CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- High-scoring outings by University at Albany's Gerardo Suero and University of Hartford's Wes Cole have earned the duo America East men's basketball weekly honors for the week ending Dec. 11. Suero earned his second Player of the Week honor of the season while Cole received Rookie of the Week accolades for the first time.
Suero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) earned player of the week honors after averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a pair of games last week. The junior transfer had the best game of any America East player this week, scoring 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting in Albany's win over Colgate on Wednesday. He also added five rebounds and a pair of assists. Suero scored 12 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and a steal in his team's loss to crosstown-rival Siena Monday. Suero, who has five 20-point performances already this season, ranks third among league leaders and 17th nationally averaging 20.9 points per game.
Cole (The Woodlands, Texas) earned his first career Rookie of the Week honor after scoring a career-high 26 points off the bench last week against Niagara and nearly leading Hartford back from a 17-point deficit. The freshman guard, who averaged 14.5 points and 2.0 steals for the week, canned eight three-pointers against the Purple Eagles, including seven in the second half. His eight treys are the second-most in Hartford history and are tied for seventh on America East's single-game list. Cole leads the league with 25 made three-pointers and ranks second on Hartford and 18th among league leaders averaging 10.0 points per game.
Conference Notes
The Honor Roll
Several other America East players had top performances last week:
• Binghamton's Ben Dickinson (Alexandria, Va.) racked up 20 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists in a loss to Bucknell on Tuesday.
• Boston University's Darryl Partin (Seattle, Wash.) scored 24 points at Saint Joseph's Tuesday. He has reached the 20-point plateau in eight of his 10 games this season.
• Andres Torres (Guaynabo/Puerto Rico) scored a career-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Quinnipiac Tuesday.
• Maine's Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif.) averaged 25.0 points in a pair of games last week and poured in 27 at Notre Dame Thursday.
• The Black Bears' Alasdair Fraser scored all 17 of his points at Notre Dame in the first half and also pulled down seven rebounds.
• Ryan Cook scored a team-high 17 points and hit a pair of free throws with 1:41 remaining to lead UMBC to a 62-58 win over Towson Saturday. • Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass.) scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting to lead New Hampshire to victory at Brown on Wednesday.
• Stony Brook's Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.Y.) poured in 21 points, all in the second half, against Boston College on Sunday.
• Vermont's Brian Voelkel (Pleasantville, N.Y.) recorded his fifth career double-double against Quinnipiac Sunday, scoring a season-high 12 points and adding 12 rebounds.
Offensive Firepower
America East touts three of the top scorers in the nation. In fact, the conference is the only league with multiple players ranked among the nations top 10 scoring leaders and the only one with three players in the top 20 (as of 12/12/11). Boston University's Darryl Partin leads America East and ranks fifth nationally averaging 22.7 points per game. Maine's Gerald McLemore ranks eighth nationally as he's scoring 22.0 points per game. Albany's Gerardo Suero comes in at 17th in the nation, scoring 20.9 points per game.
Newcomers Continue to Shine
Several newcomers continue to impress early on in the 2011-12 season. Albany's Gerardo Suero ranks third among league leaders (20.9 ppg) and has five 20-plus point outings already. The junior transfer earned America East Player of the Week honors for the second time Monday. Three-time America East Rookie of the Week Justin Edwards has scored 20-plus points in five of his seven games and ranks fourth among America East leaders averaging 17.9 points per game. He's also 10th in rebounding (5.9 rpg), leads the conference in steals (3.1 spg) and is tied for third in blocks (1.1 bpg). Binghamton's Ben Dickinson is one of just three players to rank in the conference's top 10 in both scoring (5th - 15.0 ppg) and rebounding (T7th - 6.6 rpg). Vermont's Four McGlynn ranks 16th averaging 10.6 points per game.
Retrievers Earn Road Win
UMBC defeated Towson, 62-58, on the road Saturday. The Retrievers outscored the Tigers 10-4 in the final 2:32 and made 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch. Ryan Cook scored a team-high 17 points and nailed a pair of free throws with 1:41 left to give his team the lead for good. The win, UMBC's first of the season, was America East's fourth versus Colonial Athletic Association teams this year, against just two losses.
