Playoff Picture Getting Clearer

Wednesday night, Boston University, Hartford, Albany and Binghamton picked up wins to clinch seeds for the upcoming tournament or take a step forward in the overall picture. The Hawks solidified themselves as the 2 seed with a 57-47 win over Vermont, who will enter the tournament as the 3 seed. The Bearcats will definitely be playing in the 4-5 game for the fifth-straight year, as they clinched the fourth seed with a 56-53, buzzer-beating win over New Hampshire up in Durham. Binghamton's Jackie Ward broke a tie with under 5 seconds remaining by draining a three-pointer.

The Terriers had to work hard, but they did leave Baltimore with a 73-66 win over UMBC, extending their unbeaten streak to 16 and moved to 15-0 in conference play. The victory also gave them the regular season championship outright.

Albany avenged an earlier loss to Stony Brook and won at Pritchard Gym, 57-40. With the win, the Great Danes still have a chance to finish as high at 7th. If they were to tie with Maine with 3-13 records, the tiebreaker would be decided on whether UNH or UMBC earn the #5 seed. The Black Bears split the series with UNH, while the Great Danes split the series with UMBC; each were swept by the other opponent. Whichever tiebreakers go, Albany and Maine would face-off in the first round game Thursday night at Hartford if the Great Danes fall to the Terriers Saturday afternoon.

The bracket will be finalized and announced Saturday night after the regular season finale is complete. All eyes will be on that last game--Stony Brook at Maine, 7 p.m.--as that will determine the final pairings for the tournament.

Terriers Clinch Top Seed and At Least Share of Regular Season Title

Boston University, with a 71-57 win over Maine on Sunday at Agganis Arena, clinched the top seed for the Championship and at least a share of the regular season crown. Terrier seniors Kristi Dini and Jesyka Burks-Wiley each scored 17 points to pace the home team. Dini went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, including 4 treys in the first half. Burks-Wiley, who played the first half with a face mask after breaking her nose in the Hartford game last week, tallied a team-high 7 rebounds. Another senior, Black Bear Colleen Kilmurray, led Maine with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The Terriers guaranteed themselves a postseason berth. If they do not win the conference tournament and earn a bid to the NCAA Championship, Boston U. will receive the America East's automatic berth to the WNIT. Another win for the Terriers or a loss by Hartford will make Boston U. the sole regular season champion and remove the possibility of a first-place tie in the America East standings.

Stay tuned later tonight for scenarios for Championship seeding going into the last week of the regular season.

All About The Triples

Albany's Britney McGee went off for a career-high 30 points Wednesday night, including 7 three-pointers, leading the Great Danes to the 92-80 win over UMBC and snapping Albany's 10-game losing streak. Her fifth triple of the night pushed her into sole possession of second-place on the program's all-time three-pointer list. She now only trails alumnus Jen Schumacher's 197, which McGee should be able to eclipse during her senior season next year. UMBC was led in the game by freshman Michelle Kurowski's 25 points, while the league's leading scorer, Carlee Cassidy, was held to 4 points.

Despite leading for much of the way, Stony Brook fell victim to UNH in the end, 50-49. Junior Candace Williams paced the Wildcats with 17 points and 14 rebounds, but freshman Lauren Wells and junior Amy Simpson also ended up in double figures. Williams also added 3 blocks on the night. The Seawolves led in several categories, including steals (11-1), turnovers (9 against UNH's 20) and bench points (15-12), but ultimately, New Hampshire's rebounding (53-30) gave it the late-game surge to take its first lead of the game with 3 seconds remaining in the contest.

The third game of the night resulted in Vermont's fifth-straight win, 61-44 over Maine. Sy Janousek went 5-for-6 from behind the arc and finished with a team-high 17 points. Courtnay Pilypaitis ended up with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals for another well-balanced night. The Catamount defense, which has proved to shut down conference opponents better than anybody else in the league, forced 20 turnovers and 13 steals, while limiting Maine's leading scorer, Brittany Boser to just 5 field goal attempts and and 2 points. Senior Colleen Kilmurray recorded a game-high 19 points for the Black Bears and pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds.

Dini's Three Huge In Thriller

Kristi Dini's 77th three-pointer of the season with 7 seconds left in regulation of last night's Boston University-Hartford game was doubly huge. The drained trey not only broke the America East single-season record (in 5 fewer games than the previous record), it also tied the game and sent it into overtime. The Terriers eventually won the game, 80-75, to give the Hawks their second consecutive home-court overtime loss and snap their 40-game conference home win streak. Both senior guard Christine Kinneary and rookie guard Alex Young registered career highs of 27 and 19 points, respectively, to lead the Terriers in the victory. On the other side, Hartford's Erica Beverly finished with 13 points and a career-high 16 points. The Boston U. win gave the Terriers the tiebreaker over the Hawks if there's a tie at the end of the season, and a win on Sunday at home against Maine would officially clinch at least a share of the regular season title.

The same record that Dini set Tuesday night could be eclipsed as soon as tonight, as Carlee Cassidy and the Retrievers travel to Albany to face the Great Danes at 7 p.m. Dini and Cassidy entered the week each needing 3 treys to break the record, tied with 74 each on the season. Here are all of tonight's match-ups:

Vermont at Maine 7 p.m.
The Catamounts have won four in a row and six of their last seven games... The Black Bears are coming off a homestand in which they went a solid 2-1... Vermont won the first match-up this season, 86-51... Maine junior Brittany Boser leads the conference with a free-throw percentage of .847.

*UMBC at Albany 7 p.m.
The Retrievers beat the Great Danes, 76-63, in Baltimore earlier this season... UMBC junior Carlee Cassidy needs four more treys to break the America East single-season three-pointers made record, while Albany's Britney McGee needs four triples to move into a tie for second-place for the school career record... Cassidy and McGee are 2nd and 3rd, respectively, this season in the conference for 3's made.

*Stony Brook at New Hampshire 7 p.m.
The Seawolves and Wildcats are tied for 6th-place in the league standings, with UNH having the tie-breaker with the 75-65 win over Stony Brook earlier this season... Stony Brook sophomore Kirsten Jeter has a 7-game double-figure streak intact, during which she's surpassed 20 points three times... UNH junior Candace Williams leads AE with 8 rebounds per game.

We've Been Down This Road Before

Tonight's Boston U.-Hartford game is nothing we haven't seen before. This will be the 5th time over the past 2 seasons, 7th over the past 3 seasons, and 10th time over the past 4 seasons that the Terriers and Hawks have met, and one could argue that each of these meetings, if not all of them, had a lot on the line. This one should be no different, with the winner more than likely taking the top seed for the tournament and the regular season crown.

The Terriers defeated the Hawks earlier this year, 76-65 at Case Gym, but Boston did the same last year before falling to Hartford twice at Chase Arena, once in the regular season and once in the Championship title game. But this year, the Terriers have four starting seniors and are riding a 13 game winning streak into West Hartford with a 12-0 record in America East play. The Hawks meanwhile return to Chase for the first time since having Marist snap their 34-game home court winning streak, in overtime, on February 15. What would a second straight loss at home do to the Hawks' confidence? Or will the last loss at home, as well as the loss to the Terriers back in January, drive the momentum for the Hawks?

If Boston U. wins tonight, and gets through the remaining schedule of Maine, at UMBC, and Albany unscathed, the Terriers will win the regular season title and enter the tournament in Hartford as the #1 seed. If Hartford wins tonight, and both teams win out (the Hawks go to Stony Brook and play Vermont and New Hampshire at home), there will be a tie for first-place, co-champions will be named, and the Hawks will actually get the #1 seed based on College RPI Report ratings.

When the Hawks and Terriers tip-off at 7 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet tonight (Leah Secondo and Kara Wolters on the call) there will be a lot on the line. But isn't there always when these two teams play?

Pink Zone Events Continue This Weekend

This weekend's games will feature three more Pink Zone events at University at Albany, Binghamton University and UMBC. So far, America East teams have raised over $16,000 for the campaign against breast cancer. The schedule of all America East schools' Pink Zone games are posted on the league web site, along with more information on the campaign.

