CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- In a stat-packed week of women's basketball, including three 30-point performances and a triple-double, UMBC came away with both weekly awards from the conference office. Junior Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) earned the America East Player of the Week, while freshman Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville), another member of the UMBC backcourt, received the America East Rookie of the Week.
Cassidy, who leads the league in scoring with 23.9 points per game, averaged 27.5 points in two games last week. She also collected 1.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game and shot 48.6% from the field, 41.2% from three-point land and 82.4% from the charity stripe. Cassidy scored a career-high 32 points against Towson on Wednesday, including four three-pointers, to register her second 30-point performance of the season. She led the Retrievers again on Saturday with her team-high 23 points, including the team's final five points in the last 1:34 to secure the one-point win over previously unbeaten Towson. Cassidy has scored at least 20 points in seven of UMBC's eight games this season and has helped the Retrievers begin the season a DI-program-best 6-2.
Kurowski's recognition marks the third straight week a Retriever has been named the league's top rookie. For the week, Kurowski averaged 26.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game in two victories. She shot 54.5% from the field (18-for-33) and 92.3% from the free-throw line (12-for-13) while sinking four treys. Kurowski tallied a career-high 30 points Wednesday against Navy on 11-of-17 shooting. She scored 20 points in the first half alone and amassed four rebounds and three steals in the contest. The rookie added 22 points in the next game, a thrilling 69-68 win over Towson. Kurowski's 17.1 ppg ranks second in the conference so far this season.
Honor Roll
University of Vermont junior guard Courtnay Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario/St. Peter's) recorded her second career triple-double on Saturday against Holy Cross, posting 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Catamounts moved to 4-1 at home with the 71-53 win against the Crusaders, their only game of the week... Junior forward Diana Delva (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) led Hartford to a 1-1 week, averaging 25 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting a lights-out 83.3% (20-of-24) from the field... Boston University blew out Brown, 81-54, at Case Gym helped out by senior point guard Christine Kinneary's (Plainedge, N.Y./Holy Trinity) game-high 18 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Kinneary only turned the ball over once during 30 minutes on the court... Junior guard Charity Iromuanya (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Northeast) helped Albany earn win number one on the season with eight points and 11 boards against Detroit-Mercy. She also netted 14 points and came down with five rebounds later in the week in a loss to Army... New Hampshire junior guard Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) averaged 15 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games last week, including the Wildcats' first win of the season on Friday night. She hit eight-of-15 treys and 16-of-32 field goals... Binghamton junior guard Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) scored 17 of her career-high 20 points at Niagara during the first half, leading the Bearcats to their first of two wins last week. She averaged a team-best 15.0 points per game last week...Stony Brook sophomore guard Misha Horsey (Wyncote, Pa./Cheltenham) led the Seawolves in two games last week, averaging 14.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
The Report Is In
Collegiate Basketball News put out its first weekly Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) report this morning, an unofficial look at what the NCAA Selection Committee looks at throughout the season and at the end of the regular season to pick out tournament participants. Early reports are usually not very accurate in showing what the rankings will look like at the end of the year, but so far, America East is ranked 21 out of 32 conferences with a 28-40 overall record. Hartford is ranked the highest among the league members at 71st (.5802), while Vermont is also in the top ten at 87th (.5642). America East finished 21st as a conference at the end of the 2007-08 season.
What's on TV?
One televised game is set for this week when BIG EAST member Villanova tips-off with Binghamton at the Events Center this Wednesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised regionally on the Time Warner Cable Sports channel.
Looking Offensive
Five America East teams reached the 80-point water line last week, led by New Hampshire's 89 points on Friday night against Colgate. UMBC put up 85 points against Navy on Wednesday for their fifth such performance this season, Binghamton poured in 83 points against Niagara on Monday, Boston University took advantage of Brown for 81 points, and Hartford netted 80 on Saturday against St. Joseph's. All five of those performances resulted in wins for the America East squad.
Doubling Up On The Triple-Double
Vermont junior guard Courtnay Pilypaitis completed a feat twice that most players can't accomplish ever in their careers. Pilypaitis recorded her second career triple-double on Saturday, December 6 against Holy Cross with 18 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. The junior earned her first triple-double, and the first in Vermont's women's basketball history, last winter against conference-foe Hartford. There have only been three triple-doubles in America East over the past five seasons and Pilypaitis is the owner of two of them. Before the Catamount, the previous one belonged to Boston University's Adrienne Norris in February 2004 against New Hampshire.
Retriever Double-Threat
In UMBC's game against Towson on Wednesday, two Retrievers hit the 30-point mark for what is believed to be only the fifth time ever in Division I history. Junior Carlee Cassidy poured in a career-high 32 points, while her backcourt teammate, freshman Michelle Kurowski posted 30 points. The last time two teammates each scored 30 points in the same game was Purdue's Shereka Wright (34) and Katie Geralds (32) at Iowa on February 10, 2004.
Home Court Advantage
The Hartford home-court win streak has now risen to 29 games, tops in Division I women's basketball. The Hawks are one ahead of Old Dominion, who will play St. Joseph's at home this Friday to try to tie up the Hawks. Hartford won't have the chance to extend the streak to 30 until the conference season on January 7 against Binghamton. Boston University has also strung along a nice little run of their own, with 15 straight victories at Case Gym and 12 straight at home. The only home loss for the Terriers within that stretch was an early season stumble last year to ranked Ohio State at Agganis Arena where Boston U. plays select home games.