CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- UMBC's Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) was named America East Player of the Week after leading the Retrievers to a pair of wins and first place in the league standings. Boston University's John Holland (Bronx, N.Y./St. Benedict's Prep)
earned Rookie of the Week honors for the week ending February 3. Click here for the complete Weekly Release in PDF format.
Greene, a junior point guard, scored a career-high 26 points to lead his team to a 75-73 come-from-behind win at Vermont on Saturday. Greene, who scored 18 of his team's first 20 points, connected on all five of his three-point attempts. He also pulled down a season-best six rebounds and passed out four assists. In a 69-65 win over Albany on Wednesday, Greene knocked down two of his three shots and dished out five assists. For the week, Greene shot 69 percent (11-of-16) from the field and 88 percent (7-of-8) from three. He also played all 80 minutes and turned the ball over just twice. Greene ranks fourth in the country in assists per game (7.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.40) and is the only player ranked in the top ten of both categories.
Holland, who also received the honor on November 11, averaged 12 points and eight
rebounds in two wins last week. He scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Maine on Wednesday. Holland, also had three assists and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, including two with 34 seconds to go. Holland scored nine points and pulled down nine rebounds in Boston U's win over New Hampshire on Saturday. Holland, who is scoring just over eight points a game, is averaging 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in nine conference games.
Conference Notebook
Honor Roll
Several America East players had highlight performances last week. Albany's Brian Lillis (Urbandale, Iowa/West Des Moines Dowling) scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half in a loss at UMBC on Wednesday... Binghamton's Lazar Trifunovic (Belgrade, Serbia, Secondary Railway) scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and 10th in two years... Boston University's Scott Brittain (Oakville, Ont./Iroquiois Ridge) scored a career-high 20 points in a win at Maine on Wednesday. He followed that performance with 15 points and 13 rebounds against New Hampshire on Saturday to help Boston U. win its second straight... Hartford's Joe Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half in a win at first-place Binghamton on Saturday... New Hampshire's Mike Christensen (Reston, Va./Flint Hill) poured in 25 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead UNH to a win over Stony Brook on Wednesday... Stony Brook's Ricky Lucas (Herndon, Va./Herndon/George Washington) matched his own America Est season high with 33 points, including 22 in the second half, against UNH on Wednesday.
On TV This Week
America East TV will produce Saturday's matchup between first-place UMBC and second-place Binghamton. The game, which is at 3:30 p.m., will be televised in the Baltimore area on MASN and in the Binghamton area on WBGH. The game will also be available on ESPN's Full Court Package. The Bearcats knocked off the Retrievers, 62-59, in the two team's first meeting.
Pack the House
Two sellouts, a season-high gate and a record-setting crowd highlighted Saturday's men's basketball action, as nearly 15,000 fans packed the stands at four venues to watch conference action. UMBC defeated Vermont 75-73 in front of a sellout crowd of 3,266 fans at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vt. Albany downed Stony Brook 64-46 before a capacity crowd of 4,538 at SEFCU Arena on Big Purple Growl, the University’s Winter Homecoming. Hartford spoiled Binghamton's first home game in 10 days, as 4,902 fans, an Events Center regular-season record, saw the Hawks knock off the Bearcats, 71-62. Boston University earned its second straight win, defeating New Hampshire 67-52 in front of a season-high 1.852 fans at Lundholm Gym.
Dish it Out
UMBC'S Jay Greene became the fourth Retriever to dish out 400 career assists. Only a junior, Greene surpassed the mark against Boston University on Tuesday. Greene, the conference's active leader with 413 career helpers, ranks fourth in the country with 7.0 assists per game and is also fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.4).
Rare Company
Albany's Brian Lillis is one of nine players in the country to lead his team in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (6.2 pg) and assists (3.2 pg). Lillis is second averaging points against league foes.