After this past week's games, we have a log jam in the middle of the league standings with records of 5-7 or 4-7. With only 5 games remaining, this weekend should hopefully begin to spread the pack out. The match-ups for Saturday and Sunday are:

Saturday, February 21
Hartford at Albany 2 p.m.
The Hawks defeated the Great Danes, 73-47, at Chase Arena when these two teams met earlier this season... On January 31, Hartford junior Diana Delva had one of her best-shooting games of the year, going 8-for-10 from the field... Albany freshman Tabitha Makopondo has been ripping down 6.1 rebounds per AE contest to lead the team.

Maine at Binghamton 2 p.m.
Binghamton is looking to snap a three-game losing streak against Maine, who the Bearcats defeated earlier this year, 62-49... Binghamton, the best three-point shooting team in the conference (.349) is going up against the second-stingiest three-point defense in the league in Maine (.302).

Stony Brook at UMBC 7 p.m.
The Seawolves, half a game behind the Retrievers in the AE standings with 5 games remaining, won the first match-up this season, 78-62... Stony Brook sophomore Kirsten Jeter scored her career-high 24 points in that game and hit 10 field goals... Led by junior Carlee Cassidy's 2.9, UMBC leads the conference with 6.2 three's per game.

Sunday, February 22
New Hampshire at Vermont 1 p.m.
In Durham on February 1, the Catamouts upended the Wildcats, 69-48... Vermont and UNH are two of four teams in the conference to have two players in the top 10 of scoring (Candace Williams, 3rd, 15.8 ppg; Courtnay Pilypaitis, 4th, 14.5; May Kotsopoulos, 5th, 13.8; Amy Simpson, 9th, 12.3)... Pilypaitis and Williams also rank 1-2 in rebounding with 7.9 and 7.7 per game.

Crazy Finish In Binghamton

If you weren't inside the Events Center Wednesday night, and were just following along with the live stats, you would have gone to bed believing the outcome of the Binghamton-Boston University game was different than what actually took place. The live stats showed a 75-74 overtime win for the Bearcats, who finally welcomed senior center Laura Franceski back to the lineup from off the bench. The ACTUAL outcome was a 76-75 win for the Terriers, extending their win streak to 13 games and improving their AE record to 12-0.

Binghamton's Jackie Ward hit a field goal with 7 seconds left in the overtime period to put the Bearcats ahead, 75-73. The shot sunk just as the shot clock expired and the horn consequently went off, which was confused with the horn indicating the end of the game. Unfortunately, the Bearcats bench confused it with just that and rushed the court in celebration. Boston U. still had a shot to win the game, and because of the premature celebration and a technical foul, was given two foul shots. Aly Hinton hit one of two, the Terriers controlled the rebound, and senior Amarachi Umez-Eronini drove to the basket to secure the game-winning layup. Umez-Eronini was the hero of the game, not only scoring the winning two points, but finishing with 11 points, a career-high 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Hinton and senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley each netted 20 points.

In other action, Maine salvaged the split with Albany, defeating the Great Danes, 59-51 up at Alfond Arena. Black Bear Colleen Kilmurray earned Maine's AE Player of the Game with 11 points and 9 rebounds, while Kristin Baker finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Sophomore Janea Aiken scored a game-high 19 points for the Great Danes on 8-of-15 shooting.

Hartford returned from Baltimore with another decisive win over the UMBC Retrievers, 72-43. The Hawks outshot the Retrievers, 45% to 24%, and put an end to junior Carlee Cassidy's 31-game double-figure scoring streak, as she only record 4 points in 27 minutes. Hartford's Ilicia Mathis tallied a agme-high 17 points on 6-of-12 from the field. Junior Erica Beverly led the Hawks with 9 rebounds. Freshman Michelle Kurowski was the only Retriever in double-figures, finishing with a team-high 10 points on the night.

Poles Puts Up Big Numbers For Vermont

Vermont senior forward Kelli Poles ripped down 19 rebounds and scored 11 points in the Catamounts' 69-53 win at Stony Brook on Tuesday night. It was the second straight big game for Poles, as she was named America East Player of the Game last Saturday against Albany as well. The Seawolves, who were hosting their Pink Zone game and were wearing pink uniforms, got 23 points out of sophomore Kirsten Jeter, but nobody else stepped up to join her in double-digit points. Vermont junior May Kotsopoulos tallied a team-high 14 points, while junior Courtnay Pilypaitis netted 13 points and handed out 7 helpers to remain the league's assists-leader.

On tap for Wednesday night is Albany at Maine (7 p.m.), Hartford at UMBC (7 p.m.) and Boston U. at Binghamton (7 p.m.). All the home teams will be trying to salvage a split of the regular season series.

Visiting Teams Prevail in Pink Zone Games

Weekend action wrapped up on Sunday with three Pink Zone games, two of them televised. UMBC beat Maine, 77-74, at Alfond Arena on a regionally-televised game on WABI in Maine, while Boston U. swept New Hampshire at Lundholm Gym, 75-53.

Kristi Dini led the Terriers to their 12th straight win with a game-high 20 points, including 6 three-pointers. Fellow senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley finished the afternoon with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Racheal Fowler paced New Hampshire with 14 points and 6-of-7 field goal shooting. Leading scorer and rebounder Candace Williams was held to 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Up in Orono, the Black Bears were looking for their first consecutive wins this season, however it was the Retrievers who stopped a skid. Carlee Cassidy rebounded from a quiet first half to finish with a game-high 22 points. Freshman Katie Brooks came off the bench to contribute 21 points, while rookie Erin Brown added 16 points to the winning cause. Maine outrebounded UMBC, 52-37, and had 4 players in double-figure points, put it wasn't enough. Junior Brittany Boser posted 21 points and 12 rebounds, while senior Colleen Kilmurray pulled down 10 boards.

Marist defeated Hartford, 78-73, at Chase Arena in overtime, snapping the Hawks' 34 game winning streak at Chase Arena. The game featured 10 ties and 11 score changes and two foul-outs in a hard-fought battle. Hartford junior forward Erica Beverly played 38 minutes, racking up 18 points and 11 rebounds, while senior guard Lisa Etienne tallied 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for America East Player of the Game honors.

Pink Zone Begins Saturday

The WBCA Pink Zone Initiative officially begins Friday, and the first America East Pink Zone game in Saturday at Vermont as the Catamounts host Albany. Vermont will have lots of "pink" action, including auctions of the Cats' pink uniforms and a ball autographed by both teams. Visit UVM's Pink Zone site to learn more. Stony Brook plays host to Binghamton on Saturday as well in a rematch of what was a shootout in the teams' first meeting this year.

Albany at Vermont 1 p.m.
The Catamounts won the first meeting this season, 77-54... Vermont junior guards Courtnay Pilypaitis and May Kotsopoulos, averaging 14.8 and 14.0 ppg, ranked 4th and 5th in the conference in scoring... The Great Danes are second in the conference in rebounding defense, and third in scoring defense.

Binghamton at Stony Brook 1 p.m.
The first game between these two squads this season resulted in a shootout, 91-86, in Binghamton's favor... In conference play, Stony Brook's Kirsten Jeter is in the top five of scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg)... Binghamton's Andrea Holmes is the top-scoring rookie in league play through 10 games.

Maine Wins; Pink Zone on ESPN2

The University of Maine can breathe a sigh of relief.... kind of. The Black Bears earned their first America East Conference win, a 57-49 victory over New Hampshire, Thursday night, which snapped their 16-game losing streak. It was the first time Cindy Blodgett and company felt that winning feeling since December 3 against Robert Morris. Junior Brittany Boser led Maine with 13 points, while the Black Bear defense played superbly, holding UNH's leading scorer, Candace Williams 0-for-17 from the field.

Maine returns to action for its Pink Zone game on Sunday vs. UMBC at Alfond Arena. That game will be broadcast locally on WABI beginning at 12 p.m. Also being televised on Sunday is a Hartford-Marist Pink Zone match-up on ESPN2, the only mid-major game as part of the network's February Frenzy. The game will be shown in its entirety in the "of-interest region", Connecticut and the New York metropolitan area, while all other regions of the country will cut in and out from Chase Arena, as well as the other 3 games being played nation-wide. For more broadcast information, and more on February Frenzy, check out the ESPN.com story.

