CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University of Hartford junior guard Daphne Elliott (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) earns her first career Player of the Week award after leading the Hawks to two impressive wins last week. Stony Brook freshman forward Kellie Krueger (Wilsonville, Ore./Wilsonville) also earns her first career honor as the Rookie of the Week.
Elliott played a part in nearly every facet of the game, averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game against Hofstra and Boston College. She also finished 5-for-11 from behind the three-point arc for the week.
Against Hofstra on Wednesday, Elliott put together one of her most well-rounded performances since coming to Hartford with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals, tying her career highs in the latter three categories. Elliott followed that performance with a clutch 20-point afternoon against Boston College, scoring 12 of her 20 points in the final 10 minutes to help the Hawks end the game on an 18-3 run. She added four assists, three steals and a block, along with a 4-for-6 effort from long-range. She hit back-to-back treys in each half to spark runs for the Hawks.
Elliott is second on the team this season with 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She paces Hartford and ranks among league leaders with 3.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
Krueger earned her first career start last week and responded well, putting up career highs. In three games, Krueger averaged 7.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field.
Making her first start in an overtime affair against Long Island, Krueger tallied career- and team-bests of 12 points and eight rebounds to go along with two steals. On Sunday against Fordham, the freshman pulled down nine boards to go with four points. Krueger started off the week Tuesday against Rider with six points, one rebound and an assist.
Krueger has played in all nine games for the Seawolves this season and is averaging 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Today's Game
Hartford at Dartmouth, 4 p.m. l Live stats l Live video l Live audio l Live chat l
Progress Report
The conference stands at 41-42 (.494) this season. The latest RPI Report from RPIratings.com ranks America East 10th out of 33 conferences, up from 12th last week. Hartford moved up five spots to 24, while Boston U. made the largest leap of any team in the country, jumping up 132 spots to 149 after picking up two wins last week over top-100 teams (at Yale, vs. Marist).
Conference Rankings America East Teams
1. Big 12 24. Hartford (7-3)
2. Big East 102. UMBC (5-5)
3. Pac-12 133. Albany (5-4)
4. Big Ten 149. Boston U. (5-4)
5. SEC 173. Binghamton (5-4)
6. ACC 199. New Hampshire (4-4)
7. Colonial 211. Stony Brook (1-8)
8. West Coast 247. Vermont (6-3)
9. Atlantic 10 300. Maine (3-7)
10. America East
11. Missouri Valley
12. Summit
13. Big Sky
14. Ivy
15. Mid-American
Against The Best
Among the league's first 83 games, 28 have been against teams that advanced to a 2011 postseason tournament. America East is 12-16 against those teams. Eight of those wins have been against Postseason WNIT teams, while Hartford's win over Central Florida on Nov. 26 and Boston U.'s against Yale on Dec. 7 were wins over NCAA participants.
Happy To Be Home
America East teams are 22-14 (.611) overall this season on home courts, but last week was a particularly successful week for teams who played at home. The league went 7-4 (.636) in 11 home games last week. Both Hartford (5-0) and Boston U. (4-0) extended home winning streaks to open the season and remained unbeaten in the friendly confines of Chase Arena and Case Gym respectively.
Reed's Hot Hand
University of New Hampshire junior Cari Reed found her shooter's touch Tuesday night against Harvard. The guard exploded for a league-high 32 points including a school-record eight three-pointers. The eight treys marks the highest number of made shots from downtown by an America East player since Binghamton's Erica Carter's conference-record nine on Dec. 7, 2009. Reed tied three others for the highest single-game three-point field goals made in America East history.
Playing With The Big Boys
The Hartford Hawks upended the Boston College Eagles out of the ACC for the first time in program history on Sat., Dec. 10. It marked the first win over the ACC for a league team this season, and the first since Vermont's two wins against the ACC (vs. Boston College, NC State) in 2009-10. The victory was also the second win for an America East team over a Big 6 Conference team this season. Boston U. defeated Providence out of the Big East on Nov. 11.
