CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A pair of double-doubles and an impressive performance off the bench have netted UMBC's Chase Plummer and Vermont's Four McGlynn America East men's basketball weekly honors for the week ending Dec. 18. Plummer picked up his first career Player of the Week award while McGlynn garnered Rookie of the Week accolades for the first time.
Plummer averaged a double-double of 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a pair of games last week to net the conference's top weekly award. A sophomore forward, Plummer recorded his third and fourth double-doubles of the year in close losses to Morgan State and Rider last week. He scored 11 points and added 12 rebounds and three steals against the Bears on Thursday before racking up a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in an overtime loss to the Broncs Saturday. Plummer nearly led his team back from a 14-point second-half deficit as he tallied 15 points and nine boards after intermission.
Plummer is one of just two players to rank in the league's top 10 in both scoring (8th - 14.2 ppg) and rebounding (2nd - 8.9 rpg). His four double-doubles are a league best.
McGlynn (York, Pa.) took home the conference's top rookie honor after nearly leading Vermont to a win over Iona, one of the top mid-major teams in the country this season, Saturday. The freshman guard came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points in a 73-72 loss to the Gaels. He shot 7-of-12 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from long range, and added a pair of rebounds.
One of the top freshman in America East, McGlynn ranks 16th among league leaders averaging 11.4 points per game, which leads Vermont. His 37 percent shooting clip from three-point range is tied for eighth among league leaders.
Conference Notes
The Honor Roll
Several other America East players had top performances last week:
• University at Albany's Gerardo Suero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) scored 22 and added five rebounds in an overtime loss at Cornell Saturday. He has six 20-plus point games this year.
• Robert Mansell tallied a team-high 19 points in Binghamton's loss at Hofstra Saturday.
• Chandler Rhoads led UNH to a 17-point win over Marist Saturday with a stellar all-around performance. The junior tallied 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action.
• Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass.) added a team-high 19 points for the Wildcats.
• Stony Brook's Dave Coley (Bronx, N.Y.) netted a career-best 17 points and hit 3-of-4 three-point attempts against Rutgers Saturday.
Offensive Firepower
America East boasts three of nation's top offensive threats. In fact, the league is the only Division I conference to have three players ranked among the nation's top 15 scorers (as of 12/19/11). Maine's Gerald McLemore leads America East and is tied for seventh nationally averaging 22.0 points per game. Boston University's Darryl Partin is 14th averaging 21.7 points per game while Albany's Gerardo Suero comes is tied for 15th, scoring 21.0 points per game. The trio has combined for 18 20-plus point performances already this season.
Newcomers Continue to Shine
Several newcomers continue to impress as the 2011-12 season approaches the new year. Albany's Gerardo Suero ranks third among league leaders (21.0 ppg) and is tied for 15th nationally. He has six 20-plus point outings already this season. 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 11th in rebounding (5.9 rpg), leads the conference in steals, and ranks third nationally in thefts, (3.1 spg) and is third in blocks (1.1 bpg). Binghamton's Ben Dickinson is one of just two players to rank in the conference's top 10 in both scoring (9th - 14.0 ppg) and rebounding (7th - 6.5 rpg). Vermont's Four McGlynn ranks 16th averaging 11.4 points per game.
UNH Gets Defensive
As has been a trademark of Bill Herrion's teams since he arrived at UNH in 2005, the Wildcats are one of the top defensive teams in America East. The Wildcats lead the league and rank 46th nationally holding opponents to 59.9 points per game. Furthermore, UNH has held four of its last five opponents under 60 points and is holding foes to 56.4 games during that stretch.
Vermont Recognizes Gaines
Vermont retired the jersey number of the late Trevor Gaines prior to its game against Iona Saturday. The all-time great, who wore No. 45, tragically passed away in 2010 at the age of 29 due to a heart condition. He ranks 12th on America East's all-time rebound list with 880 career rebounds and also tallied 1,255 career points.
Conference Play Around the Corner
League play commences just two weeks from today. The 16-game round-robin schedule kicks off on Jan. 2 with four conference contests. Finishing among the league's top two is crucial for teams with championship aspirations. Only twice in America East's 32 year history has a team finished outside the top two and gone on to win the league title. Delaware captured the crown as the America East Championship's No. 3 seed in 1999 while Holy Cross finished third in the league's inaugural year (1979-80) and went on to win the championship.
