Last Week: The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team went 2-0 in Great Northeast Athletic (GNAC) play last week, topping Mount Ida and Emmanuel, to end the regular season with an 18-5 overall record and a 14-4 mark in GNAC play. In the victory against the Mustangs, Albertus Magnus shot 55 percent from the field in the second half to erase a halftime deficit and pull away. Versus the Saints, AMC pulled away thanks to pressure defense and quality shot selection. Down the stretch in both contests, Albertus Magnus knocked down its shots from the charity stripe to enter the post-season on a four-game winning streak.
This Week: Albertus Magnus earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GNAC Tournament and will host No. 6 seed Mount Ida on Tuesday evening.
Match-up:
GNAC Quarterfinals
No. 3 Albertus Magnus (18-5) vs. No. 6 Mount Ida (11-14)
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 7:00 pm
New Haven, Conn.
The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center
Live Stats: Click here (All links will become available at the start of the contest)
Live Video: Click here
Earlier this Season Versus the Mustangs: Albertus Magnus swept the season series against Mount Ida, winning on the road by five points and cruising to a 16-point triumph at home. AMC freshman forward Shontaey Lovell averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Mount Ida, while senior wing Marc Wilson scored over 20 points in both victories.
Series History: Albertus Magnus has won 15 of the last 17 meetings with Mount Ida, highlighted by its current 11-game winning streak. The Falcons are 8-0 at home all-time against the Mustangs.
Scouting Mount Ida: The Mustangs enter the GNAC Tournament with an 11-14 overall record and earned the No. 6 seed thanks to a 7-11 mark in league play. Mount Ida has dropped four straight conference games and six of their last seven GNAC contests. The team is fifth in the conference in scoring, netting over 77 points per game, while knocking down 43 percent of their shots from the field. The balanced offensive attack sees five different player average in double figures, led by sophomore guard Joey DeFillippi with over 13 a game. Sophomore big man Patrick McKearney is netting over 10 points a game and pulling down seven rebounds a contest.
Albertus Notes
- Albertus Magnus enters the post-season riding a four-game winning streak. The Falcons are making their 16th appearance in the GNAC Tournament, owning a 23-9 overall record in the event. The team has won four straight conference titles and has won 12 GNAC Tournament games in a row. Tuesday's showdown will be the first-ever between AMC and Mount Ida in post-season play.
- Lovell was tabbed as the GNAC Rookie of the Week for the 12th time on Monday. He averaged over 21 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting an impressive 75 percent (18-24) from the field in a pair of conference wins for the Falcons. Enter the post-season, Lovell has recorded a conference-leading 15 double-doubles. He also leads the GNAC in rebounds per game (12.1) and field goal percentage (66.7 %). Those marks are the fourth-highest and third-best in the country, respectively.
- Wilson averaged 25 points a game and shot better than 63 percent from the field last week for the Falcons. Over the weekend, he netted a game-high 28 points in a Senior-Day victory versus Emmanuel. In the win, he hit nine shots from the field and knocked down 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He has scored over 20 points seven times this year, including each of the last two games.
- Albertus Magnus leads the GNAC in field goal percentage, hitting over 47 percent of its shots from the field. The squad also leads the conference in rebounding (41.7 boards per game) and ranks second in scoring (86.5 points per game).
- Sophomore forward Jaqhawn Walters is averaging a double-double this season, scoring over 15 a game and grabbing 10 rebounds a contest. He ranks seventh in the league in scoring and is third in rebounding. He is also tied for fourth in the league with four assists per game.
