Men's Hoops Game Day: vs. Hartford

Men's Basketball 12/21/2008 12:00:00 AM

Dec. 21, 2008

GAME CENTER: GAME 11
HARTFORD HAWKS (4-7) AT [21/24] BAYLOR BEARS (9-1)
Date: Monday, Dec. 22, 2008
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Waco, Texas
Arena: Ferrell Center (10,284)
Television: FSN Southwest, also available on ESPN Full Court (outside of Texas only) and ESPN360.com
Talent: Greg Lucas (pxp), Jim Haller (color)
Radio: Baylor ISP Sports Network | ESPN/KRZI 1660 AM (Waco)/Sirius Satellite (Ch. 161) | BaylorBears.com
Talent: John Morris (pxp), Pat Nunley (color)
Live Stats: BaylorBears.com
Web Stream: BaylorBears.com (live audio/live video) Live video available in Texas only.
Series: first meeting
Tickets: (254) 710-1000

GAME NIGHT STORY LINES
• The 21st-ranked Baylor Bears continue their seven-game homestand Monday with one final test before the Christmas break, hosting the Hartford Hawks at 7 p.m. on FSN Southwest.
• Monday marks the first meeting in the series and Baylor's first against a member of the America East Conference.
• Curtis Jerrells scored a season-high 29 points Saturday, moving into 7th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,357 points. He needs four more to surpass Darrell Hardy (1,360) for 6th all-time.
• Baylor has been ranked in the AP Poll for a school-record three consecutive weeks.
• Baylor is 5-3 all-time when ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
• Seniors Henry Dugat (991) and Kevin Rogers (988) are closing in on the Baylor 1,000-point club. The duo will be the 21st and 22nd members of 1,000-point club, joining teammate Curtis Jerrells, who became Baylor's 20th 1,000-point scorer last season.
• Baylor has made at least one 3-point field goal in 496 straight games.
• LaceDarius Dunn has made at least one 3-point field goal in 15 consecutive games - the 10th-longest streak at BU since 1986.
• Kevin Rogers needs 12 points (988) and 57 rebounds (643) to become just the seventh player in school history with 1,000 points and 700 rebounds.
• Kevin Rogers recorded his 19th career double-double Saturday vs. UT Arlington, scoring 13 points along with 13 rebounds. Rogers' 19 double-doubles rank seventh all-time at Baylor.
• Curtis Jerrells needs 46 assists to become only the second player in school history with 1,000 points, 400 assists and 100 steals.
• On Saturday, Baylor trailed by 9 points at halftime to UTA, 41-32. It was the first time Baylor had trailed at intermission this season.
• Baylor overcame an 11-point deficit in Saturday's win over UTA - only the second double-digit deficit this season. It was the largest deficit BU had to overcome in a win since March 1, 2008, vs. Missouri.
• Following Monday night's game with Hartford, Baylor will enjoy a seven-day break from competition and return to action on Monday, Dec. 29, against the Portland State Vikings at the Ferrell Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY
• Monday's meeting will be the first in the series.
• Hartford will be the first America East Conference foe the Bears have faced. The AEC consists of nine basketball-sponsored schools - Albany, Binghamton, Boston, Hartford, Maine, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, UMBC and Vermont.
• Hartford will be the third school Baylor has faced from the Constitution State in school history.
• Baylor is 1-1 vs. the state of Connecticut, having lost to UConn (Storrs) and defeating Sacred Heart (Fairfield).

HARTFORD SCOUTING REPORT
• Hartford (4-7) earned its first road victory of the season on Dec. 13 with a 59-55 win over Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn. The Hawks never trailed in the contest, but played without leading scorer Joe Zeglinski, who was sidelined for the first time in his career with a sprained ankle.
• UHart's 59 points vs. Sacred Heart was its second-lowest point total of the season. The Hawks scored just 56 points in a 99-56 loss to Connecticut in Hartford.
• Hartford, under the direction of third-year head coach Dan Leibovitz, started the season 0-3 with losses to Quinnipiac, Connecticut and Penn State. A double-overtime win at home vs. St. Francis (N.Y.) gave the Hawks their first win of the season, but UHart would lose four of its next six games before its win over Sacred Heart.
• Zeglinski leads all UHart scorers, averaging 15.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 34.1 minutes. Morgan Sabia is second on the team with 12.0 points, followed by Texas native Jared von Rosenberg with 11.2 points.