1,000-Point Club
Albany's Jon Iati became the 29th player in team history to score 1,000 career points. Iati, the league's Rookie of the Year following the 2003-04 campaign, surpassed the milestone on a three-pointer in the waning minutes against Binghamton on Saturday. UMBC's Darryl Proctor scored his 1,000th career point against New Hampshire on January 6. Proctor, a transfer from Coppin State, scored 801 of those points while with the Eagles. Albany's Brent Wilson became the third player in America East to score his 1,000th point this season, when he reached the milestone against Iowa State on December 30. Wilson currently ranks third among active conference leaders with 1,086 career points. Vermont's Mike Trimboli surpassed the milestone on November 20. Stony Brook's Mitchell Beauford scored his 1,000th career point on November 12, while UMBC's Brian Hodges hit the mark on February 15, 2007 and is the league's active scoring leader with 1,426 career points. New Hampshire's Mike Christensen is just 24 points shy of the milestone.
Team-By-Team Notebook
Albany (10-11, America East 5-4) upended Stony Brook, 64-46, in the 11th annual Big Purple Growl game... The University’s Winter Homecoming produced a capacity crowd of 4,538 for the third consecutive year... The Great Danes have won nine of 11 BPG contests, including four in a row... The Seawolves were the eighth opponent held under 40-percent shooting this season... Brian Connelly (Audubon, N.J. / Camden Catholic) scored 16 points against Stony Brook, his highest total since Dec. 5, and was one of four players in twin figures... Brian Lillis (Urbandale, Iowa / West Des Moines Dowling) posted his fourth double-double over the last six games with 12 points and 10 rebounds... Lillis, who had 17 of his 19 points in the second half in a 69-65 loss at UMBC on Jan. 30, has scored in double digits in 20 of 21 starts this season... Jon Iati (York, Pa. / York Catholic) became the third player in team history to combine for 1,000 points, 200 assists and 200 three-point field goals... Iati also tied Jamar Wilson’s career record with his 120th game played vs. Stony Brook... the senior guard recorded back-to-back double-figure games for the first time since November with 14 points at UMBC and 11 more against the Seawolves... Iati moved up to No. 26 among the program’s career scorers with 1,040 points... freshman guard Josh Martin (Philadelphia, Pa. / Simon Gratz) netted eight of his 10 points in the first half versus Stony Brook, his first time in double digits since Jan. 3... Tim Ambrose (Brentwood, N.Y. / Our Savior New American) made his first career start on Feb. 2 and is averaging 7.3 points... Brent Wilson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Prairie) had his string of 85 consecutive starts halted against Stony Brook due to a coach’s decision... Wilson ranks No. 22 on the all-time scoring list with 1,086 points...
Binghamton (10-11, America East 6-3) dropped into a tie for second place with a 71-62 home loss to Hartford on Saturday. The defeat snapped a five-game win streak and a six-game home win streak... A regular-season record 4,902 packed the Events Center. It was the third-largest crowd in the venue's four-year history, topped only by America East tournament games against Albany (5,222) and Vermont (5,003) in 2005. Binghamton's home attendance average is 3,431 - more than 200 fans per game above last year's league-best mark... Sophomore forward Lazar Trifunovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Secondary Railway Tech) scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season and 10th in two years... Senior guard Richard Forbes (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Far Rockaway/Howard JC) scored 12 points in 19 minutes and junior forward Reggie Fuller (Missouri City, Texas/Hightower/Angelina College) chipped in a game-high 11 rebounds and six points... Senior guard Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield) started his 93rd straight game.
