CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Boston University senior guard Amarachi Umez-Eronini (Washington, D.C./Woodrow Wilson) and University of Hartford freshman guard Ilicia Mathis (Hamden, Conn./Career), this week's America East Women's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week, are playing outstanding basketball leading into Tuesday night's match-up between the Terriers and Hawks with first-place on the line. This marks the third consecutive week a Terrier has taken the player of the week, while Mathis has received the award three times this season.
Umez-Eronini's overtime heroics at Binghamton Wednesday night made sure her Boston University Terriers remained undefeated in league play in what ended up being the closest any team came to knocking off first-place Boston U. so far this season. The senior scored 11 points, two of which came on the game-winning lay-up with 1.1 seconds left in overtime. Umez-Eronini also wrapped up eight rebounds, snatched five steals and handed out a conference-high 11 assists. It was her second double-double of the season, and the first of the points-assists variety this season in America East. The award is Umez-Eronini's second in three weeks.
In two road victories last week, Mathis averaged 14 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 43.5% from the field, 33.3% from long-range and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. She opened the week by tying her career high of 17 points to lead the Hawks at UMBC on Wednesday night. The freshman also grabbed 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 assists in 23 minutes. On Saturday at Albany, Mathis pulled down a career-high 7 rebounds, while adding 11 points, 2 steals and an assist. In conference games, she leads the team with 12.4 ppg, and is shooting over 45% from the field and 50% from long-range.
Honor Roll
University of Vermont junior guard May Kotsopoulos (Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Collegiate) averaged 17.5 points per game and shot 50% from three-point range in a 2-0 week for the Catamounts. She scored a team-high 21 points against University of New Hampshire on Sunday... Binghamton freshman forward Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audentes School) continues her stellar rookie campaign, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.2 blocks and 3.5 steals per game last week.... Stony Brook sophomore Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont) averaged 24 points and 9 rebounds last week, putting up 23-point and 25-point performances... UNH junior forward Candace Williams (Norfolk, Mass./St. Raphaels) recorded her league-leading ninth double-double of the season on Sunday at Vermont with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Six of her 10 rebounds came on the offensive end of the court... Albany junior guard Britney McGee (Bakersfield, Calif./West) had yet another solid week, averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in two losses last week... UMBC's Carlee Cassidy (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) broke out for a 26-point performance against Stony Brook on Saturday and moved into sole possession of the school record for three-pointers in a single-season (74), which also ranks her second-place all-time in America East for the same record.
The Report Is In
Collegiate Basketball News put out its 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. America East is ranked 22 out of 32 conferences, holding steady from last week. Six of the nine teams moved up in the rankings, and of the three that did lose ground, Stony Brook and UMBC's four-place drop was the largest. Hartford moved up to 61 and Boston U. inched up a spot to 90 as the top two rated America East teams. This is something we will keep an eye on for the rest of the season as the fourth tie-breaker for championship seeding is the RPI ranking, and that could come into play if the Terriers and Hawks tie atop the conference standings at the end of the regular season.
First-Place Showdown, Part II
For the second time this season, Boston University and Hartford will meet with first-place on the line. The tilt, to be televised on Comcast Sports Network (CSN) Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. live from Chase Arena in Hartford, is a rematch of a game the Terriers won to remain the last undefeated team in conference play. The Hawks have not faltered in America East action since then, with that being their only loss. Tuesday night's game will be the first home game for Hartford since its 34-game home court win streak was snapped by Marist last Sunday. In addition to CSN, the game, called by Leah Secondo and former UConn standout Kara Wolters, will be available on ESPN's FullCourt package and at the America East Zone on www.AmericaEast.com.
Free-Throw Perfection
Two players had outstanding efforts at the free-throw line this weekend. UMBC junior Carlee Cassidy went 13-for-13 from the charity stripe at home against Stony Brook on Saturday, setting the school mark for best perfect game from the line. She finished 15-for-15 for the week. On Sunday, UNH's Candace Williams knocked down all nine of her foul shots at Vermont, leading the Wildcats to a perfect 11-for-11 effort as a team.
And Then There Was One
Boston U. became the last undefeated squad in America East this season when it knocked off Hartford at Case Gym on January 21, and it remains undefeated at 12-0. The Terriers' start in conference play is the best in program history, and their current 13-game winning streak is the longest for a Terrier women's hoops team. Boston U. is one of nine teams in the country to still be undefeated in conference play, and is ninth in active win streaks around the nation.
Ties To Be Broken
Entering this week, with just two weeks to go before the conference championship, there are two ties in the standings and potential for others with only half game margins in the standings. If the season ended today, UMBC (6-7) would win the tiebreaker over Binghamton based on head-to-head results. New Hampshire (4-8) would take the tiebreaker over Stony Brook, also on head-to-head results. The Wildcats and Seawolves play in Durham Wednesday night, while the Retrievers and Bearcats play in Vestal this Saturday at 2 p.m. If head to head results don't break ties by the end of the season the following tiebreakers come into play:
- winning percentage against other conference teams in descending rank order
- winning percentage in conference road games.
