Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) earns her third America East Player of the Week honor in the last four weeks, while Hartford’s Diana Delva (Stamford, Conn./West Hill) has been named America East Rookie of the Week for week 12. The awards were announced on Monday (January 29).
Ford averaged 21.0 ppg and 4.5 apg leading the Seawolves to a 2-0 record during the week. The Seawolves have won six straight in league play. The senior guard was shutout during the first half at Vermont and netted 21 second-half points including a game-winning three-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining. She followed that up with 21 points in Stony Brook’s win over in-state foe Albany on Saturday. She leads the conference in scoring (18.9 ppg) and is third in assists (4.42 apg). The preseason all-conference selection is averaging 24.7 ppg in conference play, which is seven points more than anyone else in America East. With her sixth career player of the week accolade, she moves into 11th on the all-time list of America East Player of the Week award winners.
Delva averaged 9.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg to lead the Hawks to a perfect 2-0 mark during the week. She earns her first career rookie of the week honor and becomes the first Hawk to earn this award all season. Delva opened the week with a “perfect night” shooting going 2-of-2 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe in a win over Binghamton. She followed that up with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. The Hawks are 6-1 in America East play and Delva has averaging 6.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg in just under 20 minutes per game off the Hartford bench during these contests.
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Maine Basketball for 1,000
Maine’s Ashley Underwood (Augusta, Maine/Cony) and Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) became the 15th and 16th players in school history to top 1,000 points scored for their careers. The duo joined the Maine record books in the Black Bears’ 74-66 road win over UMBC.
AETV: Stony Brook at Hartford
The Rematch on Sunday in Hartford
Stony Brook and Hartford find themselves back on top after the first few weeks of conference play. The teams spent most of 2005-06 battling for the league’s top spot and were picked to finish at the top again this season. The Seawolves are 6-1, winners of six straight. The Hawks are on a four-game winning streak of their own and boast a matching 6-1 record. The two will square off on Sunday at 2 p.m. in West Hartford. This game is part of the America East basketball presented by the Boston Herald television package and will air on Fox Sports New England (FSNE). Hartford won the first meeting between the two 61-54 back on Jan. 4.
Signs of Improvement
Maine, Vermont and Albany finished as the bottom three teams last year and struggled to find wins throughout the season. This season all three have matched or surpassed their win totals from the previous season.
Win Totals
School 05-06 06-07 Diff.
Vermont 9 14 +5
Albany 7 7 ----
Maine 10 10 ----
Barker 2nd in the Nation From the Line
Maine’s Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) has been lights out from the charity stripe this season. She leads the league in free-throw percentage and ranks second in the nation from the line. She is shooting 92.9 percent overall.
Hartford Defense Eighth Nationally
Hartford continues to rise to the top behind the strength of its defense. The Hawks rank eighth nationally as they are allowing just 53.6 ppg. The Hawks have allowed under 50 points on nine different occasions this season.
Maine 10th Nationally From the Line
The Black Bears rank 10th nationally from the charity stripe converting on 76.6 percent. Maine has made 292-of-381 through 19 games this season.
Stony Brook’s Smith Seeing Double
Stony Brook’s Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) has posted a league-high five double-doubles this season. She garnered three of the five double-doubles over the last two weeks including a 24 point, 12 rebound performance against Albany on Saturday.
UMBC Not in the Giving Mood
The Retrievers have been very protective of the ball this season. They lead America East and rank 14th the in nation in turnovers at 14.4 per game. In addition, they boast a league-best 1.00 assist/turnover ratio.
RPI Update: Four teams Moving Up
America East remains locked into the #16 slot in the Jan. 28 version of the Collegiate Basketball News (CBN) women’s college basketball ratings percentage index (RPI). Four America East teams improved its standings from week six and two teams remained locked in at their week-five slot. All and all, six of the nine teams ranked in the top 200, with two in the top 100 (Hartford - 78, Stony Brook - 95).
School 1/21 1/28 Diff.
