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?

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.

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.

Big East Foes Have No Mercy

A pair of Big East opponents did not treat America East squads kindly Wednesday night. 12th-ranked Louisville, and All-American Angel McCoughtry's triple-double, defeated Hartford in Kentucky, 42-70. In the meantime at the Events Center, Villanova came away the victor against Binghamton, 55-37.

The only game Thursday night is Vermont at Harvard. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. It is the second of three straight America East opponents the Crimson will face.

Terriers Take Out Crimson

Boston University cruised by Harvard Tuesday night 80-61. Jesyka Burks-Wiley finished with 23 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal and Aly Hinton chipped in with 11 points, nine boards, two assists, two steals and a block. Boston earned its 13th straight win at Case Gym, moving into a tie for 10th on the NCAA Division I chart for home court win streaks.

New Hampshire was further down the green line at Boston College, but couldn't get overcome the difference in size, falling, 85-43 to the Eagles. Albany fell to NJIT, 58-47, and Maine dropped a close game to Hofstra on Long Island, 60-56, despite Amanda Tewksbury's season-high 16 points.

Wednesday night brings two more games against Big East opponents. Hartford is at Louisville and Binghamton plays host to Villanova. The Bearcats' game will be televised regionally by Time Warner. Both of those games tip-off at 7 p.m.

Cassidy Third In Scoring Nationally

This week's NCAA national DI rankings came out this afternoon and there are some America East players making a significant impact in some of the categories. UMBC junior Carlee Cassidy is ranked third nationally in scoring with 23.9 points per game.

Binghamton's Laura Franceski is 5th in blocks (3.3 bpg), Hartford's Diana Delva is 5th in field goal percentage (63.8%), and Boston University's Kristi Dini is 5th in three-pointers (3.3 treys per game).

Additionally, the Retrievers' 78.8 points per game is 14th in the country. That's ahead of some of the nation's elite teams such as #3 Stanford, #10 Baylor, #11 Duke, #12 Louisville, #17 Virginia #18 Ohio State and #19 TCU. UMBC will try to continue that trend when they play host to winless Coppin State tonight at 7 p.m. Stony Brook is the only other team in action tonight. They play Yale at Pritchard Gym at 6 p.m.

Wildcats Win #1 On The Season

University of New Hampshire won its first game of the 2008-09 season, an 89-61 decision at Colgate Friday night. Five different Wildcats hit double figures, including junior Amy Simpson with a game-high 24 points. UNH shot 61.8% from the field and hit 14 treys for the game.

Five teams are in action Saturday. Hartford hosts St. Joseph's for a 1 p.m. game on NESN. The Hawks will try to extend their home win streak to 29 games. Also, Binghamton is at La Salle for a 1 p.m. tipoff, Holy Cross and Vermont face-off in Patrick Gym at 1:00, Northeastern is at Stony Brook for a 2 p.m. game, and UMBC hosts Towson beginning at 7 p.m.

UMBC, Boston U. and Maine Win At Home

UMBC defeated Navy, 85-77, in the first half of a women's-men's doubleheader in Catonsville. The win was backed by junior Carlee Cassidy's 32 points and freshman Michelle Kurowski's 30 points. The Terriers also won on their home court, 81-54 over Brown, extending their win streak at Case Gym to 15 games. Maine picked up its first win of the season at Alfond Arena over NEC foe Robert Morris, 54-52.

New Hampshire, Stony Brook, Albany and Hartford all fell Wednesday night against Harvard, Sacred Heart, Army, and Quinnipiac, respectively. Thursday is an off day and the Wildcats travel to face Colgate in the only game featured Friday night.

Hartford, Vermont Win Friday

Hartford defeated the Big South Champions, Liberty, 46-39, Friday afternoon in the George Washington Tournament and will play the Colonials Saturday at 5:30 p.m. for the tournament trophy. Erica Beverly posted her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 boards in the victory. Vermont also posted a win, 69-50 over Manhattan. The Catamounts have now won three-straight games after losing the first game of the TD Banknorth Classic in Burlington.

Three other teams played on Friday as New Hampshire fell to Long Island, 74-60, Stony brook dropped a match to St. John's, 61-49, and Brown upended Maine, 65-52, in Orono.

Seven teams are in action Saturday. Maine, Albany and Binghamton are at home, while New Hampshire, Boston U., UMBC and Hartford are all in tournament action on the road.

Upset Sparks National Attention

Hartford's upset over then-fifth-ranked Duke last Friday night has swept across the national women's basketball scene. Hawks head coach Jen Rizzotti is featured in the most recent episode of the "Shootaround with Beth & Debbie" podcast discussing the win.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma also had some kind words for Rizzotti's program after his own team's win over Rhode Island, just stopping short of naming "Rizzotti For President".