Terriers, Hawks and Catamounts Pull Away From The Pack

Teams ranked 1-3 in the conference standings entering Wednesday night pulled ahead from the pack by defeating the teams ranked 4th, 5th and 7th with ease. Boston University leads the group one game ahead of Hartford. Vermont is then two games behind the Hawks. The next team in the standings, Binghamton, is another two games behind the Catamounts and stands in 4th-place with a 5-5 record.

Wednesday night, Boston University upended Stony Brook, 89-71. The Terriers, who never trailed in the game, extended their winning streak to 11 and snapped the Seawolves' winning streak at 3. Senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley led five Terriers in double-figure points with 28 points in addition to 9 rebounds and two steals. Burks-Wiley also went 11-for-13 from the foul line, while Boston U. finished 23-for-29 from the line on the night.

Hartford also had five players in double-figures on its way to a 74-54 win at Binghamton. Freshman Ilicia Mathis led the charge with a game-high 14 points, including 2 treys on 4 attempts. Junior Erica Beverly and senior Lisa Etienne followed with 13 points apiece. Junior Diana Delva and senior Katie Kelley each recorded a team-high 6 rebounds.

Vermont senior Amy Rosenkrantz became the 3rd Catamount to reach 1,000 career points this season in UVM's 73-49 victory over UMBC in Baltimore. Rosenkrantz needed 13 points to reach the mark and she scored game-high-tying 14 points, while also collecting a team-high 8 rebounds and handing out 5 assists. Junior Courtnay Pilypaitis finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.

Thursday night, action continues with New Hampshire traveling north to take on Maine in Orono. Tipoff is at 7:00. The Wildcats won the last match-up, 51-47 behind a big night by junior guard Amy Simpson (17 points, 4 blocks, 5 three-pointers).

Streaks Collide

Stony Brook is riding a 3-game winning streak, its longest in nearly 2 years. Boston University is in the midst of the longest win streak--10 games--in program history. On Wednesday night, these two streaks will meet face-to-face when the Seawolves visit the Terriers at Case Gym. Stony Brook hung close to Boston U. in the first meeting this year, before dropping the game, 72-59. Amarachi Umez-Eronini, recently named the America East Player of the Week, enters the game with 5 straight double-figure point games, while Seawolf Kirsten Jeter is averaging 14.8 points per game in conference contests.

Stony Brook at Boston U. 7 p.m.
The Terriers have won 10 games overall, 9 conference games, and 5 home games... The Seawolves enter the game on a three-game win streak, their longest such streak since March, 2007... Boston U.'s Kristi Dini and Stony Brook's Jodie Plikus both average 2.4 three-pointers per game against conference opponents.

Vermont at UMBC 7 p.m.
Vermont defeated UMBC in the first meeting of the season, 81-52... The Catamounts have not lost to an AE team below them in the conference standings this year... The Retrievers are 4-0 at the RAC in conference games, and 8-1 overall on the season on their home court.

Hartford at Binghamton 7 p.m.
In West Hartford earlier this season, the Hawks defeated the Bearcats, 63-54... Two of the hottest freshmen in the league in Hartford's Ilicia Mathis and Binghamton's Andrea Holmes will be playing the backcourts at the Events Center. Holmes is averaging 13.9 points per AE contest, while Mathis is netting 11.9 points per conference game.

UNH Matches Last Year's AE Win Total

In Head Coach Kristin Cole's second year with the University of New Hampshire program, the Wildcats have matched their America East win total from the last two seasons, when they finished 4-12 both years in the conference. Just 9 games into the 2008-09 conference slate, UNH picked up its fourth win with a 73-65 win over visiting UMBC on Sunday. The Wildcats used a 15-0 run in the last 5 minutes of the first half to break away from a 17-17 tie with the Retrievers, and never relinquished the lead. Junior Candace Williams, who led all scorers with 11 points at the intermission, finished with 19 points, for her 23rd straight game in double figures this season. Williams, one of 4 Wildcats in double digits, recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. Freshman point guard Abigail LaRosa also had a very strong game with her first career double-double of 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. She went 7-for-8 from the foul line, including 5-for-6 in the latter stages of the second half.

The league's leading scorer, UMBC junior guard Carlee Cassidy, came off the bench to net 24 points, leading the Retrievers. One of Cassidy's 4 three-pointers brought UMBC to within 4 points, 68-64 with 45.8 seconds left, but UNH's Williams sunk 1-of-2 free-throws after a Wildcat timeout to seal the home team victory.

Player and Rookie of the Week will be named Monday afternoon and action then returns on Wednesday evening with 3 more games. UMBC will return to Baltimore to host Vermont, while UNH travels to Orono on Thursday night for a rematch with Maine.

Terriers Continue To Roll

Boston University, Hartford and Binghamton all swept season series on Saturday afternoon to start off the second half of the conference season. In the first game of the day, the Terriers won their 10th straight, and 9th consecutive America East game, up in Burlington in an overtime thriller. Vermont's Courtnay Pilypaitis tied the game at 54-all with a layup at the end of regulation, and then heaved a desperation 3 up at the end of the extra period, but failed to convert the last play, giving Boston U. its second win over the Catamounts this season, 64-61. Terrier senior guard Amarachi Umez-Eronini led the charge with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists. Junior Aly Hinton and senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley both recorded double-doubles. On the Catamount side, Andrea Cihal also finished with a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) to pace Vermont.

For Hartford, who posted its largest margin of victory in the program's Division I history, junior Diana Delva had a well-rounded afternoon of 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists. The Hawks extended their home court winning streak to 34 games with the 82-34 victory over Maine at Chase Arena. Black Bear junior point guard Kristin Baker put up a team-high 8 points, while freshman Samantha Baranowski led the effort on the glass with 5 boards.

At the Big Purple Growl in Albany, the Bearcats spoiled the Great Danes's afternoon with a 66-63 victory. Rookie Andrea Holmes tallied a game-high 24 points for Binghamton. The Bearcats scored the final 6 points of the game and Holmes scored 5 of them to cap the game off, while also netting her team's final 9 points. Jaki Goldner, who played in place of senior center Laura Franceski, scored a career-high 13 points with 5 rebounds. Sophomore Janea Aiken continued to be the one Albany looks to on offense, scoring 21 points for a team high. Tiffanie Johnson and Charity Iromuanya also finished in double figure points.

UMBC and UNH meet up in Durham Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the second game of their season series. The Retrievers won the first contest, 95-85.

Vermont, Hartford and Albany Host Rematches

Vermont, Maine and Albany have a second chance Saturday as they try to exact revenge on earlier losses this conference season. Saturday's previews are below.

Boston University at Vermont 1 p.m.
The Terriers have taken 3 of the last 4 meetings with the Catamounts, including a 58-47 win in Boston in January... The last match-up in Patrick Gymnasium between these two teams went in favor of the Catamounts, 65-56... Catamount Courtnay Pilypaitis and Terrier Jesyka Burks-Wiley are currently the only active America East members of the 1,000 point/500 rebound club.

Maine at Hartford 2 p.m.
The Hawks defeated the Black Bears, 77-46, up in Alfond earlier this season... Hartford senior MaryLynne Schaefer is eyeing two Black Bears on the America East 3-pointers per game career list, needing 5 more to surpass Ashley Underwood and 14 more to overcome Cindy Blodgett... Maine junior Brittany Boser is 19th in the country with the free-throw mark of 87.5%.

Binghamton at Albany (TW3) 4:30 p.m.
The Great Danes host the Big Purple Growl when the Bearcats come to town... Albany won all three meetings last year, but Binghamton took the first match this season, 67-63... The Great Danes have 3 scorers averaging double-digits, while Erica Carter leads the Bearcats with 10.7 ppg, good for 15th in the conference.

Smarty Pants

Those that work hard will be rewarded. That remains true off court as it does in-game. Late Thursday CoSIDA named the All-District Academic All-Americans in conjunction with ESPN The Magazine. Vermont's May Kotsopoulos and Maine's Brittany Boser were both honored in District I (New York & New England). Kotsopoulos, a business administration major with a 3.62 GPA, was named to the first team, which means she is eligible for the Academic All-American team that will be chosen later this month. Boser, who keeps a 3.85 GPA in chemical engineering, is repeat selection, having earned All-District status as a sophomore as well.

