CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- The America East Player of the Week award went out to sophomore forward Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) from University at Albany, as the Great Danes continue the best start in the school's Division I history. For the second consecutive week, a Black Bear garnered Rookie of the Week honors. The accolade went to University of Maine freshman guard Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del./Concord).
Forster averaged a double-double to help Albany split a pair of games last week and continue the Great Danes' best start since 1986-87. Forster averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting an outstanding .800 from the field in two games. The sophomore also added 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game and one block.
In the first game of the week against Sacred Heart, Forster finished with six points on 3-for-4 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. The forward then completed her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and scored the go-ahead basket in a 63-59 victory over crosstown rival Siena. It was Albany's first win in the annual contest since 2006. Forster went 5-for-6 against the Saints and converted 4-of-6 free-throw shots. She leads America East in rebounding and is averaging a double-double on the season with 11.6 ppg and 11.3 rpg. Forster also has a league-best .633 field goal percentage.
Roberts finished the week with two solid outings. Roberts averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in two contests last week. At Kansas, she started the week with eight points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal. She followed that up with a nine-point, five-rebound performance at Holy Cross, while adding two assists and two steals. Roberts shot .348 from the field in the two games.
The freshman is fifth on the team in scoring with 6.9 ppg, and she is also second on the team with 15 assists. Roberts has played in all seven of the Black Bears' games this season.
Recent Results
Monday, December 6
Syracuse 69, Albany 38 -- Box Score
- Albany (6-2) trailed by just six at the break, but Syracuse pulled away in the second half as it beat the Great Danes, 69-38.
- Albany shot just 23.6 percent from the field in the game while allowing Syracuse to shoot 41.1 percent.
- The Great Danes also found themselves down on the boards where they were outrebounded by the Orange, 54-25, including 21-10 on the offensive glass.
- Sophomore guard Ebone Henry scored 10 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for Albany. Junior guard Felicia Johnson also scored 10 points and dished out a team-high five assists.
Northeastern 67, Boston U. 55 -- Box Score
- Boston U. (2-7) continued to struggle in 2010-11 as it fell on the road at cross-town rival Northeastern, 67-55.
- Senior guards Chantell Alford and Mo Moran each scored 12 points to lead the Terriers in the scoring column. Alford did it from the field, hitting 5-of-8 attempts, including both of her three-point attempts. Moran scored from the line, where she went 7-for-9.
- Junior Alex Young scored just four points, breaking a streak of 18 games reaching double figures. The last time Young was held under 10 points was January 28, 2010.
Sunday, December 5
Iona 71, at Stony Brook 67 - Box Score
- The Seawolves were led by an outstanding performance from senior forward Kirsten Jeter, who scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.
- Junior forward/center Destiny Jacobs put her versatile game on display, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
- The Seawolves begin a five-game road trip with a visit to George Mason on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Grand Great Danes
University at Albany is off to one of its best starts in program history. The Great Danes won their first fives games of the season for the first time since 1986-87, and are currently 6-1 for the first time in its Division I history. The 1986-87 team, which competed at the Division III level, went 5-0 to open the season and finished with a 19-5 overall record. During this stretch to open up the season, Albany has held its opponents to a stingy 50.9 points per game.
This Week On TV
There are a trio of games being picked up by television networks this week. Hartford kicks off the televised games this week with a home contest with Marist on Tuesday at 7p live on Connecticut Sports Network (CTSN). Vermont will continue the week by hosting Northeastern on Wednesday on WCAXtra at 7p. Maine will take a trip out to Big Ten country on Sunday when the Black Bears visit Penn State. The matchup with the Nittany Lions can be found live on BigTenNetwork.com.
Scheduling Strong
Once again, the Hartford Hawks have one of the toughest slates in the nation. According to Collegiate Basketball News' RPIratings.com, the Hawks have had the 20th toughest 2010-11 schedule thus far and have played four top-100 teams. Other America East squads with challenging schedules ranking in the top-third are Boston U. (73rd) and New Hampshire (95th).
Reporting In
Collegiate Basketball News debuted its 2010-11 RPI report on Monday, December 6, and it ranked America East 24th out of 32 conferences. Albany, which is the highest-ranked of the America East teams, appears at 165, 104 spots above where it finished the 2009-10 season (269). Other teams making improvements already are New Hampshire, ranked 243 after it finished 277 last year, and Maine (267; 270).
