Hartford’s Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) was selected as America East Player of the Week, while Vermont’s Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) collects America East Rookie of the Week accolades for week two. The awards were announced on Monday (November 20).
Hood led the Hawks to a pair of major non-conference wins this week as they improved to 3-1 overall. She scored a game-high 15 points in a win at St. Joseph’s and registered 19 points in a win at Loyola (Md.). She was 14-of-21 (.667) from the floor and was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. She also pulled down four rebounds in each of those contests.
Pilypaitis led the Catamounts to a 2-0 record as they took home the title at the TD Banknorth Classic at Patrick Gym. She was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as she averaged 13.0 ppg and 6.5 apg, including scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting against Holy Cross.
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
CAA vs. America East
On Tuesday, America East will square off against the Colonial Athletic Association in all three games of the night. Boston U. will play crosstown foe Northeastern and UMBC will entertain Towson, while Albany will travel to Virginia Commonwealth. In the final conference RPIs last season, the CAA was ranked eighth, while America East was 11th of 32 Division I basketball conferences.
Non-Conference Success
America East teams went 12-8 in non-conference play last week with every team in the league winning at least one game. Three teams, Boston U., Hartford, and Vermont went a perfect 2-0 on the week.
Lindgren Scores League High
Binghamton’s Rebecka Lindgren (Oskarsham, Sweden/Sandagymnasiet) scored a league-high 27 points in a win over Winthrop. While Lindgren’s 27 is a league-best so far this season, former Maine standout Cindy Blodgett has the league record for points in a game with 52 in a conference championship game against Towson back on March 2, 1997.
Beating the Ivy’s
America East teams are a perfect 3-0 against the Ivy League this season. Hartford defeated co-champion Dartmouth in the preseason WNIT, Maine defeated co-champion Princeton at the Subway Classic, and Stony Brook downed Yale at the DePaul Invitational. America East and Ivy schools will square off another five times, with a potential sixth meeting, in non-conference play this season.
Home Tournament Advantage
Vermont won its fifth TD Banknorth Classic, first since 2002, with wins over Holy Cross and East Carolina. In the 13-year history of the tournament, the Catamounts have been to the finals all 13 times with five titles.
Boston Dog Fight
On Tuesday, Boston University will play former America East member Northeastern in the first of a Boston basketball doubleheader. The Terriers lead the all-time series 33-30. Game time is 5 p.m. at Matthews Arena.
An Old Face Returns, Maybe
Vermont will participate in the URI Invitational this week and will play Rhode Island in the opening round. The Catamounts could face former Catamount head coach Cathy Inglese in the second round as Inglese’s Boston College Eagles square off against Central Connecticut State in the other side of the bracket.
Tournament Frenzy
America East schools have/will participate in 16 in-season tournaments during non-conference play this season. This past weekend, Vermont won the TD Banknorth Classic, while Binghamton, Stony Brook, and Maine all won games in their respective tournaments. Next weekend, Maine will host the Dead River Company Classic.
Playing the Field (NCAA STYLE)
America East schools are slated to play 23 of the 64 teams in last year’s NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Among these teams are Connecticut, Purdue, Duke, Temple, Arizona State and Boston College. Several other teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship.
Hartford Selected to Three-Peat
University of Hartford is the unanimous choice to repeat as America East Women’s Basketball Champions according to a vote of the conference’s head coaches. The Hawks received all eight possible first-place votes, tallying 64 points (coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team).
The two-time defending champion Hawks, (27-4, 15-1 America East in 2005-06), became just the second team in America East women’s basketball history to win an NCAA tournament game as they shocked sixth-seeded Temple in the first round a season ago.
Stony Brook earned 56 points and garnered the only other first-place vote to finish second in the poll. Boston University finished third with 49 points. Binghamton University was fourth with 37 points, University of New Hampshire was just one point behind Binghamton garnering 36 points for a fifth-place preseason billing, while UMBC was sixth with 33 points.
University of Maine, University of Vermont and University at Albany rounded out the nine-team poll with 23, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Lights, Camera, Action
America East announced its most comprehensive television schedule in history with more than 50 men’s and women’s basketball games slated for broadcast in 2006-07 (see following page for complete schedule). Included in the package is the America East Men’s Basketball Championship, which will air live on ESPN2 on March 10 at 12 noon. It marks the 19th-consecutive year that the championship game will appear on ESPN or ESPN2.