Also, for anybody attending the 2009 America East Championship at Hartford March 12-15, Fan Central is now live. It's the perfect place to find hotels at championship rates and find out more about the city of Hartford.

School Records Fall Wednesday Night

Three of the four road teams got on the bus Wednesday night winners to close out the first half of the conference season. Two athletes in particular also went home feeling pretty good about themselves. Hartford's Erica Beverly swatted 5 blocks in the Hawks' 59-32 win at New Hampshire to break the school's single-season blocks record. The junior forward surpassed the career blocks record earlier this season already. Beverly also scored 13 points, while freshman guard Ilicia Mathis led Hartford with 16 points.

In Albany, Boston University won their school-record ninth straight game, 78-48 over the Great Danes. Senior point guard Christine Kinneary tallied five handouts and became the program's all-time assists leader. In the process, she also moved into fifth-place in America East history with 477 career assists. She'll now be gunning to pass current Maine coach Cindy Blodgett who finished her career with 487. Senior guard Amarachi Umez-Eronini scored a game-high 17 points to go along with nine rebounds, two assists and three steals to pace the Terriers, while the Albany defense mostly kept forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley in check with just nine points and seven rebounds.

Stony Brook won its season-best third game in a row, 57-39 over Maine, to move into a 6th-place tie in the conference standings at 3-5. Forward Kirsten Jeter, who's been hot averaging 14.8 ppg in AE play, netted a game-high 17 points and added six rebounds, six steals and three blocks. Sophomore Misha Horsey handed out a career-high eight assists. On the defensive side, the Seawolves forced Maine into 35 turnovers and turned them into 24 points.

Vermont and Binghamton entered the Events Center just one game apart in the standings, but the Catamounts flexed their muscles to earn a win on the road, 64-38. Senior Kelli Poles contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds from off the bench for her sixth career double-double, and junior Courtnay Pilypaitis was once again a triple-double threat with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Of note, the Bearcats were playing without reigning Player of the Week Laura Franceski who had suffered a minor concussion earlier this week at practice. She'll be questionable for Binghamton's game at Albany on Saturday.

Halfway Home

It's hard to believe, but it's February 4 and the conference season is halfway over after tonight. Four games, all at 7 p.m., are scheduled tonight before teams start the second time through. Here are your previews for tonight.

Vermont at Binghamton 7 p.m.
Binghamton defeated Vermont, 73-69, last year at the Events Center and is currently 3-0 at home vs. conference opponents... Catamount Courtnay Pilypaitis is in AE's top three in scoring (15.2 ppg), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and assists (5.3 apg)... Bearcat rookies Andrea Holmes and Viive Rebane have started every game this season.

Maine at Stony Brook 7 p.m.
The Seawolves and Black Bears have been headed in opposite directions, with Stony Brook on a 2-game win streak after winning its first conference game of the season, and Maine in the midst of a 14-game losing streak... Each team won its home contest in last year's regular-season series... Stony Brook's Kirsten Jeter (24 points) and Maine's Katia Bratishko (10) are both coming off their career highs in points last time out.

Hartford at New Hampshire (Metrocast - tape delay) 7 p.m.
Hartford took the season series last year from New Hampshire... Both teams feature strong post threats in Candace Williams (UNH), Diana Delva (Hart), Jill McDonald (UNH) and Erica Beverly (Hart)... McDonald and Beverly lead their teams in blocks, while Williams and Delva lead their respective teams in scoring.

Boston U. at Albany 7 p.m.
Both teams won their home games last year to split the season series, however the Great Danes pushed the Terriers to the limit in Boston, forcing overtime... Three-pointers could be flying in this contest as two of top long-range shooters in the conference, Kristi Dini from Boston U. and Britney McGee from Albany, will be on the court and these teams rank 8th and 9th in 3-point field goal percentage defense.

SUNY's Streaking

Binghamton and Stony Brook both won their second straight games on Saturday to match or mark each team's longest win streak of the season. The Bearcats got the job done on the road at Maine, defeating the Black Bears, 62-49, and got a big game out of senior Laura Franceski. The center finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 blocks, which tied a school and conference record for single-game rejections. The visitors also got a solid effort out of rookie point guard Andrea Holmes who handed out 5 helpers and chipped in 8 points. Maine, who outrebounded Binghamton 41-37, was led by junior guard Kristin Baker's team-high 14 points. The victory is Binghamton's second straight and its first conference win away from the Events Center.

Stony Brook continues to gain confidence as the conference season progresses, and that led to its 78-62 win over UMBC in Pritchard Gym. Sophomore forward Kirsten Jeter, who led the Seawolves last year in AE play, put 24 points up on the board along with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Fellow sophomore Misha Horsey also finished in double digit points with 14 to go along with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The Retrievers scored 31 in each stanza, but shot very poorly in the second half (.259). Junior Carlee Cassidy heaved up 27 field goal attempts, making 6 of them, including 4-of-16 from long-range. Cassidy finished with 20 points, while sophomore Meghan Colabella snatched 10 rebounds.

Hartford won the third game of the day, 73-47, over Albany at Chase Family Arena, extending the Hawks' home-court win streak to 33 games. The game wasn't a runaway by far in the first half, as Hartford only had a 26-20 lead at the break. However, the home team started the second stanza on a 21-2 run to break away from the Great Danes. Junior Diana Delva went 8-for-10 from the field to finish with 19 points along with 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Forward Erica Beverly contributed 11 points and 7 boards to the Hawks' balanced attack that included 12 players with at least 2 points. Tabitha Makopondo was the lone Great Dane in double figures, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds, including 6 boards on the offensive end.

Superbowl Sunday has one America East game scheduled. Vermont is in Durham to take on New Hampshire. The Catamounts took 3 contests away from the Wildcats last season, including one in the quarterfinals of the America East Championship.

Eight Game Win Streak Alive & Well

The Boston University senior class is making sure it makes its mark on the 2008-09 season. For the fifth straight game, at least three of the four seniors--Kristi Dini, Christine Kinneary, Amarachi Umez-Eronini, and Jesyka Burks-Wiley--finished with double figure points. It was also the 15th time this season, in an 84-57 rout of UMBC at Case Gym. All four of those seniors are in America East's top-13 scorers this season, led by Burks-Wiley's 18.6 ppg, which is one major reason the Terriers are undefeated in 8 games and are 7-0 in conference play.

Wednesday night against the Retrievers, who were led by junior Carlee Cassidy's game-high 33 points, Burks-Wiley finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, a block and a steal. Kinneary stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, a career-high 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. Umez-Eronini put up 17 points, while sophomore Kerry Cashman also got in on the scoring with a career-high 11 points. The efficient Terrier offense shot 50% or better in both halves, and wound up going 33-for-64 (.516) for the game.

Across the Northeast in Vestal, N.Y., Binghamton and New Hampshire battled it out in the Events Center. The Bearcats won their third straight home game, topping the Wildcats, 76-59. The teams moved into a tie for 5th-place with 3-3 conference records. Four Bearcats netted double-figure points, including senior Laura Franceski who had a solid night with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks and a steal. The senior forward from Moscow, Pa. moved into third-place all-time in America East with 198 career blocks, one ahead of Delaware's Colleen McNamara (1991-95). Next up for Franceski: Northeastern's Katasha Artis with 220 rejected shots to her name. Binghamton's rookie point guard Andrea Holmes also continued to shine in conference play, finishing with 11 points, while adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists. The Wildcats, in the meantime, were led by juniors Candace Williams and Amy Simpson. Williams recorded her league-leading 7th double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Simpson registered 17 points.

Two Games In Action Wednesday

Tuesday's games featured defense and low scores, while Wednesday night's games could see many more points up on the board. UMBC and Boston University meet in Boston with both teams averaging over 70 points per game. At the same time in Vestal, Binghamton and New Hampshire meet featuring some of the highest-scoring individuals in conference action so far.

New Hampshire at Binghamton 7 p.m.
Binghamton defeated New Hampshire in both of last year's match-ups... New Hampshire junior Candace Williams has scored in double-digits in all 19 games this season and in each of the last 20 games dating back to last season... Binghamton freshman Andrea Holmes leads the Bearcats in scoring during America East play (14.0 ppg).

