Last Week: The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team went 2-1 in conference play last week, falling at home to Anna Maria before scoring victories against Norwich and No. 14 Johnson & Wales. Albertus Magnus currently sits in third-place in the GNAC standings with a 16-5 overall record and a 12-4 mark in league action. Versus Anna Maria, the Falcons turned it over under their own basket with less than 20 seconds left which led to the game-winning layup by the AMCATS. At Norwich, Albertus Magnus never trailed in the contest to get back on the winning track. The Falcons ended the week by knocking off the nationally-ranked Wildcats. AMC freshman point guard Ryan Pittman scored 29 of his 34 points in the second half as Albertus broke open a tie game to earn the league triumph.
This Week: The Falcons end the regular season with a pair conference games, traveling to face Mount Ida in midweek action before hosting Emmanuel on senior day over the weekend. AMC has already clinched the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will host the No. 6 seed in the GNAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 23.
Match-up:
Albertus Magnus (16-5, 12-4 GNAC) at Mount Ida (11-12, 7-9 GNAC)
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Newton, Mass.
MIC Athletic Center
Live Stats: Click here (All links will become active at the start of the contest)
Live Video: Click here
Earlier this Season Against the Mustangs: Albertus Magnus scored a 98-82 victory at home versus Mount Ida in mid-January. Sophomore forward Jaqhawn Walters scored a season-high 29 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the Falcons past the Mustangs. AMC led from beginning to end to hand Mount Ida its most lopsided loss of the season at the time. Albertus Magnus also shot over 60 percent from the field in the triumph.
Series History: Albertus Magnus has won 14 of the last 16 meetings with Mount Ida, including each of the last 10. The Falcons are 6-2 all-time on the road against the Mustangs.
Scouting Mount Ida: The Mustangs enter the week in a two-game conference losing streak and have dropped four of their last five GNAC tilts. Mount Ida is fifth in the conference in scoring, pouring in over 77 points a game. The Mustangs are shooting just under 43 percent from the field this winter, highlighted by hitting over 32 percent of their attempts from three-point range. The balanced offensive attack sees five players average in double figures, led by sophomore guard Joey DeFillippi with over 13 a game. Classmate Patrick McKearney is having a solid year, netting just under 11 points a game and grabbing seven boards.
Match-up:
Albertus Magnus vs. Emmanuel (8-15, 8-8)
Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 3:00 pm
New Haven, Conn.
The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center
Live Stats: Click here
Live Video: Click here
Earlier This Year Versus Emmanuel: Albertus Magnus scored an 84-73 road win against Emmanuel in early December. The Falcons used a 19-1 run in the second half to erase an eight-point deficit and gain a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. During the second frame, the Falcons used high pressure defense and up-tempo offense to rally for the triumph. Freshman Forward Shontaey Lovell led the way for the guests with a game-high 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Series History: Albertus Magnus leads the all-time series, 19-11, and is currently riding a 14-game winning streak versus Emmanuel. In New Haven, AMC is 10-5 against the Saints.
Scouting Emmanuel: The Saints enter the week red hot and in the midst of a five-game conference winning streak. Emmanuel ranks last in the GNAC in field goal percentage, knocking down just 39 percent of its shots this season. The Saints rank second in the conference (behind Albertus) in offensive rebounds per game (14). Away from home, EC is 3-9 this season with all three wins coming in conference play. Three Saints average in double figures, led by senior center Kyle Davis with over 13 a tilt. He also is shooting over 46 percent from the field and pulling down just under nine rebounds a contest.
Albertus Notes
- On Monday, Lovell was honored as the GNAC Rookie of the Week for the 11th time this season. He averaged over 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game, while shooting over 61 percent from the field. Lovell now has a conference-leading 13 double-doubles. Lovell leads the GNAC and ranks fifth in the country in rebounds per game (12.0), while also leading the league and ranking sixth in the country in field goal percentage (66.0%).
- Walters averaged over 14 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and one steal per game last week. He recorded two double-doubles and shot over 45 percent from the field, while averaging over 36 minutes a game. He currently ranks sixth in the league in scoring (16.0 points per game) and is second in rebounding behind Lovell (10.4).
- Senior wing Marc Wilson has scored in double figures in nine straight games, having topped the 20-point plateau three times during that stretch. Over his last two games, he is shooting 62 percent from the field and averaged over 15 points.
- Junior guard Grant Ellis is becoming more comfortable in the Falcon offense, scoring 30 points and connecting on nine three-pointers over the last two games. Ellis has also been stellar at the charity stripe this season, shooting 87.5 percent (14-of-16).
- Last time out, Pittman had a career day in the Albertus win over No. 14 Johnson & Wales. He scored a team-high 34 points, 29 of which came after halftime. In his best game as a Falcon, he knocked down 7-of-8 shots from the field and 17-of-21 from the free-throw line. The speedy guard hit all three of his shots from beyond the arc and added five rebounds, six assists and three steals.
- Albertus Magnus is receiving votes in the most recent D3Hoops.com Poll.
