ON CAMPUS

Sherrod, Yale ready for showdown with Penn

2012-02-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN --Taking a peripheral look at the Yale men’s basketball team one might think that the window is closing on its chances to win the Ivy League and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. With superstars like Greg Mangano and Reggie Willhite in their senior seasons it seems like it’s now or never.

Then you talk to freshman Brandon Sherrod and feel that things might even get better.
Sherrod and the Bulldogs (13-5, 3-1 Ivy) play host to Pennsylvania (11-9, 3-0) tonight at the Lee Amphitheater to kick off a crucial weekend of action in New Haven. On Saturday night Yale hosts Princeton (10-9, 1-2).
“I think our guys understand that our season is still ahead of us,” Yale coach James Jones said. “We still can accomplish everything that we want to accomplish. There was some embarrassment on Friday night (a 65-35 loss against Harvard) and there should have been but 18-year-old kids forget very easily.”
Sherrod is one of class of five promising freshmen Jones brought in last year. They’re all big and have just scratched the surface of their burgeoning talent. They include St. Louis center Will Childs-Klein and guard Javier Duren along with New York forward Matt Townsend and guard Armani Cotton.

“We call ourselves the Fab Five,” Sherrod said. “I’m blessed enough to be in that class. We could be very good in a couple of years.”
Sherrod stays after practice working with Townsend, a rugged 6-7 forward, on his perimeter game which he wants to add to his repertoire. He’s already a presence under the boards. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Sherrod, an All-Stater for Stratford High who helped Choate win a prep school title last year, hunts down rebounds and has strong moves around the boards.
“The thing that strikes you most about Brandon is his athleticism,” Jones said. “He’ a big strong man for a 19-year-old kid. Then you meet him and he’s got a tremendous personality. He’s very well-spoken and has great faith.
“He’a a rabbit chasing the ball. He had eight rebounds in 10 minutes against Harvard and it’s amazing how he goes after the ball. Offensively he goes to his left very well and a lot of big guys struggle going to the opposite hand. There’s no question he can be a big scorer and he puts a lot of time into it.”
Penn provides a major test. Entering the contest undefeated in the Ivy League after cruising past rival Princeton on Monday, the Quakers are led by the high-scoring duo of Zach Rosen and Tyler Bernardini.
“Both teams have two exceptional players,” Jones said. “Zach Rosen is playing as good as anybody I’ve seen in the country. I don’t know that he’s had a bad game shooting the 3-pointer all season long. He made some shots from (near half-court) against Princeton and hit nothing but the bottom of the cup.”
Bernardini poured in 29 points earlier in the season in a game at UCLA.
“You can’t forget about Bernardini. He’s finally has his legs back after all the injuries that he’s had. He’s about 45 or 46. He graduated high school the same year that I did,” Jones quipped.
Sherrod knows the competition will be stiff but he’s ready for most any challenge. He even calls his plight as a kid from Bridgeport going to Yale amazing and he has seen the most action of the freshmen class averaging 3.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11 minutes a game.
“I think it’s a pretty good story, a kid from Bridgeport which is a pretty tough city coming to such a prestigious university,” Sherrod said. “To have my friends and family be able to come and see me develop as a player is even more special.
“Becoming a student at Yale was a wild adjustment as far as my time-management skills go because I’m so involved in a lot of things. I was singing a cappella with an all-Christian group called ‘Living Waters.’ I’m also a part of the Yale Faith in Action group.”
On the court Sherrod also continues to develop.
“I’ve learned a lot from Greg Mangano and (forward) Jeremiah Kreisberg,” he said. “I’ve worked hard and I’m happy how I’ve played so far. It’s nice to be the sixth or seventh man off the bench. I’m blessed with what I’ve been given. I like where I’m at right now. My role now is just to rebound and get after it, play defense and score when I need to in the paint. I’m here to provide a lot of energy for my team.”
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Golden, 3 others sign letters of intent

2012-02-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

CHESHIRE — The tumultuous child sex abuse scandal that erupted this past fall involving former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky eventually led to the firing of longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno.
In its wake, several top recruits backed out of their commitments to Happy Valley. Newington’s Malik Golden wavered but in the end still felt it was the place for him.
Golden was one of four Cheshire Academy football players to sign letters of intent on Wednesday. Mike Villapiano signed a letter of intent to attend Brown, A.J. Zuttah signed to go to Dartmouth and Connor Caponegro signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Rhode Island. Coach Dan O’Dea led the Cats to an undefeated season and the New England Prep School Class B championship.
“You can’t pick a school solely because of the coach,” Golden said. “On any given day he can leave any ways. We lost some four and five-star recruits but we’ve still got a lot of talent coming in.
“When I went to Penn State, I saw the guys hanging out together. You could tell it was a family there. That’s what I want. I also wanted to be closer to home. That’s why I came to Cheshire Academy. My mother developed cancer and I wanted to be close to her.”
Golden never imagined being caught up in the Penn State drama.
“It actually was weird,” Golden said. “(Penn State assistant coach Kermit Buggs) came to see me play on Senior Night. He left the game early and no one knew why. But the scandal broke out on that day and he had just heard about it. At halftime the guys asked me if I had heard what happened.
“I said, ‘What are you talking about?’”
Golden starred on both sides of the ball at Cheshire Academy. He will play wide receiver at Penn State but said there is still a chance he’ll see action at defensive back.
Golden grew fond of Paterno in his short relationship with the legendary coach who died on Jan. 22.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Paterno,” Golden said. “What he did at Penn State. He’s a genuine guy and I just think that he went out the wrong way. He still has my respect.”
Zuttah’s brother Jeremy currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even though he also has NFL aspirations he yearned for the academics of Ivy League.
"I think I'll be able to make an impact right away," Zuttah said. "I've been working hard the past couple of years. This year I've been with a personal trainer.
I think I'll make a smooth transition even to an Ivy League after being at Cheshire Academy the past two years. It's prepared me for what college life is going to be like."
Villapiano is the son of former Oakland Raider all-pro linebacker Phil Villapiano and will play quarterback at Brown.
"Their quarterback graduated so it will be an open competition and that's all you can ask for. This was a great year. I put on a lot of weight and I've gotten better. Cheshire Academy gave me a lot of benefits that I couldn't have succeeded without."
Villapiano was a big part of the Cats' offense that blew out most of the teams on its schedule this year.
"It was a killer season," he said. "We were clicking. We had so many good players it worked out and it was so much fun."
Villapiano said he got a late start on the recruiting process last year and that led to his decision to play at Cheshire.
"My dad always told me to just play and everything will work out. By the time people were recruiting me most of the scholarships were already taken. Coach O'Dea contacted and offered me a chance to play here and it opened more doors."
Caponegro expects to play H-back at Rhode Island. He is hitting machine according to O'Dea.
"I like my size," Caponegro said. "I feel like I'm where I want to be. Before I came to Cheshire Academy I only had offers as a walk-on. Now I've got a full ride and I'm excited.
"I've played fullback and linebacker and I don't care where I play. I got to run the ball a few times here. Before this I didn't get to touch it a lot and then I'm catching the ball and everything.
"It was great. I loved the coaching staff and campus at Rhode Island."

Dell replaces Watney for Red Sox reporter

2012-01-31T22:58:00.004-05:00

If you already miss Heidi Watney from the Red Sox, the on-field reporter, here is her replacement, Jenny Dell

Yale prepares for 2 more heavyweights

2012-01-29T20:10:00.001-05:00

Yale's split against Harvard and Dartmouth certainly didn't seal its fate in the Ivy League but it made this weekend very important.
The Bulldogs welcome Penn into town on Friday night and then have to turn around and meet Princeton.
While Princeton also has the quick turnaround, playing Brown the previous night, it frankly isn't as difficult as getting ready to play Penn.
Brown is 1-3 in the league and actually is quite similar to Yale.
The difference between preparing for Penn and Princeton is night and day.
Chatted with Greg Mangano's dad the other day and he said his son is tired.
It certainly hasn't hindered his play but think about Mangano's grueling schedule in the past year.
Twice he went to China, the first time playing exhibitions with his teammates. Then he tried out for the World University Games and earned a spot on Team USA.
You know how hard he had to work to make that team.
Now he's the focal point of opposing defenses every night of the season at Yale.
After the season is over he'll get little time off as you can be sure he'll be headed to every NBA camp he can to get more exposure.

Harvard drills Yale - video highlights

2012-01-27T23:48:00.002-05:00

Here is some video of the disappointing night at the Lee Amphitheater as Harvard pounded Yale 65-35.
The 3-pointer in the video hit by Greg Mangano was his 1,000th point of his career.

Quinnipiac tops Mount St. Mary's in overtime

2012-01-26T22:12:00.003-05:00

HAMDEN – Nothing is coming easy for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team this year. But, after two straight overtime victories maybe the Bobcats have things headed in the right direction.
Quinnipiac spotted Mount St. Mary’s a 15-point halftime lead but roared back early in the second half and pulled out a 69-66 overtime win in a Northeast Conference game at the TD Bank Sports Center Thursday. The Bobcats got 20 points from Ike Azotam and 26 second-chance points on the way to the victory.

Ousmane Drame scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and James Johnson added 15 points for the Bobcats (11-9, 4-5 NEC).
“The last three years we’ve closed the season 6-3, 9-1 and 10-1,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. “This is the time of the year we need more energy from them.”
They also need another big finish. The Bobcats entered play on Thursday in eighth place in the NEC and only the top eight teams qualify for the postseason tournament.
“We can’t afford to lose any because we’re battling for our spot in the (NEC) tournament,” Azotam said. “Each game is equally important.”
The Mountaineers (4-16, 2-7) got a game-high 22 points from Julian Norfleet but the flashy sophomore guard missed a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer which would have tied the game again.
Second-half defense has been Moore’s biggest concern in NEC play. On Thursday the Bobcats didn’t play any defense in the first half and Mount St. Mary’s took a stunning 43-28 lead at the half shooting 52 percent from the field.
“I was shocked and disappointed with our play in the first half,” Moore said. “But this is the second game in the row that we played much better defense in the second half and it led us to two wins.”
Quinnipiac opened the second half on a 16-2 run to get back in the game as the Mount managed just a dunk by Raven Barber in the first eight minutes after the break.
“I only had 11 minutes at half to give them a spanking, a pep talk and everything,” Moore said. “I had to talk quick and be a parent but I had to get them to understand that we weren’t going to get 15 points in the first minute. I told them to see where we were at the 10-minute mark.”
Said Azotam: “I like the way we came out in the second half. We knew we could come back because we did it against Boston University.”
The Mount tied the game at 61 at the end of regulation when Kelvin Parker rolled in two of his 16 points from close range in the final seconds.
Quinnipiac never trailed in the extra session. Azotam gave the Bobcats a 67-65 lead with 1:10 to play. After Barber hit one of two free throws to close the gap to 67-66, Drame had the biggest basket of the game with a putback of a deflected airball by Zaid Hearst with 20 seconds left.
“We send multiple guys to the glass and that’s just Ousmane having a great feel for the game,” Moore said.
Quinnipiac played without forward Jamee Jackson who missed the game with a strained Achilles tendon. Moore said he was questionable for Saturday’s game against second-place Wagner.
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Yale plays Harvard on Friday: the preview

2012-01-26T12:42:00.002-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN -- Contrary to popular belief the Ivy League trophy will not be awarded to the winner of Friday night’s Yale-Harvard men’s basketball game.
The teams were picked one-two in the league’s preseason poll and have not disappointed.
Harvard (16-2) gained national recognition after winning an early-season tournament loaded with national powers in the Bahamas and leaping into both national Top 25 polls. The Crimson are currently ranked 23rd in the nation in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll and dropped out of the AP poll after a recent loss at Fordham. Harvard finished in a tie for the Ivy League title last year but lost the league’s title game against Princeton 63-62 in a game also played at the Lee Amphitheater.
Yale (12-4) has won four straight and is 6-0 at home on the season. The Bulldogs racked up 10 wins before the league schedule, the most since the 1991-92 season.
They’re both 2-0 in the league play tied with Penn atop the standings.
Those are the resumes. You already know about the rivalry.
The Bulldogs host the Crimson at the Lee Amphitheater at 7 p.m. The game is a sell-out and has been the talk of the campus for weeks.
“Sure it’s early but it’s Harvard-Yale and that makes it a big game,” said Yale guard Austin Morgan. “The fact that we were both picked to do well in the Ivy League makes it even bigger. It’s always good to have the New Haven community excited about the game.
“I don’t know how many times it’s been a sell-out but we’re excited to be a part of it.”
While the Bulldogs are anxious to play in front of a packed house, Yale coach James Jones isn’t concerned with counting tickets.
“Every Tom, Dick and Harry has called me for a ticket for the game,” he said. "We’ve been sold out for three weeks and I expect the atmosphere to be as good as gets. But I don’t care if we play in front of four people, I’d rather come out with a ‘W’”
Jones has a masters in coach-speak. It’s one-game-at-a-time and a win here doesn’t mean anything if you lose the next night. In the Ivy League that’s the rule, because win or lose, Yale hosts Dartmouth on Saturday and then has to get ready for Penn and Princeton the next night.
But it also can make Friday’s game all the more important. If the Bulldogs can’t beat Harvard at home it will be awfully hard to do so in Cambridge, Mass., in a few of weeks. And there’s always that two-game trip to Princeton and Penn at the end of the season to worry about. Very few teams ever sweep that series. All the games are the same," Jones said. "If we win on Friday and then lose on Saturday we’re in the same place. You want to win all 14 of them and this one is only different because it’s a home game. You want to be in control of your destiny.”
Yale split the season series with Harvard last season with both teams winning nail-biters on their home courts. For the most part the cast of characters is the same. Jones said Harvard is a little deeper than it was last year.
"They don’t have any bad players and by that I mean they don’t play anyone just because you need to spell a guy,” Jones said. “Everybody that they play this year is capable, very good basketball players. At that same time you look at a guy like Christian Webster, who I think is tremendous and Kyle Casey, who is tremendous, and they’re all playing less minutes than they did last year because they have a good group of freshmen.”
Said Morgan: “We have to play as a team. Harvard is good all-around. If we can get the ball inside out, the strength of our team is inside, we’ll be successful.”
While Harvard certainly has a ton of talent Yale will counter with its “Big Three” of Morgan, who is second in the nation in free throw shooting (93.7 percent), defensive wizard Reggie Willhite, and Orange's Greg Mangano, the top post player in the league.
Mangano leads the Ivy in scoring (19.4 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg) and blocks (40). After playing with Team USA over the summer in the World University Games in China, he has continued to progress toward the elite big men in the nation.
And what will make Friday night even more special is that Mangano needs just three points to become the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 for his career.
His presence, along with smooth sophomore Jeremiah Kreisberg is where Jones starts his game-planning.
“Our advantages, like every game, are that we’re better inside than most every team that we play,” Jones said. “Harvard is pretty good inside, too. What I’ve come to understand is that there are players in this country that if you give them the ball on the blocks and expect them to score and you happen to have five or six of them in this game.
“It should be thrilling and fun to watch.”
Said Morgan: “They’re a good team and they’re getting respected because of it. We’re trying to get respect, too. That’s why they play the games, to see who’s better.”
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Yale vs. Harvard available on All-Access for free

2012-01-26T00:04:00.001-05:00

Video of the Yale-Harvard men's basketball game will be made free to the public by visiting the Yale athletics web site.

Click here for the link.

The game is a sell-out

Yale's Pritchard ready to make noise against Harvard

2012-01-25T23:25:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
There are 17 players on the Yale men’s basketball team, the most coach James Jones has had in his 13 years at the school. And on a 12-4 team brimming with talent escaping the back end of the bench can be extremely difficult.

Jones, however, always keeps an open mind and his eyes even wider. If you can help his team in some way you will get a chance.
Jesse Pritchard got that opportunity on Saturday and he made the most of it. Pritchard, a defensive whiz with a fine jump shot, came off the bench to score nine crucial points, all in the second half, and played stifling defense as Yale knocked off Brown 73-60 to move to 2-0 in the Ivy League.
Pritchard’s success could give Jones and the Bulldogs another wrinkle as they prepare to play rival Harvard (16-2) Friday night at the Lee Amphitheater.
Pritchard, a 6-5 sophomore swingman from Ames, Iowa, admits it was hard to adjust to life as a role player. He plays behind Yale captain Reggie Willhite, who is perhaps the league’s top defensive player and the team’s third-leading scorer. Willhite is a spectacular athlete, one whose talents are seen in leagues like the Big East.
Pritchard spells Willhite when in foul trouble or need of a rest. He’s played in 15 games averaging eight minutes of action. With Willhite saddled with foul trouble throughout Saturday’s game, Pritchard played a season-high 21 minutes and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
“We’re fortunate to have a veteran team that’s playing really well,” Jones said. “We think a lot about Jesse. He’s played pretty hard at practice. It’s so hard (to get him minutes) because Reggie is such a dominant player it’s hard to take him off the court.”
“(Saturday) was the most minutes he played all year and that’s a credit to him that he was ready. Jesse does it in a different way than Reggie. Jesse’s a better shooter than Reggie and more of a physical defender as opposed to an athletic defender like Reggie is.”
Said Pritchard : “Everyone on the team was a star in high school so adjusting to limited playing time and having to be ready every minute to do your best definitely took some time. Coach always says that you can’t control whether you make a shot or not but you can control how hard you play.
“My goal is whenever I get my name called in to go into the game to play as hard as I can and the rest will take care of itself. It helps that I can play defense and I can help out that way, but I’m also a shooter and when I come in it can be nerve-wracking to come in make a shot.”
But Pritchard doesn’t lack for confidence. On Saturday, his 3-pointer helped give Yale a double-digit lead for the first time in the game.
“My dad used to tell me that basketball is 90 percent confidence and the other 10 percent is confidence,” he said. “You have to believe in yourself and I do but to be able to go in there (against Brown) and help the team out was a big boost. It also gets some confidence in my teammates in what I can do. I think I proved myself and the next time I come in if I’m open they’ll give me the ball and know that I can knock it down.”
Pritchard said that the chemistry on this team is one of the keys to its early-season success.
“You look at our bench and someone scores or if I come in they’re all hoping that I do well,” he said. “We love each other on and off the court. Everyone wants to get off the bench and get some playing time but if we don’t it’s a team win.”
Pritchard played a year of prep basketball at Blair Academy (Warren County, N.J.), the same school that produced NBA stars Luol Deng and Charlie Villanueva. He is excited for Friday’s contest.
“We all expect to win,” he said. “It’s a matter of protecting our homecourt. We don’t like Harvard. We know we’re as good as they are and the way people have been talking about them, I kind of feel disrespected in a way.
“It kind of feels like they’re going to walk away with the (Ivy League title) and there’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
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Yale-Harvard game approaching

2012-01-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

Yale hosts Harvard on Friday night. The game is a sell-out.
I will have a feature and advance during the week and a gameday capsule.
If you don't have tickets for Friday night's game the Bulldogs play Dartmouth in a classic letdown game on Saturday.
They also host Penn and Princeton the following week so things aren't getting any easier.