America East and ESPN Regional Television will team up to produce and distribute games throughout the America East geographic footprint, which includes several of the nation’s top 25 media markets including New York (No. 1), Boston (No. 5), Washington, D.C. (No. 8), Baltimore and Hartford. In addition, no fewer than 12 games will be included in the ESPN Full Court package, the subscription service provided by ESPN. The games will also be available on-line via video streaming at AmericaEast.com, through the conference’s multi-media partner, XOS Technologies.
Preseason All-Conference Squad
University of Hartford’s Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) and Stony Brook University’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Trenton/Cheshire Academy) were unanimous selections to the 2006-07 America East Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team. Both players received eight votes from the coaches around the league (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players) and were all-conference selections from a year ago.
Joining Hood and Ford on the preseason squad is junior center Laine Kurpniece (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) of Binghamton, 2006 Rookie of the Year Erica Beverly (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) of Hartford, and senior forward Jessica Smith (Butler, N.J./Butler) of Stony Brook. All three were second-team all-conference selections last season.
Basketball Standards Set
In an effort to further the development of the league as a whole, the America East Conference has established a set of men’s and women’s basketball standards that will enhance the league’s premier sport by implementing competitive scheduling policies, radio and television requirements and a marketing fund aimed at boosting basketball awareness conference-wide. The standards are a product of the league’s annual Athletic Director’s meeting in June and were later approved by the conference’s nine member-institution Presidents.
With an emphasis on an opponents’ two-year average RPI (Ratings Percentage Index), the league’s new scheduling policy calls for member institutions to effectively schedule games versus tougher non-conference foes. Effective for the 2007-08 season, minimum requirements have been established to stress the importance of strength-of-schedule around the league, which should help bolster the conference’s overall RPI.
With more than 50 televised basketball games planned for the 2006-07 season, the increase in television coverage is the most significant and visible standard established. The comprehensive television schedule is more than double any previous season total in conference history. Likewise, every basketball game will now be available online via a streamed radio broadcast, with men’s games required as over-the-air broadcasts as well.
A number of new marketing initiatives have been set up for the 2006-07 season with none more beneficial than the marketing fund. Established for basketball marketing and promotions efforts, institutions shall apply to the conference office for use of this fund.
Among the conference’s other marketing initiatives are the promotion of America East Opening Night, a full-color, 24-page America East Basketball Fan Guide, a nightly fan handout, the recognition of America East Players of the Game following each men’s and women’s basketball contest and a re-designed website through a partnership with XOS Technologies.
Championship Binghamton Bound
The America East Women’s Basketball Championship moves to Binghamton for the first time in 2007 as Binghamton University hosts the nine-team tournament on March 8-11 at Events Center. The first round game will take place on Thursday, March 8, followed by the quarterfinals on Friday, March 9, the semifinals on Saturday, March 10 and the title game on Sunday, March 11.
Tournament ticket packages are $25 for youth/students and $40 for adults. To purchase tickets call 607-777-SLAM or online at www.AmericaEast.com. To request media credentials for the conference’s premier event, email Tom Wilkins (wilkins@americaeast.com).
New Website Debuts
America East and XOS Technologies have partnered to launch a new and improved www.AmericaEast.com. For this partnership, XOS will provide an online platform that includes website design, technology development and integration and E-commerce solutions. The newly launched site, which is aimed toward an interactive audience, will offer FREE online streaming of the America East television package, live championship statistics, an upgraded webstore and online auctions.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Albany Great Danes
UAlbany (1-3, 0-0 America East) defeated crosstown-rival Siena in convincing fashion before traveling to Orlando, Fla. for the UCF Golden Knights Tournament... The 72-52 win was the first for the Great Danes over the Saints since the two programs renewed the series in 2001 after a 25-year hiatus... UAlbany had not beaten its Capital Region counterpart since the 1977-78 season... Junior guard Sherri Mikus (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) led five players in double-digits with 18 points, while also recording three steals and two assists... Junior forward Kristin Higy (Akron, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) and freshman guard Britney McGee (Bakersfield, Calif./West) each added 16 points in the game while senior Tanya James (Toronto, Ontario/Albert Campbell C.I.) tied a career high with 11 points... Senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) was the final player in double figures with 10 points while junior forward Gia Sanders (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) led all players with 12 rebounds... UAlbany had a harder time with Bowling Green on Nov. 17, falling to the Falcons 76-40... Ward led the Great Danes with 12 points while Higy added 8 points and eight boards... Ward paced the team again in a 59-51 loss to the host Golden Knights, netting 15 to go along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal... Higy added 14 points while Mikus recorded 12 points, two assists, two steals and two blocks... The Great Danes will conclude their four-game road trip at Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday, Nov. 21 before returning home on Sunday, Nov. 26 to take on Holy Cross.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton’s (1-2, 0-0 America East) Rebecka Lindgren (Oskarsham, Sweden/Sandagymnasiet) averaged 17.0 points in three games last week... She poured in a career-high 27 points in Binghamton’s 53-40 win over Winthrop in the opening round of the Florida Atlantic Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 17. Included in that game was a career-high seven three pointers, which ranks just one behind the school record eight three points (turned in by Bess Greenberg in 2001 against Yale)... Lindgren, who has led Binghamton in scoring all three games, was named to the Florida Atlantic Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament team... Binghamton’s Nov. 14 game against Sacred Heart at the Events Center marked the first of five home games against teams that reached the postseason in 2006 (three teams, including Sacred Heart, advanced to the NCAA Tournament, while the other two teams made it to the WNIT)... Binghamton as a program has now won 397 games since its inception in 1973.
