Blackbirds guard Ray Rivera named Northeast Conference Player of the Week

Jan. 15, 2001

Long Island senior guard Ray Rivera (Bronx, NY/Stevenson) put on two spectacular performances last week and was rewarded by being named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week for the period from Sunday, January 7 through Saturday, January 13.

Rivera began his torrid week last Monday by scoring a career-high 32 points and nailing six 3-pointers as the Blackbirds snapped their eight-game skid with an 80-72 victory over UMBC. He shot 10-of-17 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds in just 24 minutes.

Rivera continued his onslaught Saturday against St. Francis (NY) in the "Battle of Brooklyn." He poured in 28 points on 7-of-12 shooting and was 12-of-15 from the line in 35 minutes. However, the 6-4 standout was the only player for LIU to reach double figures in an 81-63 setback.

Since rejoining the team following the start of the season, Rivera has been a spark plug for the Blackbirds. He leads LIU with 12.5 points per game in 13 contests and has scored in double figures seven times this season. Rivera has averaged 20.5 points in his last four games and 16.7 points against the Northeast Conference this season.

Rivera, who joined the Blackbirds in 1996 without a scholarship, is among the Northeast Conference leaders in several categories. He is second in free throw percentage at .853, fifth in steals at 2.00, eighth in 3-pointers made at 2.15, 10th in 3-point percentage at .378 and 19th in scoring.