- RPI rating as determined by the College RPI Report
The Difference A Year Makes
For four teams this year, conference games are a little easier to come by than last season. Three teams--Boston University (12 wins), UMBC (6) and Stony Brook (4)--have already exceeded their AE win total from the 2007-08 season. Kristin Cole's New Hampshire squad is even with last year's win total of four, with four games remaining in the regular season.
February Frenzy
The Hartford Hawks hosted fellow mid-major giant Marist on ESPN2 Sunday, February 15 for February Frenzy, where a record 3,217 fans showed up at Chase Arena to watch. Though the Hawks fell in overtime, 78-73, it was the largest in-house attendance at Chase to watch a women's basketball game.
Pink Zone
Eight of nine schools have held their Pink Zone games over the past two weeks, raising nearly $20,000, with more still to report, through ticket sales, auctions and donations at both women's and men's basketball games. All nine America East schools are taking part in the WBCA's Pink Zone week, an initiative to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer via women's basketball games across the country. The campaign officially takes place at games between Febuary 13-22, 2009. Below is a list of Pink Zone dates for each America East school.
Pink Zone Dates
Albany: Saturday, Feb. 21, vs. Hartford
Binghamton: Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. Maine
Boston U.: Sunday, March 1 vs. Maine
Hartford: Sunday, Feb. 15 vs. Marist (ESPN2)
Maine: Sunday, Feb. 15 vs. UMBC (WABI)
UMBC: Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. Stony Brook
New Hampshire: Sunday, Feb. 15 vs. Boston U.
Stony Brook: Tuesday, Feb. 17 vs. Vermont
Vermont: Saturday, Feb. 14 vs. Albany
Class Acts
Vermont's May Kotsopoulos and University of Maine's Brittany Boser (Palmer, Mass./Palmer) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I Teams earlier this month by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Based on nominations from school SIDs, CoSIDA members voted Kotsopoulos to the All-District I first team and Boser to the All-District I second team. Kotsopoulos, the reigning America East Scholar-Athlete for women's basketball, is a business administration major with a 3.62 GPA. Boser, a repeat selection for the honor, is a chemical engineering major with a GPA of 3.85.
Were They Right?
The nine America East coaches named five players to the preseason all-conference team as predictions for who would make first-team all-conference at the end of the season. Below is a look at how those five players have done this season.
Player, Team Stats
E. Beverly, UH 11.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg
C. Pilypaitis, UVM 14.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.4 apg
J. Burks-Wiley, BU 18.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, .472 fg%
C. Cassidy, UMBC 21.5 ppg, .809 ft%, 2.8 3fgm
D. Delva, UH 12.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, .629 fg%
What A Good Shot
Maine's Boser currently leads the conference in free-throw percentage (.847), and has a cushion of nearly .40 over the next closest in the rankings. If Boser were to remain on top through the end of the 2008-09 season, she would become the third different Black Bear to lead America East in that statistic in the last five seasons. Bracey Barker did it in 2006-07 and Ashley Underwood led the conference in 2004-05. As of last Friday, Boser was 33rd in Division I free-throw percentage. She also joins two Terriers--seniors Jesyka Burks-Wiley and Umez-Eronini--as the only players to rank in the America East top-10 of both free-throw and field goal percentages.
Hitting The Mark
Five players have reached 1,000 career points this season, with the latest being Vermont's Amy Rosenkrantz (Tempe, Arizona/Corona del Sol) who did so February 11 at UMBC. Rosenkrantz became the third Catamount to reach the milestone this season, the first time in program history that has happened. The other players who have earned their 1,000th career point earlier this season are junior Courtnay Pilypaitis (Vermont), senior Burks-Wiley (Boston U.), junior Carlee Cassidy (UMBC), and junior May Kotsopoulos (Vermont).
500-Strong
Just as America East players have done to the 1,000-point plateau this season, they are also rapidly surpassing 500 career rebounds. Pilypaitis, Burks-Wiley and Rosenkrantz each collected their 500th rebound this season and are the only active members of the 1,000-point/500-rebound club in America East. While the former two collected the points prior to the rebounds, Rosenkrantz earned the status once compiling her 1,000th point, having had the 500 rebounds under her belt a week earlier.
Ringing Up Long-Distance Shots
UMBC junior guard Carlee Cassidy is a long-range shooter who ranks second in the conference with 2.8 three's per game. Saturday vs. Stony Brook, Cassidy sunk her 74th triple of the season, which gave her sole possession of the school record for treys in a season. She also sits second in the league record book, along with Boston U.'s Kristi Dini, for three-pointers in a single season. The America East single-season record is 76 treys in 2003-04 by Northeastern's Melissa Kowalski. Cassidy has already broken Kowalski's record for three-point field goals attempted (218) with 223 this season.