Check back soon for my previews of Friday night's contest.

Former Quinnipiac coach Jim Armstrong passes away

2012-01-22T20:22:00.004-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
Jim Armstrong, a former Quinnipiac hockey coach and member of the New Haven Blades, died unexpectedly on Saturday.
Armstrong, 68, coached at Quinnipiac from 1980 to 1994 compiling a record of 140-183-8. He played junior hockey in Canada before joining several minor league hockey teams.
East Haven High coach Lou Pane, who was a captain for Armstrong’s team in 1985 remembered him as true leader.
“He was truly a mentor to all of us, Pane said. “He not only taught us about the game of hockey but how to become men.
“His loyalty to his team will live on forever. Without him I would have never gone to college.”
Armstrong played goalie for the wildly popular Blades in the New Haven Arena in 1963-1965 and again in 1971-72, the Blades’ last season.
He was originally from Peterborough, Ontario and lived in Hamden for over four decades.
Armstrong, born on March 1, 1943, played . He also played minor league hockey for the Saginaw (Mich.) Gears and the Seattle Totem Poles.
The family had no service plans to release.

Here's my profile on SCSU's Sylvonya Moore

2012-01-21T19:53:00.001-05:00

The Southern women's basketball team won its 12th straight game on Saturday.
Click here for my story on their star guard: Sylvonya Moore.

Yale beats Brown, goes to 2-0 in the Ivy

2012-01-21T19:24:00.001-05:00

The Yale men's basketball team pulled away from Brown late in the second half to move to 2-0 in the Ivy League.
The win sets up the monstrous game with Harvard on Friday at the Lee Amphitheater.
Greg Mangano scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.
Jesse Pritchard came off the bench to provide a big spark. He had nine points and eight rebounds for Yale, which outrebounded Brown 49-31. Austin Morgan had 10 points and five assists.

Yale squash team edges Rochester

2012-01-21T19:20:00.001-05:00

When I talked to Yale men's squash team captain Ryan Dowd on Friday, he told me the Bulldogs were in for a dogfight with Rochester on Saturday.
The Bulldogs were indeed but pulled out a 5-4 win to knock off the No. 4 team on its homecourt.

Yale should take over the No. 1 spot in the nation when the new poll is released on Monday.

Rochester's Andres Duany defeated junior Kenneth Chan 3-0 at the No. 1 spot, but junior Hywel Robinson (3-2) and junior Richard Dodd (also 3-2) earned tough wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, to spark the Elis.

Three of the big winners from Yale's streak-busting win over No. 1 Trinity also grabbed victories, as captain Ryan Dowd (3-0), sophomore Neil Martin (3-2) and senior Robby Berner (3-0) won at 5, 6 and 7.

The loss was only the second of Rochester's season (the other came at the hands of Ancient Eight rival Princeton). With the win, Yale moves its record to 9-0.

Askew sets Albertus rebounding mark

2012-01-21T18:38:00.000-05:00

Hamden's Ray Askew, a senior at Albertus Magnus became the team's all-time rebounding leader.
Here are the details from the AMC site and a photo from Ron Waite.

Ray Askew (Hamden, Conn.) of the Albertus Magnus men’s basketball team pulled down nine rebounds in Saturday’s Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest to become the program’s all-time leader in rebounds with 1,042.

At the 10:07 mark of the first half against Anna Maria, Askew recorded his fourth rebound of the game and the 1,037th of his career to surpass the previous Albertus Magnus men’s basketball rebounding record of 1,036 held by Jason Crockett ’98.
Askew, who broke the GNAC record on Tuesday, Jan. 10, is only the second player in league history to earn over 1,000 rebounds. In the Falcons win at Rivier, he surpassed the league’s previous rebounding record of 1,001 held by the Raiders’ Jeff Carpenter.

Yale squash relishes win over Trinity

2012-01-20T21:53:00.001-05:00

Yale men’s squash coach Dave Talbott said his team’s monumental win over Trinity on Wednesday was just as big for the sport as it was for his team.
The Bulldogs beat the nation’s top-ranked Bantams 5-4, ending the longest active win streak in intercollegiate varsity sports. Trinity, the 13-time defending national champion, had won 252 straight matches before falling at Brady Squash Center.

“It’s been really cool for the kids, but it’s great for the sport,” Talbott said. “All the coverage has been really exciting for the kids, but what it does for the sport is even more important.
“It brings attention to a sport that’s never been seen before. Our win has been on CNN and ESPN and in publications like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the New Haven Register. It’s been off the charts.”
Yale captain Ryan Dowd, a senior from Boston who won his match in the contest, has quickly tried to refocus his team for the rest of the season.
Dowd beat Trinity’s Reinhold Hergeth and Yale also got victories from Robert Berner, Hywel Robinson and sophomore Neil Martin. Senior John Roberts closed it out with a dramatic five-set win over Johan Detter.
But now it’s back to reality for the second-ranked Bulldogs, who are 7-0 and don’t play another match at home until Feb. 12 against Harvard. Yale played No. 10 Western Ontario on Friday and will battle powerhouse Rochester, ranked fourth in the country, today in what is expected to be another intense match.
“It’s still crazy,” Dowd said on Friday. “We’re all still getting calls and texts and we know we have a big match (today). We have a big target on our backs for the rest of the season. To beat (Rochester) and then get the No. 1 ranking when they come out on Monday will validate the win.
“We’d been close against Trinity recently and they lost some players, but so did we. We felt that we could compete against them in every individual spot.”
Talbott, who’s been coaching at Yale since 1983 and led the men’s team to national titles and the women’s team to the 2011 crown, said the sport itself is dominated internationally. Continued...
“In the past 10 years I think Trinity has only had one American player,” he said. “Squash is big in Egypt and Pakistan and, of course, there’s great players in England. In America it’s basically a prep school sport for the entitled. Overseas it’s a professional sport.
“The players don’t make as much money as they do in tennis, but they make a good living at it.”
The Bulldogs have a 14-player roster consisting of two state players and eight international students.
“We lost some depth from last year’s team and Trinity had also lost some top players,” Talbott said. “But Trinity also brought in three new players in January, so there was some unknown aspects about their team.”
The players themselves are squash junkies and, after this weekend’s matches, they plan on heading to New York’s Grand Central Station to watch the Tournament of Champions — a world-class event which will be played on portable four-glass wall courts set up right in the station’s depot.
While much of the sport is unique, the intensity is sometimes ferocious. After Trinity beat Yale 5-4 last season in the CSA Team National Championships, a Bantam player screamed right in the face of Yale player following the match’s final point. Dowd said that was tough to swallow.
The Bulldogs got the last word on Wednesday.

Quinnipiac falls to Sacred Heart

2012-01-19T23:43:00.000-05:00

FAIRFIELD — Mired in a dismal stretch the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team always felt it could count on one thing: rebounding.
Though second in the nation in that category, it was their rebounding that failed the Bobcats down the stretch as Sacred Heart pulled out a 78-75 victory in a crucial Northeast Conference game at the Pitt Center Thursday night.

The win capped a season sweep of the Bobcats for the Pioneers, who got a career-high 28 points from Louis Montes and 23 from Shane Gibson, 18 of which came in the second half.
Quinnipiac has lost four of its last five games and fell to 9-9 overall and 2-5 in the NEC, a precarious spot as only the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the postseason tournament. The Bobcats are surprisingly in a three-way tie for eighth place.
“It’s hard losing,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. “I can’t measure the team’s doubt. We had murderous practices and they responded well. It just came down to our second-half defense.
“This group has wins at Vermont, at Boston University and at Robert Morris. There’s great potential there, but it’s infuriating when we look like a young team.”
Dave Johnson led Quinnipiac with 18 points and James Johnson. But James Johnson missed a designed 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 21 seconds left. He finished 2 for 10 from 3-point range in the game and the Bobcats went 4 for 19 behind the arc.
But offense aside, Moore was more concerned with his team’s defense in the second half when Sacred Heart shot 58 percent from the field.
“They made huge plays down the stretch,” Moore said. “But the tale of our NEC play is our defense. We’re not guarding long enough in games and we’re not guarding long enough in possessions.
“We try to play 28 seconds of hard defense and then we stop guarding.”
Quinnipiac led by as much as eight in the first half before Sacred Heart took a six-point lead in the second half. The game was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.
Montes gave Sacred Heart a 74-71 lead with 2:08 to play. James Johnson cut it to 74-73 with two free throws with 1:39 left. But that’s when their rebounding failed the Bobcats.
Twice Sacred Heart missed shots but both times the Pioneers got the rebound, chewing up valuable time. After the second miss the Bobcats fouled Montes with 31 seconds left and he buried both free throws.
“That’s the best shellacking in rebounding we’ve ever had,” Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike said. “They beat us by 11 but if we didn’t come up with four or five of those rebounds it would have been a different game.
“It started with Stan Dulaire’s rebound and then Nick Greenbacker got one and Phil Gaetano got involved in another one and they all were big. We respect their rebounding but we were able to come up with a couple of big ones.
“If Dulaire doesn’t get that rebound I think the whole game could turn around.”
Gaetano, a freshman from Wallingford, finished with seven points and had a big 3-pointer in the second half for Sacred Heart.
Quinnipiac hit 8 of its first 11 shots but only finished at 40 percent from the floor in the game and once again free throws were a problem. It went 13 for 20 from the line.
Ike Azotam finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats, who got the services of forward Jamee Jackson back. Jackson finished with nine points and eight rebounds after missing seven games with a foot injury.

Quinnipiac men play at Sacred Heart Thursday

2012-01-19T00:34:00.000-05:00

Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart
♦When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
♦Where: Pitt Center, Fairfield
♦Records: Quinnipiac 9-8 (2-4 Northeast); Sacred Heart 8-11 (2-4)
♦Radio: WQUN-1220

♦Scouting Sacred Heart: The Pioneers snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bobcats with a 68-55 win at Hamden earlier in the season. In that game, Shane Gibson led the way with 21 points. SHU beat St. Francis (Pa.) last week but lost to Robert Morris, both three-point decisions. The Pioneers got 55 points in the two games from Gibson, who leads the NEC in scoring at 20.3 ppg.
♦Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats are desperate for a win after losing two of their last three games. Their one win in the stretch came against league power Robert Morris, but they have been wildly inconsistent. While Quinnipiac continues to be among the best rebounding teams in the country, it was outrebounded 74-71 by St. Francis (Pa.) last game.

Wallingford's Gaetano making his mark at Sacred Heart

2012-01-18T23:58:00.003-05:00

Phil Gaetano keeps proving the naysayers wrong.
Said to be too small and too slow to play Division I basketball, Gaetano not only landed a D-I scholarship, but the 5-foot-10 freshman is already starting for Sacred Heart.

The Pioneers host Quinnipiac in a crucial Northeast Conference matchup tonight at 7 at the Pitt Center in Fairfield. Both teams are 2-4 in the NEC standings, tied for eighth place. The top eight teams in the conference earn a berth in the postseason tournament.
“I’ve heard it all along that I was too small and I wasn’t athletic enough,” Gaetano said. “But you can’t listen to it. I always had confidence in myself and I knew that I had to prove what I could do.”
Gaetano, from Wallingford, has started the past four games since sophomore guard Evan Kelley injured his ankle. He has quickly adapted to the college game and played 38 minutes for the Pioneers in Saturday’s 70-67 loss at Robert Morris.
The son of Sheehan boys’ basketball coach Joe Gaetano played four years at Sheehan before spending a prep season at Choate. At Sheehan he averaged 16 points and 11 assists to help the Titans win the 2010 Class M State title.
Then at Choate, an important year for his development on the court, he teamed with fellow Wallingford native John Papale to lead the Wild Boars to a 21-3 record and the school’s first New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class A championship.
Choate beat Salisbury in the final, a team which featured current Quinnipiac freshman Zaid Hearst.
Papale signed with Boston University in November. Gaetano had signed with the Pioneers the summer before he headed to Choate.
“All I ever wanted was to get a scholarship,” Gaetano said. “In my senior year at Sheehan I got a lot of Division III offers and then I started to get some Division II ones. Continued...
“For me it was never really about playing Division I over Division II. I would have gone to a good Division II program.”
But playing at Sacred Heart has been a dream come true for the basketball junkie. He got a chance to play at Notre Dame a month ago and then at Boston College.
“I wouldn’t say I was in awe playing there, but it was really cool,” Gaetano said. “It was something just to go into the arena — places you always watched on TV — and look around, but once the game starts you don’t even think about it.”
Since then things have progressed quickly. But on the court Gaetano said the biggest key for his success has actually been how the game has seemed to slow down. Averaging 4.1 points and 4.3 assists a game while committing just 44 turnovers on the season, Gaetano can calmly beat opponents’ pressure defense and set up the Pioneers’ offense.
And the offense revolves around high-scoring junior guard Shane Gibson, who leads the NEC with a 20.3 scoring average.
“I have the green light to shoot, but I’m looking to make the right play,” Gaetano said. “If I’m open and (Gibson) is open, I’m giving it to him.
“He’s one of the best tough-shot makers I’ve ever seen. Even with the defense all over him he can still score.”

Quinnipiac quintet granted accelerated rehab

2012-01-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
In a season of turmoil the Quinnipiac men's basketball team got a minor victory on Tuesday afternoon.
Off the basketball court and back in Meriden Superior Court, all five Quinnipiac players involved in a Sept. 18 on-campus assault were granted accelerated rehabilition by Judge Philip Scarpellino.
The five players, who appeared in court on Tuesday will also have to perform community service. If the players complete their orders sufficiently their cases will be dismissed.
Scarpellino sentenced senior guard James Johnson and junior forward Jamee Jackson to two years of the accelerated rehabilitation program. They will also have to serve 200 hours of community service and are responsible for sharing the medical costs of the victims' expenses.
Three other players involved in the case were also granted acclerated rehabilitation.
Junior guard Dave Johnson and sophomore forward Ike Azotam were given one-year programs and will have to complete 50 hours of community service. Freshman Nate Gause was dealt an 18-month accelarated rehabilitation sentence and will have perform 100 hours of community service.
James Johnson and Azotam were originally charged in the case anad taken into custody a day after the assault took place. As the investigation continued Gause, Jackson and Dave Johnson were also identfied and they turned themselves into Hamden police on Dec. 1 and confessed to the crime.

Quinnipiac women win at Robert Morris

2012-01-16T23:04:00.002-05:00

Another big win for the Quinnipiac women's basketball team.
Coach Tricia Fabbri has this team playing well real and they will be a threat to win the NEC tournament.
Here's the details from the Quinnipiac web site:

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Junior Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.) and freshman Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) registered career-highs as the Quinnipiac University women’s basketball team defeated Robert Morris, 82-74, in a Northeast Conference match-up at the Sewall Center on Monday night. With the win, the Bobcats improve to 12-5 overall and 4-2 in league action, while the Colonials drop to 9-8 on the year and 3-3 in conference play.
Barron scored a game-high 26 points, while Martin tallied 22 points in the outing. Sophomores Camryn Warner (Keene, N.H.) and Brittany McQuain (Independence, Mo.) each posted double-figures as Warner matched a career-high 13 points and McQuain scored 10 points. McQuain also led the Bobcats with a team-high nine rebounds.
The Bobcats finished with over 80 points for the second consecutive contest. QU outscored RMU from the floor (37.1-to-36.1), but both teams shot 80 percent from the free-throw line and 28.6 percent from three-point range. Each squad also pulled down 49 rebounds.
Both clubs battled throughout the entire game, but the Bobcats managed to lead by as many as 10 points on the night. Quinnipiac’s bench put together over one-fourth of the team’s total points with 26 points overall.
After the Bobcats went on a 9-8 run to open the first half, Spanou finished one of two free throws to tie the game at nine points apiece with just over 15 minutes to play. QU then scored four straight points from the charity stripe before Robert Morris would go on an 8-0 run to take a 17-13 lead midway through the period.
Each team continued to fight, but RMU would increase its lead by six points, 23-7, its largest advantage of the first half with 6:38 on the clock. Quinnipiac fought to take back the lead as Martin scored from inside the paint to put the Bobcats ahead, 30-28, at the two-minute mark. Martin would send Quinnipiac to the locker room in front of Robert Morris, 37-36, after hitting a three-pointer in the final seconds of the frame.
Barron led the Bobcats with 10 points in the first twenty minutes. In addition, QU outscored RMU inside the paint, 18-to-10, and converted nine points off turnovers.
The Colonials started the second stanza on a 15-8 run, but the Bobcats seized control of the game as they compiled 15 consecutive points to capture a 60-51 lead over RMU with nine minutes remaining. Martin created a spark for the Bobcats on the 15-0 run as she tallied eight points, including two three-pointers.
Robert Morris attempted to narrow the gap as it came within four points of Quinnipiac, 66-62, with just over three minutes left to play. However, Barron completed back-to-back free throws before finishing a shot from behind the arc to extend the Bobcats’ lead, 71-62, at 2:20.
Quinnipiac managed to stay ahead of Robert Morris for the remainder of the night as it compiled nine points from the free-throw line in the final two minutes. More specifically, Barron finished six of the Bobcats’ nine free throws.
The Colonials saw two players with double-doubles, including Mary Durojaye who collected a career-high 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Bobcats return to action when they travel to play a pair of Northeast Conference games against Bryant on Saturday, Jan. 21 and Sacred Heart on Monday, Jan. 23.

Sagarin ratings

2012-01-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

I will go through a list of RPI ratings and Sagarin ratings for the NEC and the Ivy League a bit later.

But a quick look has Harvard in at 44 in the Sagarin and Yale 144th. Quinnipiac is 202nd.

It's a long way to go but right now the computer and rating systems say that the Bulldogs have a long way to go to be able to beat the Crimson.

