Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) earns her second-straight America East Player of the Week award in week 10, while Vermont’s Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) wins her fourth-straight America East Rookie of the Week accolade. The awards were announced on Monday (January 15).
Ford earns her second-straight player of the week honor and her fifth all-time. She scored a career-high 32 points in a win over Boston U. and followed that up with 22 points in a win over New Hampshire. The senior guard is averaging 25.3 ppg in league play which is 7.6 ppg more than her closest competition. Ford leads the conference in scoring (18.2 ppg) and ranks third in assists (4.50 apg).
Pilypaitis, who collects her league-best sixth rookie of the week award, averaged 18.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg to keep the Catamounts five-game win streak alive. She scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds in an overtime win over defending champion Hartford and followed that up with 20 points and six rebounds in a come-from-behind win over Maine. The freshman moved into a fifth-place tie on the all-time list of America East Rookie of the Week award winners. Last season, Erica Beverly set the single-season record for rookie of the week accolades as she received this honor 10 times.Pilypaitis is leading all underclassmen in scoring and ranks fifth overall (13.9 ppg). She is also second in the conference in assists (4.56 apg).
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Black Bears Happy to be Home
Maine is glad its recent three-game road trip is over... The Black Bears went just 1-2 during the road trip, while they remain undefeated (4-0) at home... Maine will play 6-of-its-next-8 at the friendly confines of Alfond Arena.
No More Cat/Mouse Games for Vermont
The league’s best kept secret is a secret no more. The Catamounts, who went 10-3 through non-conference play, have rattled off three impressive victory to open conference play. Originally picked eighth in the preseason coaches’ poll, Vermont defeated two-time defending champion Hartford, Boston U., a team that has been to the conference championship in each of the past four seasons, and Maine, a team that has won more America East Championships than any other.
2007 Ford Scorer
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) has kicked her scoring up a notch since the new year. The senior guard has averaged 25.3 ppg in 2007 and has led the Seawolves to a 3-1 mark in conference play out of the gate.
Home Teams Win in Week Two
After visiting teams went an impressive 5-3 in the first week of the season, the home teams rebounded in week two. Home teams posted a 7-2 mark in conference games last week.
Ford Extends Double-Digit Streak
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) has a league-best 18 game double-digit scoring streak, dating back to the March 10, 2006 America East quarterfinal game against Vermont. The league-leading scorer netted a career-high 32 points in a win over Boston U. and poured in 22 points in a win at New Hampshire.
OT Needed to Settle Battle of Unbeatens
Wednesday night’s much anticipated matchup of unbeaten Vermont and Hartford was everything it was hyped up to be. The regulation 40 minutes was not enough to determine a winner. After playing to a 58-58 tie in regulation, the Catamounts outscored the Hawks 8-6 in overtime to escape with the 66-64 win.
RPI Update
America East remained locked into the #16 slot in the Jan. 15 version of the Collegiate Basketball News (CBN) women’s college basketball ratings percentage index (RPI). In addition, five America East teams improved its standings from week five. All and all, five of the nine teams ranked in the top 200, while two are in the top 100 (Hartford and Vermont).
School 1/8 1/15 Diff.
Stony Brook 150 125 +25
Binghamton 309 284 +25
Albany 244 227 +17
Vermont 114 99 +15
UMBC 210 207 +3
Stony Brook’s One-Two Scoring Duo
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) and Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) currently rank first and second in the league in scoring, respectively. Ford leads the lead in scoring, averaging 18.2 ppg, while Smith is second at 16.3 ppg. Never in league history has a team had players finish first and second in scoring.
Smith 11 Points Shy of 1,500
Stony Brook’s Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) is just 11 points shy of 1,500 for her career. Recently, her classmate Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) became just the 25th America East player to score 1,500 points. She surpassed the 1,500 mark as she netted 29 points in a win at UMBC. She is just the fourth player in school history to net 1,500 points.
UMBC’s Off to Best Start in AE History
At 2-2 in conference play, the Retrievers are off to their best start to league play since joining the America East in 2003-04.
Standings Jammed in the Middle
While Vermont has set themselves above the competition at 3-0 and New Hampshire is still in search of its first win at 0-3, the middle seven teams are separated by just one game either way. Several teams will meet this week to try to establish early postseason seeding.
Hartford Extends Home Streak
The Hawks extended their conference home win- streak to 17 games with a win over New Hampshire. This streak includes Hartford’s impressive 6-0 record in the America East Championship over the past two seasons.
Defense: A League Trend
America East schools have been turning up the heat defensively this season. Four of nine teams are holding opponents under 60 points per game, while all nine are under 70.0 ppg allowed. In addition, all nine schools are holding its opponents under 44 percent shooting from the floor.
Not in Our House
America East schools finished non-conference play 24-17 in non-conference home games. In 2005-06, the conference was 46-26 in home games.