Terriers Play on ESPN2 Tuesday
Boston University will play at Villanova on Tuesday night and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. ESPN's top NBA team of Mike Breen (play-by-play) and Stan Van Gundy (analyst) will have the call. It will be the first time an America East team has played on the network during the regular season since Binghamton took on Pittsburgh on Nov. 17, 2009. Albany also faced Duke on ESPN2 on Dec. 17, 2007. Of course, the America East championship game has appeared on ESPN2 for the last several seasons.
Coaches' Conference
Boston U. will be a familiar foe for Villanova's Jay Wright, who coached against Boston U. in America East as Hofstra's coach from 1994-2001. Wright is part of a fraternity of former America East coaches who have excelled at other institutions. Mike Brey (Notre Dame), Jim Calhoun (UConn), Mike Jarvis (Florida Atlantic), Rick Pitino (Louisville) and Jay Wright (Villanova) have combined to win 2,500 games, make 10 Final Four appearances and win four national championships. First-year head coaches Pat Chambers (Penn State) and Mike Lonergan (George Washington) who won the last two America East titles at Boston U. and Vermont, respectively, recently joined the group.
Stony Brook Heads to MSG
For the second straight year, an America East team will play in the World's Most Famous Arena as Stony Brook will face Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday in the prestigous MSG Holiday Festival. The game, which is at 12 p.m. and will be televised on MSG, is part of a doubleheader that also includes Fordham and St. John's. Last season, Albany and Boston U. played the first-ever America East regular-season game at MSG in the Big Apple Battle.
Boston U. Bounces Boston College
Playing its crosstown rival for the first time since 2004, Boston University ended an eight-game losing streak against Boston College on Dec. 3, its first win in the series since 1974. Senior guard Darryl Partin scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half as the Terriers outscored their opponent by 14 after halftime. D.J. Irving, the conference Player of the Week, added 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Dom Morris recorded his first career double-double by scoring 11 points and grabbing as many boards.
Beating the Big Boys
Boston University's win over ACC member Boston College on Dec. 3 was America East's eighth over a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference school since 2008. Maine beat Penn State out of the Big Ten last season and also knocked off BC in 2010. Boston U. downed Indiana in 2009 and also knocked off Oregon St. of the Pac 12 in the College Basketball Invitational that season. Vermont beat both Colorado, which was then in the Big XII, and Rutgers of the Big East during the 2008-09 campaign while UMBC beat Nebraska (Big XII) that season.
AE WINS OVER THE "BIG SIX" SINCE 2008
ACC - Maine 52, at Boston College 51 (1/2/10)
- Boston U. 75, at Boston College 61 (12/3/11)
BIG EAST - Binghamton 66, at Rutgers 56 (12/6/08)
Vermont 77, at Rutgers 71 (11/22/09)
BIG XII - UMBC 66, at Nebraska 64 (12/23/08)
Vermont 84, Colorado 59 (12/30/08)
BIG TEN - Boston U. 71, Indiana 67 (11/19/09)
Maine 74, at Penn State 64 (12/21/10)
PAC-12 - Boston U. 92, at Oregon State 78 (3/17/10)
America East, ESPN Do Deal
The America East Conference and ESPN announced a new five-year broadcast deal that will significantly increase the league’s number of national appearances on the ESPN family of networks on Nov. 28. The agreement will run through the 2015-16 season. The 2011-12 package will include a minimum of 48 national appearances on ESPN platforms, the most in league history. The deal also includes flexibility that could increase
that total in future years. As part of the agreement, the conference’s men’s basketball championship game will air on ESPN2, the 25th straight year the America East title game will air on ESPN or ESPN2. The women’s championship game will be distributed to regional sports networks via ESPN Regional Television and also be broadcast on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen broadcast channel available through an affiliated internet or video provider online via WatchESPN.com. For the fifth straight year, ESPNU will broadcast a men’s regular-season conference game when Stony Brook hosts Boston U. on Jan. 27 in a rematch of last year’s America East Championship game. Additionally 11 regular-season basketball games, four postseason contests and the men’s lacrosse championship game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN3, which also includes availability on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and on ESPN on Xbox LIVE.