And that was a devastating loss for Quinnipiac the other day. I know coach Moore probably figured he'd lose to Robert Morris but beat St. Francis (Pa.) and just the reverse happened.
The Bobcats have lost to both St. Francis schools this year and those are usually chalked up in the win column. It looks like they really need Jamee Jackson back and soon.
They've got Sacred Heart coming up on Thursday and that will be a war, another one that the Bobcats usually win but they've already lost to SHU this year and that was at Hamden.

St. Francis (Pa.) deals Quinnipiac men critical loss

2012-01-14T22:23:00.003-05:00

Just when you thought the Bobcats were on the right track they lost to another St. Francis team. After losing to St. Francis (N.Y.) last week, on Saturday it was St. Francis (Pa.).
Those are two teams the Bobcats have dominated in recent years.
Here are the game details from the Quinnipiac web site:

LORETTO, Pa. – Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) finished with a game-high 28 points on Saturday afternoon, but the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team fell short on the road to Saint Francis (Pa.), 74-71, at DeGol Arena. With the loss, the Bobcats descend to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in the Northeast Conference. SFU improves to 4-15, 3-3 in the league.
Azotam went 13-of-18 from the floor, grabbed four rebounds and snatched two steals for the Bobcats. Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) poured in 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting to go along with a game-high seven assists and a team-high 6 rebounds. James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) scratched out eight points and remains three shy of 1,500 for his career. Justin Harris (Paterson, N.J.) finished with six points and five rebounds and Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) added five.
The first half featured quick start for the visiting Bobcats, followed by a strong finish for the hosting Red Flash. James Johnson granted QU a seven-point edge, 24-17, after a three-point field goal at the 9:10 mark. However, the lead was short-lived as SFU battled back before the halftime whistle sounded. SFU boasted a 21-13 run to close out the opening frame, leaving the Red Flash in front by one at the break.
The first half was very well-played. The two teams combined for just 11 turnovers and scored at a strong clip. The Bobcats finished 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) while the Red Flash went 15-of-30 (50 percent) from the floor. Azotam tossed in 12 points to lead the Bobcats and Kameron Ritter led SFU with 14 points.
Saint Francis came out of the locker room and quickly added to their halftime advantage. The Red Flash extended the margin to seven points with 15 minutes left and managed to maintain the two-possession lead for much of the second half.
QU wouldn’t go away though and battled through the final whistle. Dave Johnson cut the deficit to just one with a free-throw inside of four minutes, but Anthony Ervin had an answer on the other end. Ervin knocked down a trey from the corner, pushing the SFU lead back up to four points.
Quinnipiac clawed its way back to a three-point game and then forced a turnover with four seconds left. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were unable to get the shot off and the clock expired. SFU snapped a six-game skid with the triumph.
For the game, SFU outshot QU, 52.8 percent to 46.6 percent, from the floor, 50 percent to 27.3 percent, from long range and controlled the boards, 30-29. The Bobcats turned nine offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points.
Ritter continued to score the basketball in the second half as well, totaling 24 points for the contest. SFU heads to New Jersey next week for two games against Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Yale escapes with win over Brown

2012-01-14T22:17:00.003-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN – The sigh of relief could be heard all the way to the campus of Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.

Yale, down by as many as 11 points and trailing virtually the entire game, finished the game on a 13-3 run to defeat Brown 68-64 in the Ivy League opener for both teams before a crowd of 1,832 at the Lee Amphitheater Saturday.
Yale, picked second in the preseason league poll, entered the game a 13-point favorite and after posting a 10-4 pre-league record, its best since 1991, its title aspirations were high.
A loss to Brown was frankly unacceptable if the Bulldogs had any chance of taking the Ivy League title from heavyweights such as Harvard..
“They’re all big wins,” Yale coach James Jones said. “You don’t ever want to lose a league game especially at home. You don’t want to start off 0-1. I thought our kids did a really good job of keeping their composure but I can’t tell you that I felt like we were going to pull this one out the whole time because I didn’t.
Austin Morgan led Yale with 18 points seven in the decisive run. Greg Mangano had a quiet 15 points and just four rebounds, well below his league-leading average of 10.7.
And Reggie Willhite finished with 12 points and three steals, two of which changed the game.
“It took the last five minutes of the game to ratchet things up a little bit, especially on the defensive end and make some plays give ourselves the opportunity to win,” Jones said.
Trailing 61-58 with 1:35 to play, Willhite picked the pocket of Brown star Sean McGonahill and turned it into a thunderous dunk. On the very next trip down the court Willhite did it again.
After the second steal Yale took a timeout and then Willhite buried a jumpshot with 59 seconds to play to give Yale its first lead, 62-61, since it led 7-3 in the game’s first minutes.
McGonagill finished with a game-high 23 points but couldn’t beat Willhite when the game was on the line. Regarded as the league’s best defender, Jones never opted to have Willhite defend the high-scoring Brown guard until the game’s final minutes.
“(Entering the game) we didn’t feel we needed to,” Jones said. “We thought our trio of guards would give him enough trouble. But you have to give McGonagill credit. He had a great game. He made a lot of tough shots and I don’t know if he’s going to make those shots night after night.
“Not taking anything away from Reggie but McGonagill played 40 minutes and he may not make those steals if he wasn’t that tired.”
Said Willhite: “Even before I switched on McGonagill they had been stalling. They were playing not to lose, not necessarily to win. I knew I didn’t have many fouls and I knew we weren’t going to get many more possessions so I went for it and it worked out.
“I ended up getting a couple of steals and we got the win.”
.After Willhite’s jumper Brown had a chance to regain the lead but Matt Sullivan (16 points) missed a wide open 3-pointer in the corner.
Yale got the rebound and Michael Grace hit two free throws and later Morgan sank four more free throws to ice it.
“You’d have to be crazy not to (breathe a sigh of relief) after this one,” Willhite said. “We’re happy this one is behind us. We have to keep our destiny in our own hands and we lose the ones that we have the advantage in.”
Brown got just the start it needed. Entering the contest on a four-game losing streak the Bears fell behind 7-3 but got a boost of confidence scoring the next 10 points as Yale went ice cold from the floor and appeared a bit rattled.
Brown knocked down six 3-pointers in the first nine minutes of the game, three from Stephen Albrecht and it finished with nine trifectas (9-for-15) in the first half to take a 38-31 lead into intermission.
It could have been worse for the Bulldogs but McGonagill, who had 16 points at the break was fouled two separate times on 3-point attempts but the 78 percent free throw shooter only made one of six attempts.
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Yale women knock off Brown

2012-01-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

The Yale women's basketball team opened the Ivy League season with a win over Brown on the road.
The Bulldogs rallied in the second half led by Amanda Tyson.
Here are the game details from the Yale web site. Remember the men host Brown Saturday at 2 p.m.:

The Yale University women’s basketball team entered Ivy League play with an 0-5 record when trailing at halftime. On Friday in the Ivy League opener at Brown, the Bulldogs needed help from an unexpected source to turn things around in a second-half rally that secured the road victory.
Sophomore guard Amanda Tyson came off the bench to record 10 of her 12 points and seven of her game-high eight rebounds in the second half to help lift Yale to a 75-65 win over Brown at the Pizzitola Sports Center Friday night.
Tyson’s eight rebounds included seven on the offensive glass. The 12 points, eight rebounds and seven offensive rebounds are all new career-high marks for Tyson. She also set new career-high marks in field goals made (4), free throws made (4) and free throws attempted (5).
Junior guard Megan Vasquez scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Bulldogs (9-6, 1-0 Ivy League), who improve to 4-0 in 2012. It was the fifth 20-point outing of the season for Vasquez, who scored 20 or more points five times previously in her Yale career, all coming last season.
In her first game following her recognition as the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week, freshman guard Sarah Halejian scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, to go with three steals.
Sheila Dixon scored 20 points to lead Brown (9-5, 0-1 Ivy League), which saw its six-game winning streak snapped.
The two teams will return to the court on Friday, Jan. 20, when Brown visits Yale at John J. Lee Amphitheater at 7 p.m.

Yale kicks off Ivy season vs. Brown Saturday

2012-01-13T14:46:00.002-05:00

NEW HAVEN — Things got so bad on the injury front recently that the Brown men’s basketball team plucked a couple of bodies from the football tewam to join the squad.
Against the imposing Yale (10-4) frontline they’ll probably need them.
Yale, led by sizzling center Greg Mangano, opens Ivy League play against the Bears Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Lee Amphitheater. The Bulldogs have won the past three games in the series.
Mangano is coming off a monstrous, 35-point, 22-rebound, performance against undermanned St. Joseph College (L.I.) last game. But don’t let the DIII stats skewer what the senior from Orange has done this year. Mangano is already a three-time Ivy League Player of the Week choice averaging 19.9 ppg and 10.7 rebounds. He scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against then 10th ranked Florida a week ago and had 20 and 11 against Wake Forest.
Brown coach Jesse Agel knows his team will have its hand full guarding the 6-10 post from Notre Dame-West Haven.
"We don’t have one guy who can go out and get us 22 rebounds," Agel said. "As a group we have to do a better job of rebounding and that will be a key component of whether we can be successful.
"We’ll have to work as a unit to stop him. But last week we were down to seven players and now we’re back to 10 players, all the sickness is over and it’s just down to injuries, so we’re excited about that."
While Brown is just 5-11, the Bears do have a pair of impressive wins on the docket this season. They beat Rhode Island for the first time since 2001 and also beat a strong Central Connecticut State team in early December. Both of those wins came at home and the Bears are still searching for their first road win of the season.
Brown features exciting sophomore guard Sean McGonagill. Also a bit hampered recently buy injuries, McGonagill set Brown’s Pizzitola Center mark for points (39) and field goals in a game (15) in a game against Columbia last season. The outing was even more outstanding considering that McGonagill had facial surgery two days prior and was wearing a protective mask.
"They’ve changed some things recently that they had been doing," Yale coach James Jones said. "McGonagill is still the main cog. He makes them go. Andrew McCarthy has done a real nice job of making perimeter jumpshots and he’s been really active. Those are the main two guys."
McGonagill’s offensive prowess may force Yale to defend him with its phenom stopper Reggie Willhite on Saturday. Willhite has a knack for not only shutting down the oppositions best scorers but virtually eliminating them. This year Willhite has also taking up much more of the offensive slack scoring 12.6 points a game.
And guard Austin Morgan continues to possess the outside stroke scoring 13.0 points and leading the team with 36 3-pointers.
Yale, picked second in the preseason Ivy League poll surely knows how important every league is on the slate and will need focus in Brown which it plays two straight games before Yale hosts Harvard in a titanic clash on Jan. 27
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Quinnipiac visits St. Francis (Pa.) Saturday

2012-01-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

Here's Saturday's capsule preview:

Quinnipiac at St. Francis (Pa.)
When: Today, 4 p.m.

Where: DeGol Arena, Loretto, Pa.

Records: Quinnipiac (9-7, 2-3 Northeast), St. Francis (3-13, 2-3)

Radio: WQUN-1220 AM
Scouting Quinnipiac:
The Bobcats just pulled off their biggest win of the season on Thursday winning at Robert Morris 78-76. Now they get a chance to get back to the .500 mark in the conference. Dave Johnson had his best game of the season against the Colonials with 18 points including 8-for-8 from the free throw line, a spot that has hurt Quinnipiac badly this season. James Johnson led the team with 22 points. This is the second of four straight road games for the Quinnipiac in a crucial stretch.
Scouting St. Francis (Pa.):
The Red Flash has lost six straight and never seemed to recover after the loss of star Umar Shannon early in the season. A tough defensive team, St. Francis has struggled to score all season and are led by 6-8 forward Scott Eatherton. Quinnipiac beat the Red Flash last season after opening up the game on a 22-0 run and cruised the rest of the way. The Red Flash are coming off a three-point loss to Sacred Heart which snapped its three-game home winning streak.
Projected Starters

St. Francis
Player, Ht., Year, Pos., Avg
Kameron Ritter, 6-3, So., F, 3.4
Jon Taylor, 6-6, Sr., F, 6.1
Scott Eatherton, 6-8, So., F, 14.0
Stephen Whyatt, 6-1, Fr., G, 7.4,
Anthony Ervin, 6-4, Jr., G, 11.0,

Quinnipiac
Ousmane Drame, 6-9, Fr. , F, 5.6
Zaid Hearst, 6-0, Fr.G, 6.2
James Johnson, 6-0, Sr., G, 18.1
Dave Johnson, 5-10, Jr., G, 7.5
Ike Azotam , 6-7, So., F, 15.3

Off the bench

St. Francis: Ollie Jackson, 6-4, Fr., G, 5.9 ppg, Tony Peters, 6-8, Jr., F, 2.5, Quinnipiac: Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., F, 5.4, Evan Conti, 6-3, Fr., G, 1.3.
 Bill Cloutier

Quinnipiac post crucial win at Robert Morris

2012-01-12T23:48:00.002-05:00

Talk about crucial wins, the Quinnipiac men's basketball team won at Robert Morris 78-76 on Thursday night.
This was the first of four straight road games for the Bobcats who entered the game 1- in the NEC.
Never count out Tom Moore's ability to get these guys to play hard and believe in themselves and hats off to Dave Johnson for what was his best game of the season.
Here are the game details from the Quinnipiac web site:

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.), Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) and Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) led a potent attack on Thursday night, as the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Robert Morris, 78-76, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Trailing by eight points at the break, the Bobcats connected on 66.7 percent of their second-half field goal attempts to complete the comeback bid.
With the win, QU improves to 9-7 on the season and 2-3 in the Northeast Conference. The triumph marks the 10th win all-time against the Colonials, who fall to 12-6, 3-2 in the league.
James Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, as the senior guard went 7-of-12 from the floor, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Dave Johnson, in his strongest performance to date, added a season-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He pulled down six boards and handed out five dimes in 33 minutes on the hardwood. Azotam finished with 17 points and six rebounds, even with his minutes limited due to foul trouble in the first half.
QU's offense really started to click early on in the second half. The Bobcats boasted a 16-6 run over the first seven minutes of play and captured a two-point lead, 43-41, after an Azotam layup underneath. From that point on, the Bobcats gradually began to take control of the game. James Johnson's three-point field goal at the 4:52 mark pushed their advantage to eight points, the largest of the game at the time.
The teams exchanged baskets for the next two minutes, when RMU decided to make Quinnipiac beat them from the free-throw line. Led by Dave Johnson, who finished 8-of-8 from the line, the Bobcats made 12-of-16 from the charity stripe down the stretch.
The Colonials chipped away at their deficit via the three-point line and efficient free-throw shooting, but Evan Conti (Bayside, N.Y.) delivered the final dagger with less than 20 seconds showing on the clock. His two free-throws gave QU a six-point advantage, a lead that the visiting Bobcats would not relinquish.
For the game, Quinnipiac outshot RMU, 58.5 percent to 42.6 percent, from the floor and 70 percent to 33.3 percent, from behind the arc. The Bobcats pulled down 28 rebounds, three more than the Colonials, and collected two more steals as well (6-4). Entering the showdown, RMU ranked first in the conference in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
Conti played a key role off the bench in the triumph. He scored a career-high seven points to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) added a pair of threes for six points, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) and Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) chimed in with three apiece and Alex Jackson (Baltimore, Md.) had two.
In the first half of play, neither team was able to gain a significant advantage until the clock crept inside the five-minute mark. The Colonials then put together an 11-2 run over the final 4:25 of the frame, leaving a 35-27 lead at the break for the home team.
Jones scratched out 22 points for the Colonials despite a 5-of-17 shooting performance. Dave Johnson and James Johnson held the junior guard in check all night.
QU will wrap up its two-game set in Pennsylvania on Saturday, January 14 in Loretto, Pa. The Bobcats are scheduled to face Saint Francis in the backend of a double-header. The Quinnipiac women's team will take on the Red Flash at 1 p.m., follow by the men's game at 4 p.m.

Yale women open Ivy League vs. Brown Friday

2012-01-12T19:15:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
Yale coach Chris Gobrecht intentionally schedules a grueling non-league slate to get her team ready when the Ivy League season starts. The problem this year is that practically nothing could prepare her team for this season’s cheduling quirks.
Yale opens up Ivy League play tonight at Brown, at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs then host the Bears next week before playing the next four league games back on the road.
“There’s no question I’m concerned about it,” Gobrecht said. “I’m on the women’s basketball Division I advisory committee and I try to get people to understand how tough you have to be to compete in the Ivy League. We play back-to-back games. We have road trips that it seems like you’re on buses endlessly.
“So doing five out of your first six on the road we just have to be really tough. We can’t have excuses. We can’t be babies about it we’ve just got to buckle down and get it done. The good thing about is we get to be home at the end but what’s hard when you open up with so many on the road you don’t want to be out of it before you’ve got into well into the league.”
Yale went 10-4 in the Ivy League last year finishing second place behind powerhouse Princeton which is not only the favorite to repeat their league title for the third straight season but is also teetering on the brink of national prominence. The Tigers are 27-1 in Ivy League play over the past two seasons and Gobrecht thinks they could be even better this year.
But Gobrecht, whose team enters league play 8-6, has done her best to get her team ready for the ensuing onslaught. She’s traveled to Delaware, Florida State and top-ranked Baylor this year.
“Everytime you arrange your preseason you try to get some games you’re pretty sure you’re going to win,” she said. “Then you put in those games that you’re likely to lose and then have a good percentage of 50-50 games. When you go through it you would like to win the games you’re supposed to win and win more than your share of the 50-50 games and then get some upsets.
“The only thing we didn’t do was get the upsets. We won our share of the other games but those upsets would have had to have happened at Baylor and at Delaware and at Florida State and that probably wasn’t going to happen.”
But Gobrecht said she feels that playing elite teams like Baylor at the very least will give her team lasting memories.
“We had a good time and I think the team we’ll always be able to take with them that in 2011 we played the two best players in collegiate women’s basketball in Baylor’s Brittney Griner and Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne and that will be a thrill that they carry with them a long time,” Gobrecht said.
Yale swept Brown (9-4) last season but Gobrecht feels the Bears are improving.
“We had a really tough time with them both times last year and they’re more experienced this year,” she said. “They play great together and they’re deceptive and effective and they’re preseason record proves it.”
The Bulldogs are also battling a few injuries including a concussion to freshman Hayden Latham suffered against Florida State. The injury still irks Gobrecht.
“There was a player at Florida State that took a real cheap shot at her and we’re not happy about it,” Gobrecht said. “She’s been out since that game we’re not sure when we’ll have her back.”
With its second-place finish last season Yale earned a berth in the WNIT, its first national postseason bid.
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Casey Dulin leads Marist into Fairfield Thursday