Raise A Cup
Vermont won its sixth consecutive America East Academic Cup in 2009-10. The Catamounts presented the Academic Cup during their home game against Marquette on Saturday, December 4, part of a double header with the men's team.
Regional Foes
Over one-third of the league's non-conference games this year have come against opponents from the Ivy League and Northeast Conference, largely to do with regional factors. America East teams have played NEC teams six times, posting a 6-6 record, and the Ivies nine times, with a 4-5 mark. Half of the league's wins this year have come against these two conferences.
The Countdown
UMBC's Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) is closing in on 1,000 career points. The junior pulled within 100 and has 912 going into the Retrievers' game against Towson on Tuesday night. Kurowski would become the second active America East player to top 1,000 career points, joining senior Kirsten Jeter from Stony Brook.
Half-Century Mark
A bevy of players have reached the 500 career- point mark already this season, including the youngest to do so, Boston U. sophomore Chantell Alford (West Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) last weekend. Juniors Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) of UMBC and Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audentes School) from Binghamton have both eclipsed the half-century mark as well. The most recent to make the mark are seniors Tanna Ross (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) of Maine and Jill McDonald (Middlebury, Vt./Middlebury) of New Hampshire. Black Bear junior Samantha Wheeler (Derry, N.H./Timberlane Regional) is just three points away from 500.
Jeter's A Keeper
Stony Brook senior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont), a unanimous preseason all-conference pick, is poised to finish her career with spectacular numbers. She is currently the league's active leader in points (1,169), rebounds (595) and steals (177), and has led the Seawolves to improvement in every season since her freshman year in 2007-08.
Triple Up
Boston University sophomore guard Mo Moran (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) tallied a triple-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists on November 17 at home against Yale, the first Terrier to accomplish the feat since 2004. It is also the third straight season America East has had a player notch a triple-double, as former America East Player of the Year Courtnay Pilypaitis ('10) from University of Vermont picked up a triple-double in each of the previous two seasons.
Dead River Returns
University of Maine continued a tradition last weekend with the 18th annual Dead River Company Classic. The tournament featured Florida, Navy and South Alabama.
Poll Position... Mid-Major Edition
CollegeInsider.com debuted its first-ever Women's Mid-Major Top-25 poll this year. Three teams (Hartford, Vermont, Boston U.) were either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason poll. Most recently, in the poll dated November 30, the Great Danes entered the poll at #25 after winning the first five games of the season. They received 85 votes, tied with Cal State Bakersfield.
Historic Year
America East is coming off arguably its most successful season in the history of the league. Two teams represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, including Hartford's first-ever at-large bid. Vermont defeated Wisconsin in the first round, America East's third win in the tourney since 2006. Boston U. made it three teams in the postseason when it earned a spot in the postseason WNIT and hosted a game at Case Gym. For the year, the league finished 15th in the RPI, the league's highest finish since 2005-06. America East was the fifth-highest ranked non-FBS conference in the final 2009-10 RPI ratings.
Against The Best
To get into postseason tournaments - and then succeed in them - you must compete against the best teams. Over a third of the league's non-conference games last year (45 of 113) were against teams which qualified for the NCAA or WNIT postseason tournaments the previous season. Below is how the league fared against those teams.
vs. NCAA Teams 5-16 (.238)
->wins over Dartmouth (x2), Temple, Sacred Heart, Louisville
vs. WNIT Teams 7-17 (.292)
->wins over Central Conn., Harvard, Boston College, Coppin St, Dayton, Bowling Green, Canisius
vs. All Postseason Teams 12-33 (.267)
So far during the 2010-11 season, 21 of 65 non-conference opponents competed in the 2010 postseason, including seven NCAA participants and 14 WNIT competitors.
New Faces
America East welcomes three new head coaches this season. University at Albany hired Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, previously the associate head coach at Indiana and also a former assistant at University of Maine. University of New Hampshire brought on Maureen Magarity to head up its program. Magarity, who comes from Army where she was most recently associate head coach, is believed to be the youngest Division I coach--men's or women's--in the country. Finally, after two straight America East Championships, University of Vermont is rebuilding its team, including the coaching staff. During the offseason, the Catamounts hired Lori Gear McBride, a member of the 1994 North Carolina team which won the National Championship.