UMBC at Boston U. 7 p.m.
The Terriers took three games from the Retrievers last year, including a quarterfinal match at the America East Championship... The game features the top two scorers in the league right now in UMBC junior Carlee Cassidy (22.2 ppg) and Boston U. senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley (18.5 ppg)... These are also the top two scoring teams in the league (UMBC-73.9 ppg; Boston U.- 70.4 ppg).

Hartford and Stony Brook Rally For Wins Tuesday

Erica Beverly played a key role in Hartford's 56-52 win at Vermont Tuesday night, collecting a crucial defensive rebound with 30 seconds left, and then hitting 2 free-throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to seal the victory. It ended up being a bittersweet night for the Catamounts, who saw junior May Kotsopoulos score her 1,000th career night and junior Courtnay Pilypaitis dish out her 400th career assist. Sophomore Mary Silvia sparked the Hawks' 12-point comeback in the second half with 13 points and 3 three-pointers. Beverly finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Hartford senior Katie Kelley hit the go-ahead jumper, while finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Sophomore Misha Horsey led the Stony Brook Seawolves to their first league win of the year, 64-56 over Albany. Horsey scored a game-high 17 points and recorded 7 rebounds, while junior Crystal Rushin netted a career-high 11 points. The Seawolves rallied from behind 12 points in the first half to knot the game at 28-all going into the intermission, and Albany went cold in the second half, allowing Stony Brook to bring home the win. Tiffanie Johnson and Tabitha Makopondo scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Great Danes.

Wednesday night's lineup includes UMBC at Boston University at 7 p.m. and Binghamton at New Hampshire, also tipping off at 7.

Heavyweights Meet Tuesday Night On NESN

Retracing some footsteps to Sunday's blog entry, there needs to be a correction. Boston University's Jesyka Burks-Wiley (the America East Player of the Week for the 4th straight week as announced on Monday) became the newest member of the 1,000-point/500-rebound club on Saturday in Orono and the entry says Hartford's Erica Beverly is probably next to join that club.

That may not be the case.

Entering Tuesday night's showdown between defending league champion Hartford and preseason coaches' favorite Vermont, Catamount senior Amy Rosenkrantz is 6 rebounds shy of 500 for her career and 51 points away from 1,000. If Rosenkrantz keeps pace with her current season averages (6.2 rpg, 9 ppg) she should reach 500 rebounds Tuesday night and 1,000 points on February 14 at home against Albany. She'll join teammate Courtnay Pilypaitis, who reached the accomplishment earlier this month.

The NESN broadcast goes live at 7 p.m. from Patrick Gym in Burlington with tip-off at 7:04. The game will also be available live on ESPN Full Court and at the America East Zone at www.AmericaEast.com.

All of Tuesday's action includes..

Stony Brook at Albany 12 p.m.
The Great Danes won both games with the Seawolves last season... Stony Brook sophomore Jodie Plikus is averaging 15 ppg over the last 3 games and has seen her minutes climb in each contest... Three Great Danes--Janea Aiken, Britney McGee, Tiffanie Johnson-- are averaging double-figure points and are ranked in the America East top-15 scorers.

Hartford at Vermont (NESN) 7 p.m.
Hartford and Vermont are tied for 2nd in the league standings and split last year's season series, with the home teams winning each match-up... The Hawks are 1-3 in televised games this season... Vermont is the only America East team to defeat Hartford in each of the past two seasons... Eric Frede will call the action, while Leah Secondo will provide the color analysis.

1,000 Points, 500 Rebounds: Here They Come

Boston University senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley put together another superb performance on Saturday and hit another milestone. Just two games after breaking 1,000 career points, the forward collected her 500th career rebound, becoming only one of two active America East players as members of the 1,000 point/500 rebound club. Burks-Wiley finished with 13 rebounds and a career-high 32 points in Boston U.'s 87-72 win at Maine on Saturday. Hartford's Erica Beverly could be the next player to join the same elite club. Having already reached 500 rebounds last season, Beverly has 841 points and is averaging 10.2 ppg this season. Beverly scored 12 of her 841 career points in Harford's 81-67 win over Stony Brook on Saturday. The victory extended the Hawks' home-court winning streak to 32 games. All five Hartford starters reached double-figure points, and two starters, Beverly and fellow forward Diana Delva, recorded a double-double.

In the other games on Saturday, New Hampshire defeated Albany, 66-54, behind junior guard Amy Simpson's game-high 18 points. The Wildcats moved to 3-2 in conference play despite only dressing 8 players this season and being without 2008 Rookie of the Year, Denise Beliveau, who was expected to play a big role in 2009. UMBC won, 78-63, at home over Binghamton led by Carlee Cassidy's 27 points. The win marked the third straight for the Retrievers since falling in Hartford on January 13. Freshman Erin Brown registered her 4th double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds. UMBC is off to its best start, 4-2, in conference play since joining America East six years ago.

Stay tuned for the player and rookie of the week on Monday before the first of two America East-produced women's television games broadcasts live from Patrick Gym on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., pitting together the Catamounts and Hawks.

Saturday Slate Busy

After a few days off, a full slate of games is back on Saturday. New Hampshire, which hosts Albany in a 1:00 game in Lundholm, boasts two of the top three scorers in conference season so far. Looking at the conference-only stats, junior forward Candace Williams, who has one player of the week under her belt so far this season, is tops with 23 points per game. Junior guard Amy Simpson, meanwhile, is a threat from outside, averaging 19.8 ppg and 4 triples per game. One of these two has led the Wildcats in each conference game this season, and 16 of 18 games overall this season. Together, they're a strong inside-out threat for Coach Cole's squad and they have led UNH to a 2-2 AE record. Now on to Saturday's match-ups....

Albany at New Hampshire 1 p.m.
The Great Danes took both games of last year's season series, each by double figures... UNH junior forward Candace Williams ranks 1st in America East in scoring in conference games only (23 ppg), while junior guard Amy Simpson is 3rd (19.8 ppg)... Great Dane sophomore Janea Aiken is averaging 25.5 points per league road game as opposed to 8.5 points per league home game.

Stony Brook at Hartford 2 p.m.
Hartford defeated the Seawolves three times last year, including a quarterfinal game at the America East Championship... Three Hawks are shooting 58.1% or better in league games this year... Stony Brook is second in the league averaging 41 rebounds per conference game, led by junior Sarah Kazadi averaging a league-best 8.8 rebounds per AE game.

Binghamton at UMBC 7 p.m.
The season series went in the favor of the Bearcats last year with Binghamton pulling out a 64-58 win in Baltimore... Binghamton is tops in blocked shots and three-pointers per conference game... Both teams are scoring just under 69 points per game and rebounding 37 shots per game in league play.

Boston U. at Maine 7 p.m.
Each team won its home game in last year's season series... The Terriers and Black Bears are the two best free-throw shooting teams in the conference; Maine leads the way shooting .775, while Boston U. also shoots very well at .756... At last year's game in Orono, there were 56 total free-throw attempts, which Maine converted into 33 of its 82 points.

Milestones Keep Piling Up

Over 900 elementary school kids watched as UMBC's Carlee Cassidy scored her 1,000th career point on a three-pointer late in the second half of the Retrievers' 76-63 win over Albany at the RAC Wednesday afternoon. Cassidy becomes the third America East player to hit that milestone this year, joining Vermont's Courtnay Pilypaitis and Boston University's Jesyka Burks-Wiley. "Midday Madness" was certainly just that--- the Baltimore arena saw a record crowd of 1,517 for a women's game, a match-up that tipped-off at noon. Cassidy ended up with 21 points for the day, while freshman Erin Brown earned America East Player of the Game honors with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-for-5 in the first half. Sophomore guard Janea Aiken led the Great Danes with a team-high 18 points, while Britney McGee and Ashley Lindsay each finished with 10 points.

