CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- With final exams making for a slow week, the solid single game performances of America East Women's Basketball Player of the Week Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) from University of New Hampshire, and Rookie of the Week Keyana Williams (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) from University at Albany really stood out. Both players led their teams to victory and earned the awards for the period ending December 20.
In a UNH victory over Holy Cross last week, Simpson recorded 10 points and a career-high 11 assists for her first double-double of the season. The senior guard also recorded two steals and two blocks to round out the afternoon. All 10 of Simpson's points came in the second half as she propeled the Wildcats to a come-from-behind win. After trailing 37-33 at the half, Simpson sparked a 10-0 run for the 'Cats by setting up a basket and then driving the left baseline for two points of her own. She ignited another run to build the lead to 71-56 with a steal and a long outlet pass, then hit a three-pointer on the next possession. Simpson shot 4-for-10 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point range for the game.
The senior, who is receiving her first-ever weekly conference award, is third in the league with 5.2 assists per game, fifth with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.2, and 10th with 0.8 blocked shots per game.
Williams fell just one point shy of her first career double-double in a win over Army last week. In the only game of the week, Williams tallied nine points, 10 rebounds, one assist and two steals. In a tight game featuring 15 lead changes and seven ties, the rookie sealed the victory by coming away with a defensive rebound, drawing a foul, and hitting a free throw with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
Williams, who has started all nine of Albany's games this season, improved her season averages to 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She is the first Great Dane freshman honored with the Rookie of the Week award by the conference office since Janea Aiken in February 2008.
Honor Roll
The best of the rest last week....
Felicia Johnson, Albany, So., G
10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Army
Michelle Kurowski, UMBC, So., G
25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals at Loyola
Diana Delva, Hartford, Sr., C
17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks at Marist
Erica Carter, Binghamton, Sr., G
17 points, 3 steals, .429 FG% vs. Miami (Fl.)
Fast Start
The conference currently owns a 36-45 (.439) record in non-conference action against some of the toughest competition in the country. The last time America East finished with a non-conference record higher than .500 was during the 2005-06 when the league finished with a 66-50 record (.569).
America East In The RPI Report
This week's edition of Collegiate Basketball News' RPI Report ranks America East 13th among 33 Division conferences, which can be heavily attributed to the league's strength of schedule, which ranked eighth-toughest in the country. Only four other non-FBS conferences ranked higher than America East: Atlantic-10 (7th), Colonial (8th), Missouri Valley (8th) and West Coast (12th). America East teams have a combined 9-7 record against those four leagues. The highest the conference has been ranked in the final RPI is 11th in 2005-06. Last season when the league tied a record with three teams in the postseason, America East finished with an RPI rank of 24.
The Teams In The RPI Report
Hartford (26) and Vermont (33) are ranked in the RPI Report's top 100. They are followed by Boston University (141), Binghamton (187) and New Hampshire (211) as the conference's top five teams in the rankings. In 2005-06, the league had three teams - Hartford, Stony Brook and Boston U. - complete the season in the top 100.
Poll Position
Both Vermont and Hartford received votes in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top-25 Poll released on December 15. The Hawks received 19 votes, while the Catamounts earned three votes.
Against The Best
To get into postseason tournaments - and then succeed in them - you must compete against the best teams. Nearly half of the league's non-conference games this year (31 of 81) have been against teams which qualified for the NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments last season. Below is how the league has fared against those teams.
vs. NCAA Teams 5-10 (.333)
->wins over Dartmouth (x2), Temple, Sacred Heart, Louisville
vs. WNIT Teams 3-13 (.188)
->wins over Central Conn., Harvard, Boston College
vs. All Postseason Teams 8-23 (.258)
Nine of a Kind
Binghamton senior guard Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Naperville) tied an all-time conference single-game record on December 7 at Bryant with nine three-pointers. The nine three's, a school record, tied former Great Dane Jen Schumacher who achieved the feat against conference foe Vermont in 2005, and was part of Carter's 35-point performance.
Star Tracker
Throughout the season, we will track the statistics of the five players named to the preseason all-conference team by the coaches.
Player, Team Key Stats
E. Beverly, UH 8.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 bpg
C. Pilypaitis, UVM 15.8 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.0 spg
M. Kotsopoulos, UVM 19 ppg, 46.3% fg, 1.8 spg
C. Cassidy, UMBC 12 ppg, 2.2 3fgm, 29.9% 3fg
D. Delva, UH 14.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 60.4% fg
TV Record
America East is 7-3 so far in televised games this season. The only losses have come to 2009 NCAA Tournament participants, including two against top-ranked Connecticut on CPTV. The only television game on tap this week is Stony Brook's 7 p.m. game at Hofstra tonight. It will be played on taped delay on Verizon FiOS1.