Dishing Out The Record
Boston University senior guard Christine Kinneary (Plainedge, N.Y./Holy Trinity) broke a school record that had been firm in place for over 25 years when she dished out her 478th career assist on February 4 at Albany. Kinneary now is fourth all-time in America East history with 500 career assists, 17 shy of Vermont's Lori Taylor who sits in third (1994-98).
Rejected
Binghamton's Laura Franceski (Moscow, Pa./North Pocano) has had her own personal block party this season, rejecting 72 shots (3.3 blocks per game) to lead the conference despite missing 4 games. Franceski has 211 for her career, which is third in America East all-time. Her eight-block performance against Maine helped the cause, tying a school and America East mark for blocked shots in a single game. She became the fifth player in America East to reject an opponent 8 times in one game and it is only the second time it has happened in a conference game. Franceski is nine swats away from matching Northeastern's Katasha Artis' career mark of 220 for second-place all-time.
Hawks In The Hunt
A trio of Hartford Hawks are still closing in on 1,000 points, and could possibly join the other five players who have already reached it this season.
Player, School Points PPG
Erica Beverly, Jr., UH 942 11.0
Diana Delva, Jr., UH 866 12.0
Marylynne Schaefer, Sr., UH 843 6.5
Home Court Advantage
Hartford has been exceptional on its home court, however, its 34-game home-court winning streak, the second-longest streak in Division I, came to an end February 15 against Marist. The last loss the Hawks had suffered at Chase Arena was November 29, 2006 to Seton Hall, 53-59. Marist can call the victory sweet revenge--last season, the Hawks ended the Red Foxes' 26-game win streak at the McCann Center.
Boston University reeled off 13 straight home wins and ranked as high as eighth in Division I, but also snapped its streak earlier this season. St. John's defeated the Terriers Tuesday, December 30 to give Boston U. its first loss at Case Gymnasium in nearly two years. The Terriers have won all six home games since that loss.
Midday Madness Sets Record
UMBC held its annual midday madness when it hosted Albany Wednesday, February 21 and set an attendance record of 1,517 to watch a women's basketball game at RAC Arena. Over 900 of those fans were local elementary and middle school students who came out for the event.
Three's Company
The top three three-point shooters in America East -- UMBC's Cassidy, Boston U.'s Dini and Albany's McGee-- are all averaging over 2.4 three's per game. They're all also moving up their schools' respective career three-pointers rankings. Cassidy now owns the record at UMBC with 172 career triples, McGee is currently third all-time at Albany with 148, and Dini is in first-place at Boston U., currently at 175, breaking the school career and single-season record just last week. Dini, Cassidy and McGee rank 2nd, 6th and 68th, respectively, in all of Division I.
Going On 30
Cassidy's 33-point performance against the Terriers became the ninth 30-point performance in the league this year. Never have so many 30-point individual efforts come in a single season since the 2004-05 season when there were also nine such outbursts. That year, eight of the nine came against an America East opponent, while this season, four have come during league play so far.
Join The Club
Vermont's Pilypaitis joined two more elite clubs after the game against North Dakota on Sunday, January 4. With five assists, she moved into Vermont's top-five career assists list, handing out 369 in her 2+ seasons. Since then, she now has over 400 helpers for her career. The junior guard also grabbed eight rebounds and became the 12th member of Vermont's 1,000-point/500-rebound club.
December Report
America East teams went a combined 16-40 (.286) in the month of December with five of those games coming against ranked opponents. UMBC (4-3) picked up a quarter of those victories as part of its five-game winning streak.
Tournament Frenzy
Fifteen regular-season tournaments highlighted the 2008-09 non-conference season, including two hosted by America East institutions, Vermont and Maine. UMBC took home the only tournament title this season with a 2-0 mark at the Iona Thanksgiving Classic.
Rookie Ramblings
UMBC has earned nearly half of the rookie of the week awards during the 2008-09 season, earning 7 of 15 honors. Going back to last year, the Retrievers have actually won 9 of the past 17 rookie awards. Katie Brooks won weeks two and three this season, Michelle Kurowski earned recognition three weeks in a row, and Erin Brown took home the honor in weeks 7 and 11. Meghan Colabella won the America East Rookie of the Week the final two weeks of the 2007-08 season. The last time one team has dominated the rookie category was Vermont in 2006-07. Catamounts Courtnay Pilypaitis, May Kotsopoulos and Sofia Iwobi took home nine of 10 rookie awards spanning November 19, 2006-January 22, 2007.
Rookie Ramblings 2
Rookies around the league have made their way into their teams' respective starting lineups going into the conference season. Seven of the nine teams have started a rookie multiple times, and in most instances, consistently. Two freshmen have started every game this season-- Binghamton's Rebane and Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn.). Boston U. and Vermont have not started a rookie this season, but they are also two of the most experienced squads this season.