Albany, N.Y. - Two clutch shots highlighted the first day of the America East Women's Basketball Championship, as Hartford, Vermont and New Hampshire all advanced to the semifinal round where No. 1 seed Albany awaits. Here are the quarterfinal recaps:
Hartford 68, Binghamton 53
Watch Highlights of Hartford vs. Binghamton
Hartford vs. Binghamton Box Score
No. 2 seed Hartford will make its 12th America East semifinal appearance and eighth in the last nine years after defeating No. 7 seed Binghamton, 68-53, in the first quarterfinal game on Friday.
All-Rookie selection Katie Roth led the Hawks for the third time this season in the scoring column with 16 points and eight rebounds. Nikkia Smith and Daphne Elliott also were in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
In a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game that saw Binghamton upset Hartford as a No. 6 seed, the Hawks used a strong shooting performance to continue their success in championship play. Hartford shot 45.1 percent for the game, including hitting on 7-of-17 3-point attempts, while holding Binghamton to 37.3 percent shooting.
The Hawks led by 10 at the half after shooting 50 percent while forcing Binghamton to shoot 9-of-30 from the floor. The Bearcats cut the deficit to five in the early stages of the second half after Mallory Lawes knocked down a three with 16:24 to go in the game.
Hartford took control with an 11-2 run that was capped by an Amper Bepko 3-pointer to give the Hawks their biggest lead of the game at 45-31 with 13:21 left.
The win gave the Hawks their seventh 20-win season under head coach Jennifer Rizzotti while also moving to 22-7 in the America East Championship since 2002.
Vermont 47, UMBC 43
Vermont vs. UMBC Box Score
Watch Vermont vs. UMBC Highlights
No. 6 seed Vermont moves on for face No. 2 seed Hartford after defeating No. 3 seed UMBC, 47-43, in the second game of the first session.
The Catamounts held the lead at the half despite 14 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Vermont, the best offensive rebounding team in the conference, had nine offensive boards and a +8 advantage in the rebounding column at the break.
The game was close throughout the second half, as Vermont needed a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left in the contest to break a 43-43 tie. UMBC's Raven Harris then missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and Kristin Coles had the offensive rebound stolen away by Vermont's Niki Taylor.
The Retreivers gave a quick foul, and Annie Wheeler hit one-of-two free throws to seal the game.
Lauren Wheeler finished with a team-high 10 points, as Vermont shot just 28.1 percent from the field but outrebounded the Retrievers 53-43.
Harris paced the Retrievers which 13 points while adding eight steals, the second-most ever recorded in an America East Championship contest.
It is Vermont's America East record 18th trip to the semifinal round but the first since 2010. Head coach Lori Gear McBride earned her first America East Championship win in her third season with the team.
Vermont will face Hartford at 11 a.m. on Sunday in the first semifinal.
New Hampshire 49, Stony Brook 46
New Hampshire vs. Stony Brook Box Score
New Hampshire guard Kelsey Hogan hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Stony Brook, 49-46, and send the Wildcats to their first America East semifinal since 2005.
Hogan finished with a team-high 13 points while Morgan Frame had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The game was played evenly throughout, with New Hampshire holding a slight edge in field goal percentage, shooting 34 percent to Stony Brook’s 25.9, while the Seawolves outrebounded the Wildcats 41-38.
After leading by just one at halftime, New Hampshire pushed the advantage to as much as 10 points following a 7-0 run that was capped by a Hogan jumper with 8:08 remaining.
The Seawolves scratched and clawed their way back in the game, finally drawing even with a Sabre Proctor layup that finished a 12-2 run with 2:03 remaining. Proctor had a double-double 12 points and 12 boards, while Brittany Snow had a game-high 15 points.
New Hampshire reclaimed the lead on a Frame layup, but Snow tied it once again with just over a minute remaining with a pair of free throws.
After the Wildcats forced the Seawolves into a shot clock violation, head coach Maureen Magarity called a timeout to set up the final play.
The inbounds pass was almost picked off by Stony Brook’s Proctor, and then an errant pass was thrown over the head of Hogan. After the senior recovered the ball, she dribbled to her left and took a deep 3-pointer while drifting to her left that dropped in as the final buzzer sounded.
Magarity got her first win as a head coach in the contest, as New Hampshire advances in the championship for the first time since 2010. The Wildcats have defeated the Seawolves in three-straight games in the America East Championship.
New Hampshire will face No. 1 seed Albany on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the second women’s semifinal. The Wildcats look to become just the second five seed to beat a one seed.
Women’s Quarterfinals
Friday, March 8 at SEFCU Arena, Albany, NY
Game 1- #2 Hartford 68, #7 Binghamton 53
Game 2- #6 Vermont 47, #3 UMBC 43
Game 3- #5 New Hampshire 49, #4 Stony Brook 46
Men’s Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 9 at SEFCU Arena, Albany, NY
Game 1- #2 Vermont vs. #7 New Hampshire, 12:02 pm
Game 2- #3 Hartford vs. #6 UMBC, 30 minutes following conclusion of prior game Game 3- #1 Stony Brook vs. #8 Binghamton, 6:02 pm
Game 4- #4 Albany vs. #5 Maine, 30 minutes following conclusion of prior game
Women’s Semifinals
Sunday, March 10 at SEFCU Arena, Albany, NY
Game 4- #2 Hartford vs. #6 Vermont 11:02 a.m.
Game 5- #5 New Hampshire vs. #1 Albany, 30 minutes following conclusion of prior game
Men’s Semifinals
Sunday, March 10 at SEFCU Arena, Albany, NY
Game 5- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5:02 p.m.
Game 6- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 30 minutes following conclusion of prior game
Men’s Championship Game
Saturday, March 16
Game 7- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:32 a.m. (at home court of higher remaining seed)
Women’s Championship Game
Saturday, March 16
Game 6- Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7:02 p.m. (at home court of higher remaining seed)