LAST TIME OUT - (21) BAYLOR 79, UT ARLINGTON 76
• Curtis Jerrells scored 29 points and made 16 of 17 free throw attempts to help No. 21 Baylor survive Texas-Arlington, 79-76, on Saturday.
• Tweety Carter scored 13 and Henry Dugat had 11 points.
• The Bears took their first lead of the second half on a drive and spinning layup by Jerrells with 6:12 left. Jumpers from Jerrells and Kevin Rogers put Baylor up 70-65, completing a 10-0 spurt - the only sustained run either team could muster in the game.
• Jerrells hit three of four free throws in the final minute, his only miss with 16.9 seconds left. UTA rebounded and had a chance to tie, but Anthony Vereen's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim and Baylor's Fred Ellis grabbed the rebound to seal it.
• Marquez Haynes scored 14 to lead Texas-Arlington. Tommy Moffitt had 12 points and Roge'r Guignard scored 10.
• The Bears trailed 41-32 at the break for the first time this season and never led by more than one point in the first period.
• UTA stretched the lead to 11 on its first field goal of the second half, the biggest advantage either team would enjoy on the night.
• Baylor trailed 49-40 with 15:45 remaining in the game before a jumper in the lane by Jerrells and a 3-pointer from Dugat cut the UTA lead to four. The teams swapped buckets before LaceDarius Dunn's 3 cut the lead to 51-50 with 13:06 to play.
• UTA led 53-52 before a 3-point basket from Guignard and a 3-pointer and two free throws by Vereen put the Mavericks back up 61-52 with 10:38 remaining.

UP NEXT - PORTLAND STATE (DEC. 29)
• Baylor continues its seven-game homestand on Monday, Dec. 29, when the Bears welcome 2008 NCAA Tournament participant Portland State to the Ferrell Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
• The Vikings, ranked No. 17 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, face nationally ranked Gonzaga on Tuesday, Dec. 23, and Texas Southern on Saturday, Dec. 27, before facing the Baylor Bears.
• It will the first meeting in the series between the schools.
• Baylor is 9-1 all-time vs. the Big Sky Conference.

JERRELLS NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
• Curtis Jerrells was one of 50 student-athletes named to the 2008-09 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List on Dec. 18 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
• Jerrells is one of five Big 12 players on the preseason list, joining Texas' A.J. Abrams and Damion James, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and Kansas' Sherron Collins - all five were Preseason All-Big 12 selections in October.
• The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four in Detroit, Mich.

CJ NOMINATED FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
• A day after being named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, Curtis Jerrells is one of 30 male college basketball candidates for the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports on Dec. 19.
• An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete education brings.
• From each of the two lists of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in February 2009. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. In addition to voting by Division I head basketball coaches and national media, college basketball fans will also be able to submit ballots by text voting or online at www.SeniorClassAward.com.
• The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award is in its eighth year for men's and women's basketball. Previous winners of the men's award include Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006), Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007) and Shan Foster of Vanderbilt (2008).
• Jerrells, a general studies major in Health Human Performance and Recreation, is expected to graduate in May 2009.

CJ'S CAREER RECORD CLIMB CONTINUES
• Curtis Jerrells is now in 7th place with 1,357 career points. He is four points shy of passing Darrell Hardy for 6th all-time.
• Jerrells is now eighth all-time with 90 career starts, two shy of Robert McLemore (92) for 7th place.
• Jerrells is now alone in third place with 354 career assists.
• Currently in tied for 6th place all-time with 116 steals, Jerrells could move to fifth place in the next few games.

BAYLOR'S MR. CLUTCH
• Curtis Jerrells scored a season-high 29 points in Baylor's 79-76 come-from-behind victory over UT Arlington on Saturday.
• 24 of Jerrells' 29 points came in the second half. CJ was 5-for-8 from the floor and 14-for-15 at the free throw line.
• In fact, Jerrells went 16-for-17 from the line vs. UTA and made his first 16 free throw attempts, missing his final FT attempt with 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
• Jerrells went 7-for-8 at the free throw line in the game's final 4 minutes (5-for-6 in the final 3 minutes).
• CJ is now an 81.2 percentage (82-for-101) career clutch free throw shooter (final 3 minutes of regulation/OT). Jerrells is 17-for-20 (85. pct) in clutch FT situations this season.

NO LEAD IS SAFE VS. COMEBACK BEARS
• Baylor notched eight wins last season after trailing by nine or more points. In three additional games, the Bears erased double-digit deficits before being edged at the whistle (two of those in overtime).
• This season, Baylor has trailed in all but two games this season, while trailing two games in double digits to Wake Forest (L) and UTA (W).
• Baylor overcame an 11-point deficit - the second-largest the Bears have faced this season - Saturday to edge the UTA Mavericks, 79-76, at the Ferrell Center.
• The 11-point deficit was the second-largest Baylor has overcome for a victory since March 1, 2008, vs. Missouri. That game, BU trailed by 13 [69-56 with 13:30 left in the 2nd half] and came back for a 100-89 win.

