Vermont’s Brittney Cross (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) earns the first America East Player of the Week award of her career, while teammate Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) collects her second-straight America East Rookie of the Week accolade. The honors were doled out on Monday (November 27).
Cross led Vermont to a 2-0 week at the URI Invitational Championship. The senior guard earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 4.0 steals in the tourney. She netted a team- and season-high 19 points (7-for-9 FG) and handed out eight assists in the first round victory over URI. Cross followed that up with a game-high 17 points, six assists and four rebounds in the upset victory over #22 Boston College. Her steal and lay-up with 1:06 left in the game helped seal the victory for the Catamounts over the Eagles.
Pilypaitis earned a spot on her second-straight all-tournament team at the URI Invitational as she averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 52.4 percent from the field in the tournament. The freshman guard also went 7-for-13 from three point range in the two victories (53.8 percent). She scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point range in the first round victory over Rhode Island and followed that up with 14 points, four assists and four rebounds in the victory over Boston College in the championship game. Pilypaitis went 4-for-8 from long range for the Catamounts.
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Cross Earns Honor
Vermont’s Brittney Cross (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) earns the first America East Player of the Week award of her career. Cross led Vermont to a 2-0 week at the URI Invitational Championship. The senior guard earned tournament MVP honors after averaging 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 4.0 steals in the tourney. She netted a team- and season-high 19 points (7-for-9 FG) and handed out eight assists in the first round victory over URI. Cross followed that up with a game-high 17 points, six assists and four rebounds in the upset victory over #22 Boston College. Her steal and lay-up with 1:06 left in the game helped seal the victory for the Catamounts over the Eagles.
Pilypaitis Tabbed Again
For the second-consecutive week, Vermont’s Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) collects America East Rookie of the Week accolades. Pilypaitis earned a spot on her second-straight all-tournament team at the URI Invitational as she averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and shot 52.4 percent from the field in the tournament. The freshman guard also went 7-for-13 from three point range in the two victories (53.8 percent). She scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point range in the first round victory over Rhode Island and followed that up with 14 points, four assists and four rebounds in the victory over Boston College in the championship game. Pilypaitis went 4-for-8 from long range for the Catamounts.
ACC Sweep
Vermont and Maine teamed up on Saturday to record an impressive sweep over two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. First the Catamounts knocked off #22 Boston College, 56-48, to win the URI Invitational. Then the Black Bears followed up with an 80-78 victory over Clemson to clinch the Dead River Company Class in Orono. The win by UVM was its first versus a ranked opponent and an ACC foe. Maine’s win came courtesy of a 17-foot buzzer-beater by freshman guard Amanda Tewksbury (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon).
Back On Top
Despite being picked seventh and eighth respectively in the preseason coaches’ poll, Maine and Vermont are currently tied atop the conference standings with identical 4-1 records. The Black Bears (seven) and Catamounts (four) have combined to win 11 America East titles in the 22 years of the league’s existence, but the conference’s two most dominant programs historically finished eighth and seventh last season, respectively. The last time the two finished atop the league standings was in 1999-2000 when Vermont won the league title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, while Maine garnered the league’s second at-large berth.
Non-Conference Success
America East teams have combined for a 24-19 (.558) record to start the 2006-08 season. As a whole, conference teams are 2-0 versus the ACC, 5-0 against the Ivy League and have tallied four wins over the Atlantic 10.
Another Familiar Face
Coming off an impressive victory over #22 Boston College, which is coached by former UVM head coach Cathy Inglese (1986-93), Vermont next travels to Minnesota to take on the Gophers and former head coach Pam Borton (1993-97).
Terriers Set For Another Dogfight
Boston University’s non-conference schedule gets kicked up a notch this week as the Terriers travel to Storrs to take on #8 Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion. The action can be seen live at 7:30 p.m. on CPTV. The Huskies also host Hartford later this season on Dec. 29 at the Hartford Civic Center.
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 URI Invitational and Maine captured the Dead River Classic title. Next weekend, Boston University takes on host Arizona State in the first round of the ASU Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
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.
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.
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).
