Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Notebook - 11/25

This is the Atlantic 10 Conference's Men's Basketball Notebook for the week of November 18 through 14th. For the second straight time, the conference honors Rhode Island's Will Daniels as player of the week. And Chris Wright of Dayton gets his second rookie of the week citations so far this seaosn.

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Will Daniels - Rhode Island
Senior, Forward, 6-8, 225 lbs.
Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt HS

Daniels earns his second A-10 Player of the Week award in as many weeks after averaging 24.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in three contests...shot 31-of-52 (59.6 percent) from the field...added five blocks and four steals...had 23 points and four rebounds in the Rams' 73-69 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 18 and earned MVP honors of the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla...scored 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting in Rhode Island's 76-72 loss at Boston College on Nov. 21...scored 26 points in 27 minutes on Nov. 24 as the Rams downed Toledo, 83-57.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Chris Wright - Dayton
Freshman, Forward, 6-8, 202 lbs.
Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison HS

Wright earns his second A-10 Rookie of the Week award after averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the field...registered his second double-double of the year on Nov. 21 with 26 points and 12 boards in Dayton's 76-70 win versus Toledo...scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the Flyers' 82-57 victory over Southern Methodist on Nov. 24.

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A-10-SHUN
NEWS FROM AROUND THE ATLANTIC 10

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

• Charlotte senior guard Leemire Goldwire scored a game-high 18 points in the 49ers' 58-56 (OT) loss to Monmouth on Nov. 19
• Senior guard Brian Roberts of Dayton averaged 18 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of victories. He sank 14-of-23 field goal attempts
• Duquesne junior forward/center Shawn James averaged 9.5 rebounds, 9.5 blocks and 5.5 points in two victories
• Freshman guard Mike Moore scored a season-high 17 points on five-of-five shooting from beyond the arc in Fordham's 73-68 loss to College of Charleston on Nov. 24
• George Washington junior swingman (and Virginia Tech transfer) Wynton Witherspoon scored a career-high 21 points in the Colonials' 89-79 loss at Maryland-Baltimore County on Nov. 24
• Senior guard Darnell Harris averaged 13.5 points and knocked down six three-point field goals in a pair of contests for La Salle
• Rhode Island junior guard Jimmy Baron scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting on Nov. 24 in the Rams' 83-57 win over Toledo
• Sophomore forward Dan Geriot averaged 22 points on 17-of-30 shooting in a pair of road contests for Richmond
• St. Bonaventure senior forward Michael Lee 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two contests and added four steals
• Junior guard Tommie Liddell scored a season-high 20 points on Nov. 24 as Saint Louis turned aside Pacific, 63-54
• Temple senior guard/forward Mark Tyndale averaged 21 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of victories. TU freshman forward Lavoy Allen averaged 12 points and 5.5 boards over two contests
• Junior guard/forward C.J. Anderson of Xavier averaged 15 points and six rebounds and made 18-of-29 field goal attempts in three victories.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND

B.J. Raymond posted his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points and career-best 10 rebounds in Xavier's 80-65 win over eighth-ranked Indiana on Nov. 24 to win the Chicago Challenge. The junior guard/forward has scored in double figures in each of the Musketeers' five games this season and is tied for the team scoring lead at 13.6 ppg. while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Teammate Drew Lavender scored 13 points versus Indiana and was named the MVP of the Chicago Challenge for his efforts in leading XU to four wins.

QUICK OUT OF THE BLOCKS

Off to its first 5-0 start since 1985-86, Duquesne has opened the season in impressive fashion. Through five games, the Dukes are averaging 95.2 points per game with an average margin of victory of 30.6 ppg. Saturday's 76-65 win over Niagara on Saturday marked the first time the Dukes trailed in the second half this season. Duquesne heads to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Iowa Realty Invitational (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) vying for its first 6-0 start since 1979-80. The Dukes, who ranked 324th out of 325 Division I programs last season field goal percentage defense (.507), have held each of their five opponents this season under 36 percent shooting. Junior Shawn James leads the A-10 with 29 blocks (5.8 bpg.) after recording an A-10 record 12 rejections Duquesne's 92-77 win at Oakland on Nov. 20.

GROWING PAINS

With as many as seven underclassmen seeing extended minutes, Richmond is experiencing the highs and lows that go along with playing so many young players. The Spiders posted consecutive road wins over East Carolina and Rice but own a 3-4 record despite leading by at least seven points in each of their seven games this season.

QUICK SIX

Playing its fifth game in seven days, Rhode Island earned an 83-57 home win over Toledo on Nov. 24 to improve to 6-1 for the first time since the 1997-98 season. That year, URI boasted a record of 25-9 en route to a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

BACK IN THE SWING

Saint Joseph's has not taken the court since its 57-48 win at Boston University on Nov. 17. However, the Hawks will play four home games over the next eight days, including a matchup with No. 14 Gonzaga on Nov. 29. Sophomore guard Tasheed Carr has made a smooth transition into the Hawks' starting lineup after sitting out last season upon his transfer from Iowa State. He scored 13 points versus Syracuse on Nov. 13 in the Preseason NIT and is is averaging 8.7 assists through the Hawks' first three games.

THREE SPEAK

Massachusetts tied a program record with 15 three-point field goals made on a school-record 32 attempts in its 93-78 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 17. The last time the Minutemen made 15 field goals from beyond the arc. was versus Temple in 1997. UMass has made 51 three-pointers through five games this season, with senior forward Etienne Brower shooting a blistering .625 (15-of-24) from three-point range.

CONSISTENT-LEE

St. Bonaventure senior forward Michael Lee scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed nine boards in the Bonnies' 63-60 loss to Eastern Michigan on Nov. 24, the fifth time in six contests this season that Lee has scored at least 20 points. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native is averaging 21.2 ppg. and 8.5 rpg., up from his averages of 12.8 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. a year ago. Lee is just five rebounds shy of becoming the 21st player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds.

THE POWER OF POINTS

Dayton improved to 22-3 when scoring at least 75 points under fifth-year head coach Brian Gregory after the Flyers turned aside Southern Methodist on Nov. 24, 82-57.

A-10 Players of the Week
Nov. 5-10 - Kieron Achara, Duquesne
Nov. 11-17 - Will Daniels, Rhode Island / Gary Forbes, Massachusetts
Nov. 18-24 - Will Daniels, Rhode Island

A-10 Rookies of the Week
Nov. 5-10 - Chris Wright, Dayton
Nov. 11-17 - Damian Saunders, Duquesne
Nov. 18-24 - Chris Wright, Dayton