2012-01-11T19:51:00.004-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com

It was just six games into the Marist women’s basketball season when a potential disaster struck. Kristine Best, the team’s senior starting point guard, tore her anterior cruciate ligament in practice.
The Red Foxes were left in a quandary. They had point guards in waiting but both were freshmen. They also had Casey Dulin, a sophomore combo guard from Milford.
At 4-2 on the season veteran coach Brian Giorgis opted for his true point guards but Marist struggled badly the very next game scoring only 36 points in a 13-point loss at Boston University.
Giorgis, who in 10 years at the school ranks sixth in winning percentage among all active Division I women’s coaches, knew he had to get things settled before conference play began so he turned to Dulin.
The results have been scintillating.
“She’s been a godsend, actually,” Giorgis said of Dulin. “I’m not going to say she absolutely salvaged our season because we had two freshmen to go to but I can’t say enough how well she’s done.”
Dulin, who averaged 3.5 points in under eight minutes a game last year, was thrust right into the fire playing point guard against a St. Bonaventure team that has received votes in the AP Top 25. The Red Foxes lost 67-56 but its offense once again showed life.
And has since taken off.
Marist beat Auburn in its next game before dropping narrow decisions to Hofstra and national power Kansas State. Once conference play began Giorgis had great reason to be optimistic and with Dulin fueling the offense Marist is 4-0 heading into tonight’s conference game against Fairfield, also 4-0, at the Webster Bank Arena at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by SNY.
“The conference is extremely balanced this year,” Giorgis said. “I don’t usually call a game this early in the season a big game but this is important.”
Dulin has been filling up the stat sheets like she did earning All-State honors at Law High. She is averaging 8.3 ppg., and 3.3 rebounds. She is second on the team in assists and steals.
Dulin has always been a solid shooter but has struggled from the perimeter thus far. In fact, if you take away her 3-pointers on the season she is shooting 50 percent from the field but Giorgis doesn’t want her to stop.
“She’s a good shooter and she hit a couple of big 3-pointers the other day,” Giorgis said. “She’s a complete player. I want her to keep shooting and what I really like about her is she doesn’t dwell on the mistakes.
“If she makes a mistake she forgets about right away and keeps playing. She’s aggressive defensively and really knows the game.”
But what Giorgis is most happy with and has affirmed his notion to start her at point guard is how the rest of the team has responded.
“They believe in her,” he said. “And that’s what you want most from a point guard.”
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Quinnipiac visits Robert Morris Thursday

2012-01-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
QUINNIPIAC at ROBERT MORRIS

When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Charles L. Sewall Center - Moon Township, Pa.
Records: Quinnipiac (8-7, 1-3 Northeast Conference); Robert Morris (12-5, 3-1)
Radio: WQUN-1220

KEEP AN EYE ON

Scouting Quinnipiac:
The Bobcats hit the road for the first of four straight NEC games away from Hamden and their first opponent is the powerful Colonials who have knocked out Quinnipiac in the NEC tournament each of the past two seasons. Quinnipiac has lost back-to-back games including Saturday’s 79-75 setback against NEC power Long Island. Ike Azotam had his ninth double-double of the season in the game and Quinnipiac pulled down a school record 61 rebounds.
Scouting Robert Morris:
The Colonials were ranked second in the NEC preseason coaches’ poll, and have won five of their last seven games. RMU lost at Central Connecticut this past weekend scoring just 53 points but is 4-0 on the season after a loss and leads the series against Quinnipiac 16-9. The Colonials have not allowed an opponent to score 70 points in their last 11 games going 8-3 in the stretch. RMU is without guard Karon Abraham who was suspended for the entire season by the school.
PROBABLE STARTERS

ROBERT MORRIS
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Mike McFadden 6-8 So. F 8.1
Lawrence Bridges 6-5 Sr. F 3.9
Russell Johnson 6-6 Jr. F 8.8
Velton Jones 6-0 Jr. G 15.2
Coron Williams 6-2 So. G 11.7
QUINNIPIAC
Ike Azotam 6-7 So. F 15.2
James Johnson 6-0 Sr. G 17.8
Dave Johnson 5-10 Jr. G 6.8
Zaid Hearst 6-4 Fr. G 6.2
Ousmane Drame 6-10 Fr. F 5.8
OFF THE BENCH

Robert Morris — Anthony Myers, 5-11, So. G, 5.9 ppg., Lijah Thompson, 6-7, Jr., F, 7.5; Lucky Jones, 6-5, Fr. F, 7.1; Quinnipiac — Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 4.9; Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., G, 5.6.

Yale knocks off St. Joseph's (L.I.)

2012-01-08T20:09:00.001-05:00

NEW HAVEN — Is it possible to have a double-double by halftime and actually be playing poorly? Those are the lofty standards that Yale’s Greg Mangano has set for himself.
In fact Mangano didn’t think he played that well at all in Sunday’s 101-86 win over St. Joseph’s (Long Island) at the Lee Amphitheater.
But take a step back and appreciate his final numbers, the type of statistics that are reserved for the most elite players.
Mangano finished Sunday’s game with 35 points and 22 rebounds, both career highs. He had also had three blocked shots and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.

“The guys were doing a good job of getting me the ball, but I had some good opportunities that I missed,” Mangano said. “I was a little more successful in the second half, but I don’t think I played that well.”
Mangano’s performance left Yale coach James Jones a bit speechless. He grabbed the most rebounds for Yale since Chris Dudley pulled down 22 against Harvard in 1987.
“I really don’t know what to say about it,” Jones said. “Offensively he’s as good as you can get. He missed free throws, but I don’t know how much you want him to score. At halftime he had 15 points and 11 rebounds and I was mad at him.”
Take away any of the his contributions and Yale could have been set up for a major embarrassment. The Bulldogs (10-4) raced out to a 29-4 lead in the game’s opening minutes but then got complacent and watched the Golden Eagles close the gap to 46-43 at the half.
“I didn’t think we did a great job of finishing off the first half,” Jones said. “We took the foot off the pedal. They missed some shots early and were a little nervous, but we didn’t do a good job of defending all night.
“They’re a pretty good basketball team. They can shoot. At halftime there was a bit of everything.”
Sure St. Joseph’s is a Division III school, but it’s not just any D-III program. Starting five seniors, the Golden Eagles won 22 games last season and never got rattled when Yale threatened to turn the game into a laugher. It was the first time in the program’s history that it played a Division I school.
“It was kind of fool’s gold in the beginning,” said Mangano, who continually took advantage of his 4-inch height advantage over the St. Joseph’s front-court players. “We knew they could shoot the ball and once they settled in and starting making their shots we found ourselves in a little bit of trouble.
“I think the general consensus in the locker room is that we played pretty poorly.”
In the end, guard Chris Jiminez finished with 22 points and Olivier Laurent added 18. The Golden Eagles, who entered the game averaging 86 points a game, missed their first seven 3-pointers of the game but finished 11 for 27 from behind the arc to make a game of it.
Yale never really put the game away until under four minutes were left to play when they pushed a 10-point lead back up to 17.
“We kept our composure and pulled away at the end,” Jones said.
Will Childs-Klein, who put the Bulldogs over the century mark earlier in the season against Lindon State, did it again with a dunk on Sunday for the final margin.
“We shot 52 percent for the game and scored 101 points and won,” Jones said. “I don’t know how many more points you want to score, but I don’t know the last time we gave up 86 points. We didn’t give up that much to Seton Hall. I wouldn’t suspect that they’re as good as Holy Cross and we didn’t give up 86 to them. It’s disappointing that we didn’t do a good job against them.”
It was the final non-league game of the season for the Bulldogs who open up Ivy League play on Saturday against Brown.
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Long Island edges Quinnipiac

2012-01-07T20:19:00.004-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
HAMDEN — The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team insists it’s not about to panic. But it’s getting late real early for the Bobcats.

Now 1-3 in the conference, the Bobcats (8-7) are about to hit the road for four straight games with its conference hopes squarely on the line.
Quinnipiac dropped its second straight game on Saturday, falling to conference heavyweight Long Island 79-75 in a spirited affair at the TD Bank Sports Center Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats are already three games behind the Blackbirds (10-6, 4-0) in the NEC standings and face an arduous uphill climb.

“There’s no panic,” Quinnipiac’s James Johnson said. “We can’t look too far down the road. This conference comes down to March so we have to keep getting better and take it one game at a time. We still have a lot of confidence. We know we’re good.”

Quinnipiac set its all-time Division I mark for rebounds in a game with 61, but the Bobcats shot just 39 percent and went 2-for-10 from 3-point range, never establishing an offensive rhythm. Ike Azotam led the Bobcats with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and James Johnson added 15 points.
“I’m disappointed with our offense,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. “We settled for a lot of bad shots, especially in the first half. Today we did one thing well, offensive rebounds (27). But we didn’t create good shots and made a lot of bad decisions with our shot selection. And we missed a lot of foul shots again.”
There was nothing wrong with the Blackbirds’ offense. LIU’s All-NEC duo of Jamal Olasawere and Julian Boyd combined for 42 points and 20 rebounds and lived up to all the preseason hype they’ve received.
“Olasawere was an animal,” LIU coach Jim Ferry said. “And our point guard, Jason Brickman (10 assists), controlled the game.”
Ferry said Quinnipiac still has the talent to make a run, but noted the Bobcats missed junior forward Jamee Jackson, who is out with torn ligaments in his foot. In his stead, Ousmane Drame, a freshman who has played very well at times, had just two points and was little match for LIU’s inside powers.
Said Moore: “Ousmane wasn’t up to the task defensively. Rebounding he was, but Olasawere’s got 80 games of college under his belt and Ousmane has just 13. He wasn’t ready for the speed and aggressiveness with which Olasawere comes at you.
“They’re a terrific team. They can score the ball and they have the best point guard in the league.”
Said Johnson: “Jamee Jackson would have helped, of course, but you can see we were just a couple of baskets away from beating a real good team.”
After Quinnipiac lost 73-72 to St. Francis (N.Y.) on Thursday, Ferry knew the Bobcats would come out with a roar on Saturday. Despite the fact that his team was out-rebounded 61-38, Ferry was happy with his team’s poise.
“All we talked about for two days was the level of intensity of which this game was going to be played at,” Ferry said. “It was going to be playoff intensity because they never get out-rebounded and they got out-rebounded last game.
“They really bullied us. To end the game with 61 rebounds, I’ve never seen that. But we stayed poised and stayed focused. We have a grind-it-out mentality and in the second half we got it going.”
Quinnipiac got an atypical 20 points off its bench, including nine points and eight rebounds from Justin Harris in the first half. The Bobcats pulled down a stunning 42 first-half rebounds. Still, the Bobcats were only tied with the high-flying Blackbirds, who went 27-6 last season to win the NEC title and lost to North Carolina in the NCAA tournament.
Olasawere, a mixture of power and finesse, took over in the early stages of the second half. He scored a game-high 25 points in 25 minutes and never let his early foul trouble hinder his play. He scored nine points in LIU’s 13-8 run to start the second half and give the Blackbirds a 50-45 lead.
LIU never trailed again and eventually built a 13-point lead. Quinnipiac battled back but couldn’t unleash its outside game and never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
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Yale hosts DIII St. Joseph's

2012-01-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
ST. JOSEPH (L.I.) AT YALE

When: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Where: Lee Amphitheater, New Haven
Records: St. Joseph’s (9-1); Yale (9-4)
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs play their last game before beginning Ivy League play for the final 14 games of the season. This should serve as a final chance for coach James Jones’ bench players to show they deserve playing time once the league play begins against Brown on Saturday. Greg Mangano continues to lead the Bulldogs and is nearing 1,000 points for his stellar career.
Scouting St. Joseph’s: This the first time the Golden Eagles, a Division III school, have ever played a Division I opponent. They start five seniors and average 85 points a game so expect and end-to-end matchup. They were picked second in the Skyline Conference preseason poll and went 22-7 last season.
PROBABLE STARTERS
YALE
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Greg Mangano 6-10 Sr. F 18.7
Reggie Willhite 6-4 Sr. F 12.1
Austin Morgan 5-11 Jr. G 13.3
Jeremiah Kreisberg 6-1 So. F 8.2
Michael Grace 6-0 Jr.. G 6.5
ST. JOSEPH'S
Chris Jiminez 6-0 Sr. G 15.3
Olivier Laurent 6-2 So. G 15.3
Vincent Russo 6-4 Sr. F 7.6
Trey Black 6-2 Sr. G 16.0
Steve Velazquez 6-4 Sr. F 12.1
OFF THE BENCH
Yale — Isaiah Salafia, 6-3, So., G, 3.3 ppg.; Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 3.3; St. Joseph’s — Shahab Syez, 6-6, Sr., C, 9.9; Cody Lohsen, 6-4, So., F, 4.8.
— Bill Cloutier

Quinnipiac men face LIU in showdown Saturday

2012-01-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
Long Island at Quinnipiac

When: Today, 2 p.m.
Where: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden
Records: Long Island (9-6, 3-0 Northeast): Quinnipiac (8-6, 1-2)
Radio: WQUN-1220 AM
Scouting Long Island: The Blackbirds were the overwhelming preseason choice to defend their Northeast Conference title. LIU won at Sacred Heart on Thursday getting 29 points from Jamal Olasawere. LIU has won four straight and seven of its last nine games. Olaswaere is an NEC All-Conference selections along with power forward Julian Boyd, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.1 points and 9.57 rebounds per game. They lead the NEC in scoring (77.7 points per game) and field goal percentage (46 percent).
Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats have little time to regroup after a heart-breaking loss at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Thursday. Quinnipiac led most of the way but St. Francis guard Stefan Pernuicic converted a three-point play in the final seconds to end the Bobcats’ eight-game winning streak over the Terriers. Quinnipiac is suddenly staring at a sub-.500 mark in the league with the powerful Blackbirds coming into their gym followed by four straight road games. Expect a big effort from coach Tom Moore’s team which was out-rebounded for only the second time this season by the Terriers. James Johnson scored 28 in Thursday’s loss.
Projected Starters
Long Island
Player, Ht., Year, Pos., Avg,
Jamal Olasawere , 6-7, Jr., F, 15.2,
Julian Boyd, 6-7, Jr., F, 16.1,
Jason Brickman, 5-10, So., G, 7.7,
Michael Culpo, 6-1, Sr.G, 10.0,
C.J. Garner, 5-10, Jr., G, 11.3,
Quinnipiac
Ousmane Drame, 6-9, Fr., F, 6.1
Ike Azotam, 6-7, So., F, 15.1
Dave Johnson, 5-10, Jr., G, 6.9
James Johnson, 6-0, Sr., G, 18.0
Zaid Hearst, 6-4, Fr.., G, 5.9
Off the bench
Long Island: Brandon Thompson, 6-1, Jr., G, 4.1 ppg., Kenny Onyechi, 6-7, Jr., F, 4.8, Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., F, 5.2, Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 4.9.
Bill Cloutier

Tough loss for Quinnipiac

2012-01-06T00:47:00.000-05:00

The Quinnipiac men's basketball team dropped a heart-breaker on the road Thursday.
The loss drops the Bobcats to 1-2 in the NEC with power LIU coming into town Saturday.
Here are the game details from the Quinni web site:

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Senior guard James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) posted a game-high 28 points on Thursday evening, but the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team surrendered a tough loss to Northeast Conference foe St. Francis (N.Y.), 73-72, at the Pope Physical Education Center. Stefan Perunicic’s free-throw capped off a three-point play to put the Terriers in front by one with 5.1 seconds left. The Bobcats couldn’t convert in the waning seconds, granting SFC a big win on its home court.
With the loss, the Bobcats fall to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in the league. St. Francis improves to 5-9, 2-1 in the NEC, and will travel to Sacred Heart on Saturday.
Johnson finished with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals to go along with his season-high point total. Three other Bobcats compiled double-digits; Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) with 12, Ousmane Drame (Boston, Mass.) with 11 and Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) with 10. Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) added five and Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) each tallied three.
The game was very competitive and never saw a lead of more than eight points; an advantage the Bobcats controlled with 3:12 left in the contest. The Terriers answered with an 8-2 run, which cut their deficit to just two points with 56 seconds showing on the clock.
QU came up empty on its ensuing possession, leaving SFC with the ball and 30 seconds to go. After a series of timeouts, Perunicic collected a pass on a backdoor cut, finished the layup and was fouled with 5.1 seconds remaining in the game. Perunicic sank his attempt from the stripe to put the Terriers up, 73-72. Johnson’s 30-footer came up short as the Bobcats’ three-game winning streak came to a close.
For the game, Quinnipiac outshot St. Francis, 44.8 percent to 41.1 percent, from the floor and outscored the Terriers off-the-bench, 16-8. The Terriers finished 72 percent (15-25) of their free-throws to just 60 percent (21-29) of the Bobcats, and controlled the boards, 39-38. It’s just the second game of the season that QU has been outrebounded.
Led by James Johnson, the Bobcats presented an efficient offense for much of the first half. Johnson poured in 17 points as QU boasted an eight point lead, 30-22, with seven minutes remaining in the stanza. However, the hosting Terriers put together a 12-2 run to close out the opening frame, leaving a 34-34 score at the break.
The Bobcats held the Terriers to just 29.4 percent shooting in the first half but surrendered 12 points from the charity stripe. Azotam also chimed in with double-figures with 10 points to go along with four rebounds.
QU returns to action on Saturday, January 7 with its first home game of the New Year. The Bobcats welcome Long Island University, the 2011-12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll favorite, to the TD Bank Sports Center for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

Quinnipiac visits St. Francis (N.Y.) Thursday

2012-01-04T16:28:00.001-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
QUINNIPIAC AT ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.)

