UMBC’s Kristin Drabyn (Avon, Ind./Avon) earns America East Player of the Week honors for week eight, while Vermont’s Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) wins her league-best fourth America East Rookie of the Week accolade, her second in as many weeks. The awards were announced on Tuesday (January 2).
Drabyn earns her first-ever player of the week honor as she led the Retrievers to a perfect 2-0 mark at the Battle at the Border Tournament. The all-tournament team selection scored 18 points in a win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Thursday and followed that up with 20 points on 6-of-10 (.600) shooting from behind the arc in a win over Texas State on Friday. She currently ranks ninth in the league in scoring (11.4 ppg) and leads the league in three-pointers made (2.38 pg).
Pilypaitis scored 12 points in a pair of games at the Hawk Classic at St. Joseph’s and registered a career-high 22 points against Siena on New Years Day. The freshman is leading all underclassmen in scoring as she ranks fifth overall (13.2 ppg). She is also fourth in the conference in assists (4.23 apg).
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Nine Teams. One Goal
America East women’s basketball is set to tipoff conference play with four outstanding matchups on Thursday.
Hartford at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
In a rematch of last year’s first and second-place teams Hartford will travel to Stony Brook. The Seawolves handed Hartford its lone loss of the 2005-06 conference season, 80-71, at the SBU Arena.
New Hampshire at Maine, 7 p.m.
In an always heated rival game UNH travels to Maine. The Black Bears hold a 40-17 advantage all-time. Last year the teams split with each squad successfully defending its home court.
Albany at Binghamton, 7 p.m.
The Great Danes travel into the Events Center to open their conference slate. The Bearcats hold a slight edge in the all-time series at 19-17, including a season sweep in 2005-06.
Boston U. at UMBC, 7 p.m.
In a conference dog fight, the Terriers travel south to take on UMBC. Boston U. holds a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series. However, most recently, the Retrievers defeated the Terriers 63-57 up in Boston.
Southland Successes
Last week, the America East went 5-1 in non-conference play against the Southland Conference. UMBC captured wins over Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Texas State, Maine defeated Northwestern State and Albany downed Sam Houston State. The two conferences did not meet prior to last week and will not meet again this season.
Vermont Surpasses 2006 Win Total
The Catamounts improve to 10-3 overall with a 2-1 mark last week. The 10 wins surpasses the Catamounts nine wins from a year ago. The Catamounts 10 non-conference wins are the most since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons when UVM won 10 games each versus non-league opponents. Vermont’s 10-3 start also matches the best start since 2002-03. In addition, they are 5-1 at Patrick Gym this season including four straight.
Pair of Seawolves Seeing Double
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) and Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) hold the two best double-digit scoring streaks in the conference. Ford has a league-best 14 game streak, dating back to the March 10, 2006 America East quarterfinal game against Vermont. Smith, the league-leading scorer, has netted double figures in each of the last eight games and 11-of-12 contests this season.
RPI Update
On Jan. 1, the Collegiate Basketball News (CBN) released its week four women’s college basketball ratings percentage index (RPI). Three America East teams improved its standings from week three. In addition, five of the nine teams ranked in the top 200.
| School |
12/25 |
1/1 |
Diff. |
| Hartford |
64 |
56 |
+8 |
| Boston U. |
146 |
128 |
+18 |
| UMBC |
247 |
217 |
+30 |
Offense Versus Defense Thursday
On Thursday night the league’s top offensive team Stony Brook (68.4 ppg) will meet the league’s best defensive team Hartford (54.6 ppg allowed). Something has to give on Thursday night in Stony Brook.
Off to a Better Start
With just a few non-conference games remaining several teams will enter America East conference play off to a much better start than a season ago.
| School |
2005-06 |
Current |
Diff. |
| Vermont |
4-6 |
10-3 |
+6 |
| Maine |
3-6 |
6-5 |
+3 |
| Boston U. |
7-4 |
8-5 |
+1 |
| Albany |
3-6 |
4-8 |
+1 |
Defense: A League Trend
America East schools have been turning up the heat defensively this season. Five of nine teams are holding opponents under 60 points per game, while eight of nine are under 70 ppg. In addition, eight of the nine schools are holding its opponents under 45 percent shooting from the floor.
Not in Our House
America East schools are 24-15 in home games, this season. With just one non-conference home game left this season, the conference will finish over .500 in home non-conference games. In 2005-06, the conference was 46-26 in home games.
Non-Conference Success
America East teams have combined for a 54-56 (.491) 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.
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. Eight of the top 10 scorers, including the top five, are all seniors.
Rank Name, School PPG
1. Jessica Smith, Stony Brook 16.9
2. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 16.1
3. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 15.8
4. Bracey Barker, Maine 15.3
5. Sharri Rohde, UMBC 15.1
7. Ashley Underwood, Maine 12.5
8. Danielle Clark, New Hampshire 12.3
9. Brittnie Hughes, UMBC 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 16.9
2. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 16.1
3. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 15.8
Juniors:
Rank Name, School PPG
10. Kristin Drabyn, UMBC 11.4
13. Laura Sario, Binghamton 10.7
15. Danielle Hood, Hartford 10.2
Sophomore:
Rank Name, School PPG
20. Amy Rosenkrantz, Vermont 9.5
24. Danielle Flowers, New Hampshire 8.8
26. Kristi Dini, Boston U. 8.7
Freshmen:
Rank Name, School PPG
6. Courtnay Pilypaitis, Vermont 13.2
14. May Kotsopoulos, Vermont 10.6
22. Britney McGee, Albany 9.1
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).
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTEBOOKS
Albany Great Danes
Albany (4-8, 0-0 America East) split two games in Texas over the holiday break... The Great Danes defeated Sam Houston State, 58-48, on Dec. 28 and then fell to Lamar, 56-43, on Dec. 30... Senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) led the Great Danes in both games, scoring 11 points versus Sam Houston and a game-high 15 versus Lamar... Ward, who is leading the team with 11.1 points per game this season, has recorded nine double-digit point totals in 12 games this season... Junior forward Kristin Higy (Akron, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) fell just one rebound shy of her second-straight double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds against Sam Houston... Higy grabbed a game-high 12 boards in the loss to Lamar... Freshman Charity Iromuanya (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Northeast) has started the last three games for UAlbany... Iromuanya, who is averaging 4.4 points for the Great Danes, scored nine points against Sam Houston... Junior Sherri Mikus (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita), who started the season playing guard for UAlbany, has moved into the small forward position now that Iromuanya has been inserted into the starting lineup... The move has been effective for the Great Danes, as Mikus tallied a game-high 14 points, five assists and four steals in the win over Sam Houston... The Great Danes will not get much rest after returning from Texas, as they host St. Bonaventure in their final non-conference game of the season on Monday, Jan. 2, travel to Binghamton on Thursday, Jan. 4 and host Maine on Sunday, Jan. 7.
Binghamton Bearcats
After averaging just 48.3 points in its first nine games, Binghamton (3-9, 0-0 America East) has found its offense the past three games, during which it has averaged 69.3 points per outing... Freshman guard Muffy Sadler (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Kennedy) has averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists during the past three games... She dished out a career-high eight assists against Colgate on Dec. 19 and against Syracuse on Dec. 30... In addition, she posted a career-high 11 points and five rebounds in the game against the Orange... fellow freshman Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) has averaged 11.3 points the past three games and has reached double figures twice during that span... Junior center Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia/Secondary School 42) had led the Bearcats the past three games with 14.0 points per outing... She netted a season-high 16 points in the game against Syracuse... After blocking 26 shots last season, sophomore forward Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) has already recorded 20 blocks this season, including seven in her last two games... With 46 career blocks, she needs nine more blocks to tie Melissa DiPaola (1989-93) for fifth place all-time... Junior forward Brianna Thompson has averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds the past three games. In her past five games, she has averaged 10.8 points per contest and has reached double figures three times.