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Albany Great Danes
Albany (2-4, 0-0 America East) posted a 1-1 record in non-conference play last week... The Great Danes finished a southern trip with a 67-55 loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and returned home to defeat Holy Cross, 63-50, on Sunday, Nov. 26... Junior guard/forward Sherri Mikus (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) was named the America East Player of the Game after leading all players with 17 points in the Great Danes’ win over Holy Cross... Mikus, who went 6-of-6 from the free throw line and 5-of-11 from the floor, added six rebounds, four steals and two assists against the Crusaders... Freshman guard Britney McGee (Bakersfield, Calif./West) scored a team-high 15 points at Virginia Commonwealth, to go with three assists and a career-high five steals... McGee added nine points, six rebounds and a steal in the win over Holy Cross... Junior forward Gia Sanders (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) scored 11 points and recorded seven boards, three assists, three steals and a career-high six blocks at VCU... Senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) recorded her fifth double-digit point total in six games, netting 10 against Holy Cross... Ward, who leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 ppg, added five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block... Sophomore center Devran Tanacan (Istanbul, Turkey/Kadikoy Anadolu Lisesi) led UAlbany off the boards, grabbing 10... The Great Danes will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 3, hosting defending Patriot League Champion Army at 2 p.m.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (2-3, 0-0 America East) is coming off a 62-45 setback against unbeaten Liberty on Saturday... Senior point guard Shea Kenny posted a game-high 12 points against the Flames while junior guard Laura Sario (Espoo, Finland/Etala-Tapiolonken) netted 10 points, marking the second-straight game she has reached double figures in scoring... senior guard Rebecka Lindgren (Oskarshamn, Sweden/Sandagymnasiet) continues to lead Binghamton in scoring with 13.2 points per contest... She is also averaging a team-best 2.4 assists per night... Sario ranks second with 9.6 points per game... Sophomore forward Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) leads the Bearcats with 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game... Binghamton’s freshman class accounted for 22.2 percent of its points in the game against Liberty... Freshman guard Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) pumped in a career-high six points while freshman guard Darryll Peterson (Baltimore, Md.) scored a career-high four points... junior forward Brianna Thompson (Chehalis, Wash./W.F. West) recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday.
Boston University Terriers
In a tightly contested match, Boston University (3-1, 0-0 America East) fell, 70-64, to Canisius on Sunday afternoon at Case Gym... Junior tri-captain Cheri Raffo (Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon) led the Terrier offense with 13 points, while senior Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) scored 12 points, dished out seven assists and collected a career-high eight rebounds in the contest... Prior to Canisius, the women’s basketball team completed its season-opening road stand with a perfect 3-0 record in a 93-79 victory over cross-town rival Northeastern on Tuesday evening at the Huskies’ Matthews Arena... Raffo continued to shine on the offensive front tallying a career-high 21 points, while Meinhardt led all scorers with 26 points and went 11-for-12 from the free throw line... Senior tri-captain Erica Kovach (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) recorded a double-double with 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds... Freshman Aly Hinton (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock) also scored in double digits with 13 points... The Terriers take on No. 7 Connecticut on Tuesday in Storrs, Conn.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (3-2, 0-0 America East) split a pair of games last week with the first a loss at Manhattan College 57-61 and then a rebound win over Columbia University 76-37... Hartford shot well in both games over the weekend with a 48.6 percent (25-of-52) against Manhattan and a 50 percent (30-of-60) outing at Columbia... Three players finished in double-digits against the Jaspers, led by senior Ikea Witt (Vineland, N.J./Sacred Heart) who finished with 15 points... Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) added 14 points while Erica Beverly (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) added 10... Hood and Witt combined to lead the team in rebounding, both finishing with nine boards... The Hawks spread the scoring out with all but two players scoring against Columbia... Beverly, Witt and Jamie McCabe (Aptos, Calif./Aptos) led the Hawks, each with 10 points... Beverly recorded her second double-double of the season with a 10 rebound game... For the season, Witt continues to lead the Hawks with an average of 12.2 points-per-game... Hood is second, and the only other player to average double digits, with 11.2 ppg... Beverly leads the team in rebounding with a 6.7 rebounds-per-game average... The Hawks will return home for a pair of game this week, attempting to remain with the third-longest home winning streak in the nation, currently at 20 games... Hartford opens with Seton Hall on Wednesday and then hosts BYU on Saturday, prior to which they will raise the 2005-06 America East and NCAA banner... The Hawks will also be looking for Ikea Witt to score her 1,000th career point against the Pirates, she needs only three more points.