BOSTON - College basketball season is officially underway and six of the nine America East teams started the year with wins on opening weekend. As a whole, the conference is 7-5 in non-conference play with five unbeaten teams, including Hartford at 2-0. The league continues a stretch of 13-straight days with at least two teams in action this week.
Here are the week one award winners:
Player of the Week
Deanna Mayza, Hartford, Jr., Guard, Pennsburg, Pa.
- Averaged 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a 2-0 week for the Hawks.
- Had a game-high 19 points in the season-opening win vs. Cornell, including the game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation.
- Poured in a team-best 19 points, including 12 in the second-half, in a 68-67 win at Sacred Heart.
- Scored the final six points of the game for the Hawks against the Pioneers. The junior hit a huge layup with less than a minute to go to stretch the lead to seven and then went 4-4 from the line in the final 15 seconds.
- Has scored in double figures in three-straight games dating back to last season's America East Championship game at Albany.
Rookie of the Week
Rebecca Carmody, Binghamton, Fr., Guard, Waymart, Pa.
- Posted 17 points and seven rebounds in her collegiate debut at Michigan, a team that advanced to the WNIT semifinals a year ago.
- Also added a team-high five assists, two blocks and two steals.
- Finished shooting 6-of-11 from the field.
Notes
- At least two America East teams play in each of the first 13 days of the season.
- America East teams are 7-5 overall to start the season.
- Albany (No. 14), Maine (No. 23) and Stony Brook (RV) are all featured in the preseason College Insider Mid-Major poll.
- Albany is receiving a vote in the Coaches' Poll. The last America East team to be ranked in either the coaches or AP poll was Hartford on March 1, 2010 at No. 24 in the AP poll. The Hawks were also ranked in the Coaches' Poll that same season. Vermont is the only other program to earn a national ranking. The Catamounts were No. 24 in the AP poll in 2010 and also ranked in 1993.
- Hartford is off to a 2-0 start for the second-straight year.
- Albany's Shereesha Richards scored 21 to open the season vs. Pepperdine. Richards has scored 20-plus points in four of her last five games dating back to last season.
- Vermont beat Central Connecticut, 79-63, to open the season giving head coach Lori Gear-McBride her 100th career win. Sydney Smith poured in 20 points to go with 10 boards to lead the Catamounts.
- 7 of the top-10 scorers in the America East return for this season.