Courtesy of Patriot League.org
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Most Patriot League schools are in exam period over the next week, and the men’s basketball teams are hitting the books instead of the court.
Only four games are on the schedule for the next week, beginning with Navy hosting Bryant on Monday. It will be the last game for the Mids before they join six other schools in an exam break.
Army has the latest exam break, as the Black Knights still play at NJIT on Tuesday and host Maine on Friday before their exam period begins.
Bucknell will be the first team to return from the final exam period when it hosts La Salle on Saturday. No other Patriot League teams are back until Dec. 18.
League squads went 3-5 over the weekend, with Lehigh, Holy Cross and Lafayette registering victories. The Mountain Hawks won 83-67 at St. Francis (Pa.) and the Crusaders downed Dartmouth 67-56 on Saturday, while the Leopards got a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds from freshman Bryce Scott for a 72-70 win over Sacred Heart.
Patriot League teams finished with a 10-7 overall mark last week after going 7-2 from Tuesday-Thursday. Seven different teams recorded victories during the stretch. League squads are 42-38 for the season, and a combined 22-6 at home.
Patriot League Anaconda Weekly Awards (Dec. 3-9)
Anaconda Player of the Week
JUSTIN BURRELL, HOLY CROSS So., G, 5-9, 165; Dumfries, Va./Potomac
Burrell had a fantastic pair of games to lead Holy Cross to two victories, averaging 24.5 points and 4.5 assists in wins over Sacred Heart and Dartmouth. He scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and dished out five assists in an 83-78 win at Sacred Heart on Wednesday. Burrell followed that up with 19 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career, and four assists in a 67-56 triumph over Dartmouth on Saturday. He made 16-of-23 shots for the week (69.6%), including 7-of-9 (77.8%) from three-point range. Burrell also made all 10 of his foul shots, and sits third in the nation at 96.2% from the line for the season. Burrell, the 2011-12 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, is named Anaconda Player of the Week for the first time in his career. It is the first time a Holy Cross student-athlete has won the honor since the 2009-10 season.
Anaconda Rookie of the Week
TILMAN DUNBAR, NAVY Fr., G, 5-10, 153; Woodbridge, Va./Paul VI Catholic
Dunbar continued his outstanding freshman season with 19.0 points and 6.0 assists in two games for the Mids last week. He scored 20 points and dished out seven assists with four rebounds as Navy rallied for an 85-66 win at Monmouth on Wednesday. Dunbar had 16 of his 20 points in the second half to help Navy score 53 points after intermission. Dunbar became the first Navy freshman with 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds in a game, and first Mid to do it at all since 2006. He was nearly as dominant on Friday with 18 points and five assists in a 72-65 loss at Mount St. Mary’s. Dunbar shot 14-of-20 (70%) from the field in the two games, making 7-of-10 in each contest. He leads the Mids with 10.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, with the latter mark placing him 41st in the nation and third among all Division I freshmen. Dunbar claims his first Patriot League Anaconda Rookie of the Week award.
Honorable Mention
ELLA ELLIS, ARMY Sr., F, 6-7, 195; Houston, Texas/Eisenhower (USMAPS)
Ellis scored 23 points in a pair of games for the Black Knights last week, shooting 13-of-26 from the field and 10-of-17 from three-point range in a 91-57 win over Marist and 78-70 loss at Penn State.
MIKE MUSCALA, BUCKNELL Sr., C, 6-11, 239; Roseville, Minn./Roseville
Muscala had 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting and pulled down six rebounds in a 76-60 win over Kent State on Tuesday.
C.J. McCOLLUM, LEHIGH Sr., G, 6-3, 200; Canton, Ohio/Glen Oak
McCollum averaged 21.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in a pair of wins for the Mountain Hawks last week, with his 29-point performance at St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday putting him back in the national scoring lead at 24.9 points per game.
STEPHEN LUMPKINS, AMERICAN Sr., F, 6-8, 230; Redwood City, Calif./Juniperro Serra
Lumpkins averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds in three games for the Eagles last week.
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