Join The Club
Sat. Dec. 3 marked a special day for three players who all reached the 1,000 point milestone within hours of one another. New Hampshire senior Denise Beliveau first hit the mark against Holy Cross, followed by UMBC senior Erin Brown against Princeton. Boston U. junior Chantell Alford tallied her 1,000th career point in the first half against West Virginia. Alford is the first junior to accomplish the feat since UMBC's Michelle Kurowski and Binghamton's Andrea Holmes each scored their 1,000th points last January. The league now has six active 1,000-point scorers, the highest number of active members since there were 10 during the 2009-10 season.
Going National
The America East announced a national broadcast package last week that made league history. First, a five-year deal with ESPN includes a minimum of 47 national appearances for the league's men's and women's basketball programs on ESPN platforms, the most in conference history. The package includes seven women's hoops games on ESPN3, including the America East Championship semifinals and final. The league also signed a contract with CBS Sports Network, putting five America East basketball games on national television. A February 19 matchup between UMBC and Hartford at Chase Family Arena will mark the first-ever nationally televised conference women's basketball game.
America East Women's Basketball TV Package
Jan. 25 Boston U. at UMBC (ESPN3)
Feb. 1 Vermont at Boston U. (ESPN3)
Feb. 11 Binghamton at Hartford (ESPN3)
Feb. 19 UMBC at Hartford (CBS Sports Network)
Feb. 25 Boston U. at Hartford (ESPN3)
March 4 America East Semifinals (ESPN3)
TBD America East Championship (ESPN3)
Instant Classic
The Catamounts made an instant turnaround this season opening with a 6-2 start after beginning 2010-11 with 15 straight losses. Vermont surpassed last season's win total in just the first seven games of the season and captured two in-season tournaments. Vermont won its own annual TD Bank Classic, winning the tournament for the seventh time overall and first time since 2007. Also making a great first impression in 2011-12 are six newcomers who have all made an appearance this season, including starters Niki Taylor and Shanai Heber. The newcomers have accounted for 49.1 percent of Vermont's league-leading 64.7 points per game this season.
Raining Three's
Boston University put up a three-point show on Tues., Nov. 22 against Northeastern, netting 15 three-point field goals. The 15 treys is the third-highest all-time single-game total for an America East team, and the most since the Terriers hit a school-record 16 during the 2008 America East tournament. Six different Terriers hit three-point shots against the Huskies, including Chantell Alford's five and Alex Young's four, while the team went 15-for-31.
Buzzer Beaters
There were several clutch game-winning and game-tying buckets during the week of Nov. 21. New Hampshire sophomore Kelsey Hogan tipped in a missed three-pointer with one-tenth of a second left on the clock to give the Wildcats a 63-62 win at Cornell on Tues., Nov. 22... Stony Brook junior Dani Klupenger nailed the game-winning three-pointer with 14 seconds left on the clock on Wed., Nov. 23 against Robert Morris. It gave the Seawolves their first win of the season and handed the Colonials their first loss... With 19 seconds left in regulation, Black Bear sophomore Ashleigh Roberts tied the Dead River Company Classic championship game against Brown on Nov. 26 at 56-56 with a layup and forced overtime.
Flying High
America East teams have been able to put up big numbers on the scoreboard already this season. After only recording four 80+ point games all of last season, including once in a three overtime thriller, squads have posted 80 or more points three times in 2011-12. Albany tallied 81 points on Nov. 13 against LaSalle, while both Binghamton and Vermont reached 80 points in games earlier this season.
20-20 Vision
Albany junior forward Julie 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.
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.
Preseason WNIT
Hartford advanced to the Preseason WNIT semifinals, joining Top-25 foes #1 Baylor, #2 Notre Dame and #22 UCLA as the final four teams. The Hawks fell to the Fighting Irish in South Bend, however junior forward Ruthanne Doherty earned one of just six spots on the all-tournament team. Doherty averaged 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in the three games. Baylor defeated Notre Dame to win the Preseason WNIT Championship.
Coaching Debuts
Opening 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 Nov. 13. The Nov. 11 season-opener at Fairfield was Beth O'Boyle's first at the helm of the Seawolves. O'Boyle earned her first win as Stony Brook head coach on Nov. 23 at home against Robert Morris.
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 the 1,000 career-point club with a 12-point effort against UMass. Young, who has since increased her career total to 1,075 points, joined the league's top-two leading active scorers in UMBC senior Michelle Kurowski (1,397) and Binghamton senior Andrea Holmes (1,222).
