CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Both Boston University junior guard Chantell Alford (West Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) and University of Vermont freshman Niki Taylor (York, Maine/ York) collect their second weekly honors of the season. Alford, the leading scorer for the league-leading Terriers, earns Player of the Week and Taylor picks up the Rookie of the Week nod.
Alford, the reigning Player of the Year, fueled the Terriers to a 3-0 week which included a comeback victory over Hartford on Sunday. Alford was effective on both ends of the floor, averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the floor. She knocked down all five of her free-throw attempts to remain on top of the league with a 90.6 percent free-throw shooting mark. The junior also played an integral role in the Terriers' defensive efforts which held opponents to a league-low 46.3 points per game.
Alford scored a game-high 17 points Wednesday night against New Hampshire while also posting six rebounds, six assists and two steals. She sunk four treys and shot 6-of-13 overall from the floor. In Sunday's come-from-behind win against the Hawks, Alford registered 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal. She shot 4-for-9 from the floor against Hartford. During a deciding 17-4 run in the second half which erased the Terriers' deficit and gave them the lead, Alford scored four points and dished out three of her team-high four assists.
Alford leads first-place Boston U. this year with 12.4 points and 2.2 steals per game as well as 36.3 percent three-point shooting.
Playing 30-plus minutes in all three games for the Catamounts, Taylor averaged 12.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game to lead all freshmen in both categories. She shot 48.4 percent (15-for-31) from the field and 85.7 percent (6-for-7) from the foul line last week.
Taylor scored a career-high 17 points, all in the second half, at Maine and added nine rebounds. Starting at Albany on Wednesday, she collected 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The freshman finished the week with eight points and 12 rebounds back at home against UMBC on Sunday, again getting the start.
Taylor is averaging 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in conference play.
Progress Report
The conference finished off the non-conference schedule with a 53-64 (.453) mark. The latest RPI Report from RPIratings.com ranks America East 14th out of 33 conferences. Boston U. moved up to 86th, its highest position this year, to become the league's top team in the ratings. Hartford, who dropped from 83 last week to 108, is second among America East teams, followed by Albany (119) and UMBC (130) to round out the conference teams in the top-200.
Conference Rankings America East Teams
1. Big 12 86. Boston U. (14-6)
2. Big East 108. Hartford (11-10)
3. SEC 119. Albany (12-8)
4. Big Ten 130. UMBC (11-9)
5. Pac-12 202. Binghamton (10-10)
6. ACC 203. New Hampshire (10-9)
7. Colonial 260. Vermont (8-13)
8. Atlantic 10 282. Stony Brook (4-16)
9. West Coast 318. Maine (5-15)
10. Missouri Valley
11. Conference USA
12. Mid-American
13. Horizon
14. America East
15. Ivy
Honor Roll
There were several other impressive performances last week that deserve mention. Albany's Ebone Henry averaged 14.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 5.0 apg in a 1-1 week for the Great Danes... Binghamton senior Andrea Holmes averaged 17.0 ppg in a 2-0 week including a 24-point performance against UMBC... Maine senior Samantha Baranowski shot 62.5 percent from the field en route to 16.3 ppg in a 2-1 week, setting career-high scoring totals in back-to-back games with 18 and 19 points... UMBC senior Topé Obajolu swatted seven blocks against Vermont on Sunday, setting the program record and coming one block shy of the America East all-time single-game record.... UNH senior Denise Beliveau averaged 16.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 3.0 spg despite the Wildcats' 1-2 week, while shooting 57.1 percent from long distance.
Lights, Camera, Action!
The America East women's basketball television slate begins this Wednesday when the preseason favorite UMBC Retrievers host first-place Boston U. Terriers at noon live on ESPN3. The game is UMBC's annual Midday Madness when the Retrievers pack the RAC with local school children. Five of America East's top-10 active career scorers are featured in this matchup. l Watch Promo l
Streaking
Boston U. is atop the standings thanks to a seven-game win streak which began on the first day of the conference season, Jan. 2. Not dropping a contest since a New Year's Eve matchup at St. John's, the Terriers own the longest win streak by an America East team this year and are tied for the 14th-longest active winning streak in Division I going into the Monday's games.
Anyone's Game
Home courts tend to lend an advantage to teams, but America East road teams have really bucked the trend. Visitors are an even 16-16 (.500) during conference play thus far, eliminating that home court advantage.
It Takes Two
Look around the league and you'll find a lot of veteran duos, upperclassmen who carry a lot of the load for their teams. The highest-scoring tandem belongs to New Hampshire as senior Denise Beliveau and junior Morgan Frame together average 30.3 points per game, more than half of the team's average output. UMBC seniors Erin Brown and Michelle Kurowski also combine to score the majority of the Retrievers' points, checking in at 27.8 ppg. Check out some of the other prominent upperclassmen pairs around America East.