Boston University Terriers
Boston U. (2-0, 0-0 America East) is the only remaining America East team that is undefeated on the young season... The Terriers opened the 2006-07 campaign with an 82-66 victory over the University of Rhode Island. In her collegiate debut, freshman Kristen Folk (Moosic, Pa./Scranton Prep) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Cheri Raffo (Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon) had a team-high 16 points in the win. Five players scored in double digits and each BU player on the court scored at least two points... The Terriers followed it up with a 68-66 come-from-behind win over the University of Missouri-Kansas City at UMKC’s Swinmey Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon. Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep), Raffo and Kristi Dini (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) all scored in double digits and Erica Kovach (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) brought down 13 boards to lead the Terriers to their second straight victory... Raffo is third in the conference in scoring (16.5 ppg), while Kovach sits atop the rankings in rebounding (12.0 rpg)... Newcomer Folk is first in blocked shots (2.50 bpg) and second in field goal percentage (.700).
Hartford Hawks
The Hawks (3-1, 0-0 America East) bounced back from last week’s loss in the second round of the Preseason WNIT against Purdue to pick up a pair of road wins at Saint Joseph’s and Loyola this weekend...The Hawks began with a 10-point win over the Hawks of Philadelphia in a hard fought battle... Hartford had a 15 point advantage at the Hawks but Saint Joseph’s wasn’t going to go away easy... Hartford finished the game with three players in double figures with Katie Kelley (Syracuse, N.Y,/Corcoran) setting a new career high. She had 11 points in the first half, which broke her previous high and then added a second half basket to finish with 13... Ikea Witt (Vineland, N.J./Sacred Heart) and Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) led the Hawks, each finishing with 15 points... The two combined to shoot .684 from the field (13-of-19)... Witt also added six rebounds and three steals to her credit... Against the Greyhounds, the Hawks were led by Hood who finished with 19 points... Two Hawks saw career numbers on the night, Witt finished with a four-year best of seven assists, while freshman Diana Delva (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) grabbed her first double digit rebounding effort with 11 boards and added three blocks... Witt also finished the game with double digits in the scoring column with 14 points. Hood had another outstanding night on the floor with an 8-of-12 effort, finishing the week shooting 14-21 (.667)... Witt currently leads the team in scoring with an average of 12.0 points, while Hood is second at 11.3 points-per-game.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (2-1, 0-0 America East) split its two games in the Subway Classic this past weekend at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota... Maine dropped the opening game to Middle Tennessee, but rebounded to win the consolation over Princeton, 69-63... The Black Bears took on a pair of teams that won their respective conferences last season (Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt and Princeton in the Ivy League)... Princeton was also picked to win the Ivy League this season according to the league’s preseason poll ... Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island H.S.) led Maine in scoring in both games and was named to the All-Tournament team... She scored 15 against MTSU and a game-high tying 21 points versus the Tigers... It marked the second game this season Barker has been the leading scorer in the contest... She has also led Maine in scoring in all three games this season... Ashley Underwood (Augusta, Maine/Cony H.S.) notched her first double-figure scoring game of the season against Princeton with 15 points... Maine returns to action this weekend when it plays host to the Dead River Company Classic in Orono... The Black Bears will take on Brown on Friday at 7 p.m., and then face either Clemson or St. John’s on Saturday at 6 p.m. ... Brown joined Princeton and Dartmouth as the tri-champions of the Ivy League last season... It will mark Maine’s third-straight game against a defending conference champion.