Stony Brook 107 95 +12
Maine 160 153 +7
Binghamton 278 273 +5
Vermont 140 139 +1
Boston: A Long Distance Call
Boston U. has found success from behind the arc this season. The Terriers are averaging 6.6 three-pointers per game this season, which is first in the conference and ranks 23rd out of 324 teams in Division I. Boston U.’s three-point pace has been led by Kristi Dini, who is shooting 40.6 percent from behind the arc.
Seawolves on the Rise
After struggling through a 4-9 record over the first 13 games. In those games, Stony Brook was allowing 71.5 ppg and scoring 67.3 ppg on average a margin of -4.2. During the current six-game winning streak, the Seawolves are averaging 76.5 ppg and allowing just 64.0 ppg for a +12.5 margin. During this same stretch, Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy), Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) and Leah Getz (Peninsula, Ohio/Southhampton College) are combining for 54.7 ppg as a group.
Bracey Barker - She Shoots: She Scores
Maine’s Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) leads the conference in free throw percentage and ranks fourth in field goal percentage. She ranks 43rd in the nation in field goal percentage at 53.2 percent and is second in free throw percentage at 92.9.
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 is averaging 24.7 ppg in 2007 and has led the Seawolves to a 6-1 mark in conference play out of the gate. In addition, she is averaging 4.14 apg, which is fourth since the new year and 2.14 spg, which is second-best in America East.
Ford Extends Double-Digit Streak
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) owns a league-best 21 game double-digit scoring streak, dating back to the March 10, 2006 America East quarterfinal game against Vermont. The league-leading scorer netted 21 ppg in a pair of wins last week.
Stony Brook’s One-Two Scoring Duo
Stony Brook’s Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) and Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) rank first and second in the league in scoring, respectively. Ford leads the league averaging 18.9 ppg, while Smith is second at 16.8 ppg. Never in league history has a team had players finish first and second in scoring.
Seawolves’ One-Two Rebounding Pair
Stony Brook’s Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) and Dana Ferraro (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) rank first and second in the league in rebounding, respectively. Smith leads the league averaging 7.8 rpg, while Ferraro is second pulling down 7.5 rpg.
Hartford Extends Home Streak
The Hawks extended their conference home win- streak to 19 games with a win over Binghamton. This streak includes Hartford’s impressive 6-0 record in the America East Championship over the past two seasons and a 3-0 mark in the early going this season.
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 45 percent shooting from the floor.
Not in Our House
America East schools finished non-conference play 24-17 in non-conference home games. Home teams are 20-12 in conference games this season.
Non-Conference Success
America East teams have combined for a 55-58 (.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. Seven of the top 10 scorers, including the top four, are all seniors.
Rank Name, School PPG
1. Mykeema Ford, Stony Brook 18.9
2. Jessica Smith, Stony Brook 16.8
3. Bracey Barker, Maine 15.1
4. Danielle Clark, New Hampshire 14.4
6. Sharri Rohde, UMBC 14.1
7. Katie Meinhardt, Boston U. 13.4
8. Ashley Underwood, Maine 13.3
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 NOTEBOOK
Albany Great Danes
Albany (7-13, 3-4 America East) dropped its only contest of the week, an 82-73 decision on the road at Stony Brook... Junior forward Sherri Mikus (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) led the Great Danes with 17 points, while senior guard Amanda Ward (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds... Junior forward Gia Sanders (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School) added 14 points, four boards, three blocks, one assist and one steal... Mikus shot 6-of-9 from the field to help lead the Great Danes to 51.9 percent shooting for the game, tying a season-best... Sophomore center Devran Tanacan (Istanbul, Turkey/Kadikoy Anadolu Lisesi) provided a spark of the bench for UAlbany, scoring eight points in six minutes of action... The Great Danes continue conference play, facing New Hampshire in Durham on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and hosting Binghamton on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. for UAlbany’s annual Big Purple Growl.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (7-13, 3-4 AE) has won two of its past three games and has averaged 66.0 points during that span... In its past two games, Binghamton has a .911 free throw percentage (41-of-45)... The Bearcats went 16-of-17 against Hartford last Wednesday and were 25-of-28 against Boston U. on Saturday... Senior guard Shea Kenny (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) has converted all 20 of her free throw attempts this season... On Saturday, she went 6-for-6 against the Terriers... Sophomore forward Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) has 57 career blocks, She is one block away from tying Karen McClelland (1996-00) for fourth place all-time in school history... Including Saturday’s 20-point effort against Boston U., junior center Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia/Secondary School 47) has scored at least 20 points in a game six times during her career... Junior guard Laura Sario (Espoo, Finland/Tapiolalonken) continues to lead the Bearcats with 13.1 points per contest and has added a team-high 2.53 assists per outing... Senior guard Rebecka Lindgren (Oskarsham, Sweden/ Sandagymnasiet) ranks second with 9.4 points per game, Kurpniece is averaging 9.3 points per outing and junior forward Brianna Thompson (Chehalis, Wash./W.F. West) is adding 9.0 points per game.