When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Pope Physical Education Center - Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
Records: Quinnipiac (8-5, 1-1 Northeast Conference); St. Francis (4-9, 1-1)
Radio: WQUN-1220
KEEP AN EYE ON

Scouting Quinnipiac:
The Bobcats begin the major portion of the NEC slate tonight at St. Francis (N.Y.) a team they’ve dominated in the past few years winning eight straight. Quinnipiac has won six of its last seven games and despite the loss of power forward Jamee Jackson it has played well. Ike Azotam continues to be an offensive and rebounding force and freshman Ousmane Drame has filled in for Jackson well. Ousmane Drame racked up 10 points and 14 rebounds in Quinnipiac’s last game, a win over Boston University.
Scouting St. Francis:
The Terriers have lived and died at the 3-point line this season. After opening the season with nine straight road games, they are 1-3 in their last four games. They’re second in the NEC in 3-pointers made and attempted and boast a solid backcourt in the England’s Ben Mockford and Serbia’s Stefan Perunicic. St. Francis opened the season at Seton Hall losing by just four points. Seton Hall beat UConn by a dozen on Tuesday.
PROBABLE STARTERS
ST. FRANCIS
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Stefan Perunicic 6-6 Sr. G 12.1
Ben Mockford 6-2 So. G 12.5
Justin Newton 6-0 Sr. G 1.5
Akeem Johnson 6-6 Jr. F 9.4
Jalen Cannon 6-6 Fr. F 6.8
QUINNIPIAC

James Johnson 6-0 Sr. G 17.2
Zaid Hearst 6-4 Fr. G 6.2
Ike Azotam 6-7 So. F 15.3
Ousmane Drame 6-10 Fr. F 5.7
Dave Johnson 5-10 Jr. G 6.7

OFF THE BENCH
St. Francis — Travis Nichols, 6-4, Jr., F, 9.7 ppg.; Brent Jones, 5-10, So., G, 4.7; Matt Milk, 6-8, So., F, 1.0. Quinnipiac — Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 5.0; Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., G, 5.3.
— Bill Cloutier

Get your Yale-Harvard tickets soon

2012-01-04T15:39:00.002-05:00

NEW HAVEN — Where have you gone, New Haven Coliseum?
According to Jeremy Makins, the head of the Yale University athletics ticket office, there are just 300 tickets remaining for Yale’s men’s game against Harvard on Friday, Jan. 27.
The Lee Amphitheater sold out just once last season and that was for the Ivy League title game between Harvard and Princeton won by the Tigers at the buzzer.
Listing a capacity at 2,532 Yale did not sell out any regular-season games last season but Makins said he expects an advance sellout for what is shaping out to be a crucial, albeit early, Ivy League game.
Yale, picked second in the preseason Ivy League poll, is currently 9-4 after knocking off Holy Cross 82-67 on Tuesday night. The Crimson suffered just their second loss of the season on Tuesday getting upset at Fordham 60-54. Harvard (12-2) is ranked 22nd in the nation and was the preseason choice for the league title.
Makins said that the lower portion of the Lee Amphitheater is reserved for students and will be held for walk up sales only.
“We’ll get word out to the students that they better get there early but we won’t sell them in advance,” Makins said.
Makins also said that most of the sales have been from local fans but did say that Harvard has several bus loads expected for the 7 p.m. tip-off.
There are no plans to move the game against Harvard to another venue. According to Tim Bennett, Yale’s assistant director for sports publicity, the Bulldogs have played two “home” games in the past decade off campus.
In 2002, Yale played an NIT game against Tennessee Tech at the New Haven Coliseum. After the Bulldogs upset Rutgers in the first round Yale officials wanted a bigger venue for the second-round game.
Yale also played Wake Forest in 2003 in Bridgeport. That game was originally slated for the New Haven Coliseum but was changed as the building was closed.
Yale also played UConn at the New Haven Coliseum several times in the 1980s and 1990s. The building was demolished on Jan. 20, 2007.
Remaining tickets can be purchased online by visiting the Yale Athletics web site.

Quinnipiac women fall to St. Joseph's

2012-01-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

HAMDEN, Conn. – Freshman Samantha Guastella registered a career-high 16 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday evening, but the Quinnipiac University women's basketball team dropped its final non-conference game to Saint Joseph's University, 71-54, on Lender Court at the TD Bank Sports Center. Both teams moved to 9-4 on the season with the result.
Guastella finished with a team-high five field goals which included two from long range. Jasmine Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) added nine points and Felicia Barron chimed in with seven. Jacinda Dunbar (Edison, N.J.) recorded six and three others had three.
St. Joseph's raced out to a blistering start in this one, as the visiting Hawks boasted a 16-2 lead through the first seven minutes. The Hawks went 7-of-9 from the floor during that span, opposed the just 1-of-8 from the Bobcats.
The Bobcats return to the hardwood on Saturday, January 7, when the team resumes Northeast Conference play at St. Francis (N.Y.). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Pope Physical Education Center in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.

Yale knocks off Holy Cross

2012-01-03T22:16:00.001-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN – Things probably came too easy for the Yale men’s basketball team on Tuesday.
Returning home after playing national powers Wake Forest and 13th-ranked Florida, the Bulldogs raced out to an early 20-point lead against Holy Cross. Then they put things on cruise control and had to hang on for an 82-67 victory in front of 1,326 anxious fans at the Lee Amphitheater.

Greg Mangano, who scored 26 points in his last outing, a nationally-televised contest against the Gators continued his dominating play. Mangano led all scorers with 27 points for Yale including all seven Bulldog points in a 7-2 run after the Crusaders had cut Yale’s whopping deficit to 63-59 with eight minutes left in the game.
“I wasn’t upset (with their comeback),” Yale coach James Jones said. “I always had a good feeling that we were in control. If it got out of control I might have been a little upset but I think that Holy Cross is a very good basketball team and very good teams make runs.
“If you’re going to be a good team you have to combat them.”
Magano scored on a reverse layup, buried a foul line jumper and then topped the run off with a power drive to the hoop which he converted into a three-point play to give the Bulldogs breathing room. Sam Martin then came off the bench and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the game out of reach.
“That was definitely a tough game for us,” Holy Cross coach Milan Brown said. “It was great to see us fight back in the second half but we played against a really good team and the caught us early and we ran out of gas but we weren’t going to able to come all the way back.
“You can’t put yourself in a hole that deep against a team as good as they are.”
The Crusaders’ one-two punch of R.J. Evans and Devin Brown led the comeback. Evans, a junior from Salem, Conn., whom the Bulldogs recruited heavily while playing at Norwich Free Academy, led Holy Cross (6-8) with 24 points. He turned two steals of Holy Cross’ six steals in the second half into thunderous dunks.
His sidekick, Holy Cross leading-scorer Devin Brown, chipped in with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
But the Crusaders got little else and they never could stop Mangano.
“Greg’s a very good player and when it’s one-on-one in the post I expect him to score,” Jones said. “He was 11-for-14 from the floor without the 3-pointers he missed.”
Said Milan Brown: “(Mangano’s) really good. He was one of the guys we tried to convey to everybody to give him more resistance and I thought he did a good job of making plays over us when we were there. Once he got going you can’t give a player with that caliber of skills and let him get going.
“Can you imagine Mangano and (Harvard’s) Keith Wright in the same league?”
Mangano also had a game-high 13 rebounds and blocked four more shots to add to his school record total of 178. Against the Crusaders he dominated from the start, registering a quick nine points as Yale led 13-9 in the game’s early stages. The Bulldogs then scored the next 11 points to take a 24-9 lead. It could have been bigger as Yale’s Isaiah Salafia picked off a pass but he flubbed on his attempt at a highlight-reel, 360 dunk.
The Crusaders, however, couldn’t seize the momentum and Yale capped a 22-4 run a pair of free throws by Salafia.
Holy Cross, which saw its two-game winning streak snapped, finally got things going late in the first half led by Evans, who scored eight points in a 15-4 run as the Crusaders got back in the game and trailed 41-28 at the half.
“I don’t think (we were looking past Yale),” Milan Brown said. “We were trying to play aggressive but they got some easy looks early and it got them going. You can’t do that on the road.
“You have to be mentally and physically ready. I told them the only way we were going to get back into it was if we played together and I thought we did that in the second half.”
Yale (9-4) has won the past three games in the series. The Bulldogs outrebounded Holy Cross 44-25 and outscored them 40-22 in the paint.
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Yale ready to host Holy Cross

2012-01-02T16:49:00.004-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN — Yale coach James Jones is counting down the days until the Ivy League campaign begins. He’s got nine more practices to get the Bulldogs battle-tested.
Tonight is a classic dress rehearsal as Yale hosts Holy Cross (6-7) at the Lee Amphitheater at 7 p.m.

“Holy Cross is a league game,” Jones said. “Holy Cross is like every other team in our league. It’s like any Ivy League team coming in here it just doesn’t have as much on the line.”
The Bulldogs (8-4) will try to snap a two-game skid against the Crusaders. After winning six straight Yale is coming off losses at Wake Forest and No. 10 ranked Florida.
Despite the setbacks it was a big week for Yale’s Greg Mangano. Mangano broke a long-standing school record and averaged 23 points and 13.5 rebounds in games against Wake Forest and Florida. On Monday he was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for the second time this season.
Against Wake Forest, a 72-71 loss, Mangano poured in 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In addition, he recorded the 173rd block of his career, breaking the Yale record established by Chris Dudley in 1987.
“We knew it was going to be tough going on the road against a good ACC team and an SEC team,” Mangano said. “We kind of let the one at Wake slip away. We got down by 19 in the second half and then we went on a run. If we would have played them a little tighter in the second half we leave there with a win and that would have bee a real good win for our program.”
Yale lost at Florida 90-70 on New Year’s Eve and Mangano’s numbers were even more impressive. He scored 26 points and had 15 rebounds as the Bulldogs stayed with the Gators for much of the game. He was 11-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Fifteen of his points came in the second half.
“I felt good the whole road trip,” Mangano said. “Those 10 days off were not really 10 days off for me. Me and coach were working out the whole time. Those type of games are easy to get up for. Nationally televised, we only get a couple of those a year so its gives us a chance as a team and myself individually to show much we’ve improved.”
Mangano buried shots from all over the court against the Gators drawing praise from players and coach Billy Donovan alike.
“I hope to see Greg play that hard and that well against everybody,” Jones said. “If he can play that well against Florida, obviously you’re not going to shoot the ball that well every night, but you can get 16 rebounds every night.”
A year ago, Jones handed Mangano a copy of Dudley’s stats from his senior year at Yale.
“Dudley got 15 rebounds every night,” Jones said. “If Greg can dominate like he should he should we’ll be much better for it.”
Both Jones and Mangano agree that the non-league portion of the schedule has proven that the Bulldogs can make a run at the Ivy League crown no matter how well teams like Harvard, ranked 22nd in the nation and Princeton, with wins over Florida State and Rutgers, have performed.
“I wouldn’t say we took a step back (losing to Wake Forest and Florida),” Mangano said. “It’s a building block for us. We still feel good and can start a winning streak tomorrow. We know how well Harvard is doing but we still feel like we can match up with them.”
Jones said playing the nation’s best team helps identify his team’s weaknesses as the league schedule approaches.
“Playing against Florida showed we have to work on our transition defense,” he said. “They exploit your weaknesses like you won’t get exploited by anybody else. They’ll show a crack and against those teams it’s a flood.”
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Yale women hold off Army

2012-01-01T22:22:00.002-05:00

Here are the details, courtesy of Yale:

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Yale University women’s basketball team knew the task of beating Army was not going to be an easy one, but the Bulldogs certainly didn’t expect it to be as difficult as it turned out to be.

Army freshman Olivia Schretzman had a chance to lift Army to the come-from-behind victory, but her eight-foot jumper at the buzzer rolled in and out of the basket, allowing Yale to survive with a 63-62 win Sunday afternoon inside John J. Lee Amphitheater.

Yale had a 61-58 lead with 2:20 left thanks to a layup from Aarica West, but Schretzman tied the game with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1:53 left. Anna Simmers, who led Army with 17 points, made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:30 left to give Army a 62-61 lead, but on the ensuing offensive possession, Graf missed a 3-pointer with 1:15 left and Vasquez grabbed the offensive board and scored on the put-back layup with 1:10 left to lift Yale to the victory.

Army had a full 30 seconds and one timeout remaining to plan its attack for the final shot, but the timeout was never called and the Black Knights scrambled to find someone open for the last-ditch effort. Despite the disarray at the end, Schretzman managed to get a good look at the basket for the final shot, but she couldn’t get it to fall as time expired.

Yale saw five players score at least eight points, and the balanced attach helped the Bulldogs improve to 6-6 overall with two games remaining in the non-league schedule. Michelle Cashen recorded her eighth career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Megan Vasquez also scored 11 points, one game after she was held scoreless by Florida State for the first time in her collegiate career.

Freshmen Sarah Halejian and Arrice Bryant also turned in strong performances for Yale. Halejian scored nine points, behind a 5-for-5 showing at the free-throw line. Bryant scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked three shots.

Yale led by as many as 10 points in the first half thanks to a strong first half from sophomore Janna Graf. She scored all eight of her points in the half to help the Bulldogs cruise into the locker room at halftime with a 34-25 lead.

Army was not going to go away quietly, however. The Black Knights (6-8) opened the second half with a 13-3 run over the first 5:07 of the half to take their first lead of the game, 38-37, with 14:53 to play.

It was a seesaw battle the rest of the way. Neither team was able to gain an advantage of more than three points over the final 10 minutes of play.

Jen Hazlett also scored 17 points for Army. Milford, Conn., native Molly Yardley recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Florida knocks off Yale

2011-12-31T16:54:00.002-05:00

Yale dropped its second straight game, losing at No. 10 Florida Saturday.

Here is the AP report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Kenny Boynton’s 26 points led No. 10 Florida to a 90-70 victory over Yale on Saturday less than 40 hours after the Gators were upset at Rutgers.
Patrick Young added 19 points and Erik Murphy had 18 for Florida (11-3), while Bradley Beal had 11.
Greg Mangano led Yale (8-4) with 26 points and Austin Morgan added 10. Mangano’s game-high 15 rebounds helped the Bulldogs to a 37-32 rebound advantage.
Boynton, who matched his season-high in scoring, had 18 points by halftime as the Gators took a 46-35 lead.
Florida didn’t show any signs of a hangover from its 85-83 double-overtime loss at Rutgers on Thursday.

Quinnipiac knocks off B.U.

2011-12-31T16:51:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
Averaging 25 points and 14 rebounds over the past three games Quinnipiac’s Ike Azotam has suddenly become a marked man. Azotam was double-teamed and harassed by a physical Boston University team all game long and managed a season-low four points and six rebounds.
But, even without getting production from their burgeoning star, the Bobcats still overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat the Terriers 59-53 in a non-conference game at the TD Bank Sports Center Saturday afternoon. With the win, Quinnipiac has won six of its last seven games as it concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule
“I was really proud of our guys’ resolve in the second half and our ability to shake off a bad offensive night from basically every player and commit totally to defending and going to the offensive boards,” Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said.
“That was as physical a team, boxing out and pushing us out of where we wanted to be, as any team we played all year. (B.U. coach Joe Jones) really got them to understand that Quinnipiac is a good rebounding team because we had 16 offensive rebounds and we’ve never had to work harder to get them than we did today.”
Freshman Ousmane Drame, starting because of a foot injury to Jamee Jackson, continues to progress at break-neck pace. Drame picked up the slack for Azotam to finished with 10 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and six blocks including two on one possession late in the game as the Terriers tried to erase its own six-point deficit.
Terrier guard Darryl Partin, who led all scorers with 19 points, went to the free throw line with 41 seconds to play with his team trailing 54-50. Partin missed a shot trying to complete a three-point play but got his own rebound but twice Drame blocked his shots to put the Bobcats in control.
“I really got on (Azotam) at halftime,” Moore said. “I challenged him quite a bit because I think he was caught by surprise by two factors, how big a target he’s going to have on him. You could tell how much of a focus B.U. put on stopping him and their commitment to boxing him out.
“Fortunately Ousmane picked up the slack. The 14 rebounds and six blocks in a game like this is really impressive.”
James Johnson led Quinnipiac with 16 points and freshman Zaid Hearst added 13 including a pair of critical 3-pointers as the Bobcats quickly cut into the Terriers’ 32-19 lead to start the second half. Quinnipiac went on an 11-2 run to start the second stanza and the game was up for grabs the rest of the way.
But Quinnipiac (8-5) never relaxed its defensive effort limiting B.U. to just eight points for the first 12 minutes after the break and the Bobcats took their first lead of the game, 43-42, with 5:59 to play on a pair of free throws by James Johnson. They never trailed again.
”Even when we went up by six I never felt we were in the control,” Moore said. “But I don’t think there’s been many halves that B.U. has shot 26 percent from the floor. Our will … was really good for our team’s confidence. The best thing is to get a win against a really good team while having to show a lot of resiliency.”
In the first half Quinnipiac got a taste of what would happen if the Bobcats couldn’t make a living on the offensive boards. Boston University, which has lost six straight games and was playing without starting point guard D.J. Irving due to a concussion controlled the boards, the tempo and the play on the way to a 32-19 halftime lead.
The Bobcats entered the game second in the nation in rebounding and first on the offensive boards averaging 17.6 a game but they had just five offensive rebounds in the first half and it only led to two points when guard Dave Johnson putback a miss by James Johnson.
But that hardly meant a momentum change was imminent as on the next trip down the court Dave Johnson fouled B.U. guard Matt Griffin (11 points) on a drive to the hoop. Johnson then pushed Griffin down and was called for personal and technical fouls giving him four fouls with four minutes left to play in the first half.
Quinnipiac has out-rebounded every team this season except for Lehigh and they lost to the Mountain Hawks 86-75 and after losing the battle on the backboards by one in the first half they finished with a 43-38 rebounding edge and Drame was the difference figuring in just about every Bobcat possession in the final minutes.
Said Drame: “Coach looked at us, especially the bigs (at halftime) and told us we had to pick it up. They were able to find me and I was able to go to the glass. This is very important for me especially for me as a freshman.
“The fact that Jamee Jackson isn’t there it’s hard. It’s hard at practice and it’s hard in the games but now I’m ready to show what I can do to get more playing time.”
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Yale visits Florida on Saturday

2011-12-30T13:35:00.004-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
Yale at Florida
When: Today, 2 p.m.
Where: Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Records: Yale (8-3); Florida (10-3)
TV: ESPNU
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs rallied from 18 points down in the second half but dropped a 72-71 decision at Wake Forest on Thursday. They shot just 5-of-23 from 3-point range hindering their chances. Greg Mangano led the Bulldogs with 20 points and 12 rebounds and broke Chris Dudley’s all-time blocked shot mark at Yale with three more rejections giving the senior from Orange 174 for his career. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak.
Scouting Florida: The 10th-ranked Gators dropped a gut-wrenching 85-83 decision in double overtime at Rutgers on Thursday to snap a four-game winning streak. Florida features talented guards in Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. Walker missed a chance to send Thursday's game into another overtime missing a shot at the buzzer. Erik Murphy is the son of Jay Murhpy who grew up in Meriden and played at Maloney before starring at Boston College and playing in the NBA
PROBABLE STARTERS
YALE
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Greg Mangano 6-10 Sr. F 15.1
Reggie Willhite 6-4 Sr. F 13.8
Austin Morgan 5-11 Jr. G 13.6
Jeremiah Kreisberg 6-1 So. F 9.4
Michael Grace 6-0 Jr.. G 6.3
WAKE FOREST
Kenny Boynton 6-2 Jr. G 18.3
Erik Murphy 6-10 Jr. F 9.6
Mike Rosario 6-3 Jr. G 9.4
Bradley Beal 6-3 Fr. G 15.5
Erving Walker 5-8 Sr. G 14.2
OFF THE BENCH
Yale — Isaiah Salafia, 6-3, So., G, 14 ppg.; Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 2.2; Florida — Patric Young, 6-9, So. C, 11.3; Scottie Wilbekin, 6-2, So., G, 2.6.
— Bill Cloutier

Quinnipiac hosts Boston University of Saturday

2011-12-29T20:41:00.004-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT QUINNIPIAC
When: Saturday, noon.
Where: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden
Records: Boston University (4-8); Quinnipiac (7-5)
Radio: WQUN-1220
TV: NESN, SNY
KEEP AN EYE ON
Discounted tickets: Tickets are just $5 for the New Year’s Eve matinee.
Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats rank third in the nation in reboundng and Ike Azotam is a big reason. Azotam is eighth nationally averaging 11.2 rebounds a game and has scored 76 points in his last three outings. Quinnipiac has won five of six as it prepares to play its final non-conference game of the season.
Scouting Boston University: The Terriers have lost four straight but all have come against strong foes. Their last win was against rival Boston College. BU has an RPI of 181, while Quinnipiac is at 171 but the Terriers strength of schedule is much higher than that of the Bobcats. They’ve been out-rebounded by their opponents by over four boards a game which is an area that Quinnipiac will try to take advantage of but senior guard Darryl Partin, a 6-6 scoring machine, will cause plenty of problems defensively. Point guard D.J. Irving is questionable with a head injury.
PROBABLE STARTERS
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Dom Morris 6-7 So. F 6.8
Travis Robinson 6-5 So. F 5.5
Patrick Hazel 6-6 Sr. F 7.7
Darryl Partin 6-6 Sr. G 20.8
Matt Griffin 5-10 Sr. G 5.6
QUINNIPIACIke Azotam 6-7 So. F 16.2
Dave Johnson 5-10 Jr. G 7.1
Zaid Hearst 6-4 Fr. G 5.6
James Johnson 6-0 Sr. G 17.3
Ousmane Drame 6-10 Fr. F 5.3

OFF THE BENCH
Boston Univ. — D.J. Irving, 6-0, So., G, 12.6 ppg.; Zach Chionuma, 6-5, Fr., G, 1.3; Malik Thomas, 6-7, Fr., F, 3.2. Quinnipiac — Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 5.0; Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., G, 5.3.