The Terriers, meanwhile, defended their home court well, defeating Hartford, 76-65 Wednesday night. Boston moves into sole possession of first-place at 5-0, while the Hawks drop their first league game and go 3-1. The Terriers got great balanced scoring, as four of the starters finished with 15 points or more as well as 5 or more rebounds, led by Amarachi Umez-Eronini's 19 points and 5 boards. Umez-Eronini also tossed 3 assists and swiped 3 steals. Kristi Dini, the hero of last year's game at Case Gym, hit four three-pointers to give Boston a quick 11-2 start to the game and keep above pace with her league-leading 3 treys per game. Hartford held a 34-31 lead at the intermission, however it was its largest lead of the game. Diana Delva scored the first 9 points for the Hawks, and finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.

In one of the oldest rivalries around America East, Vermont easily prevailed over Maine at Patrick Gym, 86-51. Junior May Kotsopoulos scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Catamounts and come within 4 points of her 1,000th career point. That mark will probably be surpassed now on Tuesday night's NESN broadcast when Vermont hosts Hartford. Senior Amy Rosenkrantz could also hit a milestone as she is just 6 rebounds shy of 500. She picked up one against Maine in addition to her 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Sophomore Tanna Ross of the Black Bears scored a team-high 13 points, while freshman Jasmine Rush netted a career-high 11 points. Both players came off the bench to play a combined 45 minutes.

New Hampshire was the lone road team to get the "W" Wednesday night, as the Wildcats defeated Stony Brook, 75-65 at Pritchard Gym. The junior tandem of Candace Williams and Amy Simpson combined to post 47 points and 5 three-pointers. Williams came one shy of her career high with 26 points, while adding 5 boards, 1 assist and 3 steals. Both Simpson and rookie Abigail LaRosa dished out 5 assists each. The Seawolves did win the battle on the boards, 40-36, but couldn't overcome a poor shooting night (37.9%). Sophomore Kirsten Jeter earned a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Kairsten Nunn finished with a team-high 19 points, 9 boards and 4 assists.

A full slate of games is back on Saturday.

Bracketology Says....

Before we get into today's match-ups, it's worth pointing out that Charlie Creme of ESPN posted his updated "bracketology" for the women's NCAA tournament. This of course changes widely throughout the season, and will continue to as conference season progresses. Creme currently has Boston University coming out of the America East and entering the tournament as a 13 seed playing #4 Notre Dame in South Bend. This is a change from recent tries this season to piece together the bracket, as preseason favorite Vermont and defending champion Hartford have previously been in the mix. Should make for more bulletin board material from Hawk coach Jen Rizzotti prior to tonight's first-place showdown between the Terriers and Hawks in Boston.....

Albany at UMBC 12 p.m.
Each of these teams went and beat the other on the road to split the season series last year... Neither game was won by more than 8 points, as that was Albany's margin of victory last year in Baltimore... Albany's Britney McGee and UMBC's Carlee Cassidy rank 2nd and 3rd in America East in three-pointers made, and both rank third on their schools' career list.

Hartford at Boston U. 7 p.m.
This game is a rematch of last year's Championship title game, which the Hawks won... Hartford took 2 of 3 from Boston last season, however, the Terriers won the contest at Case Gym on a half-court buzzer beater by senior Kristi Dini... Dini is averaging 3.0 three's per game this season to lead the conference.

Maine at Vermont 7 p.m.
The Catamounts defeated the Black Bears in both meetings last year by an average of 21 points... Vermont senior Amy Rosenkrantz is 7 rebounds shy of 500 for her career. She is averaging 6.5 boards per game this season... Maine is wrapping up a three-game road trip, during which junior Brittany Boser is averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds.

New Hampshire at Stony Brook 7 p.m.
The Wildcats and Seawolves each won on their home courts in the season series last year... Stony Brook ended the regular season with a 77-37 romp over New Hampshire a year ago... Both teams average below 57 ppg, but both have also put together an effort of 85 points or more over the last three games.

SUNY Shootout

Both Binghamton and Stony Brook scored season highs in points in a 91-86 affair at the Events Center that went the Bearcats' way. Binghamton moved to 2-2 in conference play, tied for 4th in the league standings, while Stony Brook fell to 0-3.

Binghamton freshman Andrea Holmes exploded for a collegiate best 32 points, including an 11-for-13 effort at the charity stripe. It is now the 7th 30-point performance around the league so far this season, and the second in America East play. Junior Erica Carter also hit a career high, 21 points, on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 on the free-throw line. The Bearcats sunk 10 three-pointers for the game, including Holmes going 3-for-3 from downtown. Senior Laura Franceski continued to have her presence known on the inside, swatting away 5 shots.

Stony Brook got a great performance out of sophomore Misha Horsey, who netted 24 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Classmate Kirsten Jeter went for 18 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, a block and 2 steals. The difference in the game came down to the free-throw line, as the Seawolves only had 13 attempts to Binghamton's 34. Foul shots accounted for 27 of the Bearcats' points as opposed to 10 of the Seawolves' point total.

Action picks up again on Wednesday, while player and rookie of the week will still be announced Monday despite the MLK Day holiday.

Burks-Wiley Hits 1,000 Point Milestone

Congratulations to Boston University's Jesyka Burks-Wiley who recorded her 1,000th career point Saturday afternoon, at home, against New Hampshire. She is the second America East player to reach that mark this season. Vermont's Courtnay Pilypaitis did so in the very first game of the season. Now, on to the results....

at Boston U. 79, New Hampshire 62
America East Players of the Game: Jesyka Burks-Wiley (Boston U.), Candace Williams (UNH)
Boston U. senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley matched her career high of 24 points and notched her 1,000th career point... The Terriers move to 4-0 in conference play now and slip into sole possession of first place ... New Hampshire's junior Candace Williams netted a game-high 27 points.

Vermont 77, at Albany 54
Sophomore Tonya Young recorded her first career double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the Catamounts... The score was tied at 38-38 at the half, but the Vermont defense held Britney McGee (12 points) and Janea Aiken (9 points) scoreless in the second half.

at UMBC 68, Maine 58
America East Players of the Game: Erin Brown (UMBC), Amanda Tewksbury (Maine)
Junior Carlee Cassidy scored 22 points for UMBC and freshman Erin Brown added 17 points and 10 boards... For Maine, junior Amanda Tewskbury netted a team-high 20 points, including four triples, and junior Brittany Boser came one board shy of a double-double with 19 points and 9 rebounds.

Only Binghamton and Stony Brook play on Sunday, a game to be broadcast on Time Warner...

Stony Brook at Binghamton 2 p.m.
Binghamton defeated Stony Brook in both meetings last year, and by a comfortable 59-35 margin at the Events Center... Both teams are strong in the interior post and are in the top half of the league rankings in rebounding margin, blocked shots, and offensive rebounds.

In Search Of Perfection, First Win

Four games are scheduled for this weekend, with three of them coming on Saturday. The temperatures may be cold outside (or just downright frigid in most Northeast areas), but teams are heating up the gyms inside.

When Boston University hosts New Hampshire tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Case Gym, the Terriers will be riding the hottest win streak--four games-- in the conference and will be gunning for a perfect 5-0 in AE before they meet defending champion Hartford, idle this weekend, Wednesday for a first-place battle. But Boston can't look past the Wildcats, who have one of the hottest players around America East right now in Amy Simpson. Having a relatively quiet non-conference season as the top returning scorer for UNH entering the season, Simpson revved the engine once conference play started. In two AE games, the 5-10 guard is averaging 22.5 points--tops in the league--and has knocked down five triples in three consecutive games now including the loss to Dartmouth on Tuesday. The Terriers have their own threat from long-distance in Kristi Dini, now ranked 8th in the country with 2.9 3's per game, but if she gets shut down, Christine Kinneary and Jesyka Burks-Wiley can drive to the net or post up to get the job done.

At 2, Vermont and Albany will get underway at SEFCU Arena. While the BU-UNH game features the top 2 scorers in conference games only (Simpson, Burks-Wiley), this game will have the next 2 on the court in Janea Aiken and Courtnay Pilypaitis. Aiken dumped 33 points on Binghamton last weekend, despite an Albany loss, so she is capable of having a big night. On the other side, Pilypaitis is just a triple-double waiting to happen for Vermont. Pilypaitis, a 6-1 guard, can score in bunches (19.7 ppg in AE) and dish the ball out to teammates (6.0 ppg in AE), but she can also corral rebounds like no guard in recent memory in the America East women's game. She leads the conference with 8.4 boards per game. Both teams are coming off huge wins this week. The Great Danes took out Maine, 70-44, while Vermont defeated Stony Brook in Burlington, 77-42.

