BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – The Bryn Athyn College men's basketball team is going for its third straight victory when it takes the court against The College of Saint Elizabeth in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) clash Wednesday night in Asplundh Field House at 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions improved to 3-2 overall thanks to a come-from-behind 80-76 victory at Wilson College in their NEAC opener on Dec. 2. Bryn Athyn had five players in double figures, led by a 22-point, 10-rebound effort from Christian Rivera. Rahim Washington scored 13 points, while Lamarr Crenshaw, Jerome Staley, and Devonte Laws all added 12 points.
Bryn Athyn had its best 3-point shooting day of the season so far, making 10 triples and shooting 45.5 percent from behind the arc—both season highs. The team also set season highs in assists (17) and steals (12).
Saint Elizabeth dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 against the NEAC after a 95-88 home loss to Gallaudet last Saturday. Cam Tucker shot 9-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range, to pace the Eagles with 24 points. Jason Saldiveri contributed 20 points and nine rebounds.
The Eagles made 51.4 percent (19-of-37) of their first-half shots to take a 50-43 halftime lead, but cooled off in the second half, shooting 39.4 percent (13-of-33).
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Bryn Athyn enters the game as the ninth-highest scoring team in the NEAC, averaging 70.6 points per game, and sixth in scoring defense, allowing 75.8 points per game.
In their back-to-back wins, the Lions have shot 45.3 percent from the field, bringing their season field goal percentage to 38.7 percent, and 42.2 percent of their 3-pointers. Bryn Athyn has had double digits assists in its last three games, averaging 14.7 per game. During the first two games of the year, Bryn Athyn only had 16 total assists.
The Lions are 3-0 when they commit fewer turnovers than their opponent and 0-2 when they lose the turnover battle. Bryn Athyn sits fourth in the NEAC with 9.0 steals per game.
Rahim Washington has been Bryn Athyn's top player so far this season as he leads the team in scoring (17.6 ppg), rebounding (6.0 per game), and steals (2.4 per game). The Wilson game was the first time this season that Washington did not lead the team in scoring. He is seventh in the conference in scoring, eighth in steals (12), 10th in free throws made (23), 14th in free throw percentage (79.3), and 24th in rebounding.
Lamarr Crenshaw is ranked third in the conference in minutes per game (34.2 per game) and had scored in double figures in the four games he played at least minutes. He tied for the team lead in scoring with Washington against Arcadia (19) and Valley Forge (21). Crenshaw is 20th in the NEAC in scoring (14.0 ppg). He is adding 5.2 rebounds per game and shooting 42.4 percent from the floor.
Adonis Rosario is ninth in the conference in field goal shooting (55.6 percent) and Bryn Athyn's third-leading scorer (9.6 ppg).
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Saint Elizabeth comes into Wednesday's contest with back-to-back road losses and a 1-3 road record.
The Eagles are one of the top teams in the NEAC as they average 78.2 points per game, which is fourth in the conference. Saint Elizabeth takes the most shots in the conference (71.8 attempts per game) and sits third in made shots per game (30.0). However, the Eagles are only eighth in the conference with a 41.8 field goal percentage.
Saint Elizabeth is allowing opponents to average 82.3 points per game, which is 12th in the NEAC. Despite the high amount of points surrendered, the Eagles are first in steals per game (13.2), rebounds per game (46.2), and defensive rebounds per game (31.2). They are fifth with 3.7 blocks per game.
Cam Tucker is fourth in the NEAC in scoring with 19.0 points per game and third with 16 steals. Tucker is shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range. He did not play in the Eagles' two wins against FDU-Florham and King's (N.Y.). In the four games he has appeared, he was the team's leading scorer three times.
Jason Saldiveri played in three of the Eagles' six games so far this season and is contributing 17.3 points on 21-of-40 shooting and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Tin Gonzalez is adding 12.7 points per game, while Roland Romano has 12.3 points per game and a team-high 9.8 rebounds per game. Romano is third in the NEAC in rebounding and fifth in field goal percentage (57.9 percent).
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday will be the third meeting between the Lions and Eagles. Last season, the teams split the season series with each team winning on its home floor. Bryn Athyn picked up a 69-68 in Asplundh Field House and St. Elizabeth notched an 84-70 win in Morristown, N.J.