Boston University Terriers
Boston University (8-5, 0-0 America East) split its two games at the Blue Sky Restaurant Group Classic in Hanover, N.H., this past weekend... The team fell to No. 3 Duke, 71-43, on Saturday evening in the championship game, after winning a 77-74 nailbiter to Atlantic 10 foe, Dayton... Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius) led the Terriers in scoring in both games, recording her 1,000th point against Dayton... Meinhardt posted 24 points against Dayton on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. The senior guard posted her sixth straight double-figure game against No. 3 Duke with a 12-point performance. The Terriers open conference action on Thursday, Jan. 4 at UMBC.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (7-6, 0-0 America East) played only one game last week, a 62-36 loss to in-state powerhouse Connecticut last Friday... The Hawks played a tough first half, leading by as much as five with 9:03 to play... The two teams played back and forth for the first six minutes with three ties before Hartford took their biggest lead of the game on back-to-back jump shots from Katie Kelley (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) and Lisa Etienne (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) within 23 seconds of each other... The Hawks last lead was a three-point advantage with under 3:30 to play before the break before the Huskies used an 11-0 run to end the half with a 26-18 advantage... The Huskies extended that lead to 20-0 in the beginning of the second half to put the Hawks in a deficit they would not be able to overcome... Etienne led the Hawks in the game as the only player in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting... Hartford struggled from the field in both halves finishing with a 31 percent shooting effort, 29 percent in the first half 33.3 percent in the second half... Two other players finished just shy of double digits with Kelley adding nine points and Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) adding eight... The Hawks were outrebounded by a 53-28 margin but excelled in the turnover category with 13 total, including a season low of two in the first half... Ikea Witt (Vineland, N.J./Sacred Heart) continues to lead the team in scoring with an 11.2 points per game average.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (6-5, 0-0 America East) returned to action last week after an 11-day layoff and went 1-1 in the Cavalier Classic in Charlottesville, Va... The Black Bears dropped the opener to host-school Virginia by a count of 86-66, but rebounded to win the consolation by downing Northwestern State, 79-63... Maine posted a winning non-conference record for the first time since the 2002-03 season... The Black Bears also ran their record to 2-1 in neutral site games this season... Senior forward Katie Whittier (New Gloucester, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) was named to the all-tournament team after she averaged 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game... She notched a double-double versus Northwestern State with a season-high 17 points and 12 rebounds... She also shot 7-of-10 from the floor in the game... It was Whittier’s fifth-straight double-figure scoring game (the longest of her career) and was her second double-double this season... Senior guard Ashley Underwood (Augusta, Maine/Cony) poured in a season-high 23 points versus the Demons... Her point total was one shy of her career of 24, which she set numerous times last season... Underwood was also 11-of-11 from the free throw line tying a school record for free throw percentage in a game (min. of 10 attempts)... Also scoring in double figures for Maine against Northwestern State was senior forward Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa (Apple Valley, Minn./The Breck School) and junior guard Kris Younan (Franklin Park, Ill./East Leyden)... Hugstad-Vaa poured in a career-high 17 points, while Younan notched her second career double-figure scoring game with 11 points... Maine opens conference action on Thursday night when it plays host to New Hampshire at 7:30 p.m, at Alfond Arena... The Black Bears will hit the road on Sunday for their conference road opener at Albany.