KNOCKIN' THEM DOWN
• After a sluggish start to the season at the free throw line, the Bears have regrouped over the last six games. BU is shooting 71.9 percent (123-of-171) from the free throw line in the last six games after shooting 64.6 percent (64-of-99) in the first four games.
• Baylor's improvement at the free throw line can be attributed to its four-best free throw shooters - LaceDarius Dunn, Curtis Jerrells, Henry Dugat and Tweety Carter.

BAYLOR VS. THE AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
• Hartford is Baylor's first America East Conference opponent in school history. The Hawks are also the first America East opponent for Baylor head coach Scott Drew

BAYLOR VS. THE CONSTITUTION STATE
• Baylor is 1-1 all-time vs. schools from Connecticut.
• Hartford is just the third opponent the Bears have faced from the Constitution State. BU has faced UConn (0-1) and Sacred Heart (1-0).

CLOSING IN ON SELECT COMPANY
• Senior forward Kevin Rogers is closing in a trio of career milestones. Rogers is 12 points away (988) from becoming the 21st player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Rogers currently has 643 rebounds and is currently 10th all-time at Baylor.
• Rogers is on pace to become just the seventh player in Baylor history to join the prestigious 1,000 points/700 rebounds club.

JERRELLS EYEING 1,000-400-100 CLUB
• Last season, senior guard Curtis Jerrells became the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Earlier this season, he become the ninth player in school history to nab 100 career steals.
• Jerrells currently has 354 career assists and is 46 away from becoming just the third player in Baylor history with 400 assists.
• Once Jerrells reaches the 400-assist plateau, CJ would become just the 2nd player in BU history with 1,000 points, 400 assists and 100 steals.
• Former Baylor and NBA star Micheal Williams is the only BU player with 1,000 points, 400 assists and 100 steals. Williams finished his career with 1,854 points, 464 assists and 282 steals.

ROGERS RECORDS 19TH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• In Baylor's win over UTA, senior Kevin Rogers scored 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his 19th career double-double, moving him into a tie for 7th place in school history.
• Rogers is one shy of tying for 6th place.

1,000-POINT CLUB WILL WELCOME TWO NEW MEMBERS SOON
• Last season, Curtis Jerrells became the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and, this season, he is steadily climbing the career charts and should finish his career in the top six in scoring.
• This season, senior classmates Henry Dugat and Kevin Rogers are closing in on the career milestone. Dugat (991) and Rogers (988) need 9 and 12 points, respectively, to become the 1,000-point club's newest members.
• Next season, the club could grow even more with Tweety Carter (648) and LaceDarius Dunn (582).

WATCH BEARS BASKETBALL LIVE AT BAYLORBEARS.COM
• Live video coverage by BaylorVision will be streamed for four more select home games during the 2008-09 season at BaylorBears.com. It is free for All-Access members in Texas, but the video coverage is blacked out outside of Texas.

LIVE VIDEO SCHEDULE (Live video from BaylorVision; in Texas only): 12/22/08 Hartford 7 p.m.; 12/29/08 Portland State 7 p.m.; 12/31/08 Jackson State 4 p.m.; 1/2/09 South Carolina 4:30 p.m.

BEARS BASKETBALL ON THE AIR
• Bear basketball is aired live via the Baylor-ISP SportsNetwork on flagship station 1660AM ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco and worldwide on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 161. All games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his 14th season, and former BU basketball standout Pat Nunley, in his 27th season as analyst.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
• Inside Baylor Sports, the award winning weekly TV show that covers all aspects of Baylor athletics, returns for its 10th season in 2008-09.
• Senior Producer Robert Shiekh Producer Lawrence Gilligan provide viewers an inside look at Baylor athletics with thorough highlights, in-depth interviews and imaginative features on all 18 sports presented in a fast-paced, entertaining style. Co-hosts John Morris and Lori Fogleman guide viewers through the best coverage of Baylor athletics on television.
• Inside Baylor Sports airs Sundays, Aug. 24, 2008 through June 7, 2009, at 10:30 p.m. CT on KCEN-TV in Central Texas. The program also airs weekly throughout the region on FS Southwest at 1 p.m. each Wednesday and is archived on the web at BaylorTV.com. Inside Baylor Sports also may been seen nationally on CBS College Sports Television.