Blodgett Renews
Maine head coach Cindy Blodgett signed a two-year contract extension this fall. The new deal extends her four-year contract signed in 2007 through the end of the 2012-13 season. Blodgett is a 1998 Maine graduate and Black Bear legend who enjoyed a professional career in the WNBA and Europe. She returned to Maine three years ago following a successful stint as a Brown University assistant coach.
Atop Of The Class
The Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) recognized both the UMBC and University of Hartford women's basketball programs this summer with the release of the organization's Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. The Retrievers had the third-highest grade-point average (GPA) of all Division I programs for the 2009-10 year based on the nomination submitted by WBCA-member head coaches, while the Hawks ranked 23rd in the country. UMBC, led by Head Coach Phil Stern, finished the season with a team GPA of 3.578 and is making its first appearance on the Top 25 Honor Roll. Only Utah Valley University (3.630) and South Dakota State University (3.622) in Division I bettered the Retrievers' mark. Head Coach Jen Rizzotti’s Hawks compiled a team GPA of 3.321 for the 2009-10 campaign and made the honor roll for the second straight year. The Hawks were one of just nine 2010 postseason teams (NCAA/WNIT) honored academically this year.
Online Web Show Premieres
America East is proud to release its latest new media initiative, "America East Online". America East Online is a 20-minute web-only show which features all nine of the conference's campuses and highlights athletics, academics and leadership. The show, hosted by America East's Max Mandel, will be available on Wednesdays at least every other week throughout the academic year, including weekly during the basketball season. Fans can watch the web show at the America East Zone on AmericaEast.com, as well as on the league's social media web sites such as YouTube and Facebook.
AExtra Blog Covers It All
America East unveiled its new blog--"AExtra"--on Wednesday, September 1, just in time for the 2010-11 season. AExtra gives fans a unique perspective on the teams and student-athletes that make up the conference. In addition to the conference media relations staff, contributors to the blog include student journalists from member schools who will have inside access to the teams, the games and the storylines. AExtra features stories and recaps beyond just the boxscores, q&a's with student-athletes, coaches and beat reporters, a daily round up of web links of the conference in the news and a forum for fans to interact with each other and the conference. Photo galleries and videos will showcase the action.
Good Things Come In TV Packages
During the regular season, America East, in partnership with ESPN Regional Television, will produce seven women's basketball 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. Leah Secondo, a veteran of America East television productions, will be alongside Frede as the color analyst.
The conference television slate begins Jan. 23 when the teams picked first and second, Boston U. and Hartford, battle at Case Gym live on Comcast Sports Net at 2 p.m. Three days later, the Terriers then host Binghamton, picked to finish the conference third, in a night game broadcast on Comcast Sports Net and on Time Warner. Hartford will host the next two AETV games. A Feb. 13 matchup features a rematch of the Terriers and Hawk on Comcast Sports Net, while UMBC makes the trek on Feb. 20 for a game to be televised on Comcast Sports Net in New England and Comcast Sports Net plus in the Mid-Atlantic.
Additionally, the America East Championship semifinals on March 6 will be produced by the conference in partnership with ESPN Regional.
As result of a partnership with Neulion, each of the conference-produced games will also be streamed and available for free at the America East Zone on www. AmericaEast.com.
Terriers Are Clearcut Favorites
With a wealth of young talent returning for the 2010-11 season, the Boston University Terriers are the team to beat for the 2011 America East Women’s Basketball Championship. The Terriers received all eight possible first-place votes in a poll of the league’s nine head coaches, with head coaches not permitted to vote for their own team. The conference office unveiled the preseason poll on October 14 at the 2010 America East Basketball Tip-Off Event at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city of the 2011 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Newman’s Own.
Perennial powerhouse University of Hartford garnered the remaining first-place vote and received 56 points, eight points behind the Terriers. Binghamton University placed third in the poll with 50 points, followed by Stony Brook University (39), UMBC (37) and University of Vermont (30). University at Albany (18), University of Maine (17) and University of New Hampshire (13) rounded out the nine-team poll.