Mangano sets Yale record for blocked shots

2011-12-29T20:39:00.002-05:00

Yale's Greg Mangano has three blocked shots against Wake Forest to set the school's record. He needed one block to tie Chris Dudley's school record of 172.

Here are the game details from the Associated Press:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — C.J. Harris scored 23 points and Wake Forest held off pesky Yale’s second-half rally to win 72-71 on Thursday night.
Travis McKie added 14 points, Nikita Mescheriakov 13 and Tony Chennault 10 for the Demon Deacons (9-4), who never trailed in the game but saw the Bulldogs make things interesting in the final minutes.
Wake Forest led by as many as 19 points midway through the final half, only to see Yale pull within 68-66 on Austin Morgan’s 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining.
But Chennault hit a layup 12 seconds later, followed by Harris’ two free throws, to give the Demon Deacons some breathing room.
Greg Mangano had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Morgan added 15 points for Yale, including a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left. Michael Grace scored 12 and Reggie Willhite 10 for the Bulldogs (8-3), who saw their six-game winning streak snapped.
Leading by six points at the break, Wake Forest opened the second half with a 14-2 run, capped by two Mescheriakov free throws, to go up 48-30 with 15:25 left.
The Demon Deacons would push their lead to 19 points a few minutes later, with Harris’ 3-pointer with 11:31 remaining giving Wake Forest a 56-37 margin.
However, Yale responded with an 18-5 run, with two Morgan free throws cutting the Demon Deacons’ lead to 63-58 with 2:19 left. The Bulldogs pulled within five points twice more before Morgan’s 3 pulled them within striking distance.
The same thing happened in the first half — Wake Forest raced out to a big lead, only to see Yale fight back.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by McKie and Harris gave the Demon Deacons a 25-14 lead — their biggest of the first half — with 6:47 remaining.
However, the Bulldogs cut Wake Forest’s lead to four points twice in the final two minutes, the last at 32-28 on Willhite’s layup with 1:03 left. But Chennault hit a jumper with 1 second remaining to put the Demon Deacons

Orlovsky has triplets

2011-12-28T23:30:00.003-05:00

Former UConn star and Shelton native Dan Orlovsky's wife gave birth to triplets acoording to several online sources.

Orlovsky, who led the Indianapolis Colts to their first win last week, a dramatic come-from-behind victory over the Houston Texans, is the father of three sons.
His wife Tiffany delivered the triplets today.
The couple married in July, 2009

Quinnipiac coasts past Colgate

2011-12-28T23:18:00.002-05:00

Another win and another fantastic game from rising star Ike Azotam as Quinnipiac edged Colgate 80-70.
Azotam, a double-double machine had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the Bobcats win.

Here are the details from the Quinnipiac website:

HAMILTON, N.Y. - Four members of the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team registered double-figures in the scoring column on Wednesday evening, as the Bobcats handed Colgate University an 80-70 defeat at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, N.Y. The Bobcats shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half and connected on 28-of-31 from the free-throw line, two statistics that proved to be difference-makers in the final result.

With the win, Quinnipiac improved to 7-5 on the season, and have completed their regular-season non-conference road schedule. The Raiders suffered their second consecutive loss, dropping to 5-7 on the campaign.

Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) recorded game-highs in points (20) and rebounds (14) for his 10th career double-double, and number eight on the year. James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) poured in 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He scored 11 in the second half and dished out a game-high six assists. Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) posted a new career-high with 16 points, as the freshman guard went 4-of-7 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe. Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) added 10 points and four rebounds.

The majority of the first half featured a back-and-forth battle, where neither team could gain a significant advantage. However, after the fourth and final media timeout, the Bobcats rallied off a 7-0 run to close the half en route to a 31-24 lead at the break. Dave Johnson and Nate Gause (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) accounted for the seven points on offense.

Azotam nearly collected his double-double in the first half, posting 10 points and nine boards. The backcourt duo of Dave Johnson and James Johnson combined for 15 points as well.

Upon resuming play after the intermission, Quinnipiac picked up right where it left off in the first half. Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.) knocked down a three-point field goal from the wing to cap off a 26-18 run at the 10:19 mark. The bucket forced first-year head coach Matt Langel into a timeout, as QU had created its largest lead of the game (15 points).

The Raiders wouldn't go away and began to chip away at the deficit behind stellar long-range shooting. Colgate reduced its deficit to just five points at two different points, but terrific shooting from the free-throw line and key baskets disallowed a complete comeback. The Bobcats made their last six shots from the line down the stretch, with Azotam putting the game away after converting on a three-point play in the waning seconds.

QU outshot Colgate 42 percent to 40 percent from the field, 90 percent (28-31) to 82 percent (14-17) from the free-throw line and controlled the glass with a plus-20 rebounding margin (45-25). 18 of the 45 rebounds came on the offensive end, which lead to 19 second-chance points.

Forward Ousmane Drame, in his second-career start, posted six points and seven rebounds. Young and Gause combined for 10 points off the bench.

Mike Venezia had 15 points to lead all Raiders, who head to New Hampshire on Saturday. Sterling Melville finished with 14 and Mitch Rolls added 10.

QU returns to action on Saturday, December 31 when the team plays host to Boston University at the TD Bank Sports Center. Tip-off is set for noon with a live broadcast featured on NESN and SNY. For all information pertaining to the men's basketball program, please visit www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.

Yale visits Wake Forest on Thursday

2011-12-27T18:11:00.002-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
YALE AT WAKE FOREST
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Records: Yale (8-2); Wake Forest (8-4)
Video: theacc.com
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs hope that rust is not a factor. They’ve won six straight but have played just once sice Dec. 7. The winning streak is the longest in a decade and Yale has shown plentyof reliency trailing three of the six victories at the half. Yale leads the Ivy League in scoring at 74.1 ppg. Greg Mangano needs one block to tie Chris Dudley’s all-time mark at Yale.
Scouting Wake Forest: The last time Yale played Wake Forest the Demon Deacons featured Chris Paul and were ranked No. 1 in the nation. This time Wake Forest has won three of its last four games and is ranked 100th in the RPI. Yale is 115th in the RPI. Both teams have lost at Seton Hall this season. Wake Forest has been outrebounded by five boards a game.
PROBABLE STARTERS
YALE
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Greg Mangano 6-10 Sr. F 17.0
Reggie Willhite 6-4 Sr. F 12.9
Austin Morgan 5-11 Jr. G 14.6
Jeremiah Kreisberg 6-1 So. F 9.5
Michael Grace 6-0 Jr. G 6.1
WAKE FOREST
C.J. Harris 6-3 Jr. G 18.3
Travis McKie 6-7 So. F 17.7
Tony Chennault 6-2 So. G 11.5
N. Mescheriakov 6-8 Sr. F 6.8
Carson Desrosiers 7-0 So. C 5.9

OFF THE BENCH
Yale — Isaiah Salafia, 6-3, So., G, 2.0 ppg.; Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 3.1; Wake Forest — Chase Fischer, 6-3, Fr., G, 7.6; Ty Walker, 7-0, Sr., C, 4.7.
— Bill Cloutier

Quinnipiac visits Colgate Wednesday

2011-12-27T18:07:00.003-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
Quinnipiac at Colgate
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
Records: Quinnipiac (6-5); Colgate (5-6)
Radio: WQUN-1220
Video: gocolgateraiders.com
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Quinnipiac: Ike Azotam has scored career highs in his last two games and the brst couldn’t have come at a better time. With Jamee Jackson expected to miss up to five weeks with torn ligaments in his left foot Azotam has become an offensive force. Freshman Ousmane Drame was also terrific last game, a win over Niagara, registering his first career double-double. Drame is averaging 5.9 rebounds a game in just over 15 minutes of action.
Scouting Colgate: The Red Raiders are 4-0 at home on the season and have a balanced offense with five players averaging at least nine points a game. They shoot 40 percent from 3-point range and are 2-0 on the season against Northeast Conference teams. They’ve played at Wisconsin and at Syracuse this season but both were blowouts.
PROBABLE STARTERS
COLGATE
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Nick Pascale 6-10 Sr. C 6.3
Yaw Gyawu 6-5 Sr. F 9.0
Pat Moore 6-5 So. G 11.1
Mike Venezia 6-1 Sr. G 9.2
Mitch Rolls 6-0 Jr. G 10.0
QUINNIPIAC
Ousmane Drame 6-10 Fr. F 5.3
Dave Johnson 5-10 Jr. G 6.8
Ike Azotam 6-7 So. F 15.9
Zaid Hearst 6-4 Fr. G 4.6
James Johnson 6-0 Sr. G 17.2
OFF THE BENCH
Quinnipiac — Nate Gause, 6-3, Fr., G, 5.0 ppg.; Garvey Young, 6-5, Jr., G, 5.3. Colgate: Sterling Melville, 6-4, Sr., F, 9.5; Brandon James, 6-6, Jr., F, 5.3

Jamee Jackson to miss 3 to 5 weeks

2011-12-23T23:23:00.001-05:00

HAMDEN – Jamee Jackson, a starting forward on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball, will be sidelined for three to five weeks after injuring his foot on Thursday.
According to Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore, Jackson suffered torn ligaments in his foot and scar tissue. X-rays revealed no fracture and no surgery will be necessary but Jackson will be in a walking boot for three weeks.
Jackson, third on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and second in rebounds (5.4 rpg.), sat out Thursday night’s game against Niagara, an 85-81 Bobcat victory, after stepping on a ball while following through on a dunk during afternoon practice.
Jackson, a junior from Newark, N.J., had been playing his best basketball since arriving at the school recently. He scored a career-high 21 points in a win against Bryant while grabbing nine rebounds in the game. Last week he scored 20 points in a win at Vermont.
Follow Bill on Twitter @BillCloutier. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhsports to 22700. *Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.

Quinnipiac's Jackson suffers foot injury

2011-12-22T18:41:00.002-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
HAMDEN – Jamee Jackson, a starting forward on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball suffered what is suspected to be broken left foot in Thursday’s shoot-around and will be sidelined for an indefinite time period.
Jackson, third on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and second in rebounds (5.4 rpg.), sat out Thursday night’s game against Niagara in a walking boot. He is scheduled for further tests on Friday.
Jackson, a junior from Newark, N.J., had been playing his best basketball since arriving at the school recently. He scored a career-high 21 points in a win against Bryant while grabbing nine rebounds in the game. Last week he scored 20 points in a win at Vermont.
While there was no immediate time on when Jackson could return he could miss between four and six weeks which would translate into around nine games, six of which would be Northeast Conference games.
Follow Bill on Twitter @BillCloutier. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhsports to 22700. *Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.

Quinnipiac men to host Niagara Thursday night

2011-12-21T23:33:00.004-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
Niagara at Quinnipiac
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden
Records: Niagara (4-7); Quinnipiac (5-5)
Radio: WQUN-1220 AM
Discounted tickets: Holiday tickets are just $5 for adults and children under the age of 12 are free for tonight’s game.
Scouting Niagara: The Purple Eagles recently snapped a three-game skid at the University of Hartford, but followed with a 13-point loss to Drexel last Tuesday. Since then, the Purple Eagles have enjoyed some time off, leaving a nine-day break from competition. The squad has been led by Juan'ya Green; a freshman guard out of Philadelphia, Pa. Green is off to a tremendous start averaging 19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He is joined by two others who are consistently scoring in double-figures. Fellow guards Antoine Mason and Marvin Jordan are bringing in 14 and 11.6 points, respectively, per game. Mason is the son of former Knick, Anthony Mason.
Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats had a bad stretch to start the second half in a loss against UMass and never recovered to snap their three-game winning streak. Quinnipiac defeated Niagara 88-63 last season as James Johnson scored 23 points on seven 3-pointers. Quinnipiac has once again established itself as a national power on the boards. The Bobcats lead the nation in rebounds (44.4) and offensive rebounds per game (17.4), and are sixth in rebounding margin (10.9). This marks the third consecutive season that QU has cracked the top-10 in rebounding; including a second place finish (42.3 per game) in 2010-11 behind only North Carolina.

Yale Accepts Coach Williams’ Resignation

2011-12-21T15:34:00.002-05:00

I feel it is a shocking news that Yale football coach Tom Williams has resigned.
If it is because of his statement on the Rhodes Scholarship I don't feel that there was much harm in it.
If it was because of his losses to Harvard that's even worse.
Here's wishing that Williams finds success in his next venture.
Here is the release on Williams' resignation from the Yale website.

New Haven, Conn.—Yale University today accepted the resignation of head football coach Tom Williams. Williams' resignation is effective December 31, said Director of Athletics Tom Beckett.

"I wish to clear the record," Williams said in offering his resignation. "On the Rhodes Scholarship issue, I was encouraged to apply by the Stanford Fellowship office, which identified me 'as the kind of student who demonstrates the intellect, energy and commitment that the Rhodes selection committees seek in their applicants.' I considered the opportunity, sought advice and was encouraged to apply by faculty members and my coach Bill Walsh, but I did not apply."

"During the spring of my senior year, I was given an opportunity to attend a try-out camp with the San Francisco 49ers, and I participated in that three-day event. I did not sign a free agent contract with the 49ers or participate in their summer training camp for signed players."

"I am extremely proud of my academic, athletic and coaching career. If there was confusion created, I take full responsibility. The timing of this inquiry has been difficult for everyone. At this point I believe it is in the best interest of my student-athletes and Yale University that I step down."

In accepting Williams' resignation, Beckett said, "Coach Williams has been a dedicated teacher and coach at Yale, and his students have benefited greatly from his leadership and passion for the game of football."

Beckett said the University would immediately begin a search for Williams' successor.
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SCSU's Slowley wins Zabilski Award

2011-12-20T15:34:00.003-05:00

Rashaad Slowley Wins Joe Zabilski Award From Gridiron Club of Greater Boston

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut State University senior running back Rashaad Slowley (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) has been selected as the winner of the Joe Zabilski Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. The accolade is awarded annually to New England’s top players in the Division II and Division III ranks. Slowley will be honored at a dinner on Thursday, January 12 at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, Mass.
Slowley, a Harlon Hill Award finalist, given annually to the Division II College Football Player of the Year and 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 No. 5 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).
Also a First-Team All-Region pick by Daktronics, 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).

Quinnipiac vs. Yale women's capsule

2011-12-19T21:54:00.002-05:00

YALE AT QUINNIPIAC
When: Today, 4 p.m.
Where: TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden
Records: Yale 5-4; Quinnipiac 6-3
TV: NESN
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Yale: Megan Vasquez leads the Bulldogs scoring 16.2 ppg. Yale has already beaten two Northeast Conference teams on the season and are coming off a 72-41 blowout of St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sunday. Freshman Sarah Halejian scored a career-high 14 points and the Bulldogs are currently ranked 118th in the RPI.
Scouting Quinnipiac: The Bobcats lead the all-time series 8-7 but Yale won last year 74-68. Quinnipiac is coming off an overtime win at Rhode Island. Felicia Barron had 22 points in the game and Brittney McQuain chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds. The Bobcats have won five of their last six games and are 84th in the RPI.
Miscellaneous: Tickets are available for $2 and children are free for the contest which will be televised on NESN.

Yale meets Quinnipiac in women's action today

2011-12-19T16:25:00.001-05:00

Tickets for the annual Quinnipiac-Yale women's basketball can be pruchsed for just $2 today. The tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m at the TD Bank Sports Center and this should be a good one. Yale is coming off a dominant 72-41 win over NEC ream St. Francis, N.Y.
Freshman guard Sarah Halejian scored 14 points, her highest output in her short Yale career, to help lead Yale to the win. She also matched a season-high with three rebounds and added two steals in the victory. Thanks to that performance, Halejian was named the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week Monday afternoon.

"Sarah is a gifted offensive player and is becoming a very strong defender as well," said Chris Gobrecht, the Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954, Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "It is great to be able to get such significant contributions from our freshmen."

