Inside the Top Performances of the Year So Far: Men's Basketball

We spent the last three weeks on AExtra taking a look at some players from each team -- men and women -- to find out who was making a good first impression. Now, as we continue to roll our way towards conference play, let's take a look at some of the top individual performances we've seen so far this year. America East basketball has already seen several memorable moments and there are surely more to come. We'll start with the men today and take a look at women's basketball tomorrow.

The 30-Club

Maine's Justin Edwards

Justin Edwards poured in a career-high 30 points for Maine in a road victory over Northeastern on November 28th. The Black Bears would erase a five-point halftime deficit, thanks in large part to the performance of Edwards. The sophomore was incredibly efficient from the field, netting 11 (also a conference-best) of his 12 shot while also nailing the only three-pointer he took. Edwards also chipped in seven of his 30 points from the free-throw line. His final two points sealed the victory for Maine with 18 seconds left, as Xavier Pollard forced a turnover and fed Edwards for a layup.

From Downtown

Two different players have nailed six three-pointers this year on three different occasions. The first of these instances came from Jacob Iati as Albany upset defending Pac-12 regular season champion Washington. He and teammate Mike Black teamed up for 42 of Albany's 63 points and Iati had six of the Great Danes' seven treys. He then did it again just three days ago as Albany beat Colgate to extend its win streak to five games. Iati was again six for 12 from downtown as he led the Great Danes with 20 points. His 34 made three-pointers are tops in the conference this season.

Also joining the club is Nate Sikma from Hartford. Sikma's hot shooting nearly led the Hawks over Arizona St. on the road a week ago. With 9:33 to go in the second half, Sikma nailed a three to put Hartford up by two. While the game would remain close, the Sun Devils were too much down the stretch. But Sikma's 26 point night was spectacular nonetheless.

The Charity Stripe

Getting to the free-throw line is a skill. And if you can do it enough times throughout the game, points will start to pile up in a hurry. This is exactly what Yolonzo Moore II did on his way to 27 points in a victory over Fairleigh Dickinson just two days ago. Moore went to the line 14 times and converted on 13 of those attempts. Ten of these makes came in the final 1:30 as Hartford was trying to wrap up the win. The kicker? He didn't miss one shot in that 1:30 span. Pressure? What pressure?

Binghamton's Jordan Reed

Chairman of the Boards

Jordan Reed has taken the America East by storm in his first season. The current leader in both points and rebounds per game, Reed is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double. On November 18th, Reed notched 18 rebounds to go with 17 points as the freshman helped Binghamton earn its first win of the season over St. Peter's. Reed absolutely owned the glass, as he had more offensive rebounds alone (6) than all but two St. Peter's players had total. The conference's leading rebounder averages 10 per game.

Precision Passing

Xavier Pollard comes into today with 41 assists on the year, good for the third-most per game in the conference. Over 25 percent of those came in a single night as Maine got its first victory of the season over Siena. Pollard had 12 assists that night to go along with 15 points as he notched the point guard's double-double. The crazy stat is that Pollard assisted on nearly half of Maine's made field goals for the game, as he truly played floor general for the Black Bears.


Linked Up

Jon Rothstein calls Jameel Warney of Stony Brook one of college basketball's best kept secrets.

Yolonzo Moore II is this week's Hartford Mooyah Athlete of the Week.

Binghamton women's basketball announced the signing of three recruits for next fall.

If you're an Albany basketball fan, don't miss the fan bus going to Vermont for the men's game on January 5th!

In baseball news, a big congratulations to former Stony Brook pitcher Nick Tropeano on making Baseball America's Top 10 Houston Astros' prospects list.

What's Next?

Men's Basketball

Binghamton at Michigan, 7 p.m.
Boston U. at Harvard, 7 p.m.

Women's Basketball

Fairleigh Dickinson at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.