American East Conference

Ford’s play was key in a 2-0 week for Stony Brook, including a 67-54 upset of Hartford, as the junior averaged 20.0 points and shot just under 45 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line. She kicked off the week with a season and game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 from three point range versus the Hawks, netting 13 of those points during a crucial 19-5 run in the second half that put the game out of reach. She capped it with a solid 12 points in a win over Albany, scoring 10 points during an 18-3 surge in the second half to give Stony Brook a comfortable 63-47 advantage.

Williams led the Wildcats to two important conference victories over the past week. She notched her fifth career double-double against Albany, scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, eight of those offensive boards. Williams also earned a career-high five assists in the game. She followed that by tying her career high for scoring with 24 points against Boston University. Williams shot 9-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the victory over the Terriers. She grabbed five offensive rebounds, seven rebounds overall, and blocked a shot during the afternoon.

Burks-Wiley turned in one of the best performances of her young career, posting a team-high 18 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals in a 79-70 home victory over Vermont. The freshman went 6-of-8 from the floor and made both of her attempts from three-point range to help the Terriers earn a season sweep over the Catamounts. In Boston U.’s loss at New Hampshire, Burks-Wiley recorded nine points and eight rebounds. With her strong outings, she raised her scoring average in conference play to 7.9 ppg, good for fourth on the team.

AMERICA EAST NOTES

Seawolves Topple Unbeaten Hawks:
Stony Brook handed Hartford its first conference loss of the season on Wednesday with a 67-54 victory at the SBU Sports Complex. Mykeema Ford’s 28 points paced the Seawolves to the win. Stony Brook also Albany on Saturday and with a Boston University loss to at New Hampshire, the Seawolves moved into sole possession of second place in the conference standings.

RPI Watch:
America East has maintained its 11th ranking in The Collegiate Basketball News Women’s RPI Report and ranks third among I-AA conferences. Only the Colonial (eighth) and Atlantic 10 (10th) are higher ranking I-AA leagues. America East has never finished as high as 11th in the final RPI for a season and never as high as third among I-AA Conferences. America East boasts three teams with RPIs in the top 100. Stony Brook leads the conference with an RPI of 31, followed by Hartford (39) and Boston University (75).

Home sweet home:
Hartford is 11-0 at home this season and the Hawks are currently riding a 16-game home win streak, which dates back to March 2, 2005. The Hawks home court advantage could loom huge come March as they play host to the America East Women’s Basketball Championship for the fifth-straight season. Hartford has won two of the four conference championships that it has hosted at Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion.

Senior days:
With the final week the 2005-06 regular season upon us, many of the conference’s top seniors will be recognized for their contributions to their respective programs. On Saturday, Hartford honored arguably its best class in program history as Erika Messam, Danielle Wexler, Jenna Gale and Jessica Clark were all honored prior to their final final regular-season home game.