EIGHTH ANNUAL JAMES CLANCY MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Friday, Jan. 3 – 5:30 p.m.
Post (2-8) vs. Southern Conn. (9-1)
Hennessey Center – Orangeburg, N.Y.
Coverage: Live Stats | Video |
Saturday, Jan. 4 – 4 p.m.
Post (2-8) vs. Bentley (8-3)
Hennessey Center – Orangeburg, N.Y.
Coverage: Live Stats | Video |
WATERBURY, Conn. – The Post University men's basketball team looks to halt its four-game losing streak over the weekend as it participates in the 8
th Annual James Clancy Memorial Tournament hosted by Dominican. The Eagles will play two Northeast-10 teams beginning with Southern Connecticut on Friday night. Post faces off against Bentley on Saturday at 4 p.m. This is the third time the Eagles have played in the tournament and are 2-2 overall.
Last Time Out: Saint Anselm 84, Post 71 – Box Score | Recap
Both teams got off to quick starts as they combined to make their first 10 shots from the field and Saint Anselm took a 14-10 lead at the 16:32 mark of first. The Eagles continued their hot start by hitting 10 of its first 12 shots to jump in front 25-18 midway through the half. Senior
Stephen Perry Jr. (Westhampton, N.Y.) capped the run with a shot from distance after senior
Josh Tatum's (Greenville, N.C.) first of four blocks on the day.
Post went cold from there and only made one shot over the next six minutes as the Hawks staged a 19-3 run to pull ahead 37-28. John Nielsen scored nine of his game-high 21 points to build the lead. The Eagles closed the gap to six after a three-point play by senior
Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.) but Saint Anselm extended to a 43-31 advantage at the break.
The Hawks were lights-out from the field to begin the second half as they made their first seven shots, but Post managed to cut the deficit to 60-52 with 12:38 remaining as it only missed two shots early on. After Saint Anselm extended its lead to double-digits, senior
Effrin Ellison (Waterbury, Conn.) hit from distance to close the gap to 62-55, but the Eagles couldn't manage to get closer.
The Eagles shot a season-high 50.0 percent from the field on the day.
Scouting the Owls
Southern Connecticut enters the tournament at a record of 9-1 with its lone loss coming at Pace 80-78 in overtime. The Owls are receiving nine votes in the most recent National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Poll. They are led by guard Greg Langston who is second in the conference and 15
th in the nation at 21.6 points per game. Southern Connecticut holds teams to just 39.5 percent shooting from the field and 27.4 percent from behind the arc, both of which are in the top 25 in the NCAA.
All-Time Series Against Southern Connecticut
The two teams have met just once at the Bridgeport Tournament in 2011. Southern Connecticut took the game 84-64. Greg Langston had 18 points for the Owls while
Zach Krischer added nine points for Post.
Previous Results
11/12/11 ............... N .......... L, 84-64
Scouting the Falcons
After beginning the season 7-0, Bentley has dropped three of its last four. Last time out the Falcons defeated Goldey-Beacom, 99-65. Forward Tyler McFarland is in the top-10 in the Northeast-10 in both points (20.4) and rebounds per game (8.3). Bentley is ninth in the NCAA with 11.1 three-pointers made per game. The Falcons also commit just 14.5 fouls per contest which is good for second in the nation.
All-Time Series Against Bentley
Post has never defeated Bentley in three previous meetings. In their last meeting on a neutral site the Falcons won 69-55. The two have not meet since 2010.
Previous Results
11/20/10 ............... H........... L, 78-68
12/30/09 ............... N .......... L, 69-55
11/15/09 ............... A ........... L, 76-66
Post At The James Clancy Memorial Tournament
The Eagles have played in the James Clancy Memorial Tournament two other times and hold a 2-2 record at the event. During its first time in 2008-09, Post fell to Bridgeport in its first game 77-68, but defeated Queens 88-73 in the finale. The Eagles defeated Queens again in 2011-12, 71-70, but were defeated by Dowling 63-57.
Eagles Among The Leaders
Effrin Ellison leads the CACC and is 12
th in the nation with a 54.3 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
Derrick Strong leads the conference with 2.5 steals per game, which is good for 26
th in the nation. The Eagles are in the top-50 in the country in both three-pointers made per game (9.5) and shooting percentage from behind the arc (39.4).
Coming Up Short
Out of Post's eight losses this season, six came by just a combined 20 points. In two of the games, the Eagles had a last-second chance for victory. Against Bridgeport, Post had possession with 0:04 left in an 87-85 defeat. Last time out against LIU-Post, the Eagles had two chances in the final three seconds before falling 67-66. Post hit two late shots against Nyack to send the game into two overtimes, but came up short 106-101.
Honored For Defensive Prowess
Derrick Strong was named CACC Defensive Player of the week on Dec. 9. The senior had a career-high six steals in Post's victory over Wilmington. He is the second Eagle to receive the honor this season after
AJ Harris on Nov. 11. In his Eagles debut against Southern New Hampshire on Nov. 9, Harris recorded seven steals, which was the highest single-game total since the 2006-07 season.
The Road Ahead
Post returns home for the first time since Nov. 30 as it host Caldwell on Jan. 8 at 8 p.m.