Boston University (7-14, America East 4-5) went 2-0 last week, with a 56-49 win at Maine and a 67-52 victory at New Hampshire... This marked just the second time this season Boston U has won back-to-back games and the first time the Terriers have claimed two consecutive road wins... Boston U started the game at Maine on a 16-5 run, creating turnovers and forcing Maine into five straight empty possessions as the Black Bears went scoreless for almost five minutes. The Terriers went into the half leading, and despite UM tying the game three times in the second half, Boston University stayed strong for the win... Sophomore forward Scott Brittain (Oakville, Ont./Iroquois Ridge) went 7-for-11 from the floor to score a career-high 20 points. Brittain also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line and swatted two shots to earn America East Player of the Game honors. Freshman forward John Holland (Bronx, N.Y./St. Benedict’s) tallied 15 points and seven rebounds... In the win at UNH, sophomore guard Corey Lowe (Newton, Mass./Newton North) knocked down five 3-pointers to post a game-high 23 points in his first start since missing three games due to injury to earn America East Player of the Game honors. Brittain turned in his second double-double of the year with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He also had four assists... Despite a slow start to the second half, the Terriers' first-period lead never wavered, increasing to as many as 19 in the waning minutes of the contest. Boston U scored 18 points off 14 UNH turnovers and limited the Wildcats' Alvin Abreu to one field goal and six points, down from his average of 12.5 ppg. The Terriers out-rebounded UNH, 37-23, and held the Wildcats to just two offensive rebounds... Boston University has a bye week before hosting Stony Brook on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. in Case Gym.
Hartford (11-13 overall, 5-4 America East) split a pair of conference games last week, losing at home to Vermont by an 81-76 final before picking up a 71-62 victory on the road at Binghamton. The win over the Bearcats came in front of the largest regular-season crowd in Events Center history (4,902). It also marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Hawks won both regular season meetings against Binghamton... Sophomore Joe Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) led the Hawks for the week and averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half at Binghamton, his team-leading seventh 20-point effort of the season. Zeglinski, who also had 17 points in the loss to Vermont, leads the team in scoring on the season at 15.2 points per game... Hartford will next host Maine on Wednesday, February 6 before traveling to Albany on Saturday, February 9. The Hawks defeated the Black Bears earlier this season but lost to the Great Danes... Hartford and Albany enter the week tied for fourth place overall in the conference standings. The Great Danes will host New Hampshire before the Hawks come to town. Albany has won the last eight games between the two school's; Hartford's last win in the series came during the 2003-04 season.
Maine (6-15, America East 2-6) will play four out of the next five games on the road, where the Black Bears have a 2-1 record and are shooting 54 percent from the floor...Freshman Sean McNally (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner) has been playing well as of late, averaging 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his last five games...Despite the outcome against Boston University, the Black Bears continue to improve their shooting, as they shot a solid 47 percent from the field...Mark Socoby (Houlton, Maine/Bangor) and Junior Bernal (Manhattan, New York/MCI) had their 12th and 14th double-digit scoring games of the season, respectively...Socoby also has had a double-figure scoring effort in eight of the last 10 games...Maine’s freshman and sophomores accounted for 42 of the 49 points against Boston University...Maine recently added talented guard Gerald McLemore to the squad, McLemore is from San Diego, Calif., and was a standout at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego...McLemore will be red-shirting this semester and be ready to go next fall.
UMBC (15-7, America East 7-2) won a pair of close calls against America East contenders this week, edging Albany, 69-65 and winning at Vermont, 75-73... The win over Albany snapped a six-game losing streak to the Great Danes and the victory in Burlington was UMBC’s first in five attempts at Patrick Gym... UMBC’s seven wins ties last year’s best-ever America East total with seven contests remaining... The 15 victories is the fourth-most in 22 years of Division I competition... The bad news for the week is that senior guard Brian Hodges (Upper Marlboro, Md./Bishop McNamara) suffered a sprained left ankle midway through the second half vs. Albany... He did not accompany the team to Vermont, missing a contest for the second time in 109 games... Junior guard Jay Greene (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) scored a career high 26 points in the win at Vermont... He tied a school record by hitting all five attempts from three-point range and scored 18 of UMBC’s first 20 points of the game... Greene is currently ranked fourth in the nation in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, the only player in the country to be ranked in the top ten in both categories... Senior guard Ray Barbosa (Allentown, Pa./Allen/James Madison), who scored all 21 points in the final 20:01 of play, put UMBC ahead, 70-69 on a three-point field goal and the 2:00 mark, then hit three free throws with 1:24 to play to give the visitors the lead for good at 73-71... Senior forward Darryl Proctor (District Heights, Md./Paul IV/Coppin State) recorded his tenth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds at Vermont... The win was UMBC’s sixth this season when trailing at halftime... Senior forward Cavell Johnson (Fort Washington, Md./Notre Dame Acad./James Madison) led UMBC with 18 points and blocked a career-high five shots in the win over Albany... The game drew 3,381 fans to the RAC Arena, the fourth largest crowd in school history...The Retrievers have three straight games at home, staring with a Wednesday date with Stony Brook.
