Brent Named ECC Defensive Player of the Year and Butler ECC Coach of the Year; Turner, Baldwin-Kollore Earn All-Conference Honors

Mar 04, 2015

 

 

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Senior forward Denikka Brent was named the East Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Head Coach Lester Butler, Jr. was named the Coach of the Year, and guards Telisha Turner and Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore earned Second Team All-ECC and Honorable Mention Team, respectively, as the league office announced the 2014-15 All-Conference honors Wednesday afternoon.

Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) earned the conference's top defensive honor after showcasing her versatility as a defender by ranking among the ECC leaders in multiple defensive categories. Currently, she ranks 9^th with 7.7 rebounds per-game, 10^th with 1.5 blocks per-game, and 2^nd in the ECC as well as among the Division II top-25 with 2.64 steals per-game.

Butler, Jr. was tabbed the Coach of the Year by his peers as the Firebirds won a school-record 25 games and currently are ranked No. 23 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll under his guidance. Butler also guided UDC to an 18-2 mark in conference play to earn the program's first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the upcoming ECC Women's Basketball Championship.

UDC also led the ECC with three All-Conference selections: Denikka Brent (First Team), Telisha Turner (Second Team) and Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore (Honorable Mention Team).

Brent, who's defensive prowess earned her much respect throughout the league, was also the league's 3^rd leading scorer with 17.3 points per-game. She finished the regular season with the 2^ndmost field goals (184), the 7^th-highest FG percentage (48%), and she was 8^th in offensive rebounds (70). This marked the 2^nd straight year Brent was named First Team All-Conference and the 3^rd All-Conference honor of Brent's career after she made the All-Rookie Team her freshman season in 2011-12.

Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum), who played the second half of the regular season on a severely sprained ankle, was one of the league's most prolific three-point shooters as well as an outstanding point guard. She finished ranked 5^th in three-point FG percentage and 7^th in total three-point field goals made (51), 3^rd in free-throw percentage (79.4%), 7^th in assists (89) and 8^th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). She was also the 16^th leading scorer in the league with 12.7 points per-game. This marked the 2^nd straight year Turner has earned an All-Conference honor after she earned First Team honors last season.

Baldwin-Kollore had a breakout junior season in 2014-15 as she earned the first All-Conference honor of her three-year career at UDC with this year's Honorable Mention Team selection. She was 3^rd on the team in scoring and 22^nd in the ECC with 11.3 points per-game while shooting an ECC-best 43.2-percent from three-point range and an ECC-10^th best 46.8-percent from the field. Baldwin-Kollore scored in double-figures 20 times this season including a streak of 17 games. She was also 8^th in the conference with 48 steals.

The Firebirds are a No. 1 seed in this week's ECC Tournament and will take on the winner of the No. 4 NYIT vs. No. 5 LIU Post quarterfinal matchup in Saturday's semifinal.

2014-2015 ECC Women's Basketball All-Conference

First Team
Denikka Brent, Dist. Columbia (Sr., F, Chesapeake, Va.)

Nyasia Davis, LIU Post (Jr., C/F, Rahway, N.J.)

Dina Ragab, NYIT (Jr., F, Cairo, Egypt)

Madison Rowland, Queens (So., G, Cohoes, N.Y.)

Marissa Sell, Roberts Wesleyan (Sr., F, Brockport, N.Y.)

Chelsea Williams, LIU Post (Sr., G, Copiague, N.Y.)

Second TeamShanice Allen, NYIT (So., G, Riverhead, N.Y.)

Tanayzha Augustine, Mercy (Sr., F, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)

MacKenzie Rowland, Queens (Jr., C, Cohoes, N.Y.)

Telisha Turner, Dist. Columbia (Sr., G, Wilmington, Del.)

Christine Verrelle, Dowling (Sr., G, Abington, Pa.)

Honorable Mention Team
Taj Baldwin-Kollore, Dist. Columbia (Jr., G, Newport News, Va.)

Shy Britton, Daemen (Sr., F, Rochester, N.Y.)

Samantha Courtney, Roberts Wesleyan (Jr., F, Marathon, N.Y.)

Jenna Erickson, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fr., G, Melrose, N.Y.)

Kristen Korzevinski, Queens (New Hyde Park, N.Y.)

