GNAC Men's Basketball Report: Week 8

( FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 6 - 12 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Mike Rapoza, Anna Maria (Sr., F - Charlton, Mass.) In the AMCATS only game of the week, an 85-67 win over Norwich as they opened GNAC play, Rapoza finished shot 84.6% (11-13 FG, 3-6 FT) for a game-high 25 points to go with 18 rebounds (eight offensive) and four assists in 38 minutes of action.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Taelon Martin, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., G - Springfield, Mass., 23) Martin helped the Blue Jays to a 2-0 week by averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals in 14.5 minutes per game as USJ ran its win streak to 10 straight games. The Springfield product was superb shooting the rock in the pair of wins, connecting on 7-of-11 (63.6%) from the field including 2-of-4 (50.0%) from beyond the arc. He was also 2-of-2 on the week from the charity stripe. Martin opened the week with five points, a rebound, and three steals in an 87-41 route at Castleton on Monday night He then followed that up with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor in just 17 minutes of floor time as the Blue Jays toppled Pratt at home on Friday night, 105-61. The victory over Pratt also marked the 900th career victory for Hall of Fame head coach Jim Calhoun.

WEEK 8 HONOR ROLL

Zach Crisafulli, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, G - Easthampton, Mass.) - Crisafulli posted a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds to power Emmanuel past Rivier, 90-76, in the Saints' only contest of the week. The junior shot 54% from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, adding two assists, two blocks and one steal in the win.

Jack Moulder, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, F - Newtown, Conn.) - Moulder paced the Saints with a career-high 23 points in a 90-76 victory over Rivier, going 6-of-10 from three while shooting 8-of-14 overall. Moulder added three assists and three rebounds over 31 minutes of action in the win to help EC move to 11-2 for the best start in program history.

Brian Hogan-Gary, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., G - Staten Island, NY) - Averaged 22.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in a trio of games. He started the week with 31 points against Division-I Brown, then had 23 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double against Regis. He capped the week by scoring 14 points against Division-I Yale on Sunday. 

Eric Day, Lasell (So., G - Norwalk, Conn.) - Day poured in a game-high 32 points as Lasell overcame a 14-point second-half deficit Tuesday evening to pull out a dramatic 95-87 overtime victory over Dean. Day made 11-of-23 shots and added seven rebounds, four assists and six steals. 

Dimitri Rosa, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., G - Tiverton, R.I.) - Rosa helped spread out the Regis offense as the Pride won both games last week, averaging 20.0 points while shooting 61.9% (13-21), including 66.7% (12-18) from three-point range. On Wednesday at Fitchburg State, he tied the program single-game record with eight made threes, six of them in the second half, as the Pride defeated the Falcons. Rosa finished with a career-high 28 points, capped by two free throws in the final seconds to secure the 83-80 victory. On Saturday, he contributed to Regis' victory at JWU with four three-pointers for 12 points. Rosa is now sixth in the GNAC with 2.4 made three-pointers per game. 

Delshawn Jackson Jr., St. Joseph (Conn.) (So., G - Hartford, Conn.) - Jackson Jr. had another big week as the Blue Jays went 2-0, averaging 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 27.0 minutes per game. The Hartford product was superb shooting the rock in the pair of wins, connecting on 17-of-26 (65.4%) from the field, including an impressive 9-of-14 (64.3%) from beyond the arc. He was also 7-of-8 (87.5) on the week from the charity stripe. Jackson Jr. opened the week with a game-high 29 points, five rebounds, and five assists in an 87-41 route at Castleton on Monday night where 'DJ' set a new single-game program-record with eight made threes (8-11) in the triumph. He then followed that up with another 20-point performance, netting 21 on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor in just 24 minutes, as the Blue Jays toppled Pratt at home on Friday night, 105-61. 

Jack Casale, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr., Guard - Portland, Maine) - In an 81-72 victory over Maine Maritime Academy on Tuesday, Casale registered his seventh double-double of the season with 28 points and 16 rebounds to go with three assists. The junior guard made 9-of-18 shots from the floor, including 3-of-11 from three, and went 7-for-9 from the FT line in the triumph.

Thomas Duffy, Suffolk (Sr., G - Fairfield, Conn.) - Duffy had eight points (3-5 FG, 2-4 3PT) to go with five assists (no turnovers) and four rebounds in just 27 minutes of action as the Rams beat Framingham State, 67-33, in the team's only game.