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (4-1, 0-0 America East) ran its win streak to three games and claimed the Dead River Company Classic championship this past weekend in Orono... The Black Bears won the opening game of the tournament by a 62-51 count over Brown on Friday, and clinched the title on Saturday with a dramatic win over ACC-foe Clemson, 80-78... Freshman guard Amanda Tewksbury (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon) knocked down a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer against Clemson to propel Maine to the win... Senior forward Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) was named the tournament MVP after she averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game... Against Clemson, she scored a game-high 24 points, marking the third time this season she has scored a game-high point total... Senior guard Ashley Underwood (Augusta, Maine/Cony) scored in double-figures in both games, including 22 points against Clemson, and reached 40 double-figure scoring games for her career... She was also named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts... Maine improved to 4-1 for the first time since the 1997-98 season... The Black Bears return to action this Wednesday when they travel to Hanover, N.H., to face defending Ivy League tri-champion Dartmouth at 7 p.m.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (2-3, 0-0 America East) went 1-1 in two home games last week, falling to Towson, 50-45, on Nov. 21, before routing the New Jersey Institute of Technology, 78-51, on Nov. 26... The Retrievers held both opponents to under 30 percent shooting... Senior point guard Brittnie Hughes (Roanoke, Va./Northside) was held to single digits in scoring (8 pts.) against the Tigers, snapping her five-game double-figure scoring streak which dated to last season... UMBC shot below 40 percent for the third-straight game against Towson, but rebounded for its best shooting performance of the season (.453) against NJIT... Five Retrievers scored in double figures against the Highlanders, including senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central), who has scored in double figures in each of the last three games and four of five this season... Rohde has started every game of her career, extending her streak to 89 consecutive starts... The 27-point margin of victory over NJIT is UMBC’s largest since defeating Navy, 71-44, on Dec. 30, 2005... The Retrievers recorded 24 assists on 29 field goals in the game, just three off the school record of 27 dishes, set on Dec. 2, 1985... UMBC scored 70 points for the first time since Feb. 12, 2006, and the 78 points were the team’s most since an 87-52 victory over Morgan State on Nov. 23, 2004... After four-straight home games, the Retrievers take to the road for the first time in three weeks, traveling to American on Nov. 28 and Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 2.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (2-2, 0-0 America East) earned a split against Army and Iona College this week... The Wildcats traveled to Army on November 22 and dropped a 54-51 decision after Army’s Cara Enright drained a three-pointer at the buzzer... New Hampshire finished the game shooting 43.5 percent and outrebounded the Black Knights 32-31... Senior forward Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Regional) was 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line to lead the Wildcats with 14 points... Senior center Ray Williams (Mississauga, Ontario/The Woodlands School) scored 12 points while junior Ashley Cerniglia (Pittsford, N.Y./Sutherland) contributed 12 points... New Hampshire rebounded with a 72-61 win at home against Iona on November 26... The Wildcats shot a season-best 54.8 percent from the field and outrebounded the Gaels 27-26... Clark scored a season-high 21 points as she was 4-for-10 from the field and a perfect 12-for-12 at the line and is now seven points away from the 1000-point plateau... Senior Salee-Marie Johnson (Brampton, Ontario/St. Augustine Secondary) added 12 points while Danielle Flowers (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) and Cerniglia each had 10... Senior Whitney Edwards (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) set up the offense well with six assists in the game... New Hampshire will host Providence College on November 28 and will travel to play Central Connecticut State on December 2.
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 (4-1, 0-0 America East) won its second-straight in-season tournament of the year, capturing the URI Invitational with a stunning victory over #22 Boston College, 56-48, in the championship game... Vermont has rattled off four-straight victories, the longest win streak for UVM since the 2004-05 season... Senior co-captain Brittney Cross (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) collected tournament MVP honors as she averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 4.0 steals in the tourney... Freshman guard Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) joined Cross on the all-tournament team after averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from three-point range in the tournament... The win over the Eagles marked Vermont’s first-ever victory over a ranked opponent in the program’s history... The victory was also UVM’s first over Boston College and over an ACC opponent... The Catamounts recorded double-digits in steals for the fifth-straight game as a team (11 vs. BC)... Vermont held Boston College to 14 points in the first half, the second-fewest points in a half for the Eagles in the program’s history... Vermont won an in-season tournament other than its own TD Banknorth Classic for the first time since winning the Brown Classic during the 2002-03 season... The Catamounts are now 49-47 all-time in regular-season tournaments and 10-6 under head coach Sharon Dawley... UVM has advanced to the championship game in eight of the nine tournaments the Catamounts have played in during Dawley’s four years at Vermont (including the URI Invitational)... Vermont will face a former UVM head coach for the second-straight game (BC mentor Cathy Inglese coached at UVM prior to going to the Eagles program) when the Catamounts travel to Minnesota on Thursday (Nov. 30) for an 8 p.m. game versus the Golden Gophers and head coach Pam Borton... Borton coached at UVM for four seasons (1993-1997).