Francis earns league-leading sixth ROW

Record-setting 43-point performance earns Francis league-leading ROW accolades

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After putting up record numbers in the final two outings of the Bulldogs' 2010-11 campaign, Bryant University freshman forward Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.) won his sixth Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week award to wrap up the regular season, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.

The 6-6 forward averaged an incredible 34.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in the two outings, recording the most eye-popping performance of the season Thursday night and following it up with another stellar outing in Saturday's season finale.

Thursday on the road against top-seeded Long Island, Francis was in another stratosphere with a record-breaking performance, despite a 94-85 Bulldog loss. The frosh stamped himself a place in both the program and conference record books by erupting for a career-high 43 points, which set an NEC freshman record and is the highest total by an NEC player in nine years. The superlatives didn't end there.

The performance marked the most points scored by a freshman in the country this season (fifth overall) and the most by a rookie since Kansas State's Michael Beasley hit for 44 against Baylor in 2008. The output also ties him for third in school history (first in the Division I era) and ninth on the NEC's all-time list.

Francis went a remarkable 20-for-27 from the field to shoot 74.1 percent in the contest, and his 20 field goals not only established a new league record, but are also the most in the nation in a single game this season. Finally, the 43 points are the most scored in a Division I game by a player coming off the bench in the last 15 seasons.

Francis followed his record day up by scoring a game-best 25 points (8-for-15) and a contest-high 10 boards for his eighth double-double of the season in a 72-61 setback at St. Francis (NY) in Saturday's season finale, making his two-game total a whopping 68 points.

The Harlem, N.Y. native leads all NEC freshmen and is ninth overall in the conference, finishing the season with a 14.8 points per game scoring average. He ranks fourth on the circuit in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and eighth in field goal accuracy (.507). His six NEC weekly honors also ties him with Wagner's Latif Rivers for most in the league this season and ranks fourth on the all-time chart.