CBS Sports Network to air Five Games
The America East Conference and CBS Sports Network announced today a national television package including both men’s and women’s basketball games, the first such deal in league history. It will be the first time that multiple conference regular-season games will be televised nationally in one season. CBS Sports Network will broadcast five league contests featuring eight America East schools starting in January. America East previously partnered with the Network to televise two men’s lacrosse games in 2010, including the conference championship game. The package kicks off with a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day men’s matchup between defending league champion Boston University and University at Albany on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The two teams were picked first and fourth, respectively, in the conference’s preseason poll. Old rivals University of New Hampshire and University of Vermont will meet for the 132nd time in men’s action on Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. The Catamounts will then face Stony Brook University in a get together of the league’s last two men’s regular-season champions on February 12. The preseason favorite on the women’s side, UMBC, and 2011 league champion, Hartford, will square off on Feb. 19 at Chase Arena in the first-ever nationally televised conference women’s game. The final game of the package will feature University of Maine at Stony Brook in men’s action on the final day of the regular season, February 26.
Follow America East On the Go
America East unveiled its mobile app for iphone and andriod devices last week. Now, fans can access America East news, stats, scores, standings and more at any time! Download the AE on the Go iPhone app and get all the latest in America East sports in a simple, interactive interface on your iPhone or Android device. Simply search America East Conference on the itunes store or Android Market and download the app. For just $4.99 upgrade to the premium app and get access to on-demand video including highlights and features on athletes from around the league.
All Nine in BracketBusters
For the first time in league history, all nine teams will participate in Sears BracketBusters, ESPN’s three-day men’s college basketball event pitting potential NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other. The event, which will feature 13 televised contests on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3, will take place Feb. 17-19 with the matchups being announced Jan. 30. Albany, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will serve as home teams for the event, while Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, UMBC and Stony Brook will be on the road. America East teams have appeared on national television as part of the event in five of the last seven years, including Vermont last year.
Back to Hartford
For the third straight season, University of Hartford will be the host of the America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The tournament, which will be combined for the third straight season, will be held on March 1-4, 2012 at Chase 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 the highest seeds remaining.
Team Notes
Albany Great Danes (5-4)
Albany split last week's games winning at home against Colgate, 87-63, on Wednesday, Dec. 7 and dropping its contest against Siena, 64-60, on Monday, Dec. 5 ... Albany grabbed its fifth win of the season after closing out a lopsided win over Colgate on Wednesday ... Gerardo Suero (Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic/Our Savior New American) scored 41 points last week and netted his fifth 20 point performance this season (29 vs. Colgate) ... Luke Devlin (Sydney, Australia/Newington College) has begun to regain his old-form having now grabbed six plus rebounds for the fourth consecutive games (6 vs. Colgate) ... John Puk (Waterloo, Iowa/ Waterloo West) showed that he has begun healing from his cellulitis ... Puk came off the bench to score seven points and grabbed two rebounds in 12 minutes vs. Colgate ... The Great Danes met Siena for the 51st time on Monday ... Coming off the bench vs. Siena, Jayson Guerrier (Winter Springs, Fla./Oviedo) continues to provide a spark off the bench having scored 13 points in 20 minutes and going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc ... Mike Black (Chicago, Ill./Oak Park Fenwick) tallied a season-high 18 points and four rebounds vs. Siena ... The Great Danes have finals this week's but will play on Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. Cornell at 2 pm at Ithaca, N.Y. to continue its non-conference schedule.
Binghamton Bearcats (0-7)
Binghamton dropped its seventh straight game to start the season - a 14-point home setback to reigning Patriot League champion Bucknell. It was the first of four straight games against teams that won 21 or more games a year ago ... The Bison shot 61 percent and put four players in double figures to fend off a late Bearcat charge on Tuesday. Junior forward Taylor Johnston (Whitby, Ontario/West Hill Collegiate Institute) led the second-half charge by scoring a career-high 14 points in 14 minutes off the bench, including 11 points in a spurt of 2:53 ... Freshman forward Ben Dickinson (Alexandria, Va./Gonzaga) scored the team's first seven points and netted 13 of his game-high 20 points before the break. Dickinson hit 8-of-10 free throws and added three steals and three assists in 36 minutes ... Junior guard Jimmy Gray (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) was Binghamton's other double-digit scorer with 10 points ... Sophomore guard Robert Mansell (Philadelphia, Pa./Cheltenham) netted eight points and freshman guard Chris Longoria (Peachtree City, Ga./Wheeler) added seven points and a team-high five assists ... After 11 days off for finals, the Bearcats will play three games in a six-day span.