Boston U. Comes Back To Win

The Terriers, who faced a double-digit deficit in the second half, rallied to defeat Northeastern, 71-68, at Matthews Arena in a cross-town rivalry. Senior Jesyka Burks-Wiley notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Kristi Dini hit five treys and a foul shot for 16 points on the night.

Hartford continued on a 10-day road trip in Columbus, Ohio, dropping a 63-45 contest to the #20/21 Buckeyes. Also on Tuesday night, Binghamton fell to Duquesne at home, 68-56.

Before teams break for the Thanksgiving holiday, Vermont hosts Providence at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Albany treks to Hamilton to play Colgate at 5 p.m.

Hartford Stuns #5/6 Duke

The Hartford Hawks defeated the Duke Blue Devils Friday night, 53-51. Junior Lisa Etienne scored a game-high 15 points, while also recording 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. The victory marks the fourth straight year Hartford has defeated a ranked opponent, and the highest-ranked team to fall victim to the Hawks.

UMBC also picked up a tournament win Friday night, defeating Northern Illinois at the Seton Hall Tournament, 88-73. Binghamton fell to Portland State in their home opener, 62-52.

The Hawks will play the host DePaul Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET to decide the tournament Champion, while the Retrievers also play for a tournament trophy against Seton Hall at 3 p.m. Boston University is in Iowa and will face the Hawkeyes at 1 p.m. Saturday in the KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Classic, Vermont hosts Quinnipiac at 1 p.m. in the first round of the TD Banknorth Catamount Classic, Albany host Richmond at 1 p.m., and Stony Brook continues its five-game road trip at Princeton at 6 p.m.

Boston U. Wins Big Over Siena

Jesyka Burks-Wiley scored a game-high 20 points to lead Boston University to an 84-62 win over Siena in its home opener . Amarac Umez-Eronini added 18, while Kristi Dini tallied 14 points, five rebounds and four steals for the Terriers, who canned half of their 3-point attempts (9-of-18). In other action, Kristin Baker stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but Maine fell at Central Connecticut State, 65-57.

Three America East squads take floor on Friday. Hartford takes on No. 5/6 Duke in the first game of DePaul's tournament at 6:30. Binghamton hosts Portland St. at the Events Center in its home opener at 7, while UMBC faces Northern Illinois in the Seton Hall Basketball Classic at 8.

Hartford Wins 28th Straight at Home

Diana Delva and Lisa Etienne each scored 17 points as Hartford defeated Providence, 69-50, on Tuesday to extend the Hawks' home winning streak to 28 games, the longest streak in Division I.

A quintet of games can be found on the America East schedule Wednesday. UMBC plays its home opener when the Retrievers host George Mason. Albany and Binghamton stay in-state but travel to Cornell and Colgate, respectively. New Hampshire is at Massachusetts and Stony Brook is at Penn State. All games start at 7.

Three America East Teams Fall

America East teams faced three perennial NCAA Tournament participants on Sunday. Former Maine head coach Joanne McCallie's No. 8 Duke Blue Devils defeated the Black Bears 98-31 at Durham. Michigan State defeated Stony Brook, 72-42 in East Lansing. Marist downed Albany, 74-56 at Poughkeepsie.

Each of the nine America East teams will take Monday off before defending America East Champion Hartford returns to action when the Hawks entertain Providence on Tuesday at 7.

ESPN.com: Hartford Still Has It

Graham Hayes of ESPN.com wrote in his column Saturday that Hartford is still the team to beat in America East and should be considered among the top mid-major programs in the country.

Hartford Unveils Banner, Cruises Past Dartmouth

The Hartford Hawks unveiled the 2008 America East Championship banner prior to this afternoon's game against Dartmouth at Chase Arena and then proceeded to defeat the Big Green, 73-40. Junior Diana Delva was named the player of the game after posting game highs with 15 points and eight rebounds. Also in action was UMBC who fell to George Washington, 75-56, despite getting a career-best 31 points from Carlee Cassidy.

Tomorrow's action is highlighted by University of Maine's trip down to North Carolina to face eighth-ranked Duke, coached by former Black Bear mentor Joanne McCallie-Palombo. That game begins at 12 p.m., along with Stony Brook's contest at Michigan State. Later in the day, Albany returns from their west-coast trip to take on the MAAC preseason favorite Marist in Poughkeepsie at 4 p.m., televised live on Time Warner.