GNAC Men's Basketball Report: Week 9

( FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 13 - 19 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nate Patenaude, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., G - Smithfield, R.I.) The junior averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 55.9% (19-34 FG, 6-17 3PT, 8-10 FT) in a pair of Wildcat wins last week. He scored a career-high 37 points, incuding 22 in the second half, with five rebounds and three assists as JWU went on the road to beat SJC, 84-74, on Saturday. Earlier in the week, he hit the game-winning three at the buzzer to lift the Wildcats past the NESCAC's Wesleyan on Tuesday at home, 70-67, contributing 15 points and nine boards in the win.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Taelon Martin, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., G - Springfield, Mass., 23) Martin helped power the Blue Jays to a 2-0 week as USJ picked up a win over perennial NESCAC power Williams and a triumph in their GNAC opener on the road at Norwich. The Springfield product averaged 11.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game. He connected on 6-of-14 (42.9%) of his attempts from the field and was 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the charity stripe. On Tuesday night in a thrilling 85-79 win over Williams, Martin finished with nine points and four rebounds before pouring in 14 points on Saturday in an 89-81 triumph at Norwich in their GNAC opener. The Blue Jays are now 13-2 on the year and winners of 12 straight.

WEEK 9 HONOR ROLL

Tyreek Perkins, Albertus Magnus (Jr., G - Norwalk, Conn.) - Perkins helped the Falcons to a 1-1 week by averaging a team-high 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals as the Falcons improved to 12-2 on the year. The junior guard started off the week with a 16 points, five rebounds, three steals and a block in an 84-76 road loss to No. 5 Middlebury, then had 14 points, two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in a narrow 74-71 win over Colby-Sawyer in GNAC play. 

Marcus Fox, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, F) - In a 1-1 week for the Saints, Fox averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, registering 13 points (1-4 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-4 FT) and eight rebounds and two blocks in a blowout win over Elms before notching 18 points, nine boards and four assists in a 69-68 home loss to GNAC foe Lasell. For the week, he shot 12-of-15 from the FT line.

Eric Day, Lasell (So., G - Norwalk, Conn.) - Day hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining and then sank the game-winning shot with two seconds to go in Lasell's key 69-68 GNAC victory at Emmanuel on Saturday. He finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. In a 1-1 week overall, he averaged 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 48.3% (14-29), including a 6-of-12 showing from three. 

Donovan Lewis Jr., Norwich (So., F - Savannah, Ga.) - Lewis Jr. averaged 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 54.5% (12-22 FG, 8-13 FT) in a 1-1 week for the Cadets. He shot 6-of-11 in both contests, registering 13 points and eight boards in the team's first win of the New Year against NVU-JohnsonHe grabbed a critical offensive rebound down the stretch of a tied game and converted the putback to put the Cadets up for good and clinch the 63-60 win. Against USJ in GNAC play, Lewis Jr. was incredibly efficient, double-doubling with 19 points with 13 rebounds in just 23 minutes in an 89-81 loss to a tough Blue Jays team. 

Marc Trinidad, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., F - Bronx, N.Y.) - In a 2-0 week, Trinidad averaged 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting a stellar 72.7% (16-22) to help extend the Pride's winning streak to four games. On Wednesday in a 95-91 home win over Lasell, he had 15 points and five boards before notching his seventh double-double of the season on Saturday at Rivier. In the 82-78 victory, he was 9-of-10 for 18 points and 15 rebounds (seven offensive), marking the seventh time in program history a Regis player totaled 15+ boards. With 33 seconds remaining in regulation, Trinidad hit a turnaround hook shot to put the Pride ahead for good.

Jaecee Martin, St. Joseph (Conn.) (So., G - Hartford, Conn.) - Martin had a breakout week for USJ, which picked up wins over perennial NESCAC power Williams and a triumph in their GNAC opener on the road at Norwich to extend its win streak to 12 games. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds while shooting an impressive 73.7% (14-19 FG, 15-29 FT) from the floor. On Tuesday night in a thrilling 85-79 win over Williams, Martin poured in 21 points, dished out seven assists, and grabbed three rebounds. He followed that up with 22 points, three assists, and five rebounds on Saturday in an 89-81 triumph at Norwich in their GNAC opener. The Blue Jays are now 13-2 on the year and winners of 12 straight.

Jordan Powell, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., G/F - Middletown, Conn.) - Powell averaged a double-double (13.5 PTS, 11.5 REB) to power the Blue Jays to a 2-0 week that featured a win over perennial NESCAC power Williams and a triumph in their GNAC opener on the road at Norwich. In just 26.5 minutes per game, he shot 57.9% (11-19 FG, 5-6 FT) on the week. On Tuesday night in the 85-79 win over Williams, Powell turned in 12 points and grabbed seven boards before exploding for 15 points and 16 rebounds on Saturday in an 89-81 triumph at Norwich in their GNAC opener. The 16 caroms set a new single-game program-record.

Jack Casale, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr, G - Portland, Maine) - Casale averaged 30.0 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 47.4% (27-57 FG, 12-30 3PT, 24-29 FT) in a 1-2 week for the Monks. The junior guard netted a career-high 45 points off a 14-for-19 shooting performance – including a 5-for-8 mark from three-point distance and a 12-for-12 FT line effort – in a 95-86 triumph over the NESCAC's Bowdoin on Monday. He added 30 points and 11 boards versus Thomas on Wednesday and 15 points and five boards against Johnson & Wales on Saturday.

Max Bonney-Liles, Suffolk (So., G - Hudson, N.H.) - As part of a 3-1 Tuesday evening for GNAC teams against NESCAC progams, Bonney-Liles went off for 31 points in an 89-78 at Tufts, going 9-of-12 overall, including 3-of-4 from three and a perfect 10-of-10 from the FT line, plus four assists. He followed up with nine points in a GNAC win over Anna Maria for per-game averages of 20.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting a blistering 68.4% overall. 

GNAC MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY ARCHIVE (2019-20)