New Hampshire (4-14, America East 4-5) went 1-1 last week, downing Stony Brook on the road, 68-60, on Jan. 30, and losing to Boston University at home, 67-52, on Feb. 2 ... senior forward Mike Christensen (Reston, Va./Flint Hill) continued his hot play, leading the Wildcats to the win at Stony Brook with a 25-point performance ... the captain also grabbed five rebounds, handed out two assists and recorded a block in the final minute that helped seal the game before tallying 16 points and six rebounds in the losing effort against Boston University ... junior guard Eric Gilchrese (Springfield, Ill./Lewis & Clark) helped the ?Cats in the win at Stony Brook, scoring 17 points, while adding five rebounds and three assists ... junior guard Tyrece Gibbs (Brockton, Mass./Thayer Academy) tallied eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals at Stony Brook, and scored 14 points and tallied two rebounds three assists, two steals and three blocks versus Boston University ... freshman guard Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass./Boys to Men) tallied six points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in the win over Stony Brook, and added six points, two rebounds and an assist in the loss to Boston University ... freshman center Dane DiLiegro (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) tallied five points, eight rebounds and an assist at Stony Brook ... the ?Cats return to action Wednesday, Feb. 6 when they hit the road to take on Albany at 7 p.m.
Stony Brook (4-17, America East 1-8) opened up the week with a 68-60 loss to New Hampshire at Stony Brook Arena despite 22 second-half points from senior Ricky Lucas. Lucas also scored 22 of his career-high 33 points in the second half of the Seawolves previous contest at Hartford. In those two halfs combined Lucas went 11-of-19 from the field, 7-for-11 from three-point lead and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line. UNH grabbed its largest lead of the game at 58-44 on a Mike Christensen jumper with 6:11 left but sophomore Eddie Castellanos (Jersey City, N.J.) answered with a runner in the lane to kick start a 14-2 Seawolves run over the next five minutes. A long three over two defenders by junior Michael Tyree (Somerset, N.J.) capped the SBU run and cut the UNH lead to two at 60-58 with 1:44 remaining. New Hampshire turned the ball over on its ensuing possession and Tyree grabbed the loose ball but Christensen just got a piece of his lay-up attempt, deflecting it to Tyrece Gibbs who got it to Christensen who was then fouled by freshman Jermol Paul (Palm Beach, Fla.) as the Wildcats went on to the eight point victory. Lucas scored a team-high 11 points but it wasn't enough as the Albany Great Danes defeated the Stony Brook men's basketball team 64-46 on Saturday night at SEFCU Arena, the Seawolves seventh straight loss.
Vermont (11-10, 6-3 America East) went 1-1 on the week, defeating Hartford 81-76 on the road on Wednesday and then falling at home to UMBC 75-73 on Saturday ... Sophomore Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen) and junior Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn./St. Luke’s) combined to score 43 points to lead the Cats to a come from behind win over Hartford in a game televised on NESN ... Blakely finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks while Trimboli went for 21 (19 in the second half) and seven assists ... Vermont trailed 41-32 at the half, but outscored the Hawks 49-35 after the break ... UVM head coach Mike Lonergan picked up career win number 300 in the process ... Vermont wrapped up the month of January with a 6-2 mark and is 52-12 in the first month of the season over the last seven years ... On Saturday UVM suffered its first home conference loss of the season against the Retrievers ... Blakely had another big day with 26 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, but it wasn’t enough ... Four Cats reached double figures in the game ... Saturday was the first sell-out (3,266) at Patrick Gym since the America East Championship game last season ... Vermont is next in action on Wednesday when the Cats travel to face Binghamton at 7 p.m.