Team Notebooks:
Albany (5-4, 0-0 AE) defeated Niagara 55-42 in the lone game of the week... The Great Danes, who do not play again until Dec. 18th against Sacred Heart, were led by junior guard/forward Ebone Henry (San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic). Henry scored a game-high 22 points and recorded eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. Henry shot 53.8 percent (7-13) from the floor, including 66.6 percent (4-6) from three-point range... Junior forward Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) continues to be the league's best rebounder, as she pulled in 15 boards against the Purple Eagles. She is averaging 11.2 caroms per game on the season... Senior guard Cassandra Callaway (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) chipped in with 14 points versus Niagara.She also finished with three assists and three steals... Senior Adrienne Jones (Waldorf, Md./Westlake) had a cold shooting night, but made up for it in other areas, forcing Niagara into five of their 25 turnovers... Albany recorded 14 steals as a team against the Purple Eagles, with Jones leading the way... The Great Danes have tallied 107 steals on the season, led by Henry's 25 thefts.
Binghamton (5-4, 0-0 AE) split a pair of games last week... Senior point guard Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) now has 1,222 career points, which continues to rank eighth all time in program history. Karen McClelland (1996-00) is seventh with 1,227 points and Alicia Brennan is sixth with 1,229 points. Holmes netted a game-high and season-best 24 points against Niagara on Saturday, giving her 15 career games with at least 20 points... Senior forward Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audantes) currently has 973 points. She needs 27 points to become the 14th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark. Holmes reached that milestone last Jan. 23 at Vermont.
Boston U. (5-4, 0-0 AE) remained perfect at home with a 49-36 win over Marist...The 36 points by Marist was the lowest total Boston U. has allowed an opponent since New Hampshire had 35 on Nov. 18, 2009... Senior Caroline Stewart (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) had season highs in rebounds (14) and points (14) at Yale for first double-double of the season... Sophomore Melissa Gallo (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) scored a career-high 12 points in a career-high 26 minutes of action at Yale... Junior Mo Moran (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) tallied a game-high 16 points against Marist in addition to her 13 points at Yale... The Terriers' only game of the week is a trip down Commonwealth Ave to Boston College Tuesday evening at 7p.
Hartford (7-3, 0-0 AE) picked up a pair of home victories over Hofstra (61-59) and Boston College (54-45) last week... The win over Hofstra was made possible by a last second fade away jumper from junior Nikkia Smith (Montville, Conn./Montville)... In that game, Ruthanne Doherty (Richmond, Va./L.C. Bird) led all scorers with 18 points on a 7-of-15 shooting effort... Smith chipped in with 12 points, while Daphne Elliott (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde) contributed 11 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds, five assists and four steals... Elliott would then post the her second 20-plus point performance of the season to lead the Hawks in the win over the Eagles. She finished the game with 20 points, including hitting 4-of-6 from beyond 21 feet, with 12 of her 20 points coming in the final 10 minutes of the game as the Hawks finished that contest with an 18-3 advantage in that same span... Smith also finished in double figures against BC with 10 points, while leading the team with seven rebounds... The Hawks will play one game this week, a Monday afternoon meeting with the Dartmouth Big Green, the final competion before the Hawks break for final exams... Hartford and Dartmouth are scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip from Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H.
Maine (3-7, 0-0 AE) dropped two games this week as it has now lost its last four .. Maine fell at home to James Madison 64-47 and then dropped an away game at UMass 63-54... Samantha Wheeler (Derry, N.H.) narrowly missed a career high with 18 points at home against James Madison before freshman Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine) had a career day with a high of nine points in the loss at UMass... The Black Bears had defeated UMass the past three years as it was the Minutewomen's first victory over Maine since defeating the Black Bears on Dec. 8, 2007 at the Mullins Center in Amherst... Maine continues to be strong in the rebounding category as it has only been outrebounded once this season. Maine is averaging 40.9 rebounds per game and owns a +3.2 rebounding margin over its opponents overall trailing only Vermont amongst America East leaders... Shareka Maner (Spring Hill, Fla.) continues to swipe a high number of steals as she has grabbed at least two steals in five of her 10 games played... Maine returns to action when it travels to take part in the two day Gator Holiday Classic, hosted by the University of Florida, beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 20 with a 4:30 p.m. contest against Duquesne.