Player of the Year:  Madison Rowland, Queens

Defensive Player of the Year:  Denikka Brent, Dist. Columbia

Rookie of the Year:  Jenna Erickson, St. Thomas Aquinas

Coach of the Year: Lester Butler, Jr., Dist. Columbia

UDC Women's Basketball Ranked No. 3 in 3rd NCAA East Regional Poll; No. 23 in USA Today Division II Poll

Firebirds Ranked No. 3 in 3^rd NCAA East Regional Poll; No. 23 in USA Today Division II Poll

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of the District of Columbia women’s basketball team jumped one spot to No. 3 in the NCAA East Region Poll as voted on by the NCAA Division II East Region Advisory Committee. The Firebirds are also ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Division II national poll.

This marks the final poll of the season as the three conferences comprising the East Region - the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference – hold their conference tournaments this week, with all three league champions earning NCAA Division II Tournament automatic bids. Five at-large bids and the seeding of all eight teams representing the East will be decided by the Regional Advisory Committee and announced during “Selection Sunday” on NCAA.com at 10 p.m.

The Firebirds (25-3, 18-2 ECC) have won 14 straight games, including Saturday's 69-66 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas, where the visiting Firebirds erased a nine-point deficit late in the second half to earn their school-record 25^th win of the season. UDC is a No. 1 seed in this weekend's ECC Championship Tournament and will play the winner of the No. 4 NYIT vs. No. 5 LIU Post quarterfinal matchup in Saturday's semifinal round at LIU Post.

Seventeen of UDC's 25 wins have come by double-figures, and the Firebirds are 7-1 outside of conference play and 13-1 on the road this season. UDC also boasts wins over a previously top-25 ranked team (Virginia St.) and three schools also ranked in this poll (Queens – 6^th, LIU Post – 9^th and Roberts Wesleyan – 10^th).

Adelphi (26-3) jumped two spots to top this week’s poll as they defeated No. 3 New Haven, 76-73 in both teams' regular season finale and then knocked off Le Moyne, 82-70 in the Northeast-10 quarterfinals on Sunday. The Panthers will face the No. 5 ranked team in this poll, Franklin Pierce (18-9) in the NE-10 Semifinals on Thursday. Meanwhile, New Haven (23-4) fell only one spot to No. 2 as the Chargers bounced back from the loss at Adelphi to beat Assumption, 72-48 in their NE-10 quarterfinal matchup. They will square off against American International on Thursday in the NE-10 semifinals. (The NE-10 Finals will be played on Sunday, March 8^th at 1:00 PM)

Stonehill (22-4) on the other hand, fell from No. 2 to No. 4 after suffering a 73-64 overtime loss to American International in the NE-10 Quarterfinalson Sunday. Eliminated from the NE-10 Conference Tournament now, the Skyhawks have no more remaining games to help or hinder their NCAA Tournament seeding.

East
Rank	School	In-Region Record	Overall DII Record
1	Adelphi	25-3	26-3
2	New Haven	23-4	23-4
3	Dist. Columbia	25-3	25-3
4	Stonehill	22-4	22-4
5	Franklin Pierce	18-9	18-9
6	Queens (NY)	19-7	19-7
7	Philadelphia U.	21-7	21-7
8	USciences	18-7	20-7
9	LIU Post	17-10	17-11
10	Roberts Wesleyan	17-6	17-6

Bowie State Bulldogs Ranked 5th in NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Poll

BOWIE, Md. - The Bowie State University men's basketball team is ranked 5th in the latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Poll released today. The Bulldogs overall record currently stands at 22-8 and await Sunday's (3/8) Selection Show at 10:30 p.m. The top eight teams in each region receive a post season bid.
 

NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL ATLANTIC REGION POLL
RANK	SCHOOL	OVERALL D-II RECORD	IN REGION RECORD
1	West Liberty (W.Va.)	25-2	25-2
2	Indiana (Pa.)	24-5	24-5
3	Gannon (Pa.)	20-8	20-8
4	Mercyhurst (Pa.)	20-7	20-7
5	Bowie State (Md.)	22-8	21-7
6	Fairmont State (W.Va.)	19-9	19-9
7	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	18-9	18-9
8	Concord (W.Va.)	20-8	20-7
9	Charleston (W.Va.)	17-9	17-9
10	Glenville State (W.Va.)	18-10	18-10

UDC Men’s Basketball Falls at St. Thomas Aquinas in Season Finale

SPARKILL, NY – Playing against a St. Thomas Aquinas squad needing a win to capture an East Coast Conference regular season championship, the University of the District of Columbia men’s basketball team was defeated, 99-78 in its 2014-15 season finale Saturday afternoon at Aquinas Hall.

The Firebirds (5-23, 5-15 ECC) were led by junior transfer forward Geran Pope (Political Science – Washington, DC/Virginia Union), who registered his 5^th double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guards Michael Terry (Criminal Justice – Philadelphia, PA/Boston U) and Quasim Jones (Mass Media – Philadelphia, PA/Johnson CC), playing their final games as Firebirds, registered 15 and 14 points, respectively.

St. Thomas Aquinas (20-10, 17-3 ECC), which won its 4^th straight game to clinch the regular season conference title, had seven scorers reach double-figures, including a game-high 16 by Alushula Odongo.

The Spartans shot a blistering 60-percent (33-of-55 FG) as they out-scored UDC 50-34 in the paint. They also feasted at the free-throw line, making 28-of-39 attempts (72-percent).

The Firebirds tried to keep pace early as a Reggie Sidbury three-pointer brought them within two, 10-8 nearly two minutes into the game. STAC took control of the game at that point, however, as they stormed out to a 22-7 run, culminating in a three-pointer by Aaron Cust to put the Spartans up 32-15 just before the 10-minute mark. Then, already trailing 36-21, UDC allowed STAC to close out the half on a 22-8 march, as the hosts took a commanding, 58-29 lead into intermission.

From there, STAC cruised to a comfortable, 21-point victory to complete the season sweep of UDC and capture the No. 1 seed in next week’s ECC Tournament.

UDC, with all five of its wins coming in ECC play this season, finished next to last in the league standings. The Firebirds’ five wins this season under 2^ndyear head coach Mike Riley was still an improvement upon last year’s mark of 3-23 (1-19 ECC).

Official Basketball Box Score
District of Columbia at. St. Thomas Aquinas College
2/28/2015 at 3:30 pm @ Aquinas Hall - Sparkill, NY

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VISITORS: Dist. Columbia (5-23, 5-15 ECC)

			TOT-FG	3-PT		REBOUNDS
#	Player Name		FG-FGA	FG-FGA	FT-FTA	OF	DE	TOT	PF	TP	A	TO	BLK	S	MIN
02	Clenso Brannon......	f	2-7	0-0	2-4	3	4	7	3	6	2	1	0	0	20
11	Quasim Jones........	g	6-14	1-5	1-2	0	0	0	5	14	5	4	0	1	34
13	Erin Senegal........	g	5-15	1-5	0-0	5	2	7	5	11	2	2	0	0	27
15	Michael Terry.......	g	5-12	3-6	2-2	4	0	4	2	15	1	1	0	4	26
21	Reggie Sidbury......	g	1-5	1-4	0-0	0	2	2	1	3	1	1	0	1	23
01	Prince Ritson.......		2-2	0-0	0-1	1	1	2	1	4	0	1	0	0	13
04	Omar Abbas..........		0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
05	Masner Beauplan.....		0-4	0-1	3-4	0	0	0	1	3	0	1	0	0	12
12	Andre Williams......		1-4	0-1	3-5	1	3	4	3	5	1	1	0	0	16
22	Traevon Butler......		0-1	0-0	2-2	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	5
34	Geran Pope..........		4-14	0-0	7-10	11	4	15	3	15	0	2	1	2	21
TM	TEAM................					4	3	7	0			0
	Totals..............		26-79	6-23	20-30	29	19	48	26	78	12	14	1	8	200

TOTAL FG%	1st Half: 30.6%	2nd Half: 34.9%	Game: 32.9%
3-Pt. FG%	1st Half: 25.0%	2nd Half: 27.3%	Game: 26.1%
F Throw%	1st Half: 66.7%	2nd Half: 66.7%	Game: 66.7%

