Michael Glover, a guy who can play in the Big East.”
Quinnipiac is 3-0 all-time against Yale including an 84-75 win in last year’s Connecticut 6 Classic.

NEW HAVEN – For all the talk about playoffs and their confusing scenarios, the Southern Connecticut State football team knew that the entirety of the discussion was moot if the Owls couldn’t beat Merrimack in its season finale on Saturday.
And for the majority of the game Southern seemed to be taking care of business at hand until they just wore out.
Merrimack’s high-octane offense ran an astounding 100 offensive plays to rally past Southern 28-27 in a Northeast-10 Conference game at Jess Dow Field Saturday. There is no need to check the playoff pairings when they’re announced today. The Owls, who entered the weekend ranked eighth in the Division II Super Regional 1 poll, won’t be among the field of six.
“It’s really tough. We had goals of making the playoffs but we just didn’t finish,” SCSU running back Rashaad Slowley said.
Southern appeared to have taken control of things early in the second half. They led 24-14 at the break and following a 33-yard field goal by Chris Hazelton the bulge was 27-14. But surprisingly Southern never scored again.
“We really couldn’t sustain any drives in the second half,” SCSU coach Rich Cavanaugh said. “Because of that we wore down a bit on defense. That was a big problem. We weren’t really able to control the tempo of the game and keep their offense off the field.
“That was something that I thought we needed to do to be successful.”
Slowley, who finished the year with a school-record 29 touchdowns, scored on runs of 45 and 63 yards in the first half. He finished with 219 yards rushing on 27 carries. (He ended with 1,584 yards rushing for the season). Southern also got a 16-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Kyle Mgaresh to open the scoring.
“I’m more of team guy,” Slowley said. “My goals are to stay safe, win the game and then comes any individual goals. I’m safe but we didn’t win the game and that’s what matters.”
The Owls (7-3, 6-2 NE-10) kept moving the ball and piling up the yardage until Merrimack seemed to figure things out defensively. And when Southern receivers dropped a couple of passes in the second half things went south in a hurry.
Merrimack (6-4, 5-3) entered the game the conference’s leading scoring team averaging over 41 points a game. The Chargers, who thought they’d be in the playoff chase themselves before suffering a couple of late-season losses, got a pair of touchdown passes from James Suozzo to Steve Serwon. The first tied the score at 7-7 and the final one capped the day’s scoring.
In between Jimon Hill (25 carries, 127 yards) scored on a 16-yard run and Suozzo, who threw for 262 yards and ran the ball 30 times for 46 yards, scored a crucial touchdown late in the third quarter on a 6-yard run. That touchdown was set up by a long Charger punt return after Southern had stopped two Merrimack drives deep in the red zone.
Said Cavanaugh: “We knew they had a good kicking game. We emphasized that to the guys during the week and we did a pretty good job most of the game. That one return put them in good field position and that hurt.”
SCSU quarterback Kevin Lynch finished 10 for 29 for 156 yards but had two TD passes dropped in the end zone or his numbers would have been better. He leaves the school as the standard-bearer in several categories.
In all 18 seniors played their last game at Southern, a group that won 27 games.
“It’s a tough situation anytime you lose your last game,” Cavanaugh said. “They’re a great group of seniors and they showed great leadership. They showed great character. They’re going to be some tough guys to replace.”

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Despite rolling to an undefeated mark in DII play the New Haven football team could lose its top seed.
Winston-Salem defeated Elizabeth City on Saturday wrapping up its conference title. With all the power points that WS will accrue their is talk that they will leapfrog New Haven in the final poll and earn the No. 1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs.
And if that happens there has to be an explanation of how the final rankings are rendered.
The word around SCSU on Saturday was that even if it had won it would have gotted shut out from the playoff rankings. The D2 has to go to a more apparent way to choose its playoff participants.
It makes the BCS standings look fair

HAMDEN — Garvey Young watched from the sidelines in anguish last year.

After transferring from Vermont to Quinnipiac, the 6-foot-5 slashing forward had to sit out a season under NCAA transfer rules. He practiced with the team but could only watch from the bench as Quinnipiac won 20 games for the second straight season and then lost to Robert Morris by two points in the Northeast Conference tournament, also for the second year in a row.

“It was tough,” Young said. “I knew that I could help them and I saw how disappointed they were after it was over.”