UMBC (5-5, 0-0 AE) went 2-1 last week… The Retrievers defeated in-state rival UMES 65-60 on Tuesday… Senior forward Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half and added seven rebounds… Senior guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting… The Retrievers shot 50 percent from the floor and drained a season-high 10 three-pointers… UMBC knocked off George Mason 65-53 on Thursday… Brown scored 21 points and tied her career high with five three-pointers, while Kurowski added 19 points and eight rebounds… Junior guard Brittany Crowell (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park) had 12 points and a career-high nine boards… The game saw eight ties and 22 lead changes, but the Retrievers pulled away with a 17-4 run in the final 4:51… UMBC concluded the week with a 75-47 loss at Hampton on Saturday… Senior center Topé Obajolu (Randallstown, Md./Archbishop Carroll) posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Brown added 10 points and six boards… Kurowski now ranks third all-time at UMBC with 1,397 career points, while Brown is 11th with 1,068… Brown also ranks fourth with 140 career three-pointers, while Kurowski is seventh with 130… In addition, Obajolu is second all-time with 125 career blocks… Brown leads UMBC with 16.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg this season… The Retrievers now have a 10-day break for exams before visiting in-state rival Navy on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
UNH (4-4, 0-0 AE) split a pair of home contests last week, first falling to Harvard 69-62 before taking down Manhattan 57-42 for the team's first home victory of the season... Junior Cari Reed (Oswego, N.Y.) erupted for a career-high 32 points against Harvard, including a school-record eight three-pointers, shooting 8-of-11 from beyond the arc... Reed notched 27 second-half points, connecting on her first seven treys of the stanza, to help UNH rally from 14 points down to take a 52-50 lead before the Crimson rallied back for the win... The previous school record was six three-pointers, a mark shared by eight different Wildcats including Reed, while her 32 points are the most in the America East this season and the most by a Wildcat since Maren Matthias dropped 30 points on Dec. 13, 2002... Senior Denise Beliveau also notched double-figures with 11 points... Against Manhattan, Beliveau posted 17 points and 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season. Sophomore Kelsey Hogan (Nashua, N.H.) added 14 points and went 6-for-6 from the line. As a team, the Wildcats shot 13-of-13 from the charity stripe and 48.8 percent (20-41) from the floor, limiting the Jaspers to just 26.5 percent (18-68) from the field. The Wildcats return to action on Sunday, Dec. 18 when they visit Rhode Island at 4 p.m.
The Seawolves (1-8, 0-0 AE) dropped three games this week, first on the road at Rider and then at home to LIU and Fordham... Stony Brook trailed by just five with 7:30 left against Rider before the Broncs pulled away... The Seawolves then lost in overtime to LIU on Thursday... LIU's Krystal Wells hit a game-tying three with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime... Making her first career start, freshman Kellie Krueger had 12 points and eight rebounds... The Seawolves shot a season-high 42.9 percent against the Blackbirds... Junior Gerda Gatling (Woodbridge, Va.) had seven points and five steals and hit two free throws with 44 seconds left to give SBU the lead... Stony Brook then fell to Fordham 41-37 in its final game of the week... SBU trailed by 11 in the second half but used an 11-2 run to cut the lead to two with one minute left... Gatling led SBU with seven points and a career-high 13 rebounds... Stony Brook out-rebounded Fordham 44-31 and had 22 offensive rebounds.
Vermont (6-3, 0-0 AE) is midway through an eight-game road swing... The Catamounts dropped a 61-57 decision at Brown in the lone game of the week... Freshman Tierra Shumpert (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) scored a career-high 15 points and added five rebounds in 21 minutes in her fourth straight start... Shumpert went 4-for-8 from three-point range and drained a game-tying three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining for the Catamounts. She was the fourth straight rookie to record a career high in four games... Junior Lauren Buschmann (St. Catherines, Ontario/Governor Simocoe) scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds for the Catamounts... UVM has out-rebounded its opponent in eight of the nine games this season... Vermont travels to Nebraska for a 3:05 p.m. (EST) tip-off on Sunday (Dec. 18).