Non-Conference Success
America East teams have combined for a 55-578 (.491) non-conference record in 2006-07 season. As a whole, conference teams are 9-2 against the Ivy League and have tallied seven wins over the MAAC and six over the Patriot League and Northeast Conference.
Seniors Leading the Way
The America East elders continue to lead their respective teams offensive. Eight of the top 10 scorers, including the top four, are all seniors.
Rank Name, School PPG
1. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 18.2
2. Jessica Smith, Stony Brook 16.3
3. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 15.2
4. Sharri Rohde, UMBC 14.9
6. Bracey Barker, Maine 14.6
8. Danielle Clark, New Hampshire 13.1
8. Ashley Underwood, Maine 13.1
10. Erica Kovach, Boston U. 11.7
Tournament Frenzy
America East schools have participated in 16 in-season tournaments during non-conference play this year. Earlier this season, Vermont won the URI Invitational and TD Banknorth Classic, Maine captured the Dead River Classic title, UMBC went a perfect 2-0 at the Battle at the Border Tournament, and Boston U. lost to No. 3 Duke in the finals of the Blue Sky Classic.
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).
Albany Great Danes
Albany (6-11, 2-2 America East) split two conference games last week... The Great Danes defeated UMBC 70-51 at home on Wednesday and then fell to Boston U., 72-64, on the road... Junior forward Kristin Higy (Akron, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) led four UAlbany players in double figures against UMBC, scoring a team-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds... Freshman guard Britney McGee (Bakersfield, Calif./West) and senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) each added 11 points against the Retreivers... Ward added five boards, five assists and a steal... Junior guard Gia Sanders (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) was the final player in double digits, scoring 10 points and recording eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks... Junior guard/forward Sherri Mikus (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) had a career-high 14 rebounds in the contest... At Boston U. on Sunday, McGee led the team with 15 points on the strength of three three-pointers... Mikus added 14 points, while Ward had 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals... Higy added 10 points for the Great Danes... Senior guard Tanya James (Toronto, Ontario/Albert Campbell C.I.) played her 100th career game... UAlbany will host Vermont on Wednesday at noon for the NCAA’s Commitment to Education Day... Several elementary schools from the Capital Region will be attending the game... The Great Danes will also play host to defending America East Conference Champion Hartford on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (5-11, 1-2 America East) went 2-1 this past week... Junior guard Laura Sario (Espoo,Finland/Tapiolalonken) averaged 20.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing... Against Cornell last Monday, Sario poured in a career-high 25 points. Two days later, she has a game-high 18 points and tied a career high with eight rebounds against Maine... She closed out her week with another 18-point effort against UMBC on Saturday... Since returning to the Bearcat lineup four games ago, Sario has averaged 19.5 points per night... In America East Conference play, she has averaged 17.7 points per contest... Binghamton’s 60-59 win over Cornell last Monday marked the 400th win in program history... The Bearcats have gone 401-327 (.551) since the program’s inception in 1973 ... With her 11 rebound effort against UMBC on Saturday, junior forward Juta Jahilo (Helsinki, Finland/Helsingin Kaupunki) has now recorded two double-digit rebound games this season and four for her career... sophomore forward Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) enters the week with 49 career blocks... She needs six more blocks to tie Melissa DiPaola (1989-93) for sixth place all time in school history.
Boston University Terriers
Boston University (9-8, 1-3 America East) led by seniors Erica Kovach (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) and Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius) along with junior Cheri Raffo (Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon) rolled to a 72-64 win over Albany Sunday, snapping a four-game losing streak... Meinhardt had a game-high 17 points to go along with Kovach’s 16 and Raffo’s 15... Kovach also had a team-high seven rebounds and Meinhardt dished out four assists and collected six boards... As a team, the Terriers shot 36.8 percent for the game and hit nine three-pointers in the contest.... The Terriers forced 18 turnovers and put 15 points off those Great Dane errors... With her 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Kovach earned co-America East Player of the Game honors... Boston U. dropped a 69-48 decision to Stony Brook University at Stony Brook’s SBU Arena... Raffo led with a team-high 14 points, while Meinhardt also recorded double digits with 10 points... Stony Brook outrebounded the Terriers by a 47-26 margin and scored 14 second-chance points... Raffo earned co-America East Player of the Game honors.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (9-7, 2-1 America East) dropped its only game last week an overtime game at Vermont on Wednesday night... The Hawks had the chance to win it with a last second layup attempts from Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Mandor, N.Y./Walter Panas), but her shot rattled half way through the net before bouncing out, sending the game to overtime for the second time this season... The Hawks scored first in the overtime period, but had three of their four layup attempts in the overtime also half way down before bouncing out... The Hawks were led by Hood’s season best of 22 points, only the second 20 plus point game for any player this season... She was joined by Ikea Witt (Vineland, N.J./Sacred Heart) in double figures with 12 points... Hood vaulted past Witt to lead the team in scoring this season with an average of 11.3 points per game... Witt is now averaging 11.0 ppg... Freshman Diana Delva (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) leads the team in rebounding with an average of 5.8 rebounds per game, while leading the team in field goal percentage at .561 on 24-of-31... Delva is also shooting an impressive .727 in conference play on 8-of-11 shooting.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (8-7, 2-2 America East) dropped a pair of games this past week, including a tough 54-49 loss at Binghamton on Wednesday, and then dropping another tough game on Sunday in a 71-57 loss at Vermont... The Black Bears led late in both contests, but could not hang on for the wins... Senior forward Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) led Maine in scoring in both contests, including a team-best 16 points in Sunday’s game against the Catamounts... She has led Maine in scoring in nine of the 11 games she has played in this season... Ashley Underwood chipped in double-figure point totals in both contests as well, including 12 points on Wednesday at the Bearcats... The Black Bears return home to Alfond Arena for six of the next eight games, including a pair of home contests this week against Stony Brook (Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday night versus Boston University (7 p.m.).
