Munoz, Lighty Earn CACC Weekly Honors
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (January 14, 2013) – Holy Family's Alberto Munoz (Morrisville, N.C.) and Caldwell's Dawan Lighty (Paterson, N.J.) have been selected as the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's (CACC) Men's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week for the reporting period ending January 13, 2013 the Conference announced Monday.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alberto Munoz (Jr., G, Morrisville, N.C.) Holy Family – Major: Undeclared
Alberto scored a career-high 29 points and shot a career-best 7-of-11 from three-point range to lead the Tigers past Goldey-Beacom 83-70 in the team's lone game of the week. The 6-5 junior guard also shot an impressive 58.8% from the field on 10-of-17 shooting and connected in on both his attempts from the line. In his 32 minutes on the floor, Munoz also added three rebounds, three assists and two steals to the winning effort.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Dawan Lighty (Fr., G, Paterson, N.J.) Caldwell – Major: Business Administration
Lighty scored a career-high 22 points while making 4-of-6 from three-point range in a 69-67 loss at Felician on Wednesday. In the loss, he connected on 7-of-11 of his attempts from the field, shooting an impressive 63.9% for the game. The 6-2 Paterson, N.J. native also went a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe on the weekend and averaged 13 points over two games for the Cougars. Dawan also chipped in six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block as Caldwell dropped a pair of games last week by a combined five points.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL HONORABLE MENTION
Antoine Oberly (Sr., F, Rosele, N.J.) Felician –Major: CIS
Antoine posted double-doubles in a pair of divisional home victories for the Golden Falcons. The 6-0 guard recorded 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists in a Jan. 9 win over Caldwell. Oberly followed up with 14 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals against second-place Bloomfield on Jan. 12. The senior CIS major shot 52.4% from the field for the week to help his team earn a 69-67 decision against Caldwell and an 85-76 victory over Caldwell. Obery has posted four consecutive double-doubles, including a season-high 17 rebounds against the Deacons.
Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Sr., G, Woodbury, N.J.) Chestnut Hill – Major: History
DiRugeris extended his consistently strong presence on the floor for Chestnut Hill this week. The Woodbury, N.J. native scored 21 points in the Griffins 67-63 loss to Philadelphia University on January 12. He also recorded two rebounds and a steal. Currently, DiRugeris shares the league's scoring lead at 18.9 PPG. He also ranks among the CACC leaders in three-point shooting (3rd, 42-of-96, 43.8%) and free throw shooting (T4th, 69-of-75, 92.0%).
Jerry Cummings (Jr., F, Queens, N.Y.) Post – Major: Sports Management
Cummings notched a pair of double-doubles in a 2-0 week for Post. The 6-7 junior averaged 14 points and 11.5 rebounds in victories over Nyack (79-69) and at Caldwell (60-57). Jerry paced Post for the week, shooting 50% from the field and 33% from behind the arc for the Eagles. The Sports Management major also pulled in a game-high nine defensive rebounds in each contest and shot 75% (9-of-12) at the foul line. Jerry rounded out his solid performance for Post by adding four assists, three steals and a block in the two contests.
CACC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM NOTES
BLOOMFIELD - Sophomore guard Marvin Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) led Bloomfield with 18 points in a weekend loss to North Division rival Felician College. Fellow sophomore Matt Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior Mike Williams (Ewing, N.J.) joined Williams in double-figures, totaling 14 and 13 points respectively. Junior forward Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) totaled eight points, 11 rebounds and a game-high three blocks in the setback.
CALDWELL - The Cougars lost two close conference games last week, falling to Felician 69-67 on Wednesday and dropping a 60-57 decision to Post on Saturday. Freshman guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, N.J.) poured in a career-high 22 points against Felician, making 4-of-6 from three-point range. Sophomore forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, N.J.) tallied 22 points while shooting 10-of-12 from the field against Post. The Cougars return to action on Jan. 23 with a home game against Nyack.
CHESTNUT HILL - The Griffins appeared to be defeated early in their local CACC contest with Philadelphia University, trailing the Rams 57-40 midway through the second half. The Griffins looked to freshman guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) to direct a furious comeback, but the effort left the Griffins four points shy of the visitors, 67-63. Senior guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, N.J) scored a game-high 21 points, totaling at least 20 points in six of the Griffins last seven contests. The Griffins also saw strong efforts from Walck's and junior guard Jakeem Bogans' (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the loss. Walck finished with a season-high nine points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Bogans contributed seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Freshman forward Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.) anchored the Griffins defensive effort with six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
CONCORDIA – Concordia began the week falling at Dominican, 65-55, and then grabbed a 72-60 victory over Nyack on Saturday. Senior Argelix Gil (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led Concordia with a game-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Senior Lavor Morris (Bronx, N.Y.) would add 12 points and eight rebounds while senior Brandon Whitaker (Harlem, N.Y.) came off the bench to also scored 12 points. The Clippers shot 28-of-57 (49.1%) from the field and held a 44-24 advantage with points in the paint. For the upcoming week Concordia (7-12, 3-6 CACC) will host Post University for their second regular season meeting of the season.
