CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Spectacular individual efforts led to weekly awards for University at Albany's Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) and UMBC's Lauren Chase (Bowie Md./Riverdale Baptist). The conference named Forster as Player of the Week and Chase as Rookie of the Week on Monday, Nov. 14.
Forster, a junior forward, averaged 21 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, three blocks and 2.5 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the floor in two Great Dane wins last week. She had a monster game in Albany's home opener aganst La Salle recording 26 points, 20 rebounds, five steals, five blocks and three assists. Forster shot 8-for-13 from the field and 10-for-13 from the free-throw line.
In the season opener at Fordham on Friday night, Forster opened up strong with 16 points, eight rebounds, five steals, two assists and one block. She went 7-for-13 on field goals and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe against the Rams.
A member of the all-conference third team and all-defensive team last season, Forster averaged 9.1 points and a league-leading 9.7 rebounds per game a year ago while shooting 47.0 percent.
Chase, a freshman guard, opened her career with two strong outings running the point for the Retrievers, including a performance one rebound shy of a triple double. In two UMBC victories, Chase averaged 11 points, seven assists, 5.5 rebounds and one steal per game in 31 minutes per game.
In her collegiate debut at home against Morgan State, Chase scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting and added three helpers, two boards and a steal. The rookie came back two days later at Monmouth to record 10 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and a steal. She knocked down two clutch free throws with 16 seconds remaining to seal the Retrievers' four-point win.
Fast Start
America East teams went 11-3 in the first 14 games of the season for a
.785 winning percentage. The league stood at 3-11 (.214) through the
first 14 games of the 2010-11 season.
Forward Thinking
It was an impressive weekend for America East forwards. In addition to Forster, six other post players tallied double doubles and two others topped the 20-point, 10-rebound mark. Boston U. sophomore Rashidat Agboola posted 21 points and 16 rebounds at UMass on Sunday, while UMBC senior Topé Obajolu recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds at Monmouth, also on Sunday. Six of the top 11 scoring leaders after the first weekend are forwards.
20-20 Vision
Forster's 26-point, 20-rebound performance against La Salle on Nov. 13 wasn't only a career game, but it was one of the conference's top individual efforts of the decade. It was the first 20+ point, 20+ rebound game since two-time America East Player of the Year Heather Ernest (Maine '04) recorded 21 points and 21 rebounds at New Hampshire on Jan. 14, 2001.
Preseason WNIT
Hartford won a date to the Preseason WNIT semifinals against 2011 NCAA Runner-Up Notre Dame after winning first-round and quarterfinal round home games against Manhattan and Long Island. The Hawks, making their second Preseason WNIT appearance, join the Fighting Irish, Baylor and UCLA -- all Top-25 foes -- as the final four teams.
Coaching Debuts
This weekend marked the debut of two head coaches at their current institutions. Richard Barron and the Black Bears opened up with a loss at Central Connecticut, but the team gave Coach Barron his first win as Maine head coach with a victory at Rhode Island on Sunday. Friday's season-opener at Fairfield was Beth O'Boyle's first at the helm of the Seawolves. After falling to the Stags, Coach O'Boyle will get another shot at win #1 this Friday at Iona.
Sophomore Coaches
The 2011-12 season also marks the second season at the helm for three other America East head coaches. Albany's Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, New Hampshire's Maureen Magarity and Vermont's Lori Gear McBride enter their second campaign at their current schools.
1,000 Strong
On Sun., Nov. 13, Boston U. senior guard Alex Young joined two other active America East players in the 1,000 career point club. With a 12-point effort against UMass, Young has now amassed 1,002 points in her career, joining UMBC's Michelle Kurowski (1,285) and Binghamton's Andrea Holmes (1,118).
Senior C.L.A.S.S.
A pair of America East women's basketball senior standouts are candidates for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. UMBC guard Michelle Kurowski and University of New Hampshire forward Denise Beliveau, both all-conference honorees, each earned the preseason recognition announced on Fri., Nov. 4. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the women’s Senior CLASS Award® winner during the NCAA Women’s Final Four®, which will be held April 1 and 3 in Denver. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot.
Preseason Predictions
A year after finishing one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history, the UMBC women’s basketball program tops the 2011-12 America East preseason poll as determined by the league’s nine head coaches. The conference office unveiled the preseason poll on Oct. 13 at the 2011 America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city of the 2012 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Newman’s Own.