Boston University Terriers (4-6)
Boston University saw its four-game win streak snapped at Saint Joseph's with a tough 75-68 defeat on Wednesday night ... Trailing 64-49 with 8:34 remaining, the Terriers rallied to cut the deficit to five (66-61) over the following four minutes ... They could have potentially moved within one but missed field goal attempts on the next two possessions ... Hosting its first ranked team since 2003, Boston U. suffered its second straight loss on Saturday against No. 24 Harvard, 76-52 ... Trailing 16-13 with 8:34 remaining in the half, the Crimson ended the half on a 24-5 run to take the lead for good ... Senior Darryl Partin (Seattle, Wash./La Salle) led the Terriers in scoring in both games ... After tallying 24 points against the Hawks, he was held to a season-low 12 points by the Crimson ... He currently ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 22.7 ppg ... Senior Patrick Hazel (Jamaica, N.Y./Marquette) was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points against Harvard ... The Terriers will next face Villanova on Tuesday (Dec. 13) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia ... ESPN2's broadcast will start at 7 p.m.
Hartford Hawks (0-10)
Despite suffering a pair of single-digit losses to both Quinnipac and Niagara last week, Hartford strung together its most impressive performances of the season led by senior point guard Andres Torres (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) ... Torres averaged 21.5 points per game on 60.0-percent shooting from the floor including 66.7-percent (10-of-15) from downtown ... The Hawks started the week off with a 70-61 loss at home to Nutmeg State foe Quinnipiac ... Torres enjoyed a career-night with a game-best 25 points, including 19 in the second half, and hit six three-pointers to help the Hawks erase a nine-point halftime deficit ... Down the stretch however, Hartford could not convert on free throws and was outrebounded by its opponent, allowing 10 second chance Quinnipiac points ... Rookie Nate Sikma (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) added 13 points in that outing ... On Saturday, freshman Wes Cole's (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) 23 second half points led Hartford's scoring surge that helped the Hawks erase a 17-point deficit with just under 15 minutes remaining to come within three points of Niagara in a 79-76 final ... Cole was one of a season-high four players to reach double figures for the Hawks ... He came off the bench to finish with a game-best 26 on the night with eight three's, falling one shy of the program record set by Joe Zeglinski against New Hampshire in 2008 ... Torres contributed 18 points with four treys ... The Hawks break for final exams and return to the hardwood on Wed., Dec. 21 at Marist (7 p.m.).
Maine Black Bears (3-4)
Maine traveled to Notre Dame and San Diego...Against Notre Dame, the Black Bears were only down by one with under five minutes to play but the Irish were able to make shots late to pull out the 87-78 win...Senior Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif./Worcester Academy) scored a game-high 27 points on 11-16 shooting while freshman Justin Edwards (Whitby, Ontario/Anderson CVI) added 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals...Alasdair Fraser (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk Clark Eriksson Fury) scored 17 points on 8-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds...Maine shot 54.0 percent from the field in the contest...In a return to his hometown, McLemore scored a team-high 23 points but Maine fell 77-63 ... Raheem Singleton (Boston, Mass./Monroe Community College) added 11 points and three assists ... San Diego shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the field ...McLemore now has 1,331 career points and has scored at least 17 points in every game he has played this season and at least 21 points four times... He also has 102 career steals ... Edwards was named the 10th best freshman in the country thus far according to Jeff Borzello at CBSSPORTS.com.
UMBC Retrievers (1-7)
After a nine-day break, UMBC captured its first win of the campaign, outlasting host Towson, 62-58 on Dec. 10 ... The game was decided at the free throw line, where UMBC was 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) and Towson misfired on 17-of-25 attempts (32 percent) ... Trailing 54-52, UMBC buried 10 of 12 in the final 2:09, including five of six by junior Ryan Cook (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti/Chestnut Hill)... Cook led all scorers with 17 points and added eight rebounds and three assists in his first start for the Retrievers ... He has scored in double figures in all three games for UMBC, averaging 13.7 points per outing ... Cook is also 14 of 15 from the free throw line ... Sophomore Chase Plummer (Plainfield, N.J./St. Patrick) posted his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, despite battling foul trouble and playing 23 minutes ... Junior Brian Neller (Red Bank, N.J./Christian Bros. Academy) added 12 points vs. the Tigers and moved into ninth place on UMBC's all-time list for 3-point field goals with 112 ... The win over Towson snapped a four-game slide to the Tigers in the 53rd meeting between the schools ... The 58 points allowed was a season-low for UMBC and the fewest allowed since permitting 50 at UNH on Feb. 24, 2010 ... The Retrievers enjoyed a 43-41 rebound margin over Towson and have outrebounded six of their first eight opponents ... The Retrievers return home for the first time since Nov. 17 with two home games this week ... UMBC hosts Morgan State on Wednesday and Rider on Saturday.