Boston University Terriers
Boston University (10-10, 2-5 America East) dropped a 70-64 road decision to Binghamton on Saturday at the Events Center... The Terriers were led by freshman Aly Hinton’s (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock) 12-point performance and also got double-digit scoring from junior Cheri Raffo (Asbury, N.J./North Hunterdon) and sophomore Amarachi Umez-Eronini (Washington, D.C./Woodrow Wilson), who each put up 11 points... The Terriers shot 34.5 percent for the game and outrebounded Binghamton, 32-31... Umez-Eronini hit 9-of-10 free throws, which accounted for nine of her 11 points... Boston University also got three steals and five assists from senior Katie Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) - both game highs... Sophomore Kristi Dini (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) posted nine points on 3-of-7 shooting - all made baskets from 3-point range... Behind double-digit scoring from Umez-Eronini and Raffo, Boston U. earned a 67-57 win over the New Hampshire last Tuesday evening in Case Gym... The Terriers shot 81.5 percent from the free throw line, including 5-of-6 in the final minute to put the game away... Umez-Eronini led Boston U. with 14 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe to earn America East Player of the Game honors, while Raffo added 13 points and four rebounds... The Terriers also made the most of their 15 offensive rebounds, pouring in 15 second-chance points... Boston U. outrebounded New Hampshire 41-29 in the game.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (13-7, 6-1 America East) picked up a pair of conference wins last week at home against Binghamton and on the road at Maine... The Hawks started out the week with a seven-point victory over Binghamton in an offensive battle that saw 16 lead changes... Despite shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) in the first half, the Hawks trailed by one at the break... Hartford came out in the second half and shot 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from the field and 60.0 percent from three-point land... Hartford’s second-half surge was led by sophomore Lisa Etienne (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon) who finished the game with 17 points (14 of those points coming in the second half), seven rebounds and four assists... Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) led all Hartford players with 20 points and five assists for the game, while senior Ikea Witt (Vineland, NJ/Sacred Heart) contributed with ten points... Hartford finished out the week with a 16 point victory over Maine... For the second-straight game the Hawks had three players in double digits... This time the Hawks were led by Witt, who finished the game with 21 points, and Hood who added 16... Etienne finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season... The Hawks controlled the battle of the boards finishing with a 43-28 advantage... The Hawks picked up ten points on second-chance opportunities and 14 points that came way via turnovers.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (10-9, 4-4 America East) split its two games this past week, including a 74-66 win at UMBC on Wednesday and a 66-50 setback on Saturday versus Hartford at home... The senior duo of Ashley Underwood (Benton, Maine/Cony H.S.) and Bracey Barker (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island H.S.) each topped 1,000 points scored for their careers in the win at UMBC... They became the 15th and 16th players in school history to top 1,000 points scored in a career... Underwood accomplished the feat first and ended the game with 14 points, while Barker followed but led the team in scoring with 15 points... Barker logged a double-double with 12 rebounds, while also dishing out seven assists and blocking a career-high four shots... She also led Maine in scoring on Saturday versus the Hawks with 12 points... Barker has led Maine in scoring in 13-of-15 games she has played in this season... Freshman guard Abby Greene (Eden Prairie, Minn./Hopkins H.S.) became the third Black Bear to log their first career double-figure scoring game this season, as she netted 12 points in the win at UMBC... All 12 points came on four three-pointers... Maine has a mid-week bye but returns to action on Saturday when it takes on New Hampshire at 12 p.m., in Lundholm Gym in Durham.