The Retrievers, the 2011 America East regular-season champions, picked up five first-place votes and 60 total points. Boston University followed with 56 points and defending tournament champion University of Hartford earned the final two first-place votes and 54 points. Binghamton University (43 points), University at Albany (37), University of New Hampshire (25) and University of Vermont (22) finished fourth through seventh in the poll. Stony Brook University (15) and University of Maine (12), each with first-year head coaches, round out the nine-team poll. Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
2011-12 Preseason Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. UMBC (5) 60
2. Boston U. (2) 56
3. Hartford (2) 54
4. Binghamton 43
5. Albany 37
6. New Hampshire 25
7. Vermont 22
8. Stony Brook 15
9. Maine 12
Conference Returns Talented Players
All five women’s basketball players who earned all-conference first-team recognition after the 2010-11 season return in 2011-12 as America East Preseason All-Conference Team members. The league’s nine head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players, determined the preseason all-conference team. The conference office announced the awards at the annual America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon on Thursday, October 13 at the Connecticut State Capitol Building.
The reigning America East Player of the Year, Boston University junior guard Chantell Alford, headlines the preseason squad as a unanimous pick. The 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, University at Albany junior guard/forward Ebone Henry, and UMBC senior guard Michelle Kurowski also received all eight possible first-place votes. Binghamton University senior guard Andrea Holmes and UMBC senior forward Erin Brown round out the honorees.
This season marks the first since 1996-97 that all five preseason all-conference team members had also received first-team all-conference honors the previous year. This year’s five players represent five of 2010-11’s top six scorers in the conference.
2011-12 Preseason All-Conference Team
*Ebone Henry, Albany, Jr., G/F
Andrea Holmes, Binghamton, Sr., G
*Chantell Alford, Boston U., Jr., G
Erin Brown, UMBC, Sr., F
*Michelle Kurowski, UMBC, Sr., G
*unanimous selection
Team Notebooks:
Albany (2-0, 0-0) started off the season with two wins for the second straight year under head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson... The Great Danes opened up the season on the road against Fordham, defeating the Rams 59-42 before posting a home-opening win over La Salle 81-76 on Sunday... Junior forward Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) led the team, averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds in the two games... In the win over La Salle, Forster scored a career-high 26 points and tied a career-best with 20 rebounds. She also recorded 10 steals, six blocks and five assists in the two contests... Junior guard Ebone Henry (San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic) scored a game-high 19 points against Fordham. She also finished with six steals and three assists... Senior guard Cassandra Callaway (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) Scored 10 points against Fordham, along with three assists and three steals, before netting 17 points, including a 6-for-6 performance from the free throw line against La Salle. She also recorded five assists and two steals against the Explorers... The Great Danes will visit Coach Abrahamson-Henderson's alma mater Iowa on Wednesday before traveling to Brown on Saturday.
Binghamton (1-0, 0-0) opened the season with a 52-43 win at home over Mt. St. Mary's Friday night... Senior forward Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audentes School) recorded her seventh career double-double in leading the Bearcats to their first season-opening win since 1999. She finished with a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a career-high seven steals, two assists and one block. The seven steals is the most recorded by a Binghamton player since current assistant coach Leah Truncale also had seven thefts against Maine back on Jan. 3, 2002. Rebane has now reached double figures in rebounds 22 times during her career, which is the highest mark by a Binghamton player during the program's 10-year NCAA Division I era... Senior point guard Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) returned to the court for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury last February. Against Mt. St. Mary's, she finished with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. She made the start and played 28 minutes... Binghamton heads to Minnesota later this week for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Bearcats will take part in the Minnesota Classic. The last time Binghamton squared off against the Gophers, Truncale and fellow assistant Sarah Cartmill were juniors and current head coach Nicole Scholl was in her second season as an assistant coach.
Boston U. (1-1, 0-0) defeated Providence on Friday night for the program's first win over a Big East school since 2006... The Terriers erased a 21-point deficit to complete the comeback, including an 18-point margin early in the second half... Junior guards Chantell Alford (13 points; West Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) and Mo Moran (17; Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) each scored in double figures on Friday night... Alex Young (Hickory, N.C./St. Stephen's) became the 19th Terrier to reach the 1,000-point plateau on Sunday, and now has 1,002 points for her career... Sophomore Rashidat Agboola (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) recorded her first career double-double on Sunday as she poured in a team-high 21 points and collected 16 rebounds in a 55-49 loss at Massachusetts... The Terriers head south to Richmond for a Friday night game before returning to Case Gym for a two-game homestand.
The Hawks (2-0, 0-0) opened 2011-12 with a pair of home victories over Manhattan and LIU to advance to the semifinals of the preseason WNIT and a date with the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday in South Bend... The Hawks were led in both games by junior post Ruthanne Doherty (Richmond, Va./L.C. Bird) who averaged 18.5 points over the two games... She opened the season with 19 points and followed that up with 18 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 60 percent for the week (15-of-25), adding five assists and four steals for the week... Also a junior, Daphne Elliott (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) averaged 9.0 and 6.5 rebounds over the two games, while dishing out seven assists, grabbing seven steals and blocking a team-best four shots... Sophomore Alyssa Englert (Dansville, N.Y./Wayland-Cohocton) finished the week with a team-best nine assists, finishing with four in the season opener against Manhattan and five against Long Island.