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 (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 (5-5)
Albany dropped a close game to Cornell, 85-82, in overtime on Saturday, Dec. 15 ...The Great Danes have followed up a loss with a convincing win through the first 10 games of the season having not lost consecutive games ... Gerado Suero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Our Savior New American) scored 20 points (22) for the sixth time this season against Cornell ... Suero has now scored in double-figures in every game through 10 games this season ... Suero, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, went 10-for-10 on the free throw line against Cornell to put him fourth in the country in free-throws made (78) ... Blake Metcalf (Camby, Ind./Plainfield) recorded his first double-double of his career against Cornell, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds ... Logan Aronhalt ( Zanesville, Ohio/Zanesville) tallied 19 points while going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc ... As a team, the Great Danes are second in America East in scoring with 71.7 points per game, a much improved scoring average from last season (62.9 ppg) ... Albany looks forward to face St. Francis (N.Y.) and Dartmouth this upcoming week.
Binghamton Bearcats (0-8)
Binghamton remained winless with a 20-point road loss to Hofstra in its lone game of the week. After a 10-day layoff for final exams, the Bearcats shot 40 percent but allowed the host Pride to shoot 50 percent and drain 11 three-pointers ... Sophomore guard Robert Mansell (Philadelphia, Pa./Cheltenham) led Binghamton with 19 points and three steals ... Freshman guard Chris Longoria (Peachtree City, Ga./Wheeler) collected a season-high 15 points with three steals ... Sophomore forward Alex Ogundadegbe (Mitchellville, Md./DeMatha) produced a career-high 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Ogundadegbe added three steals and one block in just 17 minutes of work ... Leading scorer Ben Dickinson (Alexandria, Va./Gonzaga) was held to seven points in 24 minutes after running into foul trouble. Dickinson did pick up a team-high six rebounds ... The road doesn't get any easier for Binghamton this week as their string of playing opponents who recorded 21 or more wins last season continues. The Bearcats host a Morehead State (Ky.) team that advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA tournament before seeing a Drexel team that won 21 games last winter. That will make it four straight games against elite teams from 2011.
Boston University Terriers (4-7)
Boston University dropped its lone game of the week at Villanova, 68-43, last Tuesday ... Playing at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Terriers held a 26-23 lead at halftime by making the Wildcats miss their last 16 field goal attempts ... The Wildcats shot 55.9 percent in the second and held Boston U. to 23.3 percent to pull away for the victory ... Villanova out-rebounded the Terriers, 54-34 ... Sophomore D.J. Irving (Chester, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) led the Terriers with 11 points ... Tallying a season-low six points against Villanova, senior Darryl Partin (Seattle, Wash./La Salle) ranks 14th nationally in scoring at 21.2 ppg ... After finishing exams, Boston U. will next host defending Patriot League champion Bucknell on Thursday (Dec. 22) in Case Gym at 7 p.m.
Hartford Hawks (0-10)
After breaking for final exams, Hartford returns to the court following an 11-day absence on Wednesday to take on the Marist Red Foxes in Poughkeepsie at 7 p.m. ... The Hawks then enjoy a 10-day break for the holidays and resume play in Philadelphia where they close out 2011 at La Salle for a New Year's Eve matinee (2 p.m.), the team's final tune-up before conference play kicks-off at Albany on Jan. 2 (7 p.m.) ... Hartford is coming off of its two best performances of the year, a pair of single digit home losses to Quinnipiac (70-61) and Niagara (79-76) ... In those outings, the Hawks saw two players reach the 20+ point plateau for the first time this year as Andres Torres (Guaynaba, Puerto Rico/Colegia Adianez) scored 25 against the Bobcats and Wes Cole (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) poured in 26 vs. the Purple Eagles ... Torres leads the team in scoring with 10.3 points-per-game and Cole is second with 10.0 ppg ... Cole has drained 25 three's, second-most in the conference, to rank third overall with 2.3 per outing ... As a team, the Hawks have connected on a league-best 78 treys to lead the America East with 7.8 three's-per-game.
Maine Black Bears (3-4)
Maine will play its first game in nine days, and first of three in five days, against Utah Valley on Monday night, followed by Eastern Illinois on Wednesday and Brown on Friday ... Gerald McLemore (San Diego, Calif./Worcester Academy) is leading the team with 22.0 points per game and is tied for seventh in the country ... He also ranks 23rd with 3.0 three-pointers per game ... Freshman Justin Edwards' (Whitby, Ontario/Anderson CVI) 17.9 points per game has him as the third-highest scoring freshman in the country ... He is also third in the nation with 3.1 steals per contest ... The Black Bears went 9-9 from the free throw line against San Diego, marking the third time this season the team has been perfect from the charity stripe, joining games at UConn (8-8) and at Eastern Illinois (4-4) ... McLemore's 1,331 career points put him 10th on the all-time list at Maine ... Should he continue at his pace of 22 points per game, it would be the most since Rufus Harris averaged 25.6 in 1979-80.