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (9-8, 2-2 America East) split a pair of America East contests last week, falling at Albany, 70-51, on Jan. 10 before taking down Binghamton, 60-50, at home on Jan. 13... At 2-2 in conference action, the Retrievers are off to their best start to league play since joining the America East in 2003-04... Junior forward Amanda Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) has averaged 17.5 points in four conference games and is shooting 48.3 percent in those contests... UMBC is the only team in the conference with four players ranking in the top 15 for scoring... Senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) has started all 101 games of her career... Rohde leads the team with 14.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg... Robinson has blocked 12 shots in the last five games and has moved into eighth place all-time at UMBC with 71 career rejections... Rohde has scored in double figures in nine straight games, the second-longest streak in the conference... The Retrievers hit the road for two conference games this week, taking on defending America East champion Hartford on Jan. 17 and New Hampshire on Jan. 20.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (5-10, 0-3 America East) dropped two games, including one America East decision this past week... Despite jumping out to an early lead and having three players register in double-digits, the Wildcats lost to Dartmouth 79-67 on Jan. 10... On Jan. 13 the Wildcats lost their third America East game of the season, falling to Stony Brook 85-66... In both contests the Wildcats were led in scoring and rebounding by senior forward Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Academy) with 17 points and six boards against the Big Green, following with 18 points and nine rebounds against Stony Brook... Sophomore forward Danielle Flowers (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) netted a career-high 17 against the Seawolves... Also with a solid effort on the week was senior Whitney Edwards (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Trinity Catholic (Conn.)), totaling 21 points on the weekend and recording a season-best eight boards in the Wildcats loss to Stony Brook... Senior Ray Williams (Mississauga, Ontario/The Woodlands School) chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals during the Wildcats game against Dartmouth... The Wildcats, still in search of their first America East win, will play host to Binghamton on Wednesday and UMBC on Saturday.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (7-9, 3-1 America East) won both of its games last week and is on a three-game America East win streak... In a victory over Boston University, back-to-back America East Player of the Week Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Chesire Academy) scored a career-high 32 points including 8-of-9 from the free throw line to lead the Seawolves to a 69-48 victory over the Terriers... Leah Getz (Peninsula, Ohio/Southampton) recorded her second-consecutive double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds... The Seawolves shot 53 percent from the floor, including 7-of-8 from downtown in a 85-66 victory over the Wildcats... Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) led the way for Stony Brook with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Smith shot 7-of-10 from the free throw line... Ford scored 22 points including 4-of-5 from behind the arc... Kelly Watson (Chatham, Ontario/John McGregor) added 10 points and six rebounds... Stony Brook is back on the road when it faces Vermont on January 17.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (13-3, 3-0 America East) posted a 2-0 record on the week, winning home games over Hartford (66-64 ot) and Maine (71-57)... The Catamounts have won five in a row and nine of their last 10... UVM has also won seven straight at home, the longest win streak for the Catamounts since the 2002-03 season (8 straight)... Vermont is 3-0 in America East play for the first time since the 2001-02 season... Freshmen Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) and May Kotsopoulos (Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Collegiate) continue to impress... The duo accounted for 19 of Vermont’s 21 points in a 21-0 run that erased a nine-point deficit with nine minutes to go in the win over Maine ... Pilypaitis finished with a game-high 20 points and six rebounds, while Kotsopoulos added 15 points and three steals... Sophomore Sy Janousek (Chandler, Ariz.) was the spark for the Catamounts in the win over Hartford... She came off the bench to score 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc... Vermont is 1-0 in overtime games this season... The crowd of 1,079 versus Maine was the largest this season for the Catamounts... Vermont improved to 55-10 when it scores 70 points or more dating back to the 2001-02 season... UVM has reached the 70-point plateau eight times this season (8-0)... UVM’s 13-3 start is the best since the 1992-93 season which was the second of Vermont’s back-to-back undefeated seasons (28-0)... With the victory over Maine, Head Coach Sharon Dawley earns her 50th win at Vermont.