2010-11 Preseason Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. Boston University (8) 64
2. Hartford (1) 56
3. Binghamton 50
4. Stony Brook 39
5. UMBC 37
6. Vermont 30
7. Albany 18
8. Maine 17
9. New Hampshire 13
Youth Movement
Seven women’s basketball student-athletes earned preseason all-conference recognition as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches and announced at the America East Basketball Tip-Off Event on Thursday, October 14 at the Connecticut State Capitol Building. All seven student-athletes are first-time recipients of this distinction.
The preseason all-conference team, which includes three from the preseason favorite Boston University Terriers, consists of two sophomores, three juniors and two seniors, a stark contrast to last year’s preseason team which was exclusively seniors.
Leading the group as unanimous selections are Binghamton University junior guard Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell), Boston University sophomore guard Chantell Alford (West Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) and Stony Brook University senior forward Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont). These three earned the maximum eight votes, as head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Joining this trio are Terrier guards Mo Moran (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) and Alex Young (Hickory, N.C./St. Stephen’s), University of Hartford senior guard Jackie Smith (Westfield, Mass./Holyoke) and University of New Hampshire junior forward Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass./Framingham). Seven were named to the team rather than the traditional five due to a tie in the voting.
2010-11 Preseason All-Conference Team
*Andrea Holmes, Binghamton, Jr., G
*Chantell Alford, Boston U., So., G
Mo Moran, Boston U., So., G
Alex Young, Boston U., Jr., G
Jackie Smith, Hartford, Sr., G
Denise Beliveau, New Hampshire, Jr., F
*Kirsten Jeter, Stony Brook, Sr., F
*unanimous selection
Hartford Hosts 2011 Tourney
The America East Conference has chosen the University of Hartford as host for its 2011 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Just months removed from the first-ever combined men’s and women’s championship, the conference Athletic Directors chose to build off the momentum created from this past year and once again hold the tournament in Hartford.
The 2011 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held on March 3-6, 2011 at The Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion on University of Hartford’s campus. The first, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds for both the men and women will be held at the combined tournament, while the title games will again both be held the following weekend at the site of highest seeds remaining.
Newman's Own signs title sponsorship
Newman’s Own, Inc. announced it renewed partnership with the America East Conference as title sponsor of the men’s and women’s basketball championship, March 3-6, 2011, at the University of Hartford. This marks the second sponsorship year for Newman’s Own. The Westport, CT-based company will again engage championship fans in sponsorship-related arena activities along with the promotion of Newman’s Own Thin & Crispy Crust Frozen pizzas.
Elements of the sponsorship that were a priority to Newman’s Own last year will be replicated during the 2011 tournament, including arena signage for Newman’s Own Thin & Crispy Crust Frozen pizzas; product awareness and trial; extensive television exposure with a Newman’s Own 30-second commercial, a new avenue in Newman’s Own marketing; America East website presence; social media engagement; and, a continued growth in the awareness of the company’s philanthropic mission.
Over $100,000 Up For Grabs
Newman's Own Foundation announced the continuation of its Campus Community Service Challenge in partnership with the America East Conference. Launched last year at the Conference's preseason basketball tipoff, this unique program encourages the practice of philanthropy on America East campuses and in surrounding communities. One student group, chosen from each of the America East's nine member universities, will participate on behalf of its nonprofit partner for the top grant of $25,000. In total, over $100,000 will be awarded to nominated nonprofits and other charities. Judges for the challenge will include NBA legend and well-known philanthropist Dikembe Mutombo and ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo. For more information, visit www.NewmansOwnFoundation.org/Challenge.
ALBANY GREAT DANES (6-1, 0-0 AE)
Albany lost its first game of the season, a 61-52 decision to Sacred Heart on Monday, before posting a 63-59 win over crosstown-rival Siena on Saturday... Despite the loss, the Great Danes are still off to their best Division I start, and the program's best start since 1986-87... The win over Siena was the first for the Great Danes in the annual rivalry since 2006... Sophomore forward Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) led the team in two games, averaging a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds... Forster recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a 14-point, 11-rebound performance against Siena... Sophomore guard Ebone Henry (San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic) averaged a team-high 16 points on the week... She scored 16 points in both of the Great Danes' games last week... Point guard Felicia Johnson (Newport News, Va./Woodside) also averaged double-digit scoring for UAlbany, chipping in with 10 points per game... Johnson also handed out six assists and recorded four steals on the week... The Great Danes continue non-conference play with games against Syracuse on Monday and Duke on Thursday.