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HOME TEAM: St. Thomas Aquinas (20-10, 17-3 ECC)

			TOT-FG	3-PT		REBOUNDS
#	Player Name		FG-FGA	FG-FGA	FT-FTA	OF	DE	TOT	PF	TP	A	TO	BLK	S	MIN
05	Alushula Odongo.....	f	4-4	0-0	8-12	2	1	3	3	16	1	3	0	0	19
03	Marcus Henderson....	g	2-5	1-3	3-4	0	2	2	1	8	3	2	0	2	22
11	Jonathan McNair.....	g	1-4	0-2	0-0	0	5	5	4	2	4	1	0	0	17
15	Chaz Watler.........	g	5-9	1-1	0-0	0	1	1	1	11	1	3	0	1	21
24	Shaquille McFarlan..	g	5-8	0-1	1-1	1	5	6	1	11	1	0	1	2	18
01	James Mitchell......		1-2	1-2	7-8	1	1	2	3	10	2	3	0	1	17
12	Brad Saxton.........		1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4
21	Justin Reyes........		4-7	0-1	5-9	3	2	5	0	13	2	1	0	0	19
25	Aaron Cust..........		4-5	2-2	1-1	0	2	2	1	11	0	0	0	0	18
30	Jules de Courtenay..		4-6	0-0	3-4	2	3	5	5	11	1	3	0	0	19
32	Kiernan Hayes.......		1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	5	2	1	1	0	0	7
33	Sam Berlin..........		1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	2	1	2	0	0	4	0	12
34	Ross Greenfield.....		0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	7
TM	TEAM................					1	3	4	0			0
	Totals..............		33-55	5-12	28-39	10	29	39	26	99	16	18	5	6	200

TOTAL FG%	1st Half: 63.6%	2nd Half: 54.5%	Game: 60.0%
3-Pt. FG%	1st Half: 62.5%	2nd Half: 0%	Game: 41.7%
F Throw%	1st Half: 91.7%	2nd Half: 63.0%	Game: 71.8%

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Score by Periods	1	2	Total
Dist. Columbia......	29	49	-	78
St. Thomas Aquinas..	58	41	-	99

Officials: Jeff Bryant, Christopher Bailey, Joe Manzione
Attendance: 350
Technical fouls: UDC-M-1. STACMBB-None.
Points in the paint: UDC-M-34, STACMBB-50.Points off turnovers: UDC-M-24, STACMBB-19.
2nd chance points: UDC-M-25, STACMBB-17.Fast break points: UDC-M-6, STACMBB-12.
Bench Points: UDC-M-29, STACMBB-51.

ECC Basketball Championship Brackets Set

Central Islip, N.Y. – With regular season play wrapping up on Sunday afternoon, the brackets for the 2015 East Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are now set.

Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 4 with the play-in round quarterfinals on campus sites. LIU Post's Pratt Recreation Center will host the semifinals and finals of both tournaments on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9.

Men’s Basketball

After advancing to the ECC Championship game for the first time ever as the No. 5 seed last season, St. Thomas Aquinas carried the momentum into the 2014-15 season, sharing the conference's Regular Season Championship and earning the top seed. They enter the tournament with a 20-10 (17-3 ECC) record. This is the first time since the 1998-99 season, before they were even NCAA Division II members, that the Spartans have won 20 games in a season.

As the top seed, St. Thomas Aquinas earns a bye into the semifinals where they will face off against the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup of LIU Post hosting Molloy. The schools split their two regular season meetings, with each game finishing within a margin of at least five points. LIU Post (16-12, 11-9 ECC) is making their 13th straight appearance in the ECC Championship, while Molloy (16-12, 11-9 ECC) is in the field for the eighth consecutive season.

Two-time defending ECC Champion and Co-Regular Season Champion, Bridgeport, receives the other bye after posting a 22-6 (17-3 ECC) record during the regular season.

In the semifinals, Bridgeport will take on the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 quarterfinal matchup which features the New York Institute of Technology Bears hosting the Dowling College Golden Lions. NYIT (14-14, 11-9 ECC), is back in the ECC Championship after a one-year hiatus. The Golden Lions (12-15, 10-10 ECC) swept the season series between the two schools, including an exciting 86-85 win at NYIT on February 4th.

