Maldonado and Young Take NECC Weekly Men's Basketball Honors

PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Elms College senior guard Juan Maldonado (Holyoke, Mass.) notched a game-high and season-high 30 points including eight treys in a tough 73-69 loss against Westfield State. Despite the 2-1 week, the Blazers grabbed two incredible wins earlier in the week including their first-ever victory over 13^th ranked Amherst 88-79 and an 84-65 rout of WNEC. Maldonado sparked an impressive run for the Blazers averaging 21.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game. For the week, he went 42% (21-for-50) from the field, a sizzling 55% (15-for-27) from behind the arc and 88% (7-for-8) from the free-throw line.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK - Newbury College freshman guard Tim Young (Brockton, Mass) averaged 20.6 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game and 1.0 steals per game despite a rough 0-3 week for the Nighthawks. Young shot 45% (24-for-53) from the floor, 42% (10-for-24) from behind the arc and 57% (4-for-7) from charity stripe.