BINGHAMTON BEARCATS (3-4, 0-0 AE)
Binghamton split a pair of games last week. With their 63-61 win over Army on Dec. 1, the Bearcats remain undefeated at the Events Center this season (2-0)... Junior guard Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) currently has 813 career points. That currently ranks 20th all time in program history. She needs 15 points to tie Leala Wegwerth (2000-04) for 19th place all time with 828 career points... Junior guard Orla O'Reilly (Cork, Ireland/Ursuline School) averaged a team-best 17.0 points per game this past week. Against Lehigh on Dec. 4, she poured in a career-best 23 points. It marked the second time in her career that she has reached the 20-point mark... With 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Bearcats' win over Army on Dec. 1, freshman guard Jasbriell Swain (Memphis, Tenn./Horn Lake) has now recorded a team-best three double-doubles this season... Junior forward Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audantes) is averaging a career-high 10.0 points per game. Against Lehigh, she netted a season-best 16 points... Sophomore forward Kara Elofson (Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins) averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week. She scored 14 points in both games and finished with nine rebounds against Lehigh.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS (2-6, 0-0 AE)
The Boston University women’s basketball team dropped a pair of games to Rhode Island, 58-56, and No. 20 St. John’s, 66-42, last week as the Terriers fall to 2-6 on the season… Junior Alex Young (Hickory, N.C./St. Stephen's) was the team's leading scorer through the two games as she averaged 13.5 ppg... Freshman Melissa Gallo (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) had a standout game vs. the 20th-ranked Red Storm as she logged a career-high 19 minutes and put in a career-best nine points... Coming up for Boston U. is Northeastern on Monday (Dec. 6), Massachusetts on Wednesday (Dec. 8), and Marist on Saturday (Dec. 11) before the team takes a 17-day break. l Boston U. vs. St. John's Highlights l
HARTFORD HAWKS (1-7, 0-0 AE)
The Hartford women’s basketball team dropped its only game since returning from the Caribbean Challenge 61-85 at Harvard on Friday. The Hawks were led by a pair of sophomores who were the only players to record double figures in the scoring column. Daphne Elliott (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) led all Hawks with a season-high of 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Nikkia Smith (Montville, Conn./Montville) finished her first collegiate game in double figures with a career-high 10 points. The pair also led the team in rebounding with five boards each... Junior Keyokah Mars-Garrick (North Stonington, Conn./Wheeler) put up career-tying numbers in assists (3), blocks (3) and steals (2), while senior point guard Jackie Smtih (Westfield, Mass./Holyoke) finished with a season high of five assists... The Hawks' first-half shooting (9-of-31, 29 percent) again struggled but their second half shooting picked up (10-of-22, 46 percent), while the Crimson couldn’t miss in their home opener shooting 52 percent for the game (33-of-63)... The Hawks will play three games in the week ahead, the first on Tuesday when they welcome fellow mid-major power Marist to the Chase Family Arena for a Tuesday night 7 p.m. tip. The Hawks will then travel to Temple on Friday (7 p.m.) and return home to play Dartmouth on Sunday (2 p.m.) before a break for finals.
MAINE BLACK BEARS (1-6, 0-0 AE)
Maine dropped both of its games last week... The Black Bears were forced to play both games without Third Team All-Conference Selection Samantha Wheeler... Wheeler leads the team with 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds... Tanna Ross (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) and Katelyn Vanderhoff (Lititz, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) both set career highs in one of the two games... Ross led the Black Bears with a career-high 27 points in 27 minutes... She followed that up with 10 points against Holy Cross... Ross scored double figures in back-to-back games for the first time since games two and three of the 2008-09 season... Ross' previous season high was five points against Harvard... Vanderhoff dished out a career-high eight assists against Kansas and scored a career-high 17 points against the Crusaders... She not only led the team in points but also pulled down nine rebounds... Freshmen Jaymie Druding (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) and Greer Babbe (Papillion, Neb./Papillion-La Vista) made their first career starts at Holy Cross... Druding scored a career-best nine points in the start... Rachele Burns (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) added a career-high five points and played in her third-straight game.