Clawing Away
A pair of Wildcats are clawing their way to 1,000 career points, both within striking distance. Senior forward Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass./St. Raphael) and senior guard Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) have 989 and 925 career points, respectively, and the teammates could be the next two America East players to conquer the career milestone. Williams is averaging 12.2 points this season, while Simpson is the team's fourth-highest scorer with 5.7 points per game.
Raining Three's
Vermont's Courtnay Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario/St. Peter) and UMBC's Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) are both climbing up the America East record book for three-pointers made. Pilypaitis moved into fourth in conference history, eight behind the all-time leading scorer Cindy Blodgett, who finished her career with 219. Cassidy, with 198 long field-goals, moved into seventh place past former Great Dane Jen Schumacher. Cassidy and Pilypaitis, already the all-time leaders at their respective schools, are second and fourth in the league rankings this year with 2.2 and 2.1 three-pointers per game.
All-Time Three-Point Field Goals Made
1. 245, Melissa Kowalski, Northeastern, 00-04
2. 222, MaryLynne Schaefer, Hartford, 05-09
3. 219, Cindy Blodgett, Maine, 94-98
4. 211, Courtnay Pilypaitis, Vermont, 06-
5. 210, Ashley Underwood, Maine, 03-07
6. 208, Kristi Dini, Boston U., 05-09
7. 198, Carlee Cassidy, UMBC, 06-
8. 197, Jen Schumacher, Albany, 02-06
Helping Hand
Pilypaitis is also among the league's all-time elite in dishing out assists. She handed out 16 assists in three games last week to bring her total to 522, currently fifth all-time. Recent Boston University graduate Christine Kinneary is the next player on the list with 554 career helpers in fourth place. Pilypaitis' 500th assist earlier this season made her the first-ever America East player to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
All-Time Assists
1. 759, Amy Vachon, Maine, 96-00
2. 605, Maureen DiJulia, Hartford, 94-99
3. 571, Lori Taylor, Vermont, 94-98
4. 554, Christine Kinneary, Boston U., 05-09
5. 522, Courtnay Pilypaitis, Vermont, 06-
6. 487, Cindy Blodgett, Maine, 94-98
7. 475, Andrea Higgins, Boston U., 89-93
Playing Up
Blowing up expectations, underclassmen around the league are playing older than they actually are in areas of the game that usually plague younger players. In assist/turnover ratio, Binghamton sophomore Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) tops the list at 1.4, and three of the next seven are also freshmen or sophomores, including rookie Caitlynn Moran (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) of Boston U. In field goal percentage, eight underclassmen are in the top 15, led by Boston U. sophomore Caroline Stewart (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) in third with a mark of 50.9 percent.
Dead River Returns
University of Maine held its 17th annual Dead River Company Classic earlier this year in what is the longest running regular season tournament hosted by an America East school. Initiated in 1993-94 under head coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie, the Dead River Company Classic is always held early in the season and attracts prominent programs such as Florida, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Georgia and Clemson. The Black Bears defeated Buffalo, 58-53 in the consolation game this year, while Penn State took the tournament title with 52-48 win over Holy Cross on Saturday.
Hartford Downs Ranked Foe Again
In what is becoming a common occurrance, Hartford defeated a ranked opponent when the Hawks upended #19/23 Louisville, 62-50 Tuesday night (11/17) at Chase Arena. It was the fifth straight season Hartford has defeated a team ranked nationally. Below is a breakdown of those victories.
November 17, 2009 62-50, #19/23 Louisville
November 21, 2008 53-51, #5/6 Duke
December 22, 2007 54-51, #23 Michigan State
December 2, 2006 60-43, #23/22 BYU
March 19, 2006 64-58, #23 Temple
Returning Champs Are Back At It
Eight months removed from their America East Championship in March, Vermont is back to doing what they've been doing best - winning. The Catamounts opened the season winning the tournament title at the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational hosted by NC State. UVM beat the MAC's Western Michigan by a 79-65 score Friday night (11/13), then beat host NC State, 52-47, on Saturday night (11/14). Senior guards May Kotsopoulos (Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Collegiate) and Courtnay Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario/St. Peter) were both named to the all-tournament team, with Kotsopoulos earning MVP honors.
