Kerr, Alexis Take Home CACC Weekly Honors
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (February 25, 2013) – USciences' Garret Kerr has been selected as the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's (CACC) Men's Basketball Player of the Week while Philadelphia's Peter Alexis earned Rookie of the week honors for the reporting period ending February 24, 2013 the Conference announced Monday.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Garret Kerr (So., G, Moorestown, N.J.) USciences – Major: Physical Therapy
Kerr averaged 29.5 points and 20 rebounds in the Devils' two wins last week. The pair of wins marks the first two road victories of the season for U. Sciences. In the victories, Kerr turned in his 17th and 18th "double doubles" of the season (the best in the nation in NCAA Division II) and scored 33 points against Post, marking the fifth time in the past seven games he has eclipsed 30 points in a contest.
The sophomore physical therapy major pulled in a career-high 22 rebounds against Chestnut Hill. His 22 rebounds are the most in a single game by a Devils player in over 43 years and equal the highest single-game total by any NCAA Division II player so far this season. His 26-point, 20-rebound performance is only the second 20-20 performance by a Devils player in the NCAA era.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Peter Alexis (Fr., F, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Philadelphia – Major: Psychology
Alexis helped his team to a 1-1 record last week, picking up a 7-66 victory at Goldey-Beacom and a 65-63 loss at Wilmington on Saturday. The Wilkes-Barre native blocked three shots, scored 33 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in the win at Goldey-Beacom Thursday, marking Philadelphia's first 20-rebound game since 2008.
The freshman forward turned in another solid performance in the loss at Wilmington, scoring 28 points and pulling in 11 rebounds in the loss.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL HONORABLE MENTION
Matt Hall (So., G, Brooklyn, N.Y.) Bloomfield – Major: Criminal Justice
Hall turned in a game-high 24 points in the Deacon's victory over Wilmington last Thursday. Hall scored 18 of his 24 points in the final nine minutes of the game to lead Bloomfield to the 84-78 victory. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native scored 14 points off the bench in the club's victory over Caldwell College Tuesday night.
Antoine Obery (Sr,. F, Roselle, N.J.) Felician – Major: Criminal Justice
Obery averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two must-win games for the Golden Falcons last week. The senior forward shot .667 from the floor and 5-for-10 from three-point range to help his team to an 85-83 victory at Concordia and a 94-65 victory against Nyack. In a game that ultimately decided the fourth seed in the south, Obery made the game-winning free throws with 0:06 left in regulation against Concordia and grabbed 10 rebounds to help seal the win.
Argelix Gil (Sr., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.) Concordia – Major: Liberal Arts
Gil helped his team to a 1-1 week, scoring 22 points in an 85-83 loss to Felician and 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds in a 76-75 triumph over Caldwell. Gil also recorded four assists, four steals and a block on the week while averaging 12.5 rebounds per game.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM NOTES
BLOOMFIELD - The Deacons finished the regular season by winning their final two conference contests, picking up victories over Caldwell College and Wilmington University. Sophomore Marvin Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) led Bloomfield with 16 points in the club's victory over Caldwell Tuesday, while rookie Erik Sanders (New York, N.Y.) notched 15 points on 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore Matt Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) averaged 19.5 points per game for the week, totaling 14 against Caldwell and a game-high 24 against Wilmington University Thursday night. Hall's performance off the bench was highlighted by the sophomore guard scoring 18 points over the final nine minutes of the contest to lead Bloomfield to the victory. Junior Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) totaled a game-high five blocks in the victory over Caldwell, also notching 14 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the victory over Wilmington. Bloomfield has earned the second seed in the North Division in the upcoming CACC Tournament, and will host the third-seed University of the Sciences in the Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.
CALDWELL - The Cougars lost a pair of close conference games on the road, losing to Bloomfield, 76-71 on Tuesday before falling at Concordia on Saturday, 76-75. Sophomore guard Wyatt Polk scored 18 points at Bloomfield, with sophomore forward Michael Balkovic adding 15 points and 11 rebounds. Balkovic tallied 21 points, 14 boards and two blocks against Concordia. Caldwell concludes the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 26 with a non-conference game at St. Thomas Aquinas.
CHESTNUT HILL - Struggling down the stretch, Chestnut Hill College lost two CACC contests this week, falling 67-49 at Holy Family University on Tuesday before suffering a Senior Day set-back to the University of the Sciences on Saturday, 63-57. Against the Tigers, the Griffins surrendered an early lead to the home team as their halted offense was led by eight points apiece from senior guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, N.J.) and sophomore forward Alssene Saintilus (Irvington, N.J.). Sophomore forward Garret Kerr (Moorestown, N.J.) dominated the contest with USciences, as he recorded 26 points and 22 rebounds to keep the Devils out of reach of the Griffins grasp in a 63-57 final. The Griffins will play their final contest of the 2012-2013 regular season at Philadelphia University on Tuesday, February 26. Tip-off is scheduled from 8:00 p.m.