Women’s Basketball

On the women’s side, defending ECC Champion, University of the District of Columbia earned their first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship with an 18-2 record in conference play. As the top seed the Firebirds, who have set a program record with 25 wins, earn a bye into the semifinals. This is the third time in their four years in the conference that UDC has earned a first round bye.

The quarterfinal which will see the winner advance to take on UDC has No. 5 seed, LIU Post (17-11, 13-7 ECC), taking on their Northern Boulevard rival and No. 4 seed, New York Institute of Technology (18-10, 13-7 ECC). The game is a rematch of a semifinal game from the 2014 Championship that LIU Post won. The two teams split their regular season match-ups with each winning on their home courts.

Joining UDC with a first round bye is Queens College. The Knights earned the second seed with a 15-5 record (20-7 overall) in conference action.

Roberts Wesleyan earns the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed, St. Thomas Aquinas College. Roberts is making their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship. The Redhawks are in their first season as full NCAA Division II members after a three-year transition process from the NAIA. Roberts also finished with a 15-5 ECC mark (20-6 overall) but lost out on the No. 2 seed to Queens due to conference tie-breakers. St. Thomas Aquinas (13-16, 9-11 ECC) are back in the tournament after having a streak of 11 straight appearances snapped a season ago. Roberts Wesleyan swept the season series between the two, but won in overtime, 50-46, in Rochester on February 21st.

Tip-off times for some games are yet to be determined. All games during the championship will be broadcast live. The quarterfinal match-ups will be available on the ECC website and ECC iHigh network (www.ihigh.com/eccsports).  The semi-finals and finals broadcast, provided by the Birdseye Sports, will be high-quality broadcasts on the ECC website. To read Twitter updates throughout the tournament, follow us @ECCsports.  Tournament recaps, highlights, interviews, and box scores will also be available on www.eccsports.org at the tournament specific web pages.

2015 East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 4 at campus sites

7:00 p.m. - No. 5 Molloy at No. 4 LIU Post

7:30 p.m. - No. 6 Dowling at No. 3 NYIT

Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 at LIU Post

5:00 p.m. - MOL/LIUP vs.  No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas

7:30 p.m. - DOW/NYIT vs. No. 2 Bridgeport

Final – Sunday, March 8

2:30 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner

To view the ECC Men's Basketball Tournament page, click here.

2015 East Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 4 at campus sites

5:00 p.m. - No. 5 LIU Post at No. 4 NYIT

Time TBA - No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 3 Roberts Wesleyan  

Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 at LIU Post

12:00 p.m. - LIUP/NYIT vs. No. 1 Dist. Columbia

2:30 p.m. - STAC/RWC vs. No. 2 Queens

Final – Sunday, March 8 at LIU Post

12:00 p.m. - Semifinal winner vs. Semifinal winner

To view the ECC Women's Basketball Tournament page, click here.

Justin Beck Selected To All-CIAA Tournament Men's Basketball Team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Junior guard Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) of Bowie State University was named to the All-CIAA Tournament Men's Basketball Team after the championship game concluded at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday night, February 28, 2015.

Beck led the Bulldogs in scoring in Bowie State’s semifinal loss against champions Livingstone College, scoring a personal season-best of 18 points. He scored 11 points in a quarterfinal victory over Chowan University and averaged 14.5 points in both games.

In games through 2/27/15, Beck leads the team in field goal percentage (.527), rebounds (180), rebound average (6.0) and minutes (803).

Below is the 2015 All-CIAA Men's Basketball Tournament Team:

Joe Reid (Shaw) - Senior Forward

Anthony Gaskins (Saint Augustine's University) - Sophomore Guard

Joshua Dawson (Fayetteville State) - Sophomore Guard

Ty Newman (Livingstone) - Junior Guard

Justin Beck (Bowie State) - Junior Guard

Anthony Shelton (Fayetteville State) - Senior Forward

Eric Dubose (Livingstone) - Junior Guard

Donta Harper (Winston-Salem State) - Senior Forward

Eric Mayo (Livingstone) - Senior Forward

WyKevin Bazemore (Winston-Salem State) - Senior Forward

2015 Men's Tournament Most Valuable Player

Ty Newman (Livingstone) - Junior Guard