CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Hartford senior forward Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor/Walter Panas) earned the final America East Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the 2007-08 season by leading Hartford to the regular season crown. UMBC forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) received the Rookie of the Week honors after another outstanding week while also seeing her playing time increase due to a short bench. Click here for Full Weekly Release in PDF.
Hood began the week scoring 28 points, a season high, against Stony Brook, making the most of Senior Night at Chase Arena. Hood then matched that point total in the regular season finale at UMBC on Saturday night, with another 28-point performance. Against the Seawolves, Hood scored 20 first half points, just about half of the Hawks' total first frame output. She finished the game with a 10-for-15 effort from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. The senior added five rebounds and an assist. Against the Retrievers, Hood capitalized in the second half where she scored 18 points. She finished the game connecting on 13-of-19 shots and made both of her foul shots. Hood also added five rebounds and a block to her credt. For the week, Hood shot 68% from the field (23-for-34) and never missed a free throw in 10 attempts.
The freshman averaged 14 ppg, 5 rpg and 2 spg in two games last week. Colabella scored a career-high 19 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting effort against Boston University, including 3-for-3 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. She added a career-best four steals to go along with six rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. Colabella played all 40 minutes against Hartford for the first time in her career, contributing nine points and four rebounds while making 5-of-6 free throw attempts. She is averaging 11.5 ppg and shooting 57.5% in her last six games. This is the second straight week Colabella has received the award and the third time this season.
Recent Results
Saturday, March 8
* at Boston University 76, Albany 67 (OT)
The Terriers finished the game on a 16-0 run, including a 9-0 streak in overtime... Seven of Boston U.'s nine points in the extra session came from the foul line... Senior Kasey Devine and junior Amarachi Umez-Eronini each finished with a double-double, while junior Christine Kinneary recorded 11 points and seven assists... For the Great Danes, senior Gia Sanders posted 16 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals before fouling out... With the win, the Terriers claim the #3 seed, while the Great Danes will play as the #4 seed.
* at Vermont 63, Binghamton 49
The Catamounts forced 20 Bearcat turnovers to move to 13-1 at Patrick Gymnasium... Sophomore Courtnay Pilypaitis scored a team-high 20 points and broke the school record with 27 straight free-throws made spanning four games... Classmate May Kotsopoulos also finished in double-digits, 12 points and recorded three steals... Binghamton outrebounded the hosts, 38-35... Senior Laine Kurpniece netted a game-high 21 points. Sophomore Erica Carter and junior Laura Franceski each brought down seven boards.
* at Stony Brook 77, New Hampshire 37
The victory marked the highest margin of victory for the Seawolves this season... Five Seawolves reached double figures in points, led by senior Aly Young and freshman Jodie Plikus, each with 13 points... Stony Brook also won the battle on the glass, picking up 47 rebounds to New Hampshire's 37... The Wildcats shot 15% for the game, with sophomore Amy Simpson repesenting the team's highest scorer with eight points.
* Hartford 78, at UMBC 68
The Hawks captured their third straight regular season crown outright with the victory... Senior Danielle Hood matched her season-high of 28 points which she set the previous game, fueled by 18 points in the second half... Junior MaryLynne Schaefer hit four three-pointers and four free-throws for 16 points... The Retrievers, who led by two points at the intermission, played just seven student-athletes, including four who played the entire 40 minutes on the court... Junior Chantay Frazier dramined a team-high 26 points.
* - America East Conference Game
Upcoming Action
2008 America East Women's Basketball Championship Presented by Friendship Cottage Cheese
at The Chase Family Arena, West Hartford, Conn.
Thursday, March 13
#9 Stony Brook vs. #8 Maine (AE PackCast) 7 p.m.
Friday, March 14
#7 New Hampshire vs. #2 Vermont (AE PackCast) 12 p.m.
#6 UMBC vs. #3 Boston U. (AE PackCast) 2 p.m.*
#8/9 vs. #1 Hartford (AE PackCast) 6 p.m.
#5 Binghamton vs. #4 Albany (AE PackCast) 8 p.m.*
Saturday, March 15
Winner of Binghamton/Albany vs. Winner of #8/9/Hartford (NESN) 5 p.m.
Winner of New Hampshire/Vermont vs. Winner of UMBC/Boston U. (NESN) 7 p.m.*
Sunday, March 16
Championship Game (CSN) 5 p.m.
* The second games in each session will start 30 minutes after completion of the first game.