America East Basketball News & Notes: Non-Conference Struggles Persist, Stars Emerge

Read Time:2 Minute, 39 Second

With conference play set to tip off in two and a half weeks, the America East Conference men’s basketball league is still struggling to gain traction during non-conference play. This past weekend highlighted the issues that have plagued the league since the season began. On Saturday, all six America East games resulted in defeats. The league did manage to pick up a win on Sunday as Vermont took down Merrimack in the only contest played. The league’s overall record of 34-71 (as of Monday, December 15) speaks volumes about the challenges the teams have faced in securing road victories.

Player Spotlight: Lilley’s Dominance for Binghamton

A significant bright spot during non-league play has been Binghamton forward Demetrius Lilley. Despite missing Saturday’s game against Central Connecticut State due to illness, the senior has been an absolute force:

Scoring & Rebounding Leader: Lilley leads the conference in scoring at 16.4 points per game and is the only player averaging double-figures in boards with 10.2 rebounds a game.
National Recognition: He has recorded seven double-doubles in just ten games played, tying him for the fourth-most in the nation.
Iron Man: Lilley also leads the America East in minutes played, averaging 36.4 minutes per contest.

Assist/Turnover Ratio Leaders

Several America East guards are demonstrating elite ball control and efficiency, ranking among the nation’s best in Assist/Turnover ratio:

Player, Team	Ratio	Assists: Turnovers	National Rank
David Bolden, NJIT	8.0:1	8 assists to 1 turnover	T-22nd
Nasir Muhammad, UAlbany	6.0:1	6 assists to 1 turnover	T-34th
Amir Linsday, UAlbany	5.5:1	11 assists to 2 turnovers	45th

Statistical Leaders Around the League

Blocks: Allen Quincy of Bryant leads the league with 19 blocked shots, averaging $1.7$ a game. Maine’s TJ Blei is second with 21 total blocks for a $1.6$ average.
Three-Point Shooting: UMBC’s DJ Armstrong is the conference leader in both three-point field goal percentage at $40.9\%$ ( $31$ -of- $76$ ) and in three-point field goals per game at 2.9 (31 in 12 games).
Free Throw Shooting: Vermont’s TJ Hurley is the league’s most reliable free-throw shooter, hitting 36-of-38 for an outstanding $94.7\%$ . He is the only player in the conference shooting $90\%$ or better from the line.

Weekly Award Winners

America East Player of the Week: Jaden Kempson, UAlbany (Junior Guard)

In two games, Kempson averaged 24.0 points, $4.5$ rebounds, $2.5$ assists, and $2.0$ steals.
He set a career-high with 30 points in the loss to Florida Atlantic on Saturday, shooting an efficient $11$ -of- $16$ ( $68.8\%$ ) from the field.
Earlier in the week against Yale, he posted 18 points and five rebounds. This is his first career America East Player of the Week honor.

America East Rookie of the Week: Timolev Rudovski, Bryant (Freshman Forward)

Rudovski averaged 17.0 points, $8.5$ rebounds, and $3.5$ assists in a pair of games last week.
Against Iona last Wednesday, Rudovski recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. This is also his first weekly award.