CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- For her performances at home against Providence and then on the road at the DePaul Tournament, University of Hartford senior guard Lisa Etienne (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) received the America East Women's Basketball Player of the Week. UMBC's Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn./Heritage) helped the Retrievers go 2-1 on the week and earned Rookie of the Week from the conference office.
Etienne led the Hawks to a 2-1 week, including the program's first-ever win over a top-10 team, a 53-51 victory over #6/5 Duke on Friday. Etienne led the Hawks in scoring in all three games, averaging 15.3 ppg for the week. Against the Blue Devils, the senior racked up a game-high 15 points shooting 6-for-15 from the field, grabbed a season-high six rebounds and swiped away a career-high seven steals. Combined in the three games, Etienne also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 3.33 steals, and 2.33 assists per game, while shooting .500 (17-54) from the field and .333 (4-12) from beyond the arc.
In three games in which the Retrievers went 2-1, Brooks averaged 17.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She also added two blocks and five steals to her resume. Brooks poured in a career-high 28 points in 28 minutes in a 88-73 victory over Northern Illinois on the first day of the Seton Hall Basketball Classic. She shot 6-for-11 from the floor and 16-for-22 from the foul line. She began the week with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists at home against George Mason, and wrapped up the week against Seton Hall adding 15 points, three assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal. Brooks shot a team-best 54.5% from the floor for the week and was named to the Seton Hall Basketball Classic All-Tournament Team.
Honor Roll
UMBC's Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) led the Retrievers in scoring in a 2-1 week, averaging 22.0 ppg and hitting 24 of 27 free-throw shots... Senior forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley put up 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three games last week for Boston University. She also blocked two shots and earned two steals... Sophomore guard Janea Aiken (St. Albans, N.Y./St. Dominic) led Albany in scoring in both games last week, and in every game this season. She averaged 14.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 3.5 apg... New Hampshire freshman Abigail LaRosa (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) notched 14 points and collected five rebounds in the Wildcats' only game of the week, a loss to UMass... Rookie Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) has been the starting point guard for Binghamton since opening day, and reached double-figure points twice last week to average 7.7 in three games... Maine junior guard Kristin Baker (Bingham, Maine/Upper Kennebec Valley H.S.) had a successful week as her team went 1-1. Baker recorded 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
What A Win
The University of Hartford pulled off one of the biggest wins in America East history. On Friday night at the DePaul Invitational, the Hawks defeated #6/5 Duke, 53-51, for the program's first win over a top ten opponent ever. It was the second time an America East squad upended a top ten opponent, and the highest-ranked victim. University of Maine defeated Alabama, ranked 10 in the AP poll, 75-73, on January 5, 1995.
Free-Throwing Into The Books
The 64 combined fouls in the UMBC-Northern Illinois game on Saturday, November 22, which the Retrievers won, 88-73, was a new NCAA record. The mark knocked off a 22-year old record of 56 combined personal fouls in 1986 between Eastern Michigan and Kent State. UMBC took advantage, hitting 41 of 53 free-throw attempts.
Tournament Frenzy
Four teams were in tournament action this past weekend, and two of them reached the tournament's championship game. Hartford and UMBC each advanced to face the host school, DePaul and Seton Hall, for the trophy, but fell. Five more tournaments are slated for this upcoming weekend. New Hampshire plays at the Long Island Classic against host LIU on Friday, Hartford meets Liberty in the first round of the George Washington Tournament, Maine hosts Brown on Friday in the first round of the Black Bears' own Dead River Company Classic, Boston U. plays in the Buckeye Classic beginning with Ohio State on Saturday and UMBC is in New Rochelle for the Iona Thanksgiving Classic facing Western Michigan on the first day.
Big Ten With An America East Twist
The Hartford Hawks will be featured on the Big Ten Network when they play at #17/18 Ohio State Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. The game, to be televised live by the network, will also include a face familiar to America East. Leah Secondo, who has provided color commentary for America East women's television games for the past few seasons, will be doing the play-by-play on Tuesday's broadcast.
Deja-two
If you glance at the conference scoring leaders so far this year, you'll notice that not much has changed since last season. Cassidy (24.3 ppg) and Vermont junior guard Courtnay Pilypaitis (18.0 ppg) finished 1-2 in scoring for 2007-08 and top the list once again this year. Burks-Wiley, who finished fourth in scoring last year, and is the next returning scorer from a year ago, is currently third this year with 15.8 ppg.
Upcoming Action
Tuesday, November 25
Boston University at Northeastern 5 p.m.
The Terriers return to the Hub hoping to snap a two-game losing streak... In last year's 94-84 win, Aly Hinton scored a career-high 35 points.
Hartford at #17/18 Ohio State (Big Ten Network) 6:30 p.m.
The Hawks lost their only other meeting with the Buckeyes... This is the third game of a six-game road trip for Hartford spanning 10 days... The game, televised on the Big Ten Network, will be called by America East color analyst Leah Secondo.
Duquesne at Binghamton 7 p.m.
The Bearcats are 0-1 against Atlantic-10 foes this year... Duquesne is picked eighth in the A-10 preseason poll... Muffy Sadler leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.636), while Laura Franceski leads AE in blocks (2.8 bpg).
Wednesday, November 26
Providence at Vermont 4 p.m.
The Catamounts play their fourth-straight home game at Patrick Gym to open the season... Junior Courtnay Pilypaitis leads Vermont in scoring, assists, steals, and rebounding.
Albany at Colgate 5 p.m.
Sophomore Janea Aiken, averaging 13.5 ppg for sixth in the conference, has led the Great Danes in scoring in each of their first four games... Albany travels for their fourth road game in five games this season.
Recent Results
Sunday, November 23
Portland 74, Boston U. 62 (KCRG-TV9 Hawkeye Challenge)
Junior Aly Hinton scored a team-high 13 points... Senior Christine Kinneary, who was named to the All-Tournament team, contributed 12 points, six assists. four rebounds and five steals.
at Vermont 82, Dartmouth 77 - 3OT (TD Banknorth Classic)
The Catamounts outlasted the Big Green in the first triple overtime game in Vermont program history... Junior May Kotsopoulos led with a team-high 24 points, while senior guard Amy Rosenkrantz notched her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
at Binghamton 68, Bryant 61
The Bearcats continued their tough defense, creating 32 Bulldog turnovers and collecting 15 steals... Junior Darryll Peterson scored a career-high 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting in addition to eight rebounds and three steals.
at Maine 54, Massachusetts 45 (Augusta Civic Center)
The Black Bears picked up their first win of the season in a neutral site game against the Minutewomen... America East teams moved to 2-1 against UMass... Junior Kristin Baker led Maine in scoring, netting 16 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds.