CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - University of Vermont has swept this week's America East Men's Basketball awards as Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn/St. Luke's) has been named Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career and freshman Garvey Young (Washington, D.C./Georgetown Prep) was named Rookie of the Week for the first time on Monday afternoon.
A senior guard, Trimboli scored 19 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out seven assists in the Catamounts' 89-68 win against CAA power UNC-Wilmington on Sunday. He also added a pair of steals and committed just two turnovers while handling the ball for much of his 39 minutes on the floor. Trimboli previously earned Player of the Week honors on Feb. 11, 18 and Nov. 26 of 2007.
A three-time all-conference selection, Trimboli moved into 24th place on America East's all-time scoring list with 1,619 career points. He also moved into third on Vermont's all-time assist list with 515 in his career. This season, Trimboli is averaging is sixth among league leaders in scoring (15.4 ppg), second in assists (5.5 apg) and sixth in steals (1.75 spg).
Young, a 6-foot-4 guard, gave his team a lift off the bench with 10 of his 11 points in the first half and gave his squad a 15-point halftime edge with a 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Seahawks. Young, who played just 18 minutes in the contest, also added three rebounds and a steal while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and canning both his 3-point attempts.
The reserve is averaging 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20 minutes per game thus far in his freshman campaign.
Weekly Notebook
The Rest of the Best
Albany's Tim Ambrose continues his hot stretch as he has scored in double figures in eight straight games. Ambrose scored 15 points, had eight rebounds and added a career-high five assists in a 74-46 win over Canisius Saturday... Binghamton's D.J. Rivera had 21 points, the fifth time in seven games he's reached the 20-point mark, and also added nine rebounds... In place of all-conference star Joe Zeglinski, Hartford's Andres Torres poured in a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and pulled down a career-best five rebounds to lead the Hawks to their first road win of the year... Mark Socoby contributed 21 points and seven rebounds in Maine's win over Colgate on Monday... Alvin Abreu tallied 17 of his 19 points in the second half as New Hampshire just fell short in a 76-72 loss at LIU Saturday... Darryl Proctor recorded his 32nd career double-double (16 at UMBC) with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Central Connecticut Wednesday... Demetrius Young sparked Stony Brook with a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench against Hofstra Tuesday... Vermont's Colin McIntosh and Nick Vier each scored 20 points in an 89-68 win over UNC-Wilmington Sunday.
Rising Up The RPI
For the second straight week, America East is ranked 14th of 31 conferences in the RPI which was released by Collegiate Basketball News on Monday. The ranking is fifth among Non-Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and ahead of regional peers Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (18), Patriot League (25), Northeast Conference (26). The 14th postion is a 13-spot improvement from last season, when the league finished 27th and just one spot lower than the league's best-ever ranking of 13, which came in 1997.
Just Win Baby
America East teams have posted a combined .519 winning percentage in non-league games (42-39) to date this season, compared to a .376 mark (44-73)
a year ago. The conference is an impressive 31-14 in games against its peer conference (non-FBS schools) not including the Atlantic 10. This season the conference has posted its first win over a Big East school (Binghamton over Rutgers) for the first time since 2005 and posted wins wins over three of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (Delaware, Northeastern, UNC-Wilmington.
Lowe, Gibbs join 1,000-point club
Boston University's Corey Lowe and New Hampshire's Tyrece Gibbs both joined the ranks of 1,000-point scorers last week. The league has had three players reach the milestone this season and boast 130 players that have reached the mark all-time. Lowe, who surpassed the mark in a win over Yale on Wednesday, is the 28th Terrier in 100 seasons to earn the honor. Gibbs reached the plateau in a loss at Long Island U. on Saturday and is the 26th Wildcat to reach 1,000. UMBC's Jay Greene (908), Vermont's Marqus Blakely (866) and Maine's Mark Socoby (866) all could eclipse the mark this season. Vermont's Mike Trimboli is the league's active leader with 1,619 career points. UMBC's Darryl Proctor has 1,456 between UMBC and Coppin State, where he players for two seasons.
Stat Check
In the team rankings, Vermont continues to set the pace offensively, leading the conference in both scoring offense (76.5 ppg) and field goal percentage (.476). Stony Brook is the top team on the other side of the ball, holding opponents to just 55.0 points per game and a .391 shooting percentage. St. Joseph's transfer D.J. Rivera leads the league in scoring (20.3 ppg), while Vermont's Marqus Blakely, last year's rebounding leader, is again at the top of the list with 9.3 boards per game. Jay Greene once again leads the league in assists (6.9) after leading the league with 7.2 per game last season.
Oh So Close
Boston University led No. 12/13 Notre Dame with 3:25 remaining, but fell short of becoming the first America East team to knock off a ranked team since Vermont upended No. 12 Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA tournament. America East teams have faced six ranked opponents to date this season, including four of the top five teams in the country and three in the past week. Additionally, No. 2 UConn and No. 24 Baylor remain on the schedule.
America East Vs. Ranked Teams
Associated Press/USA Today Coaches' Poll
*Nov. 14 #23/25 Villanova 78, Albany 60
*Nov. 17 #2 Connecticut 99, Hartford 56
*Dec. 6 #3 Pittsburgh 81, Vermont 50
*Dec. 10 #5 Oklahoma 78, Maine 52
*Dec. 13 #12/13 Notre Dame 74, Boston U. 66
#3 Pittsburgh 91, UMBC 56
^Dec. 15 Stony Brook at #2 Connecticut, 7 p.m.
^Dec. 22 Hartford at #24 Baylor, 8 p.m.
* Ranking from date faced
^Ranking from Dec. 15 Coaches' Poll
Team Notebooks
Albany (6-4) has matched its best 10-game record as a Division I program after upending Canisius, 74-46, on Dec. 13... The Great Danes went undefeated at home against non-league opponents for the first time in its 10-year Division I history... UAlbany held an opponent under 31-percent shooting (.309) for the ninth time at the Division I level... The Great Danes took control in the first half with 19 unanswered points, as Brett Gifford (Columbia, Mo. / Rock Bridge) was a key figure in that decisive run... Gifford posted career-highs in rebounds (11) and blocks (4) against Canisius... Gifford, a 6’11” center, is the first Great Dane to grab double-digit rebounds since Feb. 2, 2008... UAlbany established the program’s Division I record with 56 rebounds and its 28-point win margin was the second-largest over the last 10 seasons... Tim Ambrose (Brentwood, N.Y. / Our Savior New American) extended his double-figure scoring streak to eight straight games after accounting for 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists vs. Canisius... Virginia transfer Will Harris (Corona, N.Y. / Brewster Academy) netted a career-high 21 points in a 65-64 loss to Lehigh on Dec. 8... The Great Danes had a 15-point lead erased in the second half and Lehigh’s Zahir Carrington scored the game-winning basket with three seconds left... Harris, who also had 14 points against Lehigh, made 15 of 25 from the field last week... freshman guard Anthony Raffa (Strathmere, N.J. / Wildwood Catholic) has scored in twin figures in four of his last five starts... Raffa totaled 14 points and a career-high six rebounds vs. Canisius... Scotty McRae (Rosedale, N.Y. / Benjamin Cardozo) recorded his best game in a UAlbany uniform with 13 points, three blocks and two steals against Canisius... McRae is averaging 6.3 rebounds over his last four outings... The Great Danes are 12-2 against non-conference teams at SEFCU Arena over the last three seasons...
Boston University (5-4) split its two games, defeating Yale, 55-43, and then dropping a hard-fought 74-67 decision against No. 12 Notre Dame ... The Terriers came close to earning their first win over a ranked team since 1959, as they led during 33:18 minutes of the game against the Big East power ... Score was tied, 67-67, with 1:21 remaining, but ND went on a 7-0 run to win the contest ... The Terriers’ gritty defensive effort was the story as BU held the Irish to 10 points below their scoring average and the Bulldogs to a season-low 43 points ... Also outrebounded both teams ... The 15 points in the second stanza by Yale were the fewest recorded by an opponent in a half this year ... Junior Corey Lowe (Newton, Mass./Newton North) was the leading scorer , recording a total of 31 points to reach 1,009 career points ... He became the 28th Terrier to reach 1,000 points ... Tyler Morris (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) posted 13 boards, including a career-high seven against Yale and also had four steals against ND ... Freshman Jake O’Brien (Weymouth, Mass./Boston College H.S.) led BU for the first time this season with 13 points against Yale, including a 3-point dagger at 1:25 to push the game to 54-43 ... Terriers are now riding a 12-game unbeaten streak against the Ivy League ... Up next is Delaware on Sunday at 12 p.m. ... CN8 will televise the game.
Binghamton (4-3) played just one game during the week and had its three-game win streak snapped in a three-point loss at Bucknell... Still reduced to just eight scholarship players due to injuries, the Bearcats nearly overcame an eight-point deficit in the closing minutes. For the second time this season, the team went without a three-point field goal (0-for-16)... Junior forward D.J. Rivera (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti HS/St. Joseph’s Univ.) pumped in a game-high 21 points on 10-for-21 shooting. Rivera has netted 20 or more points in five of seven games this season and leads the America East in scoring (20.3). He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and ranks sixth in the conference in overall rebounds (6.6) and first in offensive boards (3.7). Rivera also ranks fifth in steals (1.9)... Senior forward Reggie Fuller (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower HS/Angelina College) chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds against Bucknell. He ranks fourth in the AE in rebounds (7.3), fourth in field goal percentage (.533) and second in blocks (1.3)... Junior guard Malik Alvin (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz HS/Chipola College) produced 12 points, four assists and two steals at Bucknell. He is averaging 13.5 points, which ranks second on the team... Binghamton has an 11-day break for finals before hosting Manhattan on December 20.
Hartford (4-7 overall) split games at Brown and Sacred Heart last week. The Hawks dropped a 72-62 decision at Brown before picking up their first road win of the season at Sacred Heart by a 59-55 final. Hartford improved to 5-0 all-time against the Pioneers... Sophomore Morgan Sabia (San Anselmo, Calif./Sir Francis Drake) led Hartford in scoring for the week at a 16.0 ppg clip. He netted a team- and season-high 18 points at Brown and added 14--including 11 in the second half--in the win over Sacred Heart. He ranks second on the team in scoring for the season at 12.0 ppg... Sophomore Andres Torres (Guaynablo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) led Hartford with a career-high 15 points against the Pioneers. He also grabbed a career-high five rebounds and played 35 minutes... Hartford will have the next week off during its exam period. The Hawks will return to action at 22nd-ranked Baylor University on Monday, December 22 at 8 p.m.
Maine (5-5) defeated Colgate at home before falling at #5 Oklahoma...In the 67-56 victory over Colgate, Maine held Colgate scoreless for eight minutes in the first half that allowed the Black Bears to build a lead and they made free throws down the stretch to get the win...Maine had four players score in double-figures...Mark Socoby (Houlton, Maine/Bangor) had a game-high 21 points... Junior Bernal (Manhattan, N.Y./Hyde/MCI) added 17 points, six rebounds and a game-high five assists...Sean McNally (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner) had 13 points and six rebounds...Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch/Worcester Academy) had 11 points and four rebounds...At #5 Oklahoma, Maine fell 78-52...Socoby led the Black Bears with 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals...McNally had nine points and six rebounds...Troy Barnies (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) had six points, five rebounds and two steals...The Black Bears held Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, a likely top-5 draft pick in next year’s NBA Draft, under his season averages...Maine held the Sooners to 25 percent shooting from behind the arc...Maine’s 41 rebounds were the most an Oklahoma opponent had against them this season...Oklahoma had already played Davidson, Southern California and Purdue...The fifth-ranked Sooners are the highest-ranked team a Maine team has ever played...Socoby has registered double-figures in points in nine out of the Black Bears’ 10 games this season...Maine returns to action on Sunday when Harvard comes to Orono for a 1 p.m. game...Maine head coach Ted Woodward served as an assistant coach at Harvard from 1989-91.
UMBC's (5-4) UMBC senior forward Darryl Proctor (District Heights, Md./Paul IV/Coppin State), in his 100th career game, posted his 32nd career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, as he led the Retrievers to a 67-56 win over Central Connecticut State on Dec. 10 before 2,042 fans at the RAC Arena...Proctor, named the America East Player of the Game, and classmate senior guard Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) scored all 12 points in a late 12-2 run which spurred UMBC to the victory... Greene finished with 14 points, hitting three of four from long range after intermission... On the week, Greene had 10 assists and no turnovers in 77 minutes of action...Junior forward Justin Fry (New Bloomfield, Pa./West Perry) scored a career high 16 points, hitting half of his 12 attempts from the floor and all four from the stripe...UMBC evened the all-time series at 15-all, and snapped a six game slide to the Blue Devils... With a team-high 13-point effort at No. 3 Pittsburgh on Saturday, Proctor has scored in double figures in a career-high 17 consecutive games...Greene has at least one three-point field goal made in 13 straight... The Retrievers hit 27 of 45 shots from the floor (60.0 percent) in the second half of both games last week... For the second time in three games, a UMBC opponent (Towson, Pittsburgh) drilled 14 three-point field goals and the third-ranked Panthers made 36 of 65 attempts overall in the 91-56 win over UMBC on Dec. 13... A stomach flu ripped through the Retrievers’ team last week, affecting all but three players on the squad... Sophomore forward Rich Flemming (Chester, Pa./Chester/Fairfield) saw his double-figures streak end at six, as he scored five points in a shortened 18-minute stint vs. Central Connecticut... The players complete final exams this week before facing a rematch with American University on Saturday at the RAC Arena... UMBC triumphed last season, 83-68 in Washington, D.C., and both teams drew national headlines for reaching their first NCAA Tournaments in March.
New Hampshire (3-5) went 0-2 last week, dropping a pair of road games to Rhode Island (88-56) and Long Island (76-72) ... for the second time this season sophomore guard Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass./Boys to Men Academy) led the Wildcat comeback, this time versus LIU ... Abreu scored 19 points, including 17 in the second half, to erase a nine-point deficit ... late in the second half, Abreu scored nine straight points for the Wildcats during a span of 2:31 ... Abreu also added five rebounds, five assists and a block in the contest ... against A10-power Rhode Island, Abreu led UNH with 13 points and chipped in with a rebound and two assists ... senior guard Tyrece Gibbs (Brockton, Mass.) had a milestone night at LIU, becoming the 26th Wildcat to score 1,000 points in a career with a trey that cut UNH’s deficit to just two with 28 seconds left ... Gibbs netted 15 points to go along with four rebounds, an assist and a block ... the co-captain tallied 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal against URI ... junior forward Radar Onguetou (Yaounde, Cameroon/New Hampton School) played his best game of the season at LIU, pouring in 14 points ? one shy of his career high ? on 6 of 8 shooting, while adding eight rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes ... Onguetou also chipped in with four points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal versus Rhode Island ... freshman guard Russell Graham (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) set career highs in points (9), assists (5), steals (2) and minutes (29) against Rhode Island ... sophomore Dane DiLiegro (Lexington, Mass./Worcester Academy) tallied six points and seven boards at Long Island ... freshman forward Brian Benson (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Athena) recorded career highs against LIU with six points and five rebounds.
Stony Brook (5-4) lost to Hofstra, 61-56, in its only game of the week on Wednesday night at a sold out Pritchard Gymnasium ... The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Seawolves, which had been their longest win streak since the 2002-03 squad won six straight ... Senior Demetrius Young posted a career-high 21 points to go along with a season-high nine rebounds against the Pride ... Young shot 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line in 22 minutes of action ... Stony Brook is allowing a conference low 55.0 points per game and also leads the league in field goal percent defense (.391) and steals per game (9.2) while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.278) ... The Seawolves defense has been especially stingy over the past four games, holding its opponents to just 47.5 points per game on 32.2 percent shooting ... Over those four games, Stony Brook has held its opponents under 30 percent shooting in five of the eight halves its has played which includes holding Hofstra to 18.2 percent (4-for-22) shooting in the second half on Wednesday ... the Seawolves will begin a five-game road trip on Monday night, traveling to take on #2 Connecticut ... Despite Wednesday’s loss to Hofstra, the Seawolves still enter Monday’s game with a chance for their best start since joining the Division I ranks in 1999 ... The 2002-03 squad also started the season 5-4 before falling to Big East opponent Seton Hall, 71-48.
Vermont (5-3) won its only game of the week, topping visiting UNC-Wilmington 89-68 on Sunday afternoon at Patrick Gym ... Four Catamounts reached double figures led by 20 points apiece from senior Colin McIntosh (Milton, Mass./Northfield Mt. Hermon) and junior Nick Vier (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Bergen Catholic), while senior Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn./St. Luke’s) added 19 points and game-highs of seven rebounds and seven assists ... Freshman Garvey Young (Washington, D.C./Georgetown Prep) added 11 off the bench for the Cats, including 10 in the first half ... Vier connected on 5-of-9 from the floor, including three three-pointers to surpass his old career high of 13 at Boston University last season ... Sunday marked the third time this year four Cats had reached double figures, as they also did so against Yale and Loyola (Md.), both at home and both wins ... With seven assists on the day Trimboli moved into third place all-time at Vermont in career assists, passing Howard Hudson ’86, as he now has 515 ... UVM has now won six of its last seven at home ... Vermont held a 36-18 scoring edge in the paint, shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three ... Vermont is back in action on Sunday, December 21 when it travels to face Quinnipiac at 12 p.m. in a game that will be televised on NESN.