Later in the day 4:30, Maine and UMBC will tip-off inside RAC Arena in Baltimore. Junior Brittany Boser will be leading her Black Bears hoping for their first America East victory. To do so, Maine will have to win its first game on the road (0-9 this season). Boser averages team-highs of 10.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg overall and 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in AE contests. The junior forward is also tops on the team with 15 blocks. The Retrievers were embarassed on the road at Hartford Tuesday night, so they will probably be coming home hungry for a win, which would move them back to .500 in America East. The Retrievers have had success this season with their new runnin' offense which creates a fast-paced game. Junior Carlee Cassidy leads the conference with 21.9 ppg, though that average has dipped in conference games to 17.3 ppg. Rookie Tope Obajolu has been a boost off the bench as of late, averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds per game over the last three contests.

Check back later for results and more information on Sunday's Stony Brook-Binghamton game to be televised on Time Warner in NY.

Home Teams Continue To Win

Winning on your own home court is so important in America East Conference play. With over 2/3rds of the home teams winning during 2007-08, winning on the road can be difficult, which proves to be the case this year as well. Through Wednesday night's games, home teams are 10-2 in league play. That was the case on Wednesday as Boston University defeated Binghamton, 81-63, in Agganis Arena, and Vermont came on strong against Stony Brook at Patrick Gym to win 77-42.

Earlier in the day in Boston, the Terriers, now 3-0 in the conference, pulled way in the first half, led by senior Christine Kinneary's 18 points in the first 20 minutes. Kinneary went on to finish with 22 points, one shy of her career high. Senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley also recorded 22 points and added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Burks-Wiley is now just 17 points away from the 1,000-point milestone. Binghamton's junior Erica Carter scored a team-high 12 points for the visiting Bearcats, who drop to 1-2 in AE play.

Vermont bounced back after a loss in Boston on Saturday and defeated the Seawolves convincingly. Senior Amy Rosenkrantz recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds, while also swiping away 6 steals, a conference-high in league play. The Catamounts scored 38 points in the paint, led by senior Kelli Poles' team-high 17 points. For Stony Brook, sophomore Kirsten Jeter and junior Joia Daniels each posted 11 points, while junior Sarah Kazadi brought down a game-high 13 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

Teams are now quiet until Saturday.

Agganis Arena Hosts The First Women's Game of 2009

The battle of the "BU"s-- Boston University and Binghamton University-- is scheduled for this afternoon at 4:30 in Agganis Arena. It will be the first of two games the Terriers will play at the Commonwealth Ave facility during the 2008-09 season. Boston U. is trying to keep up with the Hartford Hawks, who moved to 3-0 last night, in the standings, while Binghamton enters the game with a 1-1 mark in conference play. After a week off, Stony Brook goes into Patrick Gym tonight to face preseason league favorite Vermont. The Catamounts are coming off a loss to the Terriers on the road Saturday and sit at 1-1 in the America East standings. For Vermont, junior May Kotsopoulos is 54 points away from the 1,000 point mark, while senior Amy Rosenkrantz is 89 points shy.


Binghamton at Boston University (Agganis Arena) 4:30 p.m.
These teams split the season series last year, with each team winning on its home court... The Terriers rank first in the league with a .405 field goal percentage, while the Bearcats lead America East with a .360 three-point field goal percentage.

Stony Brook at Vermont 7 p.m.
The Catamounts won both games with the Seawolves in 07-08... Both teams in this game have quick hands, as they rank first and second in the conference with Vermont averaging 9.3 steals and Stony Brook grabbing 9.2 steals per game.

Hartford, Albany Win Big On Home Courts

The UMBC offense that went into Tuesday night averaging a league-high 75 ppg was stifled by the Hartford defense. The Hartford offense didn't do such a bad job either. The Hawks led 57-16 at the half and went on to defeat the Retrievers, 85-52. Hartford won its 31st straight home game in the process. Hartford's 57 points before the break was the fourth-highest point total scored in one stanza in the America East record book. Junior Carlee Cassidy led the Retrievers with a team-high 16 points.

In the other league game of the night, Albany moved to 1-1 in America East play with a 70-44 trouncing of Maine. Senior Tiffanie Johnson paced the Great Dane offense with 17 points, while Maine's Brittany Boser also netted 17 of her own.

New Hampshire fell to Dartmouth, 62-49, at Lundholm Gym in its final non-conference game of the season. Junior Amy Simpson hit five three-pointers for the third straight game, and finished with a game-high 21 points.

Two games are scheduled for Wednesday. Boston University hosts Binghamton at Agganis Arena at 4:30 p.m. in the first game of a "White Out" doubleheader with the men. Later in the evening, Vermont hopes to get back in the win column when the Catamounts host Stony Brook at Patrick Gymnasium at 7 p.m.

UMBC-Hartford Clash: Something's Gotta Give

Tonight's UMBC at Hartford match-up puts forth an interesting question--what wins games, offense or defense? The contest pits the best scoring offense in America East (UMBC - 75.3 ppg) against the best scoring defense in the league (Hartford - 58.8 ppg). The Retrievers scoring a program-tying 95 points last time out, while the Hawks allowed only 46 points on the road. To add to the plot line, Hartford still has their home court win streak intact. It currently sits at 30 games, tied with North Carolina for second in Division I, and just one behind top-ranked UConn.

In the other league match-up Tuesday night Albany hosts Maine. Both teams are still looking for their first America East win, and one of them will obviously find that tonight. Below are previews of all the games scheduled for Tuesday, January 13.


*Maine at Albany 7 p.m.
The Great Danes won both of last year's match-ups by double-digits... Maine junior guard Kristin Baker enters the game on a three-game streak of scoring double figure points, averaging 11 points per game during that stretch... Sophomore Janea Aiken has scored in double-figures for Albany in six straight games.

*UMBC at Hartford 7 p.m.
The Hawks won both games against the Retrievers last year... The last time UMBC defeated Hartford was the 2007 America East Championship title game on neutral court... UMBC junior Carlee Cassidy is averaging 18 ppg in league contests, while Hartford junior Erica Beverly has put up 15 ppg vs. AE teams.

Dartmouth at New Hampshire 7 p.m.
The Wildcats face their final non-conference opponent of the regular season with this classic intrastate rival... Dartmouth won last year's meeting in Hanover, 67-52... Junior Candace Williams has led the Wildcats in scoring in 11 of 15 games this season and in rebounding in 9 of 15 games.

Career Highs Abound

Saturday was the day to set a career high in scoring as that happened in each of the four America East conference games on Saturday. Boston University senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley posted a career-high 24 points to help the Terriers knock off preseason favorite Vermont at Case Gym, 58-47. In the other 1:00 game up in Orono, Hartford went into Alfond Arena and blew out Maine, 77-46, behind a career-high 20 points from guard Lisa Etienne. Albany sophomore Janea Aiken poured in a career-best 33 points, however the Great Danes fell to Binghamton on the road behind another career performance by rookie Viive Rebane, and three players set new personal bests in scoring in a 95-85 UMBC victory over New Hampshire in Baltimore.

Boston U. 58, Vermont 47
America East Players of the Game: Jesyka Burks-Wiley (Boston U.), Courtnay Pilypaitis (Vermont)
The Terriers have now taken 3 of the last 4 from the Catamounts including the three match-ups during the 2007-08 season... Burks-Wiley set a new career high with 24 points and added 5 rebounds, one steal and a block.... Amarachi Umez-Eronini sat out much of the game in foul trouble, but returned in the final minutes of the game to score 8 of her 10 points for the Terriers... Vermont's Pilypaitis finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to lead the Catamounts... Their 47 points marked a season-low for the Catamounts.

Hartford 77, Maine 46
America East Players of the Game: Lisa Etienne (Hartford), Kristin Baker (Maine)
Etienne recorded team-highs of 20 points and 6 rebounds, with her scoring output setting a new career high for the senior guard... Junior forward Erica Beverly finished with 15 points and tied a personal best with 6 assists... Baker was the only Black Bear in double-digit points, with 12... Baker also added 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals... Hartford as a team stole the ball away 18 times, forced Maine into 25 turnovers and shot 48% from the floor.

Binghamton 67, Albany 63
America East Players of the Game: Laura Franceski (Binghamton), Janea Aiken (Albany)
The Bearcats jumped out early to a 12-0 lead, but Albany rallied to tie the game at the half, 28 all... Freshman Rebane led Binghamton with a career-high 16 points, while senior Franceski posted her fourth career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds... Albany sophomore guard Aiken netted 33 points. That mark represents the most scored by a women's basketball player at the Events Center and the most points scored against Binghamton by an individual in America East play.

UMBC 95, New Hampshire 85
America East Players of the Game: Tope Obajolu (UMBC), Amy Simpson (UNH)
In this high-scoring affair, the Retrievers tied their highest offensive output in the program's Division I era... UMBC's Carlee Cassidy scored a team-high 26 points, while Obajolu and sophomore Tonishea Mack both scored career-highs of 15 and 12 points, respectively... Obajolu also added 11 blocks and 3 blocks and completed her first career double-double... New Hampshire's Simpson and junior forward Candace Williams combined to scored 49 points, including a career-high 28 points from Simpson and 21 points from Williams.

Maine, Boston, Binghamton & UMBC Host League Games Saturday

Conference season rolls on as eight teams are in action on Saturday. Read previews of the four match-ups below or check out recaps of Wednesday night's games here. The Boston Globe's Julian Benbow highlights Vermont head coach Sharon Dawley's return to the Boston area in today's paper and also makes mention of Boston University freshman Caroline Stewart as a local athlete.

Vermont at Boston University 1 p.m.
An early test for both teams, the Terriers hope to start a new homecourt winning streak after watching a 13-game streak come to an end last week... Vermont junior Courtnay Pilypaitis averaged 20.3 ppg in league contests last year, and netted 28 points in the conference opener this year... Boston U. won 2 of 3 match-ups last year, including a Championship semifinal in double overtime.

Hartford at Maine 1 p.m.
The Hawks took both meetings with the Black Bears last year, including by a 56-38 score last year at Alfond Arena... Some of the better scorers from the post position are involved in this game, led by Hartford's Diana Delva (12.8 pgg) and Maine's Brittany Boser (9.7 ppg)... Hawk Erica Beverly (9.9 ppg) and Black Bear Samantha Baranowski (9.1 ppg) also fit into that category.

Albany at Binghamton 2 p.m.
The Great Danes, playing their America East opener, took all three meetings with the Bearcats a year ago, including a quarterfinal match at Chase Arena at last year's Championship... Binghamton freshmen Viive Rebane and Andrea Holmes have combined to lead the Bearcats in scoring in 3 of the last 5 games.

New Hampshire at UMBC 4:30 p.m.
These two teams split last year's series with the road team winning each time... A high-scoring affair may be the result of this match-up as the Wildcats and Retrievers represent the two lowest-ranked scoring defenses in America East this season... Junior Carlee Cassidy leads UMBC with 22.1 ppg, while junior Candace Williams is the high scorer on the other side of the ball at 15.1 ppg.

Hawks, Terriers and Catamounts Win Conference Openers

The rest of the conference (except for Albany which begins league play Saturday at the Events Center) got America East play started Wednesday night. Hartford and Vermont won on their home courts, while Boston University won one on the road to all move to 1-0 in AE.

Hartford 63, Binghamton 54
America East Players of the Game: Ilicia Mathis (Hartford), Erica Carter (Binghamton)
Mathis took her game to a whole new level for the second straight contest. The reigning America East Rookie of the Week scored a career-high 15 points, surpassing the previous high of 10 points set against #1 UConn last week. Erica Beverly also contributed 15 points for the Hawks. While Hartford extended their home court winning streak to 30 games, the Bearcats did keep it close. Binghamton kept Hartford's lead in single digits and held a lead in the first-half. Carter scored 15 points for the visitors, including 11 in the first half to lead all players in the first 20 minutes.

Vermont 81, UMBC 52
America East Players of the Game: Courtnay Pilypaitis (Vermont), Erin Brown (UMBC)
Pilypaitis scored a game-high 28 points and added 11 rebounds for her fourth double double this year. The Catamount defense held the Retrievers to season lows of 52 points and four three-pointers, in addition to holding the league's leading scorer, Carlee Cassidy, in check to just 10 points. Vermont's May Kotsopoulos also had a great game with 16 points and a career-tying 7 assists. The Catamounts had a 16-point halftime lead and couldn't get any closer than 15 for the rest of the contest. Brown led the Retrievers with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Boston University 72, Stony Brook 59
America East Players of the Game: Jesyka Burks-Wiley (Boston U.), Kirsten Jeter (Stony Brook)
The Terriers, who were a mere 3-5 on the road in AE contests last year, picked up their first league win away from Boston. Burks-Wiley secured her third double-double of the year with 18 points and 13 rebounds to help put the Seawolves away. Stony Brook did threaten late in the first half and early in the second half, going on a 9-0 run to end the first stanza and forced 7 ties in the game. The Seawolves had the edge in bench points (13-9) and second-chance points (12-5). Jeter scored 20 points for the Seawolves and sophomore Misha Horsey added 16, but 4 Terriers scored double-figures to eventually pull out the win.

Teams are off until Saturday.

UNH Gets A Leg Up On The Field

New Hampshire and Maine played the league's first conference contest last night at Lundholm Gym with the Wildcats coming out victorious, 51-47 behind 18 points from junior Candace Williams and 17 points from Amy Simpson (on her 21st birthday, no less). The Black Bears' top scorer was point guard Kristin Baker with 11 points, but junior Brittany Boser also chipped in 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Home teams won over 62% of the time last season (45-27) in conference play. Home teams are now up 1-0 this year; we'll see if that trend continues tonight as three more conference openers will be played tonight. Here are quick previews of each:

Boston University (6-6) at Stony Brook (2-10), 7 p.m.
In the conference-opener for both teams, both squads come in going 1-1 in the last two games... Boston University picked up last season's game at Stony Brook on March 1 by a 12-point margin to finish the season sweep... The Seawolves are 1-3 at Pritchard Gym this season, while the Terriers are 3-3 on the road.

Binghamton (5-8) at Hartford (5-7) 7 p.m.
The Hawks return home for the first time in over a month (December 6) with 29 straight home-court victories under their belts... Binghamton finishes up a season-long five-game road stretch with its visit to Chase Arena.

UMBC (8-5) at Vermont (6-7) 7 p.m.
In a role reversal, the preseason favorite Catamounts host the first-place Retrievers for both teams' conference-openers... This game features four of the top-six scorers in America East this season (Carlee Cassidy, Michelle Kurowski, May Kotsopoulos and Courtnay Pilypaitis).

Also, as a closing note, Burlington Free Press writer John Fantino published his mid-season prediction of how the America East will look on March 7, the final day of the regular season.

Hartford's Schedule One Of the Toughest In Nation

The data doesn't lie. The University of Hartford has the fourth-toughest non-conference schedule in the country. And at 5-7 entering the America East season, that tough scheduling is what has kept the Hawks in the top echelon of the RPI rankings. The average RPI of Hartford's opponents through last week is fourth in the nation and the overall winning percentage of the Hawks' opponents is .6879 (108-49), the second-highest in the country behind only Illinois.

Vermont is America East's second-ranked team in both RPI and strength of schedule. The Catamounts' schedule is the 27th-toughest among the 340 Division I teams with their opponents having a .6226 winning percentage.

The information above is from Collegiate Basketball News' weekly RPI report. This is the latest America East RPI rankings:

America East - 19th of 32 conferences
Hartford - 54
Vermont - 111
Boston U. - 124
UMBC - 157
Binghamton - 217
New Hampshire - 288
Albany - 307
Stony Brook - 314
Maine - 319

Tonight's only action is Binghamton at Cornell with tip-off at 7 p.m. It is the Bearcats' final non-conference game of the season. There are just two more non-league contests remaining: Dartmouth at New Hampshire on January 13at 7 p.m. and the nationally-televised Pink Zone game pitting Marist at Hartford on February 15 at Chase Arena.