The waiting game is almost finished for Young. Although eligible, Young is rehabbing a torn labrum and is expected to miss at least the first three games of the season.

Coach Tom Moore hopes it won’t be any longer.

“He’s real good,” Moore said. “He made an impact at Vermont and can be a difference maker in this conference.”

The Bobcats open the season on Friday night when they play Fairfield in the Connecticut 6 Classic at the Mohegan Sun at 5:30 p.m. Young won’t play in the game and the status of All-NEC first-team guard James Johnson is unknown.

Johnson, the team’s leading scorer (16.1 ppg) from last year is still facing assault charges from an on-campus incident a month ago. He may face team sanctions yet to be announced by Moore.

But Moore is confident that Johnson will soon return to lead the team, which has earned a berth in consecutive postseason tournaments for the first time in school history. Johnson is potentially the best player in the league, a shooter, point guard and solid defender. Young is the X-factor.

“I don’t think the Quinnipiac community knows what I can do,” Young said. “They’ve seen me on the bench last year but they don’t get to see me at practice.”

Young can step out and hit the 3-pointer or drive to the basket. Like Johnson, he is a strong defender who had 54 steals while at Vermont. Young started 50 games in his two seasons with the Catamounts averaging 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds a game as a sophomore. Vermont went to the NCAA tournament in his first season.

Young is just one of 11 newcomers to the squad. Justin Rutty, one of the nation’s leading rebounders, and shooting guard Deontay Twyman graduated after last season and a slew of others transferred.

While there are plenty of new faces eager to fill the holes, Moore does bring back guard Dave Johnson, who can shoot and fill in at the point, and rugged forwards Jamee Jackson and Ike Azotam. The latter pair are capable of replacing Rutty, who took the team into the national limelight as a rebounding force.

“I can’t single out any one of the freshmen who will contribute,” Young said. “They’re all doing good and they have different strengths to their game. Some can shoot, some can rebound.”

Moore just hopes they all compete. His demonstrative approach on the sideline has led the Bobcats to a 28-8 conference mark over the past two seasons, yet the title has eluded them. Without Rutty, Quinnipiac was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.

“It’s probably where we should be picked,” Moore said. “But the goal is the same, to win the title.”

And Young could be the one to put them over the hump.

NEW HAVEN — A few months ago the Southern Connecticut State athletic department was shocked by its seeding in the NCAA Division II baseball tournament.
The Owls figured to get the region’s No. 1 seed after winning the Northeast-10 Conference title and host the East Regional at Yale Field. Instead, Franklin Pierce, which finished third in the Northeast-10 conference and didn’t even win the NE-10 postseason was awarded the top seed.
The Owls, however, got the last laugh, making the trek to Rindge, N.H., and winning the regional on the Franklin Pierce campus to advance to the College World Series.
Now, the SCSU football finds itself in an even more sticky situation. As Southern prepares for its final game of the regular season the Owls are pinning their playoff hopes to the outcome but even with a win they could get shutout of the six-team NCAA Division II regional playoff field.
Southern plays host Merrimack on Saturday at Jess Dow Field at 1 p.m.
The Owls enter the game with a 7-2 record overall, 7-1 in Division II play. Southern lost at FCS school Central Connecticut State to start the season. That loss, according to the by-laws of the selection committee does not count among its Division II playoff resume.
Southern entered last weekend ranked seventh in the Super Regional I rankings. The Owls did not play but, off its bye-week, still dropped a spot to eight place in the rankings. But, what makes that drop more confusing, is the fact three teams ranked ahead of SCSU lost their games.
“I have to be honest that I thought we would move up,” SCSU coach Rich Cavanaugh said. “I thought with some of those teams losing we would. I don’t have access to the numbers. You really don’t know what are point total is, what are strength of schedule is, but the only thing that I thought is that we have one loss and some of those other teams have more than one loss.
I thought that was part of the criteria.
“I guess some of those teams lost to some pretty high-ranked teams but we have one loss and it’s against the No. 1 ranked team.”
There was a general feeling that the Southern’s Northeast-10 Conference did not earn enough respect among members of the tournament selection committee heading into this season. And that was with good reason. For the past two seasons not one NE-10 team has earned a spot in the playoffs. SCSU had gone to the tournament the four prior seasons.
But this year New Haven, which is Southern’s only DII blemish, is ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 10 nationally. Thus it is apparent that there is some respect for the conference.
SCSU Associate Director of Athletics/Communications Mike Kobylanski said he would be “frustrated” if the Owls were to win this week and not gain a spot in the playoffs.
“In baseball and basketball it was also a matter of who you beat non-conference,” Kobylanski said. “We beat West Liberty State this year (out of conference). They were 8-2 last year and this year, how did we know that they’d go 1-9.
“It clearly would be frustrating for the university and the student athletes because in terms of scheduling and performance on the field we tried to do everything we can. I wouldn’t say I would be frustrated in the system, just more of a general frustration because we tried to do everything we could and it wouldn’t be deemed good enough.”
Kobylanski pointed to a couple of games that could help the Owls’ chances this week: Winston-Salem beating Elizabeth City and Concord beating West Virginia Wesleyan would look to be beneficial to SCSU’s cause.
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The Connecticut 6 Classic will move to the University of Hartford next year.
The move is obviously one being made due to lack of ticket sales. While the tournament is a unique and fun event the Mohegan Sun must have felt it was not financially sound.
The move to UHar will at least guarantee basically a packed house it is a sign that the team's fanbases have not stepped up to support these teams.
It's a UConn state and the fans are missing some good basketball at the state's other campuses.
If the Classic doesn't do well next year it may signal the end of the event. If it does well the tournament officials intend to move it to another campus the next year and begin a rotation.
Overall, without the NBA you would feel that people would be dying to see some basketball and the price is much lower than that at UConn.