UMBC Retrievers (1-9)
UMBC rallied from 14 points down with seven minutes to play to send Saturday's game with Rider to overtime, but the Broncs prevailed, 73-66 ... The Retrievers had a chance to take a one-point lead with 5.6 seconds left, but junior guard Brian Neller (Red Bank, N.J./Christian Bros. Acad.) missed the first of three free throws with UMBC trailing, 62-60 ... UMBC corralled a remarkable 31 offensive rebounds in the game and outboarded the Broncs, 53-33 overall, but shot only 30.3 percent (23-of-76) from the field ... The Retrievers faced zone defenses for 85 minutes in games vs. Rider and Morgan State and hit only 46 of 149 shots (30.9 percent) from the floor and 10 of 52 (19.2%) from behind the arc in the two home games ... UMBC is averaging 15.6 offensive rebounds per game ... Sophomore forward Chase Plummer (Plainfield, N.J./St. Patrick) recorded double-doubles vs. Morgan State and Rider and has produced double-doubles in his last three games and four of ten on the season ... He scored a career high 22 points, including 15 in the second half, in the overtime loss to Rider ... Posted all but one rebound of his double-double all in the second half (11 points, 11 rebounds) vs. Morgan State ... He is the first Retriever to post three consecutive double-doubles since Daryl Proctor did it in February of 2009 ... Neller led UMBC with 16 points vs. Morgan State and added 19 vs. Rider ... He moved into eighth place on UMBC's all-time list with 120 3-point field goals ... UMBC is 0-5 vs. non-conference opponents in overtime since joining America East in 2003-04- the Retrievers are 7-1 vs. league foes in the same span ... UMBC travels to 20th-ranked Indiana for a Dec. 22 contest vs. the Hoosiers.
New Hampshire Wildcats (4-4)
New Hampshire earned a victory in its lone contest of the week, taking down Marist College, 73-56, on Saturday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium ... Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass./Boys to Men Academy) scored a game-high 18 points, as the Wildcats erased an early 10-point deficit on their way to earning their second victory in the last three outings ... Chandler Rhoads (Berryville, Va./Air Force Prep) was named the America East Player of the Game, registering 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block, as the guard played all 40 minutes ... He finished the contest shooting 6-for-11 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe ... It was the highest single-game shooting percentage he has registered this season (.545) ... He has scored in double-digits in three of the last four games ... Ferg Myrick (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) rounded out UNH's double-digit scorers with a season-best 12 points, four boards and three assists ... Myrick has scored in double-figures in two of the last three games ... Brian Benson (Rochester, N.Y.) added 14 rebounds and four points ... UNH visits Providence for a non-conference game Tuesday, Dec. 20 (7 p.m.) before returning to Lundholm Gym to play host to Sacred Heart on Thursday, Dec. 29 (7 p.m.).
Stony Brook Seawolves (3-6)
Stony Brook played in its first game at Madison Square Garden as a Div. I program and first since Jan. 22, 1995 last Saturday, losing to Rutgers 67-58 in the first game of the MSG Holiday Festival doubleheader ... over 2,500 Seawolves fans attended the game, dominating the crowd during the first game of the doubleheader ... despite the loss, Stony Brook outrebounded the BIG EAST squad, 40-34, including 21 offensive rebounds, which tied a season high ... Dave Coley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Seawolves ... he made three of four shots from three-point range ... he is now averaging 13.7 points over the last three games ... Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds ... he also had four assists and is currently leading the Seawolves rebounds, assists, steals and free throws ... Brenton moved into sixth place all-time at Stony Brook in rebounds ... he now has 646 for his career, which is already the most in the program's Div. I history ... Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) scored 14 points and moved past the 1,300-point mark for his career (1,303) ... after starting the season shooting just 60 percent from the free throw line in the first five games, Stony Brook is shooting 80 percent (40-for-50) from the line over the last four games ... the Seawolves are off for the next 10 days for the holidays and will resume play Wed., Dec. 28 vs. Cornell at home ... the game will be televised on Optimum Local Channel 118.
Vermont Catamounts (4-7)
Vermont dropped its only game of the week, falling to Iona 73-72 on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym … The loss was the fifth straight for the Catamounts and third in a row at home … Vermont held Iona, the second-highest scoring team in the nation, to 15 points under its average … The Gaels also entered the game ranked fifth in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll … Freshman Four McGlynn (York, Pa./Dallastown) led all scorers with 19 points off the bench on 7-for-12 shooting, while sophomore Luke Apfeld (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) and senior Matt Glass (Underhill Center, Vt./Northfield Mt. Hermon/UMass) each added 14 apiece … Vermont made a season-high nine 3-pointers in the loss … Apfeld scored 12 of his 14 in the second half … The 43 points before halftime were the most for the Catamounts in the first half of a game this season … Prior to the game UVM retired former Catamount Trevor Gaines’ No. 45 with a special ceremony … Vermont returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to face Fairleigh Dickinson starting at 7 p.m. and then will be at Towson on Friday (7 p.m.).