Denise Beliveau/Morgan Frame, UNH 30.3 ppg
Erin Brown/Michelle Kurowski, UMBC 27.8 ppg
Andrea Holmes/Orla O'Reilly, Binghamton 26.7 ppg
Ebone Henry/Julie Forster, Albany 23.7 ppg
Chantell Alford/Mo Moran, BU 23.6 ppg
Ruthanne Doherty/Daphne Elliott, UH 22.7 ppg
TV Guide
In addition to Wednesday's ESPN3 broadcast, there is one other televised game this week. Wednesday night's matchup between Hartford and Stony Brook at the Chase Family Pavilion will air live on CPTV Sports throughout Connecticut. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Going National
The America East announced a national broadcast package earlier this season 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)
D-D-Defense!
Through all games of Jan. 22, five America East teams rank among the top 100 teams in Division I for scoring defense. Albany's league-leading 53.1 points allowed per game ranks 22nd and Boston U.'s 54.3 sits 33rd. Stony Brook (55.4; 39th), Hartford (56.9; 64th) and Binghamton (57.9; 82nd) also rank in that group.
Board Games
Six America East players are averaging at least 8.0 rebounds per game led by Albany junior Julie Forster with 9.8 rpg which ranks 29th in the country. The conference hasn't had six players finish with season averages of 8.0 rpg or higher since the 1999-2000 season.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (12-8, 6-1 AE) split two games in conference action last week... The Great Danes dropped their first league game of the season to Boston U. on Monday, before posting a convincing 65-47 win over Vermont on Thursday... Albany was led by junior Ebone Henry (San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic), who averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, while also handing out 10 total assists and recording four steals and three blocks... Senior guard Cassandra Callaway (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) made her return to the court after being out with a hand injury, and scored 12 points against Vermont... Julie Forster (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) continued her strong play, chipping in 12 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two games... The Great Danes out-rebounded their opponents 93-69 in the two contests... Albany will return to action on the road on Wednesday, visiting Binghamton, before hosting Hartford on Saturday.
Binghamton (10-10, 4-3 AE) has won its past two games, averaging 62.5 points per game during that span... Senior point guard Andrea Holmes (Memphis, Tenn./Mitchell) averaged 17.0 points per game in leading Binghamton to a pair of wins this past week. She pumped in a game-high 24 points against UMBC on Jan. 19, marking the 19th time in her career that she has scored a least 20 points in a game... Against the Retrievers, Holmes nailed a season-best five three-point field goals. For the season, Holmes is averaging a career-high 14.5 points per game. She has 1,398 career points and needs two more points to become the third player in program history to reach 1,400 points for her career... Senior forward Viive Rebane (Talinn, Estonia/Audantes) averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game this past week. She currently is in 12th place all-time with 1,079 career points and needs nine points to tie Laura Sario (2004-08) for 11th place all time with 1,088 career points.
Boston U. (14-6, 7-0 AE) remains undefeated in conference play with three wins last week...The Terriers are 8-0 on their home court... Junior Mo Moran (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) led the Terriers in a win over Albany with 17 points while adding five assists and three rebounds. Senior Alex Young (Hickory, N.C./St. Stephen's) tallied 13 points for Boston U. while classmate Caroline Stewart (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) came just shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points against Albany... Ten different players scored for Boston U. as the Terriers posted a season-high 79 points against UNH... It was the third-straight home game that the Terriers limited their opponent to under 40 points.. Alford posted a team-high 17 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals... Sophomore Rashidat Agboola (Methuen, Mass./Methuen) posted her fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 12 rebounds and 14 points. The forward also added a career-high four blocks... A second-half surge by the Terriers pushed them past Hartford 53-46 despite trailing 26-17 at halftime. Boston U. outscored the Hawks 36-20 in the second half of the rematch of last year's conference title game. Moran led a trio of Terriers in double-digits with 13 points, including a key 7-0 spurt in the second half to give the Terriers the lead. Alford netted 10 points for Boston U. and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds while dishing out four assists and Young also scored 10 points.
Hartford (11-10, 2-5 AE) finished a three-game week with a 1-2 record scoring a midweek win over Maine but falling on the road at UMBC and Boston University... In both of the losses, the Hawks led by double-digit leads before giving up those advantages... Against the Retrievers, the Hawks were led by Nikkia Smith (Montville, Conn./Montville) who finished with 14 points, one of four starters to finish in double figures... The Hawks gave up a 13-point advantage with five minutes remaining in the first half as the Retrievers used a 21-1 run that spanned halftime to gain momentum and the eventual victory... Against the Black Bears, the Hawks never trailed in the contest, leading by as many as 22... Smith again led the Hawks in scoring, this time combined with Daphne Elliott (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde), both finishing with 15 points... In the final game of the week, a rematch of the 2011 America East Championship, the Hawks led by as much as 10 on two occasions before a seven-minute drought allowed the Terriers to take their first lead and the only one they would need... Junior Alex Hall (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) led the Hawks against Boston U., tying her career high with 21 points, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc... The Hawks return to action on Wednesday night when they welcome Stony Brook for the final game in the first loop through the conference schedule... The Hawks and Seawolves will tip at 7 p.m. live on CPTV Sports throughout Connecticut.