It seems that SCSU may not be safe after all in its hopes to get a berth in the NCAA D@ playoffs.
Even with a win in this week's season finale against Merrimack, the Owls could be shut out. Here are the rankings as of Monday and SCSU dropped from No. 7 to No. 8 after a bye week last week. It is important to note that three teams that were ahead of them last week lost but SCSU still dropped.
Super Region 1 Super Region 2

Team Region Overall
1. New Haven 9-0 9-1
2. Winston-Salem 9-0 10-0
3. Elizabeth City 8-1 8-2
4. California 8-1 8-2
5. Kutztown 9-1 9-1
6. Bloomsburg 8-2 8-2
7. WV Wesleyan 9-1 9-1
8. S. Connecticut 7-1 7-2
9. Slippery Rock 8-2 8-2
10. Shepherd 7-2 8-2

Cross country
Southern Conn. takes eighth: Naugatuck’s took sixth place overall to pace the Owls to an eighth-place finish in the NCAA Division II East Regional held at Boston.
The Owls’w women’s team finished 10th in the meet led by Titlayo Vanriel (35th) and Shelton’s Chloe Ashcroft who was 41st.
Women’s Volleyball
Fairleigh Dickinson 3, Quinnipiac 0: At Hamden, seniors Kelby Carey had nine kills and nine digs and Kayla Lawler had 26 assists in final home game with the Bobcats but the Knights swept the Northeast Conference match.
Men’s soccer
St. Francis (N.Y.) 2, Quinnipiac 1: At Hamden, Nils von der Heide scored the lone Bobcat goal in the NEC loss. Quinnipiac finishes its season with a 6-10-0 overall record (4-6-0 NEC).
UConn 3, Rutgers 1: At Piscataway, N.J., the Huskies advanced to the Big East tourney semifinals with the win. UConn (16-2-2) will face Louisville which defeated Marquette 1-0.
Three different players scored for UConn and Andre Blake finished with three excellent saves to lead the Huskies.
Field hockey
Syracuse 3, UConn 2: At Syracuse, N.Y., Anne Jeute and Rayell Heistand scored for No. 4 UConn in the Big East tournament title game. The Huskies fell to 17-2 overall and await an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament field.
Walter Camp honors
Northwestern WR Jeremy Ebert and Air Force DB Jon Davis Named Walter Camp National Players of the Week. Ebert caught six passes for 147 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown, as the Wildcats defeated 10th-ranked Nebraska, 28-25. Ebert’s 81-yard scoring reception was the second-longest in school history. With the victory, the Wildcats improved to 4-5, 2-4 in the Big Ten.
Davis had an all-around productive day as the Falcons defeated Army, 24-14 and retained the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Davis had a game-high 12 tackles and recorded one interception. Davis also forced and recovered a fumble as Air Force improved to 5-4 on the season.

Connecticut 6 Classic Breakfast Set For Tuesday, November 8

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut 6 Classic institutions are set to host the 2011 Tip-Off Breakfast on Tuesday, November 8 at the Hartford Marriot Downtown, located on 200 Columbus Avenue in Hartford, Conn.