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (1-2, 0-0 America East) dropped its home opener to Coppin State, 59-48, on Nov. 14, before winning its first game of the season, defeating Loyola, 58-56, on Nov. 17... Freshman guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) scored a career-high 17 points in 28 minutes off the bench against the Eagles, with 10 points coming in UMBC’s 13-4 run in the first half... She was named the Marlowe Sports America East Player of the Game after shooting 6-for-11 from the floor, including 3-for-5 from three-point range... Junior forward Amanda Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) hit a jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Retrievers past the Greyhounds... Senior point guard Brittnie Huhges (Roanoke, Va./Northside) scored a career-high 21 points while shooting 7-for-13 from the floor, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range, and was named the Marlowe Sports America East Player of the Game... Hughes and senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franclin Central) combined for 30 of UMBC’s 34 first-half points... Hughes leads the team with 15.0 ppg and has scored in double figures in all three of UMBC’s games... Rohde is tops on the team with 8.3 rpg and is second with 12.3 ppg... Sophomore center Mackenzie Butler (Reno, Nev./Reno) leads the team with 14 assists and posted a career-high six dishes against Loyola... The Retrievers held both opponents to under 40 percent shooting (.374) but shot only .369 from the field... The Retrievers host Towson on Nov. 21 and New Jersey Tech on Nov. 26.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (1-1, 0-0 America East) split its games between Massachusetts and Wagner College... At Massachusetts, the Wildcats struggled offensively, shooting .245 (13 of 53) from the field... The Minutewomen outrebounded 42-35 and shot .412 in the game (21 of 51)... New Hampshire gave up 17 points to Massachusetts on turnovers... Massachusetts led by as many as 24 points with two minutes left in the game... New Hampshire returned to Durham to open its home opener against Wagner College and responded with an 80-70 win over the Seahawks... Senior Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine) led all scorers with 17 points as New Hampshire had five players who scored in double figures... The Wildcats outrebounded the Seahawks 46-31 and was 24-for-34 at the free throw line... New Hampshire’s bench contributed 28 points to Wagners’ 17... New Hampshire travels to West Point, N.Y. to play Army before Thanksgiving on November 22 and returns home to host Iona College on November 26.
Stony Brook Seawolves
The Stony Brook University women’s basketball team (1-2, 0-0 America East) traveled to Chicago, Ill. to participate in the DePaul Invitational hosted by DePaul University... In the first game, against Illinois State, the Seawolves were plagued with foul trouble most of the game, eventually falling, 73-63... Mykeema Ford scored 17 points in the loss, Dana Ferraro added 12 and Jessica Smith had 10. Farah Vasquez-Jacobo grabbed 10 rebounds in defeat... On Saturday night, the Seawolves took on Yale in the consolation game. Stony Brook had the lead most of the game and led by as much as 14 as they held on for a 71-69 win. Five players scored in double figures for the Seawolves. Cheri Davis and Jessica Smtih each had 12 points, Leah Getz and Ford scored 11 and Delicia Jernigan chipped in with 10... Mykeema Ford was named to the all-tournament team.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (2-1. 0-0 America East) won its fifth TD Banknorth Championship title and the first since 2002 with a 57-43 victory over East Carolina... Freshman guard Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) was named the tournament MVP... She netted a game-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, handed out five assists and collected seven steals in the first round win over Holy Cross... Pilypaitis followed that up with seven points, seven rebounds and eight assists in the championship game... Her seven steals were two shy of the Vermont single-game record.. The Catamounts collected 17 steals versus the Crusaders, tying the tournament record... Freshman guard May Kotsopoulos (Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Collegiate) joined Pilypaitis on the all-tournament squad... Kotsopoulos was key for the Catamounts on the defensive end and averaged 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals during the tournament... This was Vermont’s first in-season tournament victory under head coach Sharon Dawley and the Catamounts have advanced to the championship game in six of the seven regular season tournaments they have participated in under Dawley... In the two games Vermont handed out 35 assists on 44 field goals and collected 31 steals... Vermont returns to action on Nov. 24-25 at the URI Invitational... The Catamounts take on Rhode Island on Nov. 24 at 12:00pm and could face former Catamount head coach Cathy Inglese in the second round as Inglese’s Boston College Eagles take on Central Connecticut in the other half of the bracket.