The first America East conference games are in the books and four teams get off to a 1-0 start to the 16-game slate.
Bearcat seniors
Viive Rebane and Orla O'Reilly both had efficient offensive outings to
pace the Bearcats (7-7, 1-0 AE) against Maine (3-11, 0-1 AE). Rebane netted a career-best 26 points
on 12-of-16 shooting, scoring all her points from the floor without any
free throws needed (0-for-0). She also added eight rebounds, eight
assists and four steals. O'Reilly shot 8-for-15 from the field and and
finished with 22 points, five assists, two blocks and a steal. Maine
shot the ball well (45.7 percent), but Binghamton just shot lights out
(51.8 percent). Senior Brittany Williams paced the Black Bears with 18 points and two steals.
The Seawolves (4-10, 1-0 AE) extended
their win streak to three games and picked up their first road win of
the season in Vermont. Stony Brook junior Dani Klupenger netted a career- and
game-high 18 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, all from long
distance, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Senior Whitney Davis also
reached double-figures with 11 points. Vermont (6-8, 0-1 AE), who was
playing in front of the home crowd for the first time since Nov. 22,
forced 12 steals on the defensive end, but couldn't get into an
offensive flow with just 28 percent field-goal shooting. Junior Lauren
Buschmann paced the Catamounts with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four
steals.
Second-half
performances by senior Erin Brown and junior Kristin Coles guided UMBC
(8-6, 1-0 AE) to the comeback win over the Wildcats (7-6, 0-1 AE). Brown
finished with 21 points, while Coles tallied 20. UNH held a 33-25 lead
at halftime, but UMBC's increased defensive pressure and improved
shooting (46.2 field goal percentage in the second half) led the Retrievers to victory.
UNH junior Morgan Frame scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-10
shooting, and reigning Player of the Week Denise Beliveau recorded her
sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
The Great Danes
(8-6, 1-0 AE) snapped Hartford's 6-0 start at home this season. Albany
started the game on an 11-0 run and didn't look back against the Hawks
(9-6, 0-1 AE) who entered conference play atop the standings. Albany
junior Julie Forster won the battle in the post with a game-high 14
rebounds. She added seven points and two steals. Adrienne Jones tallied a
team-high nine points. Hartford freshman Shanise Bultron provided a
game-high 10 points off the bench, while Hawks sophomore Milana Gilbert
collected 10 boards.
Monday, Jan. 2
at Binghamton 72, Maine 54 l Boxscore l
at UMBC 67, New Hampshire 65 l Boxscore l
Albany 40, at Hartford 37 l Boxscore l
Stony Brook 54, at Vermont 47 l Boxscore l