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (7-6, 0-0 America East) reached the .500 mark for the first time this season with two victories at the Battle of the Border in Edinburg, Texas... The Retrievers defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 66-43, on Dec. 28, and Texas State, 66-51, on Dec. 29... UMBC has won three games in a row for the first time this year... Junior guard Kristin Drabyn (Avon, Ind./Avon) set new career highs in each contest with 18 and 20 points, respectively... Drabyn was 9-for-18 from three-point range in two games, with a career-best six triples coming against Texas State... The six treys were the most by a Retriever in nearly two years... UMBC held its Texas opponents to just 28.7 percent shooting in the two games, while the Retrievers shot 49.5 percent... Senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) posted her third double-double of the season against the Islanders with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds... Drabyn and Rohde were named to the All-Tournament Team... Rohde has started every game of her career for a streak of 97 consecutive starts... Senior point guard Brittnie Hughes (Roanoke, Va./Northside) dished out a career-best 12 assists against Texas State and totaled 20 helpers in two games... Junior forward Amanda Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) posted a season-high five blocks against the Bobcats and has blocked 13 shots in her last six games... UMBC opens America East Conference play with two home games this week, hosting Boston University on Jan. 4 and Stony Brook on Jan. 7.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (5-6, 0-0 America East) senior forward Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Regional) had a big game in UNH’s loss to Detroit, with 16 points and a game-high seven rebounds... Clark moved up to 10th on UNH’s all-time career scorers listing with 1,065 points, moving past Kendall Daly, who finished her career with 1,043... Sophomore forward Danielle Flowers (Chalfont, Pa./Central Bucks South) was the lone Wildcat named to the Lady Luck Classic All-Tournament team... With her seven steals on the weekend... Senior point guard Whitney Edwards (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Trinity Catholic (Conn.)) moved up two spots on UNH’s all-time listing to sixth with 180 in her career... That ties her with Melissa Pfefferle... The Wildcats enjoyed their best shooting night from the floor this season in the victory over Winston Salem with a .500 field goal percentage on 25-50 shooting... Edwards now has 291 career assists, putting her ninth on UNH’s list and passing Kiki Proctor, who left UNH with 297.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (4-8, 0-0 America East) dropped its final pair of non-conference games as the Seawolves lost on the road to Sacred Heart and fell to local-rival St. John’s at Stony Brook University Arena... Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) has scored in double-digits in all 12 games this season and is second on the team with 15.8 ppg and third in America East... Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler HS) averaged 20 ppg over the week and leads both the conference and the Seawolves with 16.9 points per game... After a tough 4-8 non-conference slate, the Seawolves open up America East play versus the defending champions Hartford on Thursday in its first action of 2007... The Seawolves close out the week on the road at UMBC on Sunday.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (10-3, 0-0 America East) closed out the non-conference slate with a 10-3 record after going 2-1 last week... The 10 wins surpasses last season’s total of nine victories all year... Vermont’s only loss was at the hands of South Florida in the first round of the Hawk Classic at St. Joseph’s... The Bulls went on to win the tournament... Vermont’s bench outscored the opponents bench 57-12 on the week (26-4 vs. Siena)... Freshman Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on the week and was named to the Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team... Pilypaitis poured in a career-high and game-high 22 points in Vermont’s win over Siena on New Year’s Day... Sophomore guard Amy Rosenkrantz (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol) averaged 10 points and four rebounds on the week... Former high school teammate and current Catamount teammate Sy Janousek (Chandler, Ariz./Corona del Sol) came off the bench to average 9.3 points per game and was a spark with Kelli Poles (Canadiagua, N.Y./Canadiagua Academy) to lead Vermont past Siena... The Catamounts 10 non-conference wins are the most since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons when UVM won 10 games each versus non-league opponents... Vermont’s 10-3 start also matches the best start since 2002-03... Senior guard Brittney Cross collected two steals in the win over Siena and became the seventh Catamount to record over 500 points, 200 rebounds, 200 assists and 150 steals... She joins the company of Karalyn Church ?00, Jen Niebling ?93, Missy Kelsen ?92, Kari Greenbaum ?95, Lori Taylor ?98, Libby Smith ’02... Vermont is now 2-0 on New Years Day... The Catamounts hit the 70-point plateau for the sixth time this season and improve to 6-0 on the year and 53-10 since 2001-02 when the team scores 70 points or more... Vermont opens conference action on Sunday (Jan. 7) at Boston U at 1 p.m.