In her fourth start of the season, Halejian scored eight of her 14 points in the second half, helping the Bulldogs outscore the Terriers 44-20 in the second half. Halejian scored her 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with one 3-pointer and a 1-for-1 showing at the free-throw line. She was 3-for-4 from the floor in the second half, including a perfect 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 1-for-1 from the line.

Today's game can be seen on cable sports network NESN.

Yale men make it 6 in a row

2011-12-19T16:21:00.002-05:00

I'm back after a week's vacation.
Check out this space for updates on the area's collegiate sports scene daily.

On Sunday Yale's men's basketball won its sixth straight game, a wild affiar against URI.
The details come from the Yale Website.

Bulldogs Extend Winning Streak To Six With Dramatic Victory

KINGSTON, R.I. – Yale extended its winning streak to six straight games, but it sure didn't come easy. The Bulldogs needed a five-point play with 18 seconds left to help knock off Rhode Island 68-65 before a stunned crowd of 3,355 at the Thomas Ryan Center.

With Yale down by two, 63-61, Austin Morgan hit a three-pointer from just right of the top of the key with 18 seconds left. URI's Rayvon Harris was hit with a foul trying to fight through a screen on the play. Morgan's basket counted, and Jeremiah Kreisberg added a pair of free throws to make it 66-63.

"Our first option was to go to Greg [Mangano]down low to try and tie it. Austin was on the same side, and he was the second option," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Men's Basketball. "Austin did a great job knocking down the shot, and Jeremiah set a great screen."

Still, the Runnin' Rams had a chance to tie in the final seconds. Mike Powell's driving layup pulled URI within one, 66-65, with nine seconds left. After a timeout, Yale inbounded the ball to Michael Grace, who was quickly fouled. He made both free throws with seven seconds remaining.

Rhode Island's Jonathan Holton missed a contested three-pointer from the wing as time expired.

Morgan finished with 19 points to pace the Bulldogs. All five of his field goals were three-pointers, and he was 4-of-4 from the foul line. Kreisberg and Mangano each added 15 points, and Grace scored seven.

At 8-2 overall, Yale is off to its best start since the 1991-92 team won 10 of its first 12 games. The six-game winning streak is the longest for the Bulldogs since 2001-02.

Three times during the winning streak, Yale has trailed at the half, and that was the case again against the Rams.

Perhaps showing the effects of a 10-day layoff for exams, the Bulldogs started slowly. URI (1-10) led by 13, 32-19, with three minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs, though, closed the half with an 11-4 run to pull within 36-30 at the intermission.

The momentum carried over into the second half. Just seven minutes in, Yale had the lead and it grew to 10, 61-51, on a Mangano layup with 6:13 left.

The Bulldogs, though, didn't score again until Morgan's dramatic three-pointer.

"It feels good to get this win," Jones said. "We squandered a lead, but were able to come back. I think we showed a lot of resiliency."

Yale made nine three-pointers in the game and was 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half.

"They switched to a zone, and we knocked down some shots," Jones said. "We did a poor job handling their pressure in the first half."

Isaiah Salafia hit two big three-pointers in the second half to account for his six points.

Nikola Malesevic led Rhode Island with 25 points.

NOTES: Yale was 19-of-22 from the foul line in the game… During the six-game winning streak, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 127-75 at the free throw line… Mangano had two blocked shots, giving him 171 for his career, one behind Chris Dudley's school record… Reggie Willhite had four assists in the game, including one on Morgan's dramatic three-pointer… The players will now head home for the holiday before getting back together in North Carolina on Dec. 27. The Bulldogs play at Wake Forest on Dec. 29 before heading to Gainesville, Fla., for a New Year's Eve matchup with Florida.

Aftermath of Cincy-Xavier brawl

2011-12-13T00:08:00.002-05:00

Here is an AP story on the aftermath of the Cincy-Xavier brawl on Saturday.

By Al Behrman, AP

Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates fought off tears when he apologized for his role in a fight at the end of the Bearcats' game against Xavier.

"Never to wear the jersey again," he said Monday during an unscripted news conference at which the school's four suspended players apologized for their roles in the fight. Referees ended the game, won by host Xavier 76-53, after the fight broke out with 9.4 seconds left.

Gates, suspended for six games, and other players now have to worry about the possibility of criminal charges. Earlier Monday, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters said his office will review the fight to determine if charges are appropriate for Cincinnati and Xavier players. Xavier also suspended four players.

"I was the highlighted guy," Gates said of the video that shows him landing a punch to the face of Xavier's Kenny Frease. "I was the bigger guy out there."

Gates, listed at 6-9, 260 pounds, grew emotional and bowed his head after saying people have called him a thug and gangster. "I'm just not that type of person," he said.

Another consequence of the fight could be the end of a series between the teams that has been in place every season since 1946.

No decision has been made, Cincinnati athletics director Whit Babcock said.

"This isn't rocket science," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "If we're not going to take the floor against each other in an appropriate manner, there's no point in taking the floor."

Sunday, Xavier athletics director Mike Bobinski sounded hopeful the series could continue but said the hostility has to end. He and Babcock have discussed getting the teams together for community projects after the season.

Along with Gates, Cincinnati suspended freshman Octavius Ellis and junior Cheikh Mbodj for six games each and freshman Ge'Lawn Guyn for one. Gates' and Mbodj's suspensions included a mandatory one-game suspension imposed by the NCAA for fighting.

Xavier suspended star guard Tu Holloway for one game, freshman Dezmine Wells and sophomore Landen Amos for four games and Mark Lyons for three, including one mandated by the NCAA for fighting. Xavier coach Chris Mack, Bobinski and Holloway issued apologies Sunday.

Babcock said he found no road map or precedent in handing out punishment: "No amount of games can take those punches back."

Only one technical foul was called, against Xavier's team. Cronin said officials should have called more against both teams. "I don't recall a game where there were not technical fouls called on players by officials that had control of the game early on. That being said, it doesn't absolve us from anything that happened."

Cronin said the referees were put in a bad situation, unfamiliar with the extent of the bitterness between the programs. He seemed to blame the Atlantic 10 Conference for assigning the crew of Michael Roberts, Jeff Anderson and Tony Crisp.

"The crew assigned for the Xavier-Cincinnati game work for both the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Big East Conference and are a 'blended crew' as required by the game contract," the A-10 said in a statement. "As is standard, the A-10 communicated with the Big East coordinator of officials on the assignment."

Quinnipiac knocks off Vermont

2011-12-11T23:28:00.001-05:00

Quinnipiac beginning to get on a roll. This is from the QU web site

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Junior Jamee Jackson (Newark, N.J.) finished with 20 points on Sunday afternoon, as the Quinnipiac University men's basketball team handed the University of Vermont a home loss, 62-58, at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington. With the win, the Bobcats climbed back over the .500 mark at 5-4, while the hosting Catamounts fell to 4-6 on the season.

With the Bobcats ahead by one with 2:33 showing on the clock, James Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) silenced the crowd with a deep three-point field goal to give the Bobcats a 57-53 lead. After a Catamount free-throw from Brian Voelkel, senior Garvey Young (Washington, D.C.), who returned to Vermont for the first time since transferring after his sophomore year, then pushed the lead to five with with a pull-up jumper on the left block with 42 seconds left. UVM ran out of time and couldn't overcome the deficit, suffering its fourth loss in a row.

Jackson was dominant in all facets of the game, adding seven rebounds and two steals to his stat line. He finished 8-of-15 from the floor, 4-of-5 from the charity stripe and was stellar behind the ball as well. James Johnson recorded 13 points, including two tallies from behind the arc. Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) and Young each finished with eight points and combined for 12 rebounds. Dave Johnson (Jackson, N.J.) chimed in with six points and Zaid Hearst (Bethesda, Md.) added four.

The game never saw a lead larger than six points, which the Catamounts earned in the first half. However, the Bobcats rallied off an 11-6 run in the final six minutes of the opening stanza to trail by just one at the break.

Contrary to the first half where the two teams combined for a total of 10 fouls, the second half featured a physical battle underneath. In the latter frame, 22 fouls were called, 13 against the visiting Bobcats. Azotam was sent to the bench after his fourth foul with nine minutes left in regulation.

However, poor free-throw shooting plagued the Catamounts down the stretch, as the team connected on just 8-17 in the second half. The missed freebees allowed the Bobcats to regain the lead with 4:19 left in the game, an advantage they would not relinquish.

QU used a plus-nine edge on the boards for the game, collecting 42 of them including 16 on the offensive end. The Bobcats shot 39.7 percent from the floor and went 10-of-15 from the free-throw line. The Catamounts shot 46 percent from the field, but just 1-of-13 from behind the arc.

Four players on Vermont registered double-figures on the afternoon. Brian Voelkel led all Catamounts with 12, Josh Elbaum added 11 and Luke Apfeld and Brendan Bald finished with 10.

Quinnipiac will now take some time away from the court to focus on finals before returning for its next contest. The Bobcats don't return to the hardword until Saturday, December 11 with a non-conference affair at UMass. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Amherst, Mass. NESN will broadcast the game live.

New Haven trims SCSU in men's hoop

2011-12-11T01:21:00.002-05:00

@BillCloutier

NEW HAVEN — University of New Haven guard Jeffery Adkins Jr. is playing this season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Being a top member of a team picked 16th in a 16-team conference can do that to you.

Adkins and the Chargers continued to play the Rodney Dangerfield role on Saturday beating rival Southern Connecticut State 61-53 in front of 812 fans at the Moore Fieldhouse.

Eric Anderson led New Haven (7-2 overall, 5-2 Northeast-10) with 14 points and Justin Exum had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremy Williams had 10 points and Sean Harris had nine points and nine rebounds in a balanced Charger effort. Southern was led by Tylon Smith who was 6 for 7 from the floor finishing with 13 points.

“We feel like we can play with anybody in this conference and they don’t give us any respect,” Adkins said. “We wanted to come out and play good defense like we’ve been playing.”

New Haven coach Ted Hotaling isn’t relying on his team’s lack of respect for motivation. He’d prefer to bank on solid defense and rebounding, like the kind they got on Saturday. Facing Southern (5-4, 4-3) and its big three of Greg and Dominique Langston and Trevon Hamlet, the Chargers limited the Owls to 31 percent shooting from the field.

The Owl’s star trio, entering the game averaging a combined 48 points, shot 11 for 45 from the floor and finished with 30 points.

“Coach (Hotaling) told us they’ve got some big scorers but (Ade Barek) locked up Hamlet and we played the Langstons as good as we could.”

Said Hotaling: “We’re a very good defensive team right now. We did what we’ve been doing (defensively), holding teams under 40 percent shooting and under 30 percent from 3-point range and out-rebounding them.

“I wish we could have made a few more shots, but Barek shut down Hamlet who’s one of the best players in the league and he’s done that all year for us.” Continued...

Southern coach Mike Donnelly said his team didn’t play very well.

“I give all the credit to New Haven,” Donnelly said. “They did a great job. But for some reason we were a step slow and that’s my fault.

“This has to motivate us to go catch New Haven. The did a great job on our three guys and they made plays and we didn’t.”

After erasing a 20-13 deficit midway through the first half, the Chargers rarely trailed again. New Haven led 36-30 at the half and opened up a 10-point lead in the early stages of the second half. When Southern cut the margin to 48-46 the Chargers outworked Southern a crucial possession.

New Haven missed three straight shots on the trip but got every offensive board and kicked the ball out to Sean Harris for a wide-open 3-pointer to give the Chargers a 51-46 lead.

“We talk about that all the time and it really hasn’t happened, but it showed up at a good time,” Hotaling said.

But the game was still in doubt in the final minute when Quinnipiac transfer Dominique Langston (10 points on 3 for 15 shooting) finally connected on a long, fadeaway 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining. Following a Charger turnover, Dominique took the ball the length of the floor but missed an open layup and New Haven capitalized immediately, scoring the final six points to put the game away.

“Dominique’s been struggling shooting,” Donnelly said. “He’s been inconsistent. He can do a lot of things, and he has to understand with him it doesn’t all come down to shooting. He has to do everything else he’s capable of doing.”

The Chargers, which went 8-18 last season, have won four straight.

“Anytime you can beat your rival its’ big,” Hotaling said. “If I said it wasn’t I’d be lying. It’s great to beat them and it’s a league game, too.”

Boston U. defeats Yale women

2011-12-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN – The schedule has not been kind to the Yale women’s basketball team. After playing six straight games on the road including a pair of contests against teams ranked in the Top 25, the Bulldogs finally returned home for a game against Boston University.
But the trip to New Haven also marked a homecoming of sorts for BU’s Chantell Alford and the former Wilbur Cross standout made several key plays in the final minutes to help the Terriers preserve a 59-54 win in a non-league game at the Lee Amphitheater Wednesday night.
Alford finished with eight points including a huge field goal with 42 seconds to play and later sealed the game with two free throws with 4 seconds left as Boston University staved off a furious Bulldog rally.
“I thought if we didn’t run the ball over we would have passed them,” Yale coach Chris Gobrecht said. “But we’ve got kids that just aren’t playing well right now and they have to play better.
“They have to do some soul-searching. The younger kids played OK but some of the older ones didn’t and they have to. It took us a while to get our land legs under us because we’ve been on the road for so long.”
The Bulldogs shot just 4 of 22 in the first half and trailed 30-14 at the break. But Megan Vazquez stepped up in the second half scoring 20 of her game-high 22 points in the second half as Yale cut the deficit to 56-54 with 11 seconds to play.
After BU hit one free throw Vazquez had a chance to tie the game with a long 3-pointer but it bounded off the rim and Alford corralled the rebounds and buried two free throws to seal it.
Alford, who entered the game leading the Terriers in scoring at 13.9 ppg., was limited to two points until the game’s final minutes. She suffered a leg injury early in the second half and did not return to the game until there was eight minutes left.
“The knee just locked up on me a bit but it’s fine now,” Alford said after the game. “We made some plays at crunch time and held on.”
Alford said the victory was even sweeter because it came in front of several of her family members and friends.
“It’s always nice to come back and play in New Haven,” she said. “Getting the win at Yale is just special.”
It was just the second game at home for Yale, which takes an 11-day break for final exams carrying a 4-4 mark.
“There’s no excuses,” Gobrecht said. “If we played them again I feel we should be all right but we didn’t play well tonight and when they got the lead, they’ve got a good point guard (Mo Moran) who controlled the tempo. “
Yale’s Janna Graf not only failed to score in the game but didn’t get a shot off. Graf, who has averaged double-figures since she arrived at the school, had three of the Bulldogs’ 22 turnovers.
“It wasn’t her type of game because we were attacking,” Gobrecht said. “She’s more of a half court player so she wasn’t in there.”
Yale got 12 points from Hayden Latham who had missed the previous week of practice and Gobrecht said was far from sharp.
“Even when we were out-playing them in the second half we sabotaged ourselves with foolish turnovers and foolish fouls.
Caroline Stewart led BU (3-4) with 14 points and 14 rebounds and Moran had 13 points.
Follow Bill on Twitter @BillCloutier. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhsports to 22700. *Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel.

Yale men beat Bryant

2011-12-08T12:56:00.001-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN – Yale center Greg Mangano hopes his game will one day take him to the NBA. He has the complete for a big man, possessing good hands, a gentle touch around the basket and even a flair for the dramatic.
With the score tied with less than seven minutes to play Mangano buried a wild 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to spark a 7-0 run and the Bulldogs went on to their fifth straight victory, a 76-59 decision over Bryant in a non-league at the Lee Amphitheater Wednesday night.
“When Greg hit the 3-pointer it kind of got us going,” Yale coach James Jones said. “It was one of those prayers. He had three guys hanging on him and he just threw it at the rim. We had so many other good looks that didn’t go in so that kind of got us going.
“We were not mentally in it 100 percent until crunch time but we picked ourselves up then. I don’t know if it was because we played three games in five days.”
Mangano disagreed that his Jones that his shot was a divine intervention but both were in agreement that the senior from Orange could have played better despite his 21-point, nine-rebound outburst.
“Greg goes for 21-and-nine and I don’t think he played well at all,” Jones said. “That’s my expectation of this young man. He can be a great, great player for us.”
Mangano also had two blocked shots moving him closer to Chris Dudley for the school’s all-time record in that department. He needs just three to break the record.
“It’s an honor to be compared with Chris,” Mangano said. “He had a great career here and a great career in the NBA. Protecting the basket is a big part of our defense and that falls on my shoulders. Blocking shots and rebounding is big. I try to keep the ball inbounds when I block it, too.”
With five straight wins Yale is off to a 7-2 start, the best Jones’ 14-year tenure with the team.
“I’m not going to say this is the best team I’ve had,” he said. “I had a team that won a championship. This team has not won one yet. I like this team and we can be very good. We’re a talented team but we still have a ways to go.”
Both Mangano and Jones and feel this team is loaded with ability bringing with it a confidence in a series of tight games all of which have gone the Bulldogs’ way.
“We have great team chemistry,” Mangano said. “We proved that against Vermont and the second half of the Sacred Heart game (both recent wins). On any given night anyone can have 20 points. When we move the ball and share the ball it’s pretty obvious.
“The past couple of games I was definitely confident in our guys and myself that we would pull it out.”
Wednesday’s game was a see-saw affair until Mangano’s basket gave Yale the lead for good. His short jumper a couple of minutes later gave the Bulldogs a 67-57 lead with 2:17 to play. Bryant never got closer than double-digits again.
Austin Morgan added 10 points and Yale also got great help from its bench which Jones knows will be crucial in the back-to-back nights of Ivy League play. The reserves scored 24 points led by freshman Brandon Sherrod who also had 10 points, and four rebounds. Fellow freshman Matt Townsend also looked good in 10 minutes of action and guard Javier Duren returned to play after missing a few weeks due to injury.
Bryant, a talented offensive team, fell apart down the stretch losing its seventh straight game. Corey Maynard had 15 points and Alex Francis and Claybin McMath finished with 10.
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Hamden's Kranich off to national team training camp

2011-12-07T08:46:00.002-05:00

VILLANOVA, Pa.--Jami Kranich (Hamden, Conn.), who just completed her sophomore season for the Villanova women's soccer team, has been called to participate in the training camp for the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team, which will be held in Sunrise, Fla. from December 11-18. This is the final training camp of the year and Kranich is the only collegiate player invited among the group of 26 players called in by U.S. Soccer Women's Technical Director April Heinrichs.