UMBC RETRIEVERS (3-5, 0-0 AE)
UMBC won its only game last week, defeating Bucknell, 63-57, in a thrilling come-from-behind victory… The Retrievers outscored the Bison, 20-3, over the final 8:09 of the game, including 16-2 over the last 3:15 of action… Junior guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) recorded her first double-double of the season and the seventh of her career with 25 points and 11 rebounds… It was her third straight 20-point performance… She added four steals and two assists… Kurowski was 11-for-12 from the line, making the first 11 before snapping her streak of 22 in a row, which dated to Nov. 20 against St. Joseph’s… Junior forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) tallied 15 points and seven rebounds against Bucknell… Junior center Topé Obajolu (Randallstown, Md./Archbishop Carroll) netted 11 points to go along with three steals and two blocks… Senior forward Meghan Colabella (Upper Montclair, N.J./Montclair) dished out a career-high five assists and pulled down six boards… Kurowski is just 88 points away from becoming the 17th member of UMBC’s 1,000-point club, while Colabella is 32 rebounds shy of becoming the 14th Retriever ever to reach 500 in her career… UMBC’s three juniors – Kurowski, Brown and Obajolu – have accounted for 65.9 percent of the team’s scoring this season, and all three rank among the top 20 scorers in the America East… The Retrievers host cross-town rival Towson on Tuesday, then hit the road to face ACC power Maryland Friday evening. l UMBC vs. Bucknell Highlights l
NEW HAMPSHIRE (1-5, 0-0 AE)
The University of New Hampshire women's basketball team finished last week 0-2, with losses to Syracuse (Nov. 29) and Manhattan (Dec. 3)… Last time out the Wildcats fell to the Lady Jaspers, 68-51, at Draddy Gymnasium… Cari Reed (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) poured in a team-best 13 points and Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) recorded 12 points and pulled in eight rebounds… Reed tallied her 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a 3-for-5 mark from deep… As for Beliveau, it was the third straight game she has scored in double-digits… She finished with a team-high two steals and her eight rebounds were also a team best… New Hampshire outrebounded Manhattan, 34-33, in the contest… In the game prior, UNH fell to Syracuse, 87-46, at the Carrier Dome… Jill McDonald (Middlebury, Vt./Middlebury) recorded 11 points and seven rebounds… Beliveau added 10 points, three boards and three assists… The Wildcats return to action on Friday, Dec. 10 (7 p.m.) when they take on Harvard University at Lavietes Pavilion.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES (3-4, 0-0 AE)
The Seawolves went 1-2 on the week as they wrapped up a five-game homestand... SBU lost to Monmouth, 74-60, in its first game this week before rebounding with a 68-51 win over FDU on Thursday... The Seawolves then dropped their final game of the week, 71-67, to Iona on Sunday... Stony Brook will now play eight of its next nine games on the road... Senior Kirsten Jeter (Elmont, N.Y.) had 18 points and nine rebounds against Monmouth and then recorded her first double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds) against Iona... On Thursday against FDU, Jeter passed Donna Lundy for 10th place on the Seawolves all-time rebounding list... She also ranks 10th on Stony Brook's all-time scoring list... She averaged 9.0 rebounds per game for the week... Sophomore Sam Landers (Hamilton, Va.) scored 15 points against FDU and then scored 14 against Iona... She has reached double-figures in four of her past five games... Junior Destiny Jacobs (Glen Burnie, Md.) had 14 points and seven rebounds against Iona and is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game over the last four games.
VERMONT CATAMOUNTS (0-7, 0-0 AE)
Vermont remained winless with a pair of losses at Quinnipiac (76-67) and to Marquette (68-19)... The Catamounts trailed Quinnipiac by 23 with five minutes left in the game and were able to slice the lead to seven, but could not complete the comeback effort despite outscoring the Bobcats 19-5 over the last five minutes of the game... Senior Tonya Young (Canaan, N.H./Mascoma Valley Regional) scored a career-high 29 points in the loss to Quinnipiac... Sophomore Lauren Wheeler (Ancaster, Ontario/Westdale) added a career-high 13 points against the Bobcats... Against Marquette, a team receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Catamounts struggled offensively... UVM set new team lows with six first-half points and 19 total points... UVM hosts former America East rival Northeastern on Wednesday (Dec. 8) at 7 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium... Vermont will be off for 10 days for final exams, returning to action on Dec. 19 at Kent State.