Back In The Game
The 2008 Rookie of the Year Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) of University of New Hampshire is back for her sophomore season after a season-long hiatus due to injury. Out to prove that the time away from the court won't cause a sophomore slump, the 5-foot-11 forward powered the Wildcats to a season-opening win over St. Joseph's with 21 points, nine rebounds and two assists. As a rookie she averaged 10 points, 6.2 rebounds, two assists and two steals per game.
Class Act
Vermont's May Kotsopoulos, a business administration major with a GPA of 3.67, was named one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Women's Basketball Award. She is the two-time Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete and was the team MVP for the America East champion Catamounts. Kotosopoulos is the second straight Catamount to be selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Women's Basketball Award. Former standout Amy Rosenkrantz '09 earned the honor last season.
Wooden Award
University of Hartford's Erica Beverly (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) was named a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, the most prestigious award in college basketball. Beverly was one of 31 candidates announced over the summer. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for December’s midseason list and the official ballot released in March. She finished her junior year averaging 11.1 ppg and led the team at 7.2 rpg, while being named to the America East All-Conference First Team and to the All-Defensive Team. She also led the team in blocked shots with 61, on the way becoming the school’s all-time shot blocker. Beverly also finished second on the team with 68 assists.
Good Things Come In TV Packages
During the regular season, America East, in partnership with ESPN Regional Television, will produce 14 games, which will be distributed among regional sports networks and local carriers. Eric Frede returns as the play-by-play announcer for America East basketball. Frank Sullivan, who coached in the ranks for 33 years, returns for his third season as men’s basketball color analyst. Leah Secondo, a veteran of America East television productions, is the color analyst for women’s basketball games.
The conference television slate begins Jan. 2 when Stony Brook battles Boston University on MSG and NESN at Case Gym, site of last year’s four-overtime thriller between the two schools. In women’s action, Vermont will host Hartford on Jan. 26 on NESN in a rematch of a 2009 semifinal game.
Both America East Championship games will be aired live on Saturday, March 13. The men’s title bout will take place at 12 p.m. on ESPN2, marking the 23rd straight year the conference championship has been nationally televised. The women’s championship contest will be televised on Comcast Sports Net at 8 p.m. All four semifinal contests will be aired regionally on Sunday, March 7 from Hartford’s Chase Arena, site of the 2010 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Newman's Own.
As result of a partnership with Pack Network, each of the conference-produced games will also be streamed and available for free at AmericaEast.tv, the league’s new home for live webcasts. First-round and quarterfinal action from the America East Men’s & Women’s Championship will also be aired on the new site.
Coming To A TV Near You
America East will produce four episodes of America East On Campus, a 30-minute magazine show devoted to showcasing the conference’s best and brightest student-athletes. The fifth-year show, which will air on regional sports networks including NESN beginning in January, is hosted by Frede, who produces the show along with his Cod Rock Media Productions partner, Dan Hannigan.
A Return To Familiar Ground
For the first time in the league’s history, the 2010 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held in a combined tournament format at the University of Hartford’s 3,508-seat Chase Arena in West Hartford, Conn. March 4-7, 2010. The first, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds for both the men and women will be held at the combined tournament, while the title games will both be held the following weekend at the site of highest seeds remaining.
Both first round games will be held Thursday, March 4, while the women’s quarterfinals will follow on Friday, March 5. The men’s quarterfinals will be scheduled for Saturday, March 6 and both the men’s and women’s semifinal tilts will take place Sunday, March 7. The highest seeds remaining in both the men’s and women’s tournament will host the championship games on Saturday, March 13.
Newman's Own Signs Title Sponsorship
The America East Conference, the University of Hartford and Newman's Own, Inc. announced at this year's Media Day that Newman's Own, Inc. will serve as the title sponsor of the 2010 America East Men's and Women's Basketball Championship. The Championship trio of America East, University of Hartford and Newman's Own, Inc. will announce a plan later this year that will further cultivate the principles of community service, education and leadership among students from the nine conference campuses.