CONCORDIA – Concordia finished its regular season schedule with a win over Caldwell on Saturday and a loss to Felician on Tuesday. In the 76-75 victory over Caldwell, senior Lavor Morris (Bronx, N.Y.) and senior Brandon Whitaker (Harlem, N.Y.) both led the Clippers with 19 points apiece. Whitaker would come off the bench to add eight rebounds, three steals and an assist while Morris chipped in with three rebounds as five of his baskets were three-point field goals. Junior Norman Pope (Washington, D.C.) would add 13 points, five assists, a steal and a rebound while senior Argelix Gil (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Gil also recorded four assists, four steals and a block. Concordia shot 30-of-73 (41.1%) from the field and knocked down eight three-point baskets while outrebounding the Cougars 47-44. The Clippers finished the season 13-15 (9-9 CACC) and have won the most games in a season since the 1986-87 season. For the third straight year Concordia finished with a 9-9 conference record.
DOMINICAN – The Chargers defeated Nyack College in their only game this week to finish the regular season with an overall record of 21-5 and a CACC record of 15-3. The team finished atop the CACC North Division standings to win the regular season title and will host a CACC Tournament Quarter-Final game on Saturday March 2nd.
GOLDEY-BEACOM – The Lightning dropped both of their games to end the season last week, finishing the 2012-13 campaign with an 8-18 overall record and a 4-13 mark in the CACC. After falling to Philadelphia University by a 77-66 margin on Tuesday night, the Lightning dropped a tough 84-61 decision against Holy Family on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for both teams. Junior guard A.J. Picard led the Lightning last week by averaging 19.5 points per game. In the loss against Philadelphia University, he scored a team-high 25 points while making 10 of 11 shots from the floor, including a four-for-five effort from three-point range.
HOLY FAMILY – Holy Family, winners of five straight games, concludes the regular season with a 17-9 overall record and 13-4 in the CACC after a pair of conference victories this past week. The Tigers defeated Chestnut Hill (67-49) on Tuesday and capped the week with a victory at Goldey-Beacom (84-61). The win versus the Lightning clinched the CACC South Division Title for the Tigers and the No. 1 seed in the South Division in the upcoming CACC Tournament. This marks the first time in program history that Holy Family has won the division title outright. The Tigers previously shared regular season titles in 2006-07 and 2004-05. Senior Angel Ayala recorded his third straight 20-point performance tying a career-high versus Chestnut Hill. He also grabbed 13 rebounds to tie his career-high and record his third double-double of the season.
PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia (16-9, 11-5 CACC) came out of its Delaware swing with a 1-1 record. Forward Peter Alexis (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) recorded 33 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 77-66 win over Goldey-Beacom on Feb. 19. Alexis posted Philadelphia's first 20-rebound game since March 15, 2008. On Feb 23, the Rams were edged out by Wilmington (Del.) 65-63. Alexis recorded his 10th double-double of the year with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Nick Christian (Bensalem, Pa.) added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Philadelphia closes out the regular season with a home contest against Chestnut Hill on Feb. 26. The Rams begin the CACC Tournament on March 2 with a home game against Post.
USCIENCES – The Devils won two road games in span of 48 hours last week, their first two road wins of the season, defeating Post University on Thursday and Chestnut Hill College on Saturday. The win over Post was their first at Post's Drubner Center since the 2003-04 season and their first overall since the 2007 CACC Semi-finals. The win at Chestnut Hill completed their first-ever season sweep of the Griffins since Chestnut Hill joined the CACC in 2007-08. Garret Kerr (Moorestown, N.J.) continued his dominant play in the two games, recording 33 points and 18 rebounds against Post and following it up with a 26-point, 22 rebound effort against Chestnut Hill. His 22 rebounds equal the most by an NCAA division II player in a single game this season. Kerr continues to lead the CACC and the East region in both scoring and rebounding and currently leads the country in rebounding. In the most latest stat rankings, the Devils as a team are 51st in scoring defense, allowing just 65.0 points per game; 41st in three-point FG% defense (31.5%) and 60th in field goal % defense (41.0)
WILMINGTON - The Wildcats rounded out their season at Bloomfield on Thursday and a final matchup against Philadelphia at home on Saturday. After dropping the contest at Bloomfield, 84-78, the Wildcats came out and overcame a 13 points second half deficit to beat Philadelphia, 65-63. Brandon Fox ended his career by averaging 15.5 points and eight rebounds in the two games, scoring a game high 26 against Philadelphia. He also blocked the Rams game-tying attempt at the buzzer, giving the Wildcats the victory. Shaq Gaskins also averaged 15 points for the week, shooting56 percent from the floor. Herb Dennis averaged 14 points a game while passing out 13 assists for the week. Isiah Mason ended his career by scoring 11.5 points per game for the week.