New Hampshire Wildcats (3-4)
New Hampshire rounded out its most recent week of action with a record of 1-1 … The Wildcats capped off the week with a 58-52 loss to Fairfield University on Sunday afternoon at Webster Bank Arena … Brian Benson (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Athena) registered 11 points and eight rebounds and was named the America East Player of the Game … Ferg Myrick (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) added nine points and seven boards in 21 minutes off the bench … Patrick Konan (Gainesville, Fla./The Rock School) chipped in with nine points and five rebounds … In the outing prior Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass./Boys to Men Academy) led four Wildcats in double-figures with 18 points, as the ‘Cats took down Brown University, 69-56, on Wednesday evening at the Pizzitola Sports Center … Abreu was tabbed the America East Player of the Game, finishing the night 6-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-5 from deep and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe … He also added three boards and two steals … Chandler Rhoads (Berryville, Va./Air Force Prep; 16), Konan (11), and Myrick (10) also scored in double-digits, marking the third time this season four ‘Cats have scored in double-figures … Jordon Bronner (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y/Iona Prep) chipped in with six points, eight rebounds and six assists in the contest … New Hampshire finished the game shooting 46.9 percent (23-49) from the field and 44.4 percent (8-18) from beyond the arc … The Wildcats were especially impressive in the second frame, finishing 48 percent (12-25) from the floor and 60 percent (6-10) from three-point land, outscoring the Bears 42-34 during the stanza … The Wildcats are back in action when they take on Marist College on Saturday, Dec. 17 (1 p.m.) at Lundholm Gymnasium.
Stony Brook Seawolves (3-5)
Stony Brook defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 70-46, and lost at Boston College, 66-51, last week to earn a split of games ... the Seawolves remained undefeated at home (3-0) while still struggling to win on the road (0-5) ... Stony Brook continued to show prowess on the boards, outrebounding FDU 39-34 and grabbing 13 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points ... the Seawolves are averaging 16.1 offensive rebounds per game this season ... Stony Brook improved its free throw shooting this week ... going into the week, the team was only 61 percent from the line, but was 17-for-21 (81 percent) from the line in the two games ... the Seawolves converted 21 FDU turnovers into 24 points ... senior Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) averaged 17.5 points and 3.5 assists last week, including scoring 21 at Boston College ... all of his 21 points came in the second half, matching a career high for points in one half ... he also did it at Boston University on Jan. 2, 2010 ... Dougher shot 53 percent from three-point range in the two games ... sophomore Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led SBU with 16 points vs. FDU ... sophomore Anthony Jackson (Columbus, Ohio) was 4-for-5 from three-point range at BC and matched a career high with 14 points ... Stony Brook will head to the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, Saturday for a noon tilt against Rutgers in the first game of the MSG Holiday Festival... the game will be televised on MSG.
Vermont Catamounts (4-6)
Vermont lost a pair of games last week and has now lost four straight overall … The Catamounts opened the week falling at Saint Louis 62-43 … The Billikens are receiving votes this week and were nationally ranked in the week prior … Saint Louis opened up a seven-point game at the half with a 13-2 run to open the second half … Sophomore Luke Apfeld (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) led Vermont with 13 points … Senior Matt Glass (Underhill Center, Vt./Northfield Mt. Hermon/UMass) added 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting … Wednesday marked the first career meeting between the two teams in men's basketball and Vermont's first game in the state of Missouri … The Cats also fell at home to Quinnipiac on Sunday 62-58 … Four Catamounts scored double figures, led by the first double-double of the season for sophomore Brian Voelkel (Pleasantville, N.Y./Ion Prep) who had 12 points and 12 rebounds … Classmate Josh Elbaum (Melville, N.Y./Northfield Mt. Hermon) netted a career-high 11 points off the bench … UVM was a perfect 5-0 all-time in the series before Sunday … … The Catamounts return to action on Saturday when they host Iona starting at 1 p.m. … Prior to the game Vermont will retire former Catamount Trevor Gaines' No. 45. Gaines passed away unexpectedly on July 21, 2010 at the age of 29.