GNAC Men's Basketball Report: Week 14

( FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 17 - 23 )

GNAC TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jack Casale, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Junior, Guard - Portland, Maine) Casale enjoyed a monster week en route to this second straight and fifth GNAC Player of the Week award, as he helped lead the Monks to a pair of important conference wins and the #5 seed in the GNAC Tournament. Casale averaged 40.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 57.1% (28-49) from the field, 44.4% (8-18) from three-point land, and 94.4% (17-18) from the FT line. The junior guard netted 39 points (13-23 FG, 4-9 3PT, 9-10 FT) with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 90-78 victory at Suffolk on Tuesday and poured in 42 points (15-26 FG, 4-9 3PT, 8-8 FT) with six boards, five assists, and a pair of steals in a convincing 88-70 triumph over Lasell on Saturday.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Taelon Martin, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., G - Springfield, Mass.) Martin had another impressive week as the Blue Jays went 2-0 once again, ran their winning streak to 22 straight, and completed an undefeated GNAC campaign, going a perfect 11-0 in league play. USJ becomes just the second program in GNAC men's basketball history to run the table against conference opponents. In a pair of home GNAC victories, Martin averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game en route to his sixth GNAC Rookie of the Week honor, connecting on 54.5% (12-22) of his attempts from the field on the week, and was perfect from the FT line (4-4). Martin opened the week with 15 points (6-11 FG) and six rebounds on Tuesday evening in a 96-81 victory over Anna Maria before going for 15 points (6-11 FG) and four boards in a 93-76 triumph versus Colby-Sawyer on Saturday.

WEEK 14 HONOR ROLL

Jahmerikah Green-Younger, Albertus Magnus (Sr., G - Norwalk, Conn.) - Green-Younger led Albertus to a 2-0 record this past week, as he paced the team with 26.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The senior shot 53.7% (22-41) from the field while averaging 28.0 minutes per game. He opened the week pouring in a career-high 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting to go with two rebounds, an assist, three steals and a block in a 97-82 win over Emmanuel (Mass.). On Saturday, Green-Younger scored 18 points, two rebounds and two assists to help lead the Falcons to a 98-79 win over Anna Maria.

Marcus Fox, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, F - Danbury, Conn.) -  Averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over two games for the Saints, including a 21-point performance in an 83-81 victory over Rivier to help Emmanuel clinch the No. 3 seed in next week's GNAC Tournament. During the victory, Fox scored his 1,000th career point to become just the 10th player in EC program history to reach the milestone. 

Emmett Riddick, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr, G - Middletown, Conn.) - Riddick tied the Emmanuel single-game scoring record with a 39-point (10-23 FG, 5-10 3PT, 14-16 FT) performance on the road against Albertus Magnus, setting the single-half scoring record in the process with 33 first-half points versus the Falcons on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, 5-5 from behind the arc and 10-10 from the FT line. He capped the week with a 16-point, nine-rebound outing including a buzzer-beater for the win over Rivier to help EC secure the No. 3 seed in next week's GNAC Tournament. For the week, he averaged 27.5 points (45%), 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. 

Kevin Nunez, Lasell (Jr., G - Dorchester, Mass.) - Nunez averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in a 1-1 week for the Lasers, shooting 43.6% from the field (17-39) and 77.8% from the FT line (7-9). He scored 25 points with six rebounds in a GNAC win over Johnson & Wales, and he added 19 points, seven boards and four steals in a loss at Saint Joseph's of Maine. 

Dimitri Rosa, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., G - Tiverton, R.I.) - Rosa led the Pride in scoring in each of the final two games of the regular season. In Tuesday's win over Colby-Sawyer, he made six three-pointers to finish with a team-high 20 points. Five of those three-pointers came in the first half as he helped the Pride establish a double-digit lead over the Chargers. With 26 seconds left in regulation, he made both free throws to extend the Pride's lead as they held on for the victory, one that would ultimately earn Regis a spot in the GNAC Tournament. Saturday at Suffolk, he made three more three-pointers as he led the Pride with 11 points. He has made 63 three-pointers this season, a personal single-season high and the fifth-most in a season in program history. He is sixth in the GNAC in both made three-pointers and three-point field goal percentage. 

Jaecee Martin, St. Joseph (Conn.) (So., G - Hartford, Conn.) - Martin averaged 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 12.0 assists and 2.5 steals in a 2-0 week as USJ closed out the GNAC slate unbeaten at 11-0 to nail down the No. 1 seed in next week's GNAC Tournament. He shot 60% overall from the floor, going 12-of-20 and 9-of-12 from the FT line. After registering 19 points, eight boards and 12 assists in a 96-81 win over Anna Maria, he produced 14 points, six rebounds and 12 more dimes in a 93-76 victory over Colby-Sawyer. 

Jordan Powell, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., G/F - Middletown, Conn.) - Powell averaged 20.0 points and 12.0 rebounds while shooting 78.3% (18-23) from the field in a 2-0 week, registering double-doubles of 15 points and 10 rebounds versus Anna Maria as well as 25 points and 14 rebounds against Colby-Sawyer. 

Jonathan Eng, Suffolk (Sr., G - Wayland, Mass.) - Eng averaged 11.5 points on 61.5% shooting in a 1-1 week, including a 14-point effort on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three in a 84-58 win over Regis in the regular-season finale. 

GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY ARCHIVE (2019-20)