UMBC Retrievers
UMBC (10-10, 3-4 America East) lost its only game of the week, falling at home to Maine, 74-66, during the second annual Mid-Day Madness... Seven Retrievers made at least one three-pointer in the game, as UMBC hit nine trifectas in the contest, but missed its last 11 attempts from long distance... Senior point guard Brittnie Hughes (Roanoke, Va./Northside) scored a game-high 16 points... Senior forward Sharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) is just three assists shy of becoming just the third player in UMBC history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in her career... Rohde is already the 10th Retriever ever with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, and she ranks ninth and 12th in those categories, respectively... UMBC is the only team in the America East with four players ranking in the conference’s top 20 in scoring, with all four averaging double figures...Rohde has started 104 consecutive games in her career... Rohde leads the team with 14.1 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while Hughes leads the team and the conference with 4.6 apg... UMBC ranks 14th in the nation in turnovers per game, averaging only 14.4 per outing... The Retrievers host Vermont on Jan. 31, concluding the first half of their America East schedule, before traveling to Boston on Feb. 4.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (6-13, 1-6 America East) dropped two America East contests this week... On Jan. 23 the Wildcats battled Boston U. in what was a back-and-forth affair, during the second half alone there were seven lead changes, but in the end it was the Terriers who had came out on top, 67-57... Danielle Clark (Corinna, Maine/Nokomis Regional) had a 26-point performance to lead the Wildcats in scoring for the fifth straight game... On Jan. 27, the Wildcats faced league-leader Vermont... New Hampshire struggled from the floor, hitting just 29 percent in the first half... The Wildcats improved in the second half of play, shooting 44 percent from the floor, but 20 bench points for the Catamounts during the final frame kept the game out of reach for New Hampshire... Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass./St. Raphael Academy) scored a team-high 13 points, 10 of those coming in the second half, for the Wildcats... Her second-half run included two three-pointers during the last minute of play... Williams tied her career-high with 13 points... The Wildcats return home this week to play host to Albany on Jan. 31 and Maine on Feb. 3.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (10-9, 6-1) won both of its games last week and reached .500 for the first time this season... In the win at Vermont, America East Player of the Week Mykeema Ford (Trenton, N.J./Cheshire Academy) hit a three pointer with 2.3 seconds left in the game to lift the Seawolves over Vermont, 72-71... Ford scored all 21 of her points in the second half and added seven assists... Leah Getz (Peninsula, Ohio/Southampton) added 18 points and Dana Ferraro (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) chipped in with 12 points... Playing a home game for the first time in two and a half weeks, Stony Brook topped Albany, 82-73... Jessica Smith (Bloomingdale, N.J./Butler) led the way for the Seawolves, recording her fifth double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds... Ford posted 21 points and Leah Getz added 13 going 9-10 from the free throw line... Stony Brook plays host to in-state rival Binghamton on Jan. 31 before facing Hartford in a potential matchup of first-place teams on Feb. 4.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (14-6, 4-3 America East) fell, 72-71 to Stony Brook on a three-pointer by Mykeema Ford with 2.3 seconds left in the game on Wednesday, but bounced back to snap a three-game losing streak with a 70-44 victory over New Hampshire and improve to 8-2 at Patrick Gymnasium... It’s the best home court record for the Catamounts since the 2004-05 season when they own nine games at Patrick... Freshman Courtnay Pilypaitis (Orleans, Ontario/St. Peter) led Vermont in scoring in both games and nearly pulled off Vermont’s first-ever triple-double in the program’s history with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the win over the Wildcats... Six Catamounts averaged at least seven points per game last week... Vermont improved to 56-11 when it scored 70 points or more dating back to the 2001-02 season... UVM has reached the 70-point plateau 10 times this season and is 9-1... Against UNH, nine Catamounts scored in the contest and eight grabbed at least two rebounds. Vermont dominated the boards, owning a 40-26 advantage on the glass, the largest by the team this season. UVM also displayed great balance, registering 20 assists on 23 field goals. Vermont closes out the first half of conference play at UMBC on Wednesday (Jan. 31) at 7 p.m.