ALBANY GREAT DANES (5-4, 0-0 AE)
UAlbany improved to a perfect 4-0 at SEFCU Arena for the first time since the 1997-98 season, which also matched a program standard, and holds a 4-0 record against opponents it lost to during the 2008-09 campaign after escaping with a 53-49 victory over Army on Saturday, Dec. 19… Neither team led by more than three points in the last 10 minutes until Keyana Williams (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) iced the game by canning a free throw with 1.4 seconds left… The contest featured 15 lead changes and seven ties… Charity Iromuanya (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Northeast), Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) and Felicia Johnson (Newport News, Va./Woodside) all netted 10 points, while Ebone Henry (San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic) and Williams each had nine to pace another balanced scoring attack … Williams also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds … The Great Danes, who have held three opponents under 50 points, lead the league in scoring defense (57.0 ppg) and steals (11.2 pg)… Iromuanya is tied for first in the conference for averaging 3.0 steals per game, while Forster’s 7.2 rebounds per contests ranks first among America East freshmen … The newcomers, which were the top-ranked America East recruiting class in All-Star Girls Report, account for 29.7 of the team’s 58.3 points per game … UAlbany will look to begin its season with a 5-0 record at SEFCU Arena for the first time in program history when Fairfield visits the Capital Region on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 5 p.m.
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS (2-7, 0-0 AE)
Binghamton faces Sacred Heart on Monday before having the week off… Sacred Heart is the second of two teams from the NEC that the Bearcats face this season. Binghamton won, 75-59, at Bryant on Dec. 11. The Bearcats are 3-5 all time against teams from the NEC, having also faced Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner twice each… Senior guard Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill./Npaerville) is 15th all-time in program history with 889 career points. She is 29 points away from tying Jen Gaeta (1992-94) for 14th place all time with 918. Gaeta, who is now Jen Wegmann, is a color commentator for Time Warner Sports during its coverage of men’s and women’s home basketball games.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS (3-6, 0-0 AE)
The Boston University women’s basketball team is in the midst of a 16-day break and will return to the floor on Dec. 28 when it heads to Philadelphia, Pa., for the Saint Joseph's Hawk Classic. It will face South Carolina on the first day of the tourney and tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. Last time Boston U. was on the court, it rounded out a tough three-game road stretch of the Ivy League as it dropped a close 61-57 contest at Yale on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Freshman Caitlynn Moran led the way with 18 points, backed by a strong performance from the charity stripe, where she netted nine made free throws. On Sunday, the Terriers hosted Marist – their sixth top-100 opponent of the season, and kept the game close, however, the Red Foxes pulled away for an 81-73 decision. In that game, three Terriers reached double figures, led by Moran’s 20-point performance. Classmate Chantell Alford (West Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) put together a strong performance with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals.
HARTFORD HAWKS (7-3, 0-0 AE)
The Hawks dropped its only game last week, a 68-47 loss at Marist… Hartford’s shooting suffered in the second half, going 6-of-35 (17.1%) from the field, including 2-of-20 (10.0%) from the three point line… The Hawks outside shooting never took hold, finishing the game shooting 11.5 percent from long range (3-of-26)… Hartford trailed the perennial MAAC conference champion by three going into the break, but managed just nine points over the first 15 minutes of the second half, allowing Marist to pull ahead by as much as 27… Senior forward/center Diana Delva (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) led the Hawks, the only player in double figures, with her fourth double-double of the season, and second-straight, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds… Also leading the Hawks was Erica Beverly (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) and Jackie Smith (Westfield, Mass./Holyoke) who each finished with eight points … The Hawks will play just one game in the coming week, welcoming the Coppin State Eagles to Chase Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on Monday at 7 p.m.
MAINE BLACK BEARS (2-6, 0-0 AE)
Maine fell on a last second shot to Delaware, 52-50 on December 8, and dropped a road contest to Quinnipiac, 68-59, on December 12… The Black Bears set a number of career highs on the week… Senior Kristin Baker (Bingham, Maine/Bingham) tied her assist mark with nine against the Blue Hens… Senior Katia Bratishko (Annandale, Va./Flint Hill) led the team in scoring against Delaware with a new career mark of 14 points… She also set a new career high in rebounds against Quinnipiac… Senior Amanda Tewksbury (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon) tallied the team’s second double-double against Delaware with 13 points and 12 boards… Baker scored 14 second half points enroute to a career high 17 in Saturday’s loss.
