New Hampshire’s Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Regional) earns America East Player of the Week honors for week seven, while Vermont’s Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) wins her league-best third America East Rookie of the Week accolade. The awards were announced on Tuesday (December 26).
Clark earns her first player of the week honor of the season and her third all-time. The senior forward led the Wildcats to their second straight win with a 71-62 win over Northeastern. She posted a double double with 20 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. She currently ranks seventh in the league in scoring (12.6 ppg) and 10th in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
Pilypaitis scored 15 points and handed out nine assists in a 91-73 win over Kent State. The freshman is leading all underclassmen in scoring as she ranks sixth overall (12.6 ppg). She is also second in the conference in assists (4.70 apg).
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Statement Week
Last week, the America East went 4-2 in non-conference action this week. The week included wins over the Northeast Conference, CAA, MAAC, and Mid American.
Vermont Continues to Roll
The Catamounts improve to 8-2 overall, the best start under head coach Sharon Dawley during her four-year tenure, and the best mark since the 2002-03 season. Vermont has won four straight and eight of the last nine games. In addition, they are 4-1 at Patrick Gym this season including four straight.
Ford/Smith a One-Two Scoring Duo
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) and Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) are currently first and second in the league in scoring. Smith is the league leader averaging 16.3 ppg, while Ford is second at 15.9 ppg.
RPI Update
On Dec. 25, the Collegiate Basketball News (CBN) released its week three women’s college basketball ratings percentage index (RPI). While few teams were in action last week, three teams improved its standings from week two.
School 12/18 12/25 Diff.
Stony Brook 147 136 +11
Albany 208 198 +10
New Hampshire 232 225 +7
Marquee Victories of the Week
America East women’s basketball enjoyed some marquee wins this past week. Some marquee wins includes Vermont’s win over Kent State, New Hampshire’s win over Northeastern, Stony Brook’s win over Quinnipiac and UMBC’s win over Rider.
Ford’s Double-Digit Scoring Streak
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) now owns the longest active double-digit scoring streak in America East. Dating back to the March 10, 2006 America East quarterfinal game against Vermont, She has scored in double figures in 12 straight. Ford, who ranks second in the league in scoring at 15.7 ppg, netted 23 points against Quinnipiac last week.
Catamounts Taking What They Can
Vermont is aveaging 13.3 steals per game, which ranks 13th nationally. The Catamounts also boasts a league-best +7.6 turnover margin and have recorded double-digits in steals in nine games this season.
Defense: A League Trend
America East schools have been turning up the heat defensively this season. Seven of the nine schools are holding its opponents under 45 percent shooting from the floor. In addition, all nine schools are allowing under 71 points on average this season.
Not in Our House
America East schools are 23-14 in home games, this season. With just three non-conference home games left this season, the conference will finish over .500 in home non-conference games. In 2005-06, the conference was 46-26 in non-conference home games.
Holiday Reporting Schedule
With the holiday season upon us, the weekly reporting schedule has been slightly altered. The next two weekly reports will be produced and distributed on Tuesday, December 26 and Tuesday, January 2.
Hartford’s Defense 15th Nationally
After the third week of NCAA statistics, released on Dec. 17, Hartford’s defense ranked 15th nationally allowing just 52.5 points per game. LSU leads the nation allowing just 43.5 ppg.
Seniors Leading the Way
While much can be said about the newcomers impact in America East, it’s the seniors that are leading the way for their respective teams. Nine of the top 10 scorers, including the top five, are all seniors. Vermont freshman Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) is the only non-senior to crack the top 10.
Rank Name, School PPG
1. Jessica Smith, Stony Brook 16.3
2. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 15.9
3. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 15.7
4. Bracey Barker, Maine 15.3
5. Sharri Rohde, UMBC 14.9
7. Danielle Clark, New Hampshire 12.6
8. Brittnie Hughes, UMBC 11.7
9. Ikea Witt, Hartford 11.7
10. Ashley Underwood, Maine 11.6
Class Acts: Scoring Leaders
The following is a breakdown of scoring leaders by class in America East.