DOMINICAN - Dominican improved to 13-2 overall and 7-0 in conference play after defeating Concordia College in their only contest last week. Senior Leon Porter netted a team high 19 points and three assists in the win. The team is currently on a program-best 10 game winning streak.
FELICIAN – Sophomore forward J.R. Pringley enjoyed a breakout week as the Golden Falcons earned a pair of divisional home victories. Pringley, who was averaging 3.8 point per game entering the week, scored 10 points in Wednesday's triumph over Caldwell, and followed with a career-best 19 points on Saturday against Bloomfield. Senior forward Antoine Obery has posted four consecutive double-doubles, including a season-high 17 rebounds against the Deacons.
GOLDEY-BEACOM – After suffering a pair of losses against CACC South Division opponents last week, the Lightning will aim to snap a four-game losing streak this week. The Lightning, who have lost seven of their last nine contests, dropped a 69-60 decision against local rival Wilmington on Tuesday night prior to an 83-70 setback at Holy Family on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore guard Charles Jackson set a pair of career highs in last week's contests. After recording a career-high 11 rebounds against Wilmington on Tuesday, the Wilmington, Del. native posted a career-high seven steals in Saturday's loss against Holy Family. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Marcus Porter tallied his fourth "double-double" in his last six games with a 14-point, 11-rebound effort against the Wildcats on Tuesday night. The Lightning will have one game this week as they host Chestnut Hill on Tuesday in a rematch of a game played on Dec. 19 in Philadelphia. The Griffins earned a 76-62 victory in the first meeting.
HOLY FAMILY – Holy Family improved its record to above the .500 mark after defeating Goldey-Beacom (83-70) on Saturday in the team's lone game of the week. The Tigers are now 8-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Junior Alberto Munoz had a career day as he scored a career-high 29 points and shot a career-best 7-of-11 from three-point range.
PHILADELPHIA - The Rams (9-6, 5-2 CACC) went 1-1 last week with a 63-43 loss to the University of the Sciences on Jan. 9 and a 67-63 victory at Chestnut Hill on Jan. 12. With the win on Saturday, head coach Herb Magee became the first NCAA men's basketball coach to record 950 career victories. Against the Griffins, senior guard Jim Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) led five Rams in double figures with 17 points. Junior guard Nick Christian (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) (10 points, 11 rebounds) and freshman forward Peter Alexis (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Reedemer) (11 points, 12 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles. Freshman forward TJ Huggins (Alexandria, Va./TC Williams) scored a team-high 10 points in the loss to USciences. This week, Philadelphia closes out its non-conference schedule with a home game against Washington Adventist on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.
POST – Post snapped a three-game losing streak and won back-to-back games against Nyack (79-69) and at Caldwell (60-57) last week. Zach Krischer netted 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor in the first half to help Post to a 10-point, 40-30, halftime advantage against Nyack. Devin Willis hit the game-winning three-pointer with 26 seconds left to help the Eagles earn the season sweep of the Cougars. For the week, Jerry Cummings posted consecutive double-doubles to raise his season total to four. He netted 12 points and 10 rebounds against Nyack and had 16 points and 13 rebounds against Caldwell.
U. SCIENCES – The Devils split their two CACC games last week, recording a 20-point win over first place Philadelphia University 63-43 and losing a close contest on the road to Wilmington University 57-52. Garret Kerr (Moorestown, N.J.) led the Devils in both games and recorded his 10th double-double of the season against Philadelphia with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He went on to add 12 points and nine boards against Wilmington. Kerr's ninth and final rebound was the 500th in his career (40 games), becoming the 29th player in the 111-year history of the program to reach 500 rebounds. In the most recent NCAA Statistics report, Kerr leads the country in double-doubles with 10 and is ranked 8th nationally in rebounding (11.1 per game) and 34th in scoring (19.4 points per game). The Devils as a team rank 58th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 64.2 points per game.
WILMINGTON - The Wildcats swept a pair of games last week, winning back-to-back games for the first time in this season. They opened the week with a win over cross-town rivals Goldey-Beacom, 69-60, to complete the first ever regular season sweep in the NCAA era. Wilmington followed that performance up with a home win over USciences on Saturday, 57-52, to get back into the thick of the CACC South Division standings. Brandon Fox averaged a double-double in the two games, averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds in the wins. He tallied a game high 19 points and 11 rebounds against USciences. Isiah Mason led the attack against the Lightening with 16 points off the bench. The Wildcats square off against their final nonconference opponent on Monday at NYIT before heading to Holy Family on Saturday.