Maine (5-15, 2-5 AE) won two out of three this past week, downing Vermont 70-60, dropping a game at Hartford 64-52 before defeating Stony Brook 57-44... The 13-point win over Stony Brook was Maine's largest margin of victory over a conference foe since it knocked off Binghamton 63-50 on Feb. 2, 2008. This is also the first time Maine has won two out of three conference games since winning two in a row over Binghamton and Albany on Jan. 21 & 28, 2010... Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.) is currently averaging 13.1 points per game as she is riding a four-game double-figure scoring streak, matching the longest streak of her career... Baranowski set a new career high in points with 18 in the win over Vermont before re-setting her career high with 19 in the following game at Hartford... Baranowski has raised her points per game from 6.2 before conference play to a team-leading 8.6... Danielle Walczak (Lee, N.H.) also had a solid week, averaging 8.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds including pulling down a career-high, and individual season-high for the team, 11 rebounds at Hartford... Maine continues America East action with a 6 p.m. showdown in Memorial Gym on Beach Night against New Hampshire before playing the second game of a men's & women's doubleheader on Saturday against Binghamton.
UMBC (11-9, 5-2 AE) defeated Hartford at home on Monday and then split its final two games of the week, both on the road, against Binghamton and Vermont… After a loss at Binghamton in which the Retrievers were held to a conference-play low of 43 points, they rebounded with a 67-58 win in Burlington, over the Catamounts… In Thursday’s game in Vestal, N.Y., senior Topé Obajolu (Randallstown, Md./Archbishop Carroll) recorded her third double-double of the year (10 pts., 12 reb.), and fifth of her career… On Sunday, UMBC bounced back, as four Retrievers were in double figures, led by senior Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) who scored a season-high 20 points. Kurowski has scored 20 or more points in 21 games during her career… Junior Kristin Coles (Charles Town, W.Va./Notre Dame Academy/American) scored 19, while seniors Erin Brown (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) and Obajolu scored 12 points and 10 points, respectively… Brown picked up her third double-double of the season by grabbing 12 rebounds against the Catamounts… Obajolu set a UMBC record for blocks in a single game by swatting seven Vermont shots. She now holds the school record for career blocks (141), blocks in a single season (56 in 2010-11) and blocks in single game (7)… The Retrievers return home for a mid-week matchup with league-leading Boston U. on Wednesday. Wednesday’s Midday Madness game will tip-off at 12 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3.
UNH (10-9, 3-4 AE) went 1-2 on the week, picking up a 63-53 win over Stony Brook, before falling at Boston U. 79-39 and to Binghamton at home 64-55... Senior Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) led the way against the Seawolves as she amassed game highs of 19 points and seven rebounds, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor. Junior Morgan Frame (Waterville, Maine) turned in 11 points and six boards, while junior Cari Reed (Oswego, N.Y.) finished with 10 points... Against Binghamton, Beliveau led all players with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her league-leading eighth double-double of the season. She shot 5-of-16 from the field and finished with three assists and three steals. Sophomore Kelsey Hogan (Nashua, N.H.) posted 12 points and eight rebounds, shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Frame added 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers... Beliveau and Frame each added 13 points against Boston U... Beliveau averaged 16 points, 8.3 rebounds and three steals in the three-game span... The Wildcats return to action on Jan. 25 when they visit Maine at 6 p.m. before returning home on Jan. 28 for a matchup against UMBC at 1 p.m.
The Seawolves (4-16, 1-6 AE) fell to New Hampshire and Maine last week... Senior Whitney Davis (Muskegon, Mich.) scored a season-high 17 points against New Hampshire. Davis also had five rebounds... Junior Taylor Burner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) added a career-high 12 points... The Seawolves trailed by as many as 15 in the first half but cut their deficit to one in the second half... SBU shot 43.8 percent from the field against the Wildcats... Senior Tamiel Murray (Teaneck, N.J.) tied a career high with six assists against New Hampshire... SBU then fell to Maine on Saturday. Burner led the Seawolves with 11 points and Davis added 10... SBU went on a late 15-0 run to cut its deficit to 10 but Maine held on late... The Seawolves return to action on Wednesday at Hartford to conclude the first half on the conference schedule and then will host Vermont on Saturday.
Vermont (8-13, 2-6 AE) dropped all three games this week... Junior Shanai Heber (Patterson , N.J./Patterson-Kennedy) averaged a double-double on the week with 10.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. She also handed out 10 assists and grabbed eight steals in the three games... Heber is averaging 12.8 rebounds per game over the last four outings and has reached double-digits on the boards in three of the last four contests... Freshman Niki Taylor (York, Maine/York) averaged 12 points and 9.7 rebounds this week. She matched her career high with 17 points, all in the second half, against Maine... Vermont returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 28) when it travels to Stony Brook for a 2 p.m. tip-off.