Seniors:
Rank Name, School PPG
1. Jessica Smith, Stony Brook 16.3
2. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 15.9
3. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 15.7
Juniors:
Rank Name, School PPG
13. Laura Sario, Binghamton 10.7
15. Danielle Hood, Hartford 10.4
17. Kristin Drabyn, UMBC 10.0
Sophomore:
Rank Name, School PPG
22. Amy Rosenkrantz, Vermont 9.3
25 Kristi Dini, Boston U. 8.8
27. Danielle Flowers, New Hampshire 8.3
Freshmen:
Rank Name, School PPG
6. Courtnay Pilypaitis, Vermont 12.4
11. May Kotsopoulos, Vermont 11.6
20. Britney McGee, Albany 9.5
Non-Conference Success
America East teams have combined for a 46-47 (.494) record to start the 2006-07 season. As a whole, conference teams are 8-1 against the Ivy League and have tallied six wins over the Patriot League, Northeast Conference and MAAC.
Tournament Frenzy
America East schools have/will participate in 16 in-season tournaments during non-conference play this season. Earlier this season, Vermont won the URI Invitational and TD Banknorth Classic, while Maine captured the Dead River Classic title.
Playing the Field (NCAA STYLE)
America East schools are slated to play 24 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 NOTEBOOKS
Albany Great Danes
Albany (3-7, 0-0 America East) defeated defending Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart, 60-55, in the Great Danes’ only game of the week... Senior forward Kristin Higy (Akron, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) led UAlbany with 15 points and completed her second double-double of the season with a career-high 13 rebounds... Higy also added five assists, three steals and a block in 35 minutes played... Senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block... Ward, who hit two free throws to seal the win late in the game, was 4-of-5 from the charity stripe... Freshman Britney McGee (Bakersfield, Calif./West) was the third Great Dane in double figures, netting 11 points against the Pioneers... McGee shot 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc, hitting two of her treys back-to-back midway through the second half to help seal the win for UAlbany... McGee, who is second on the team in minutes played, averaging 29.4, also grabbed four rebounds and recorded three assists... Freshman guard Charity Iromuanya (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Northeast), who made her first start for the Great Danes, added nine points, four boards, one assist, one steal and one block... The Great Danes will not be in action again until after the holidays, as they travel to Texas to take on Sam Houston State on Dec. 28 and Lamar on Dec. 30.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (3-8, 0-0 America East) lost to Bucknell, 65-64, in overtime on Tuesday night... Lindsay Hollobaugh converted the game-winning layup with 4.6 seconds remaining to give the Bisons the victory... Junior forward Juta Jahilo (Helsinki, Finland/ Helsingin Kaupunki) tied her career-high with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks... Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia/Riga Secondary School 47) recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Sophomore forward Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocano) added seven points, eight rebounds and tied her season-high with five blocks and junior forward Brianna Thompson (Chehalis, Wash./W.F. West) contributed eight points and seven rebounds... Binghamton wraps up the 2006 portion of their schedule when they host Big East member Syracuse on Dec. 30 for a 1 p.m. at the Events Center... The Orange are the second Big East foe to travel to Binghamton this season... Earlier this season, Villanova defeated Binghamton, 59-40.
Boston University Terriers
Last week Boston University (7-4, 0-0 America East) was not in action. Last time out, the Terriers coasted to an 83-64 victory over Big East foe St. John’s at Case Gym on Dec. 17... Sophomore Kristi Dini (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) tallied a career-high 24 points and the Terriers shot 50.8 percent from the field as they defeated the Red Storm... On Dec. 12, Boston University was led by a team-high 18 points from senior tri-captain Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) and defeated cross-town foe Harvard University, 77-63, at Case Gym... The Terriers shot 53 percent from beyond the three-point arc, led by senior Erica Kovach (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) and Dini, who were a combined 6-for-10... Boston University will participate in the Blue Sky Restaurant Group Classic held at Dartmouth College... They will play Dayton in the opening round on Friday night at 5 p.m.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (7-5, 0-0 America East) played one game last week, a 70-54 loss at Hofstra on Friday afternoon... Hartford and the Pride battled until late when Hofstra pulled away led by a career night of 26 points from Lana Harshaw... She also added 12 rebounds... The Hawks were led by Ikea Witt (Vineland, N.J./Sacred Heart) who finished with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting... Joining her in double digits was Lisa Etienne (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon/Penn State), who finished with 11 points... Katie Kelley (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) and Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) each finished with eight points... The Hawks struggled on the boards, dropping a 50-40 decision in that column... Three players combined to lead the Hawks, each with six rebounds, Witt, Kelley and Diana Delva (Stamford, CT/Westhill)... The Hawks are led by Witt and Hood; both are averaging double digits in the scoring line... Witt leads the way with an average of 11.7 points-per-game while Hood adds 10.4... Delva is the teams leading rebounder, a column where she is averaging 5.1 per-game... The Hawks will play one game this week. Hartford will face in-state powerhouse Connecticut on Friday at 7 p.m... That game will be the final before the New Year and the final non-conference game of the season for Hartford.