UMBC RETRIEVERS (4-5, 0-0 AE)
UMBC dropped its third straight game, falling at cross-town rival Loyola, 81-74, Sunday afternoon… Sophomore guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) posted her fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds… She led four Retrievers in double figures for the fifth time this season, as junior forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) netted 13, sophomore guard Katie Brooks (Maryville, Tenn./Heritage) tallied 12 and junior guard Chelsea Barker (Waterville, Maine/Messalonskee) added 11… UMBC is the only team in the America East with four players averaging double figures, led by Kurowski’s 17.7 ppg, which ranks second in the conference… She is also the league’s leading rebounder with 9.1 rpg… Senior guard Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) is UMBC’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,336 points in her career… UMBC has a quick turnaround this week, traveling to No. 23 West Virginia on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
NEW HAMPSHIRE (4-5, 0-0 AE)
Last time out the University of New Hampshire women’s basketball team earned a 80-72 victory over Holy Cross on Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium … The 80-point output by the ‘Cats is the largest point total posted by New Hampshire since it notched 85 points against UMBC on Jan. 10, 2009… UNH outscored Holy Cross 47-35 in the second stanza, posting an impressive .615 percent shooting clip from the floor during the frame… Senior Amy Simpson (Waterford, Conn.) recorded 10 points, a career-high 11 assists, along with two blocks and two steals… Including Simpson, five Wildcats finished in double-figure scoring… Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) led all scorers with 20 points and was followed by Jill McDonald (Middlebury, Vt.; 18 points, six rebounds), Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass.; 15 points, nine rebounds) and Racheal Fowler (Glassboro, N.J.; 10 points)… The Wildcats currently have three players averaging in double figure scoring, with Beliveau leading the way with 13.2 points per game, while Williams and McDonald are averaging 12.2 and 11.0 points per game… In addition to Beliveau’s 20 points, she also tallied three steals in the contest, making it the seventh time this season she has compiled multiple steals in a game… She has also scored in double-figures in six of the last seven games… Simpson notched a pair of three-pointers Sunday afternoon against Holy Cross, giving her 172 three-point field goals for her career, which is just seven away from UNH’s all-time career mark of 179 … Williams' 15 points against Holy Cross gives her 989 for her career, pushing her that much closer to reaching the 1,000-point plateau for her career. If she does reach the mark, she will become just the 14th Wildcat in program history to achieve the feat.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (2-7, 0-0 AE)
Stony Brook was idle last week, but dropped a pair of tightly contested games the previous week, losing to Fairfield 65-49 and Dartmouth 77-72… The Seawolves dug themselves into early holes in both games, but battled back outscoring their opponents in the second half of each game… Senior Joia Daniels (Silver Spring, Md.) scored a career-high 20 points in the loss to Fairfield… She was 9-for-17 from the field and added three assists and three steals… Against Dartmouth she scored 15 on 50% shooting while tying her career-best for assists with four… SBU scored more field goals, had more assists and steals and fewer turnovers than the Stags, but Fairfield made 15 more free throws… The Seawolves shot 57.6% in the second half against Dartmouth as they outscored the Big Green 45-38… SBU had a chance to tie the game with six seconds remaining but freshman Amanda Corona’s three-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim… Corona scored a career-high eight points and fellow freshman Taylor Burner also set a career high with nine points.
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS (7-2, 0-0 AE)
After having a dormant week, Vermont opens this week with a noon-time matinee at Providence. The week prior, the Catamounts went 2-1 with a pair of victories over Holy Cross (78-56) and UMass (57-38) on the road, while suffering its second loss of the season to Oklahoma State (68-63) at Patrick Gymnasium. Senior May Kotsopoulos (Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Collegiate) averaged 22.7 points and shot 51.1 percent from the field on the week. She scored a career-high 29 points, including draining five three-pointers, to lead UVM past the Crusaders. Kotsopoulos collected three steals against Holy Cross to become the fifth Catamount with 200-plus career steals. Freshman Kendra Seto (Oshawa, Ontario/Eastdale C.V.I.) averaged 13 points and seven rebounds in three games for the Catamounts. She added a career-high 17 points in the win over Holy Cross and was one rebound shy of her first career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds in the victory over UMass. Vermont used a stifling defense to smother UMass and hold the Minutewomen to 38 points. The Catamounts committed just four turnovers to set a new school record for fewest miscues in a game. Against Oklahoma State, the game was tied at 59 with 6:16 remaining, but the Cowgirls went on a 9-3 run to close the game and pull out the victory. OSU was the first Big 12 school to play at Patrick Gym in the program's history and the Catamounts will also play Nebraska on Jan. 4 at Patrick. Kotsopoulos and backcourt mate Courtnay Pilypaitis are one of five duos in the country to average 17 points or more on the same team. Pilypaitis moved into fourth all-time among America East three-point leaders (211). UVM is 37-12 versus non-conference opponents on its home court.