Maine (1-1, 0-0) split its opening weekend, dropping a 53-48 decision on Friday night at Central Connecticut State before downing Rhode Island on the road 62-58 on Sunday... The win was Coach Barron's first of his career with the Black Bears... Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) had a career weekend. On Friday night, Williams pulled down a career-high eight rebounds while logging a career-high 37 minutes. The senior guard followed up that performance by dropping a career-high 19 points in the win at Rhode Island... The win marked the second-straight year the Black Bears have beaten a team out of the A-10... Maine did not hit a three-pointer in the loss at Central Conn. It was the first time since Jan. 29 at Binghamton that Maine did not have a three in a game... Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) notched double-figure points in each of Maine's contests with 16 on Friday and 15 on Sunday. Roberts now has 23 career double-figure games and has a current four-game double-figure streak, dating back to last season. The Black Bears return to action on Saturday, Nov. 19 in its home-opener at 1 p.m. against Bryant. The game will be held in 'The Pit' inside Maine's Memorial Gymnasium.
UMBC is 2-0 for the first time since 2005 after defeating Morgan State and Monmouth on opening weekend… Four Retrievers scored in double figures as UMBC cruised to a 72-50 win over the Lady Bears in the season opener on Friday… Junior guard Brittany Crowell (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park/James Madison) scored a game-high 15 points in her Retriever debut… Junior forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds… Senior guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) recorded her 500th career rebound, becoming the 11th Retriever ever with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career… The win was UMBC’s school-record 12th straight at the RAC dating to Dec. 4, 2010, and it was the Retrievers’ first win in a season opener since 2005… Three Retrievers posted double-doubles in their 68-64 victory at Monmouth on Sunday… Senior center Topé Obajolu led all scorers with 20 points and added 10 rebounds… Brown notched her second double-double in as many games with 18 points and 11 boards… Freshman point guard Lauren Chase (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) finished one rebound shy of a triple-double with 10 points, 11 assists and nine boards. She set a UMBC freshman record for assists in a game... UMBC averaged 70.0 ppg and shot 47.1 percent from the floor while outrebounding its opponents by 8.5 rpg in the two games… The Retrievers visit cross-town rival Coppin State on Wednesday before putting their 12-game home-court winning streak on the line against 10th-ranked Maryland Saturday evening.
UNH (1-0, 0-0) opened the 2011-12 season with a convincing 62-57 road win over Brown Friday night to open the campaign at 1-0 for the first time in the Maureen Magarity era... Sophomore Kelsey Hogan (Nashua, N.H.) led the scoring attack with a game-high 17 points, including four three-pointers for a .800 clip from beyond the arc... Senior Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the first double-double of the young season... Senior Kelley Flynn (Hopkinton, N.H.) added eight points and three blocks, while freshman Ariel Gaston (Toledo, Ohio) finished with six points, 10 boards, five assists and three steals for the all-around game... As a team, the Wildcats shot at a 37.3 percent clip, including 40 percent from beyond the arc, and limited the Bears to 5-of-27 on three-point attempts... The Wildcats return to action of Wednesday, Nov. 16 when they play host to Seton Hall in the home-opener at 7 p.m.
The Seawolves (0-1, 0-0) lost at Fairfield, 42-34, in their season opener on Friday night... Senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) led the Seawolves with 12 points and nine rebounds... Stony Brook trailed by just one following a Davis jumper with 7:13 left in the game but Fairfield responded with a 9-0 run to put the game away... Playing her first game for the Seawolves, junior Jessica Previlon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had six points and seven rebounds... playing in their first game under new head coach Beth O'Boyle, Stony Brook held the Stags to 36.7 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers... SBU also held its own on the boards, as Fairfield held just a 40-39 edge in rebounding... Stony Brook led by as many as three in the first half but Fairfield closed the half on a 7-0 run... The Seawolves return to action on Friday, traveling to take on Iona.
Vermont (1-0, 0-0) opened the 2011-12 season with a 63-52 victory over Columbia in New York City on 11/11/11... The game was the second women's basketball game to tip-off in the country to start the 2011-12 campaign... Junior Lauren Buschmann (St. Catharines, Ontario/Governor Simcoe) scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to lead Vermont... Junior Shanai Heber (Paterson, N.J./Paterson Kennedy) was one of six newcomers to make their debut in a UVM uniform. Heber chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and five assists after sitting out last season as a transfer from Seton Hall... UVM improved to 37-2 since the 2009-10 season when it holds it opponents to under 59 points... Vermont returns to action on Wednesday (Nov. 16) to host Fairfield at 7 p.m. to start a four-game homestand at Patrick Gymnasium.