The breakfast will commence at 7:30 a.m. with a 30-minute panel discussion beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Roy Brown at (203) 254-4000 ext. 3457. The panel is comprised of the six head coaches participating in the tournament.

The third annual Connecticut 6 Classic is set to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, November 11. Quinnipiac is slated for the middle game, taking on Fairfield University at 5:30 p.m. The University of Hartford and Sacred Heart open the tournament at 3 p.m. with Yale and Central Connecticut set to conclude the invitational at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the Connecticut 6 Classic can purchased through the ticket offices of each participating school, the Mohegan Sun box office, or ticketmaster.com.

Connecticut 6 Classic Breakfast Set For Tuesday, November 1

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut 6 Classic institutions are set to host the 2011 Tip-Off Breakfast on Tuesday, November 8 at the Hartford Marriot Downtown, located on 200 Columbus Avenue in Hartford, Conn.

The breakfast will commence at 7:30 a.m. with a 30-minute panel discussion beginning at 8 a.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Roy Brown at (203) 254-4000 ext. 3457. The panel is comprised of the six head coaches participating in the tournament.

The third annual Connecticut 6 Classic is set to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, November 11. Quinnipiac is slated for the middle game, taking on Fairfield University at 5:30 p.m. The University of Hartford and Sacred Heart open the tournament at 3 p.m. with Yale and Central Connecticut set to conclude the invitational at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the Connecticut 6 Classic can purchased through the ticket offices of each participating school, the Mohegan Sun box office, or ticketmaster.com.

From staff reports
Albertus Magnus men’s soccer coach Jim Bernardo and Falcons women’s soccer coach Nick Wajnowski have been named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Benardo, in his eighth season, earned the award for the second straight season. The Falcons are 15-2-1 heading into today’s conference semifinal.
Wajnowksi led Albertus Magnus to 12 wins, which is a program record.
Both teams lost in the GNAC semifinals

Justin Rutty is gone and, according to the Northeast Conference preseason coaches’ poll, so, too, are the lofty expectations for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team.
Quinnipiac, the unanimous choice to win the 2010-11 NEC title, was picked fifth in this season’s poll.

“Looking at the teams and who everyone has coming back, that’s probably where we should be picked,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. “You could say we’re in a rebuilding mode. We have nine new players to go with our core of four players.”

Last year’s conference champ, Long Island, was picked to repeat its title. The Blackbirds went 27-6 last year. Robert Morris, who eliminated Quinnipiac in the NEC tournament for the second year in a row, was picked second followed by Central Connecticut State. Wagner was picked fourth and Sacred Heart was picked to finish eighth.

“This is the best the league has been in the 10 years that I’ve been here,” LIU coach Jim Ferry said. “We didn’t talk about winning a championship, we just want to finish in the top four to have a chance to win it.”

Quinnipiac has earned postseason tournament bids the past two seasons racking up 45 wins in the process. Rutty, one of the league’s top players for the past few seasons, is now playing professionally in Europe. That will put a great deal of the team’s promise in the hands of point guard James Johnson.

Johnson was selected to the preseason all-conference team along with CCSU’s Ken Horton, LIU’s Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere and Wagner’s Tyler Murray.
Johnson still faces possible suspension from the team for his involvement in an assault that is still pending in the courts. Moore would not say if Johnson would be available for the team’s season-opener on Nov. 11 in the Connecticut 6 tournament.

Johnson is perhaps the league’s most important player. He led Quinnipiac in scoring last season, is an unflappable point guard and is its best defensive player.
Filling Rutty’s shoes won’t be an easy task but Quinnipiac does have Ike Azotam and Jamee Jackson returning to the front court. The pair hope to maintain the Bobcats’ fierce identity of rebounding. The Bobcats have ranked amongst the nation’s leaders in rebounding average for the past three years and Moore said they outrebounded Northeastern by 17 in a recent scrimmage.

Jackson and Azotam both played well when Rutty missed seven games down the stretch last season due to injury.

“It was good for Jamee to be thrown into the fire last year,” Moore said. “He responded a bit. He had 20 points at Monmouth the night we heard that Justin was going to be out for a while. It was good for Jamee to take the lead and his numbers went up and that’s been explained to him and is going to be explained to him again as the season approaches.”