Hartford’s Erica Beverly (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) has tied the conference record for most Rookie of the Week awards as she earns her eighth such accolade of the 2005-06 season. Boston University’s Rachael Vanderwal (Stoney Creek, Ont./Bishop Ryan Catholic) and Stony Brook’s Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) also share this week’s Wilson Player of the Week honor. The awards were handed out on Monday (February 6).
Beverly ties the conference record for Rookie of the Week awards with eight, which is also held by Maine’s Rachel Bouchard (1987-88). Beverly was an impressive 77.8 percent from the floor over the Hawks two games, scoring in double digits for the 13th time this season with 11 against Maine on the road. She finished that game missing only one of her five attempts from the field. She then put up a six-point effort in the Hawks home game against Vermont while finishing second on the team with eight rebounds, helping the team post a 49-35 advantage on the boards. Against the Catamounts she also had a pair of assists and one block. Beverly is the only other player to average double digit scoring with a 10.5 point-per-game average. She also leads the team with her 8.9 rebounds-per-game.
Vanderwal turned in an impressive performance to help Boston U. post a 65-50 road win over Albany on Saturday, as the senior tallied a career-high 22 points after suffering a neck and ear injury earlier in the week against UNH. The guard recorded 17 of her 22 points after halftime to break open the game and lead the Terriers to their sixth road win of the season. She made four 3-pointers and added six rebounds and three assists. Before suffering her injury, Vanderwal also registered 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds against the Wildcats. The Terriers’ co-captain has now scored in double figures in six straight games and her scoring average of 11.5 points per game leads the team.
Smith bounced back from three tough outings with a solid performance in a big road win over Albany on Wednesday night. Smith netted a game-high 20 points to go with seven rebounds and seven steals, which tied her for the 10th best single-game total in program history. Smith had entered the game going a career-worst three games without reaching double-figures scoring.
AMERICA EAST NOTES
Moving on up: America East has moved up one spot to 11th in The Collegiate Basketball News Women’s RPI Report and now 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 36, followed by Hartford (40) and Boston University (78).
League elite: Despite boasting the most conference championships in America East history, the University of Maine (seven titles) and the University of Vermont (four titles) are both off to slow starts to the 2005-06 league schedule. For the first time in conference history the Black Bears (2-7) and the Catamounts (3-6) both have six or more conference losses in the same season. Regardless of early struggles by these perennial America East powerhouses, the conference as a whole is as strong as ever with its RPI rating of 11th in the nation.
Home sweet home: Hartford is 8-0 at home this season and the Hawks are currently riding a 13-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.
America East TV Game: The 2005-06 women’s America East TV schedule continues this week as UMBC hosts Vermont on Sunday, February 12. Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Leah Secondo (color analyst) will call the game live on Adelphia (Vermont). The game can also be seen live on the internet through America East All Access. A live streaming feed of the game will be posted once made available.