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (5-4, 0-0 America East) had the week off as the University held its finals week for the fall semester... The Black Bears return to action on Dec. 28, when they take on host-school Virginia in the opening round of the Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va... Maine will then face either UAB or Northwestern State on Dec. 29... The Virginia contest will mark the second straight opponent from the ACC that Maine has faced and the third overall this season... The Black Bears are 1-1 against the ACC this season, including a win over Clemson on Nov. 25 and a setback at Boston College on Dec. 17... Senior forward Katie Whittier (New Gloucester, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) has led Maine in scoring the past two games, marking the first time in her career she has turned the trick... Senior guard Ashley Underwood (Augusta, Maine/Cony) will be playing in her 100th career collegiate game when Maine takes on the Cavaliers on Thursday.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (5-6, 0-0 America East) won its only game of the week, 69-61, at Rider on Dec. 19... Four starters scored in double figures for the second time this season... Senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) posted her second 20-point performance in as many games, as she scored a game-high 21 points and added eight rebounds... Rohde has scored in double figures in nine of UMBC’s 11 games this season and is averaging a team-best 14.9 ppg... Junior forward Amanda Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) added 16 points and eight rebounds... Senior point guard Brittnie Hughes (Roanoke, Va./Northside) and junior guard Kristin Drabyn (Avon, Ind./Avon) both scored in double digits for the seventh time this season... The Retrievers recorded a season-high six blocks and have 11 in the last two games... Rohde has started every game of her career for a streak of 95 consecutive starts... Rohde has made 11 straight free throws and 16 of her last 17 in the last three games after shooting less than 50 percent (6-for-13) from the charity stripe in the two previous games... UMBC forced 20 turnovers for the fourth straight game... The Retrievers tallied 11 steals at Rider, one off their season high... The Retrievers make their first-ever trip to Texas this week for the UTPA Battle at the Border Holiday Tournament in Edinburg, Texas, where they will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 28 and Texas State on Dec. 29.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (3-5, 0-0 America East) was off this past week during final exams, but recorded a 1-1 record the previous week... After a tough 50-31 loss to Boston College, the Wildcats rebounded with a 52-44 victory over Colgate on Saturday... Sophomore forward Danielle Flowers (Chalfont, Pa./Central South Bucks) tallied a team-high 13 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and two blocks... Senior co-captain Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Regional) delivered 10 points and three rebounds, while teammate Whitney Edwards (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) made a game-high five steals and posted four points in the win... The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday (Dec. 19) when they play host to Northeastern at 7 p.m. in Lundholm Gymnasium.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (4-6, 0-0 America East) won its second straight game heading into the holiday break as they handed Quinnipiac only its second loss of the year... Mykeema Ford (Trenton, NJ/Cheshire Academy) led the Seawolves with 23 points... In its final tune-up for America East play the Seawolves will travel to Sacred Heart on Dec. 28 and wrap up its non-conference slate when the Seawolves play host to Long Island rival St. John’s on Dec. 30.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (8-2, 0-0 America East) captured a 91-73 victory over Kent State in the final game before the holiday break on Tuesday night... The Catamounts have won four straight and eight out of the last nine games... Vermont boasted five players in double-figures led by 15 each points from Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) and Amy Rosenkrantz (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol)... Vermont scored 90-plus points for the first time this season and the first time in since Feb. 16, 2005 versus Albany... The Catamounts 51 first-half points versus the Golden Flashes were also the most by the team this season, UVM scored a total of 48 points in the season opening loss to UMass... With the 51-point outburst in the first 20 minutes and UVM on pace to score 100 it is ironic that the last time the Catamounts scored 100 points was versus Kent State on Dec. 5, 1992 (107-75)... The last time Vermont placed five players in double figures in the scoring column was Feb. 16, 2004 vs. Albany... Vermont is one win shy of reaching its win total from all of last season (9)... Vermont scored the most points this season (91) and also had a season-high with 26 turnovers... The Catamounts return to action on Dec. 28 and 29 at the Hawk Classic hosted by St. Joseph’s... UVM takes on South Florida on Dec. 28 in the first round at 4 p.m... St. Joseph’s and Northeastern face each other in the other half of the tournament bracket.