The players called to the training camp are being evaluated for possible spots on the team that will attempt to qualify for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Uzbekistan. That team has an age cut-off of players born on or after Jan. 1, 1992.

Kranich played every minute of all 19 games in goal for the Wildcats this season, logging 1,773:43 in the net. She made 75 saves and tallied a .682 save percentage for the year and ranked among the top shot-stoppers among BIG EAST Conference goalkeepers. Kranich finished the season eighth in the league in saves and in conference-only games was tied for seventh in saves (46) and tied for 10th in saves per game (4.18).

U.S. U-18 Women's National Team Roster By Position

Goalkeepers (3): Paige Burnett (West Coast FC; Placentia, Calif.), Bryane Heaberlin (Clear Water Chargers, Tampa, Fla.), Jami Kranich (Villanova; Hamden, Conn.)

Defenders (8): Stephanie Amack (Mustang Blast; Pleasanton, Calif.), Kelsey Bass (Dallas Texans; Dallas, Texas), Katie Naughton (Sockers FC; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Cari Roccaro (Albertson Fury; East Islip, N.Y.), Taylor Schissler (Eclipse Select; New Lenox, Ill.), Brittany Von Rueden (FC Milwaukee Nationals; Mequon, Wis.), Ryan Walker (Mustang Blast; Oakland, Calif.), Alexandra Wong (McLean Power; Rockville, Md.)

Pair of Quinnipiac players aply for AR

2011-12-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

A pair of Quinnipiac basketball players applied for accelerated rehabilitation when they appeared in Meriden Superior Court on Tuesday.

Senior James Johnson and junior Jamee Jackson, two of the five players allegedly involved in an on-campus altercation on September 18, applied for the program which carries a period of probation for first-time offenders. If the program is granted and players fulfill their obligations the charges could be dismissed. They may also face probation for up to two years.

The other three players involved in the case also appeared before Judge Philip Scarpellino and had their cases continued until Jan. 17 at the same venue. Dave Johnson and Nate Gause were arrested last week upon further investigation by the Hamden Police Department. Jackson was also arrested on that day.

James Johnson and sophomore Ike Azotam were previously arrested for the assault. Azotam's case was also continued and his attorney claims that he was misidentified in the altercation.

The players' defense attorney, Thomas Lynch, told the Quinnipiac Chronicle, said he was looking for accelerated rehabilitation.

Said Lynch: “They have a hearing before the judge where we make the argument that both Jamee and James regret the incident and that they will abide by any conditions that the court may put on them, the probation, and if that’s the case then at the end of the probation period the charges are dismissed."

The incident left four students injured. One student suffered a bruised jaw, cracked tooth and a laceration to the face that required 17 stitches; a second student suffered a broken nose, which required surgery; a third student was allegedly knocked unconscious; and a fourth student suffered facial injuries.

James Johnson and Azotam were the first two arrested. They were charged with third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace charges. On Dec. 1, after the other three players surrendered to Hamden Police, Jackson was charged with conspiracy to commit assault and assault in the third degree and second-degree breach of peace. Dave Johnson, a junior, and Gause, a freshman, were charged with third-degree conspiracy to commit assault and second-degree breach of peace.

Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore, who was at Tuesday’s hearing, suspended James Johnson for the team’s first game and the university handed other sanctions.

“All five team members who were involved have already been appropriately disciplined for the September incident by the university and received team sanctions from me as well,” Moore said in a statement. “No other disciplinary action stemming from this incident is planned at this time."

Yale men edge Sacred Heart

2011-12-05T23:35:00.003-05:00

Dave Borges was on the scene as Yale edges Sacred Heart in a state battle of men's basketball teams

Sacred Heart women beat Quinnipiac

2011-12-05T23:30:00.002-05:00

Here are some highlights from Monday's night win by Sacred Heart over Quinnipiac

Yale visits Sacred Heart on Monday

2011-12-04T20:22:00.001-05:00

Men’s basketball gameday
YALE AT SACRED HEART
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: William Pitt Center, Fairfield
Records: Yale (5-2); Sacred Heart (5-4)
Audio: sacredheartpioneers.com
KEEP AN EYE ON
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs were dominant in Saturday’s win over Vermont. Greg Mangano scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Yale has won three straight and four of five. Yale leads the series against SHU but has lost the last three games.
Scouting Sacred Heart: The resurgent Pioneers fell to 1-1 in the Northeast Conference with a tough overtime loss at Central Connecticut on Saturday. Shane Gibson had 32 points in the loss and Justin Swidowski had a double-double.
PROBABLE STARTERS
YALE SACRED HEART
Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG Player Ht. Yr. Pos. PPG
Greg Mangano 6-10 Sr. F 16.1 Shane Gibson 6-2 Jr. G 18.8
Reggie Willhite 6-4 Sr. F 13.7 Justin Swidowski 6-9 Jr. F 12.8
Austin Morgan 5-11 Jr. G 15.4 Evan Kelley 6-4 So. G 8.7
Jeremiah Kreisberg 6-1 So. F 9.4 Femi Akinpetide 6-6 Jr. F 2.7
Michael Grace 6-0 Jr. G 5.5 Chris Evans 6-3 So. G 7.1
OFF THE BENCH
Yale — Isaiah Salafia, 6-3, So., G, 1.0 ppg; Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 2.7; Sacred Heart — Louis Montes, 6-4, So. G, 5.1; Stan Dulaire, 6-5, Sr., F, 4.8.
— Bill Cloutier

USC defeats Yale in NCAA volleyball

2011-12-04T11:56:00.000-05:00

This comes from the Yale web site

Los Angeles, Calif. – Top-ranked USC held off a third-set comeback to defeat Yale, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-18) before 1,125 – and many Yale supporters – in a NCAA first-round match at the Galen Center on Friday night.

Yale ended the season with an 18-7 overall record and its third Ivy League title in four years.

Bridget Hearst, playing in her final Yale match, smashed a team-high seven kills, including three during a 6-1 spurt to start the third. Mollie Rogers, the Ivy Rookie of the Year, posted six kills.

The Bulldogs’ two other seniors – Katie Cordell and captain Taylor Cramm – also contributed. Cordell had two assists and three digs, while Cramm had a kill and two block assists.

Hundreds of family members, friends and Yale alumni were scattered throughout the area wearing Bulldog dark blue, many in Section 103 across from the team bench.

At the start of the third, the Bulldogs drew their loudest cheer of the night when Hearst curled around a set from Ivy League Player of the Year Kendall Polan for a gentle tip along the right side of the net. As the ball dropped to the USC side, the Yale bench jumped to their feet.

After a USC error on the next point, the Trojans called a timeout.

The Trojans, ranked No. 1 in the latest AVCA coaches’ poll, scored six of the next seven points to tie the match. The run was capped by a Alex Jupiter, one of the Pac-12’s top hitters, with a kill.

Yale (18-7, 12-2) kept the match close and held a 12-11 lead after a USC error. The Trojans tied the set for the fifth and final time before taking the lead on the next point after a Lauren Williams kill.

Allie Frappier, a second-team All-Ivy selection, cut into the Trojan lead with a blast from the right side to cut the USC edge to 16-15. Frappier finished with 14 digs, four kills, a service ace and a block assist.

USC scored the next six points to take a 22-15 lead.

Yale fought up to the final point. On match point, 24-16, the Bulldogs’ defense kept two balls alive in back-to-back sequences and before Polan setup Rogers for her fifth kill of the night.

Polan ended the night with 19 assists, nine digs, three kills and a service ace.

Rogers responded on the next point with her sixth and final kill of the evening to keep the match going.

On the ensuing point, Jupiter tipped a ball along the left sideline to end the match.

Yale came out strong in the first set. With most of the team playing its first NCAA tournament match, the Bulldogs didn’t seem to be nervous.

Polan tipped a Maddie Rudnick pass onto the USC side to give the Bulldogs the first point of the match and prompted a loud cheer from Yale’s fans. After a Sara Shaw kill, Rogers fired a kill to give Yale the next point.

After a Yale error, McHaney Carter slammed a Yale kill to give Yale a 3-2 advantage. USC tallied the next three points.

Erica Reetz, a sophomore all-Ivy selection, recorded her only kill of the night to cut the deficit to 5-4. The Trojans rattled off the next five of the next six points.

Frappier and Haley Wessels halted the run with consecutive kills for the Bulldogs. USC scored six of the next seven points and never trailed again in the set.

The Trojans scored the first two points of set two before Yale capitalized on an error and a Polan ace to tie the match. USC pulled away with a run similar to the first set before Yale showed another refuse-to-quit performance.

Down 21-9, Hearst struck from the right side followed by a Gina Finke ace that grazed the net before falling to the court.

After a Yale error, Polan used a sneak attack to cut the deficit to 22-13. USC scored the final three points to take the set.

Yale beats Vermont

2011-12-03T20:07:00.001-05:00

I missed the Yale game on Saturday but here's Dan Nowak's story on the contest and another big effort by Greg Mangano

NEW HAVEN – Yale men’s basketball coach James Jones has been waiting, yearning for the kind of dominating first half the Bulldogs played against Vermont on Saturday at the Lee Amphitheater.

The Bulldogs built up a double-digit lead with just under 11 minutes left in the half. They had 16 rebounds, four blocks, two steals, five three-pointers, shot 87.5 percent at the free throw line and had a 54.2 field-goal percent age in the first half.

When the final second ticked off the clock in the second half, Greg Mangano of Orange had 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks and Jeremiah Kreisberg and Austin Morgan added 14 points each to lead Yale to a 68-52 win over Vermont in front of a crowd of 1,205. Mangano and Kreisberg led all scorers with 11 points each at halftime.

"Yes, that was one of our better first halves in a few years," Jones said. "We did a great job on the defensive end and with our rebounding. That was the key, not only in the first half but the whole game.

"We always talk about being solid and playing a complete game. Sometimes we do that, sometimes we don’t. This team has the potential to be very special. That first half is a good example and hopefully we can build on that."

Yale (5-2), coming off a three-game road trip, has won three in a row and four of its last five games.

"It felt great to be back home and it felt good playing on our home court," Mangano said. "We had a great crowd for a Saturday afternoon. Whenever we were making a run it was pretty loud and that pumped us all up."

In the first half, Yale took a 4-2 lead and never looked back, dominating in every phase of the game. The Bulldogs were even hot from 3-point range with five treys in nine attempts.

A Kreisberg 10-foot jump shot gave the Bulldogs a 22-9 lead with 10:40 to go in the half.

Vermont worked the score down to single digits when Four McGlynn made two free throws to cut the Bulldogs lead to 29-20 with 5:32 left in the half.

The Bulldogs responded by closing the first half on a 9-0 run. Morgan’s third 3-pointer of the game gave the Bulldogs a 34-30 lead with 3:25 to go. Brandon Sherrod’s layup with 45 seconds to go capped the run to make it 38-20 at halftime.

"They were quick but I’m not surprised by their speed," Vermont coach John Becker said. "Yale beat us the full 40 minutes. We didn’t have it from the jump tonight."

The Catamounts (4-4) came out more aggressive in the second half, possesssed the ball more and actually outscored the Bulldogs 32-30. But Vermont couldn’t overcome the first-half deficit.

The closest Vermont could get was 55-43 when Luke Apfeld made a layup with 5:10 left in the game.

Quinnipiac defeats Bryant

2011-12-03T20:01:00.001-05:00

By Bill Cloutier

Assistant Sports Editor

bcloutier@nhregister.com

HAMDEN — It was too early to call Saturday’s game against Bryant a must-win for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team. It wasn’t too early for the Bobcats to play that way.

Quinnipiac raced out to a 27-point lead in the first half and cruised to an 83-72 victory in a Northeast Conference game at the TD Bank Sports Center Saturday afternoon. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bobcats who rebounded from a lifeless effort against Sacred Heart just two days ago.

"In light of how poorly we played offense on Thursday, for emotionally and confidence-wise it was really good for us," Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. "We put up 44 points really quickly. It was 44-19 us with five minutes to go in the first half.

"We had great body language and you could just see our spirits lift."

Saturday also saw the emergence of enigmatic forward Jamee Jackson for Quinnipiac (3-4, 1-1 NEC). Jackson scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds and appears ready to join James Johnson and Ike Azotam as a legitimate option on offense. The Bobcats have struggled to find consistency in that area.

"I’m thrilled with the performance of Jamee Jackson," Moore said. "Jamee’s really blossoming now as a junior. He’s had the best 10 practices in a row since he’s been at Quinnipiac. That’s what’s fun about college basketball ... You expect growth and development and that’s what we’re starting to see with him and it’s really exciting."

Said Jackson: "It was a tough loss on Thursday. We expected to win the game but knew we couldn’t dwell on the loss. We were excited to get back into practice and it carried over into the game.

"Against Fairfield and American I had good games. Then I got into foul trouble but I kept being aggressive and kept playing hard on defense and I knew it would come if I kept playing hard."

Bryant was led by Alex Francis and Corey Maynard, who both scored 18 points. Francis scored 20 points against Notre Dame earlier in the season and helped the Bulldogs stun Quinnipiac last year when they erased a 25-point lead to beat the Bobcats at Hamden. But Jackson also did a solid job slowing down the Bulldogs’ exciting swingman and Bryant performed no such miracles this time.

Overall, Quinnipiac played its best offensive game of the season. It shot 55 percent from the field in the first half including a 5-for-9 performance from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs make things a bit interesting when they ended the first half on a 16-3 run hitting four straight 3-pointers in the surge. Quinnipiac held a 47-33 lead at the break and outrebounded the Bulldogs 24-9 in the first half.

Bryant refused to quit and cut the deficit to 54-43 midway through the second half when the Bobcats imposed their will. Following a missed jumper by Dave Johnson, Azotam raced from the baseline to the top of the key to steal a rebound and fired a pass to James Johnson on the wing who buried a 3-pointer.

Bryant never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way and that came in the final minute.

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Quinnipiac falls to Sacred Heart

2011-12-02T00:09:00.002-05:00

Here are Tom Moore's thoughts on the Bobcats NEC loss to Sacred Heart and some highlights from the game.

3 more Quinnipiac players arrested

2011-12-01T17:57:00.000-05:00

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
HAMDEN — Three more Quinnipiac University basketball players have been arrested in connection with a Sept. 18 assault, police said.
Charged today were Jamee Jackson, 20, of Irvington, N.J.; David Johnson, 22, of Jackson, N. J. and Nate Gause, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The trio turned themselves into police on Thursday morning. They all posted bond and were released.
QU basketball players James Johnson and Ike Azotam were previously arrested and their cases are pending. James Johnson was suspended for one game this season as a result of the incident.
Four Quinnipiac students were injured in the assault, according to Capt. Ronald Smith. One student suffered a bruised jaw, cracked tooth and a laceration to the face, which required 17 stitches. A second student suffered a broken nose, which required surgery. A third was allegedly knocked unconscious and a fourth received facial injuries, Smith said.
Detective Michael DePalma conducted the investigation. All five players are schedule to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Dec. 6.
Jackson was charged with third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit third-degree assault and breach of peace. David Johnson was charged with conspiracy to commit third-degree assault and breach of peace. Gause was charged with third-degree conspiracy to commit assault and breach of peace.
“All five team members who were involved have already been appropriately disciplined for the September incident by the university and received team sanctions from me as well,” said Tom Moore, head men’s basketball coach. “No other disciplinary action stemming from this incident is planned at this time.”
According to the Hamden police Captain Ronald Smith the incidents began on Sept. 17 the night before the assault when James Johnson was confronted by another Quinnipiac University student.
“During that dispute, which was verbal in nature it seems that a large crowd gathered around James Johnson and the Quinnipiac University student,” Smith said. “Someone from the crowd allegedly swung at James Johnson. I don’t know if it actually struck him.
According to the police, James Johnson then got some of his teammates and came back looking for this individual. When they came back campus police were present and there was no further incident.
“The next day several of the basketball players were searching out this individual kid,” Smith said. “They entered a dorm, which was not their dorm, found the student and an altercation took place. Several of the Quinnipiac University students suffered severe injuries.
All of the players involved in the alleged altercation were present at Thursday night’s game and were expected to play.
According to a source, Azotam claims he was misidentified in the assault but that was not confirmed by the police.
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Quinnipiac opens NEC vs. Sacred Heart

2011-11-30T23:20:00.003-05:00

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

West Haven's Campos scores two goals in freshman campaign

2011-11-30T23:17:00.002-05:00

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 rallies past Hartford

2011-11-30T00:49:00.001-05:00

Yale defeats Hartford 74-69

Remember Elena Della Donne?

2011-11-28T22:24:00.004-05:00

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

Yale draws USC in volleyball tournament

2011-11-27T22:06:00.000-05:00

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

New Haven football reaches quarterfinals

2011-11-26T22:46:00.001-05:00

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.

Yale volleyball team awaits NCAA foe

2011-11-25T18:38:00.001-05:00

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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Yale women fall to Baylor

2011-11-23T16:24:00.001-05:00

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.

Yale falls to Seton Hall

2011-11-23T16:21:00.002-05:00

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.

Quinnipiac falls to American

2011-11-23T16:19:00.000-05:00

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

SCSU's Slowley a Harlon Hill finalist

2011-11-23T16:16:00.001-05:00

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.

Quinnipiac women win, news and notes

2011-11-20T22:07:00.001-05:00

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.

Quinnipiac hammers Navy

2011-11-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

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.

Yale hosts Lyndon State

2011-11-17T13:26:00.001-05:00

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

Quinnipaic hosts Yale tonight

2011-11-14T22:14:00.001-05:00

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.

SCSU falls in season finale

2011-11-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

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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New Haven's No. 1 seed in jeopardy

2011-11-12T18:23:00.002-05:00

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

Quinnipiac ready for season opener

2011-11-10T16:53:00.001-05:00

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.

SCSU needs win and maybe more to reach playoffs

2011-11-09T14:36:00.002-05:00

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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Connecticut 6 on the move

2011-11-08T16:37:00.002-05:00

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.

SCSU's playoff hopes in jeopardy

2011-11-07T22:37:00.003-05:00

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

Sunday's area college roundup

2011-11-06T20:10:00.001-05:00

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.

CT 6 breakfast slated for Tuesday, Nov. 8

2011-11-04T23:54:00.003-04:00

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.

CT 6 breakfast slated for Tuesday, Nov. 8

2011-11-04T23:54:00.000-04:00

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.

Albertus Magnus soccer coaches honored

2011-11-04T23:34:00.001-04:00

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

Quinnipiac men picked 5th in the NEC

2011-11-02T21:05:00.002-04:00

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.”