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
Imani Tate, Albany, Jr., G, Bronx, N.Y.
- Averaged a league-best 22.3 points per game in a 3-0 week for the Great Danes. Also added 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.3 assists per game.
- Posted 20 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in 25 minutes in a win over Boston University.
- Notched a career-best 33 points, accounting for more than half of Albany’s point total, in a 63-55 win over Toledo.
- Finished the week with 14 points, six steals and five assists in a win over Rhode Island.
- Named MVP of the URI Tip-Off Tournament after leading the Great Danes to wins over Toledo and Rhode Island.
Rookie of the Week
Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook, Fr., F, Miami, Fla.
- Averaged 10.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for the Seawolves in a 1-1 week.
- Scored 12 points and pulled down nine boards in a loss to Hoftra.
- Posted nine points and nine rebounds in a win over St. Peter’s.
- Shot 50% for the week (8-for-16).
Notes
- America East teams are 19-14 in non-conference play after a 3-1 record on Sunday.
- Two America East teams take the court on Monday as Stony Brook visits Columbia and Vermont is at Brown. Both games start at 7 p.m. and both are on the Ivy League Digital Network.
- Albany’s Imani Tate was named MVP of the URI Tip-Off Tournament as the Great Danes won the tournament title with a win over Rhode Island on Sunday, 67-58. Tate averaged 23.5 points, 3.5 steals and 3.5 assists over the two games.
- Through four games, Albany’s Tate and Shereesha Richards are the top two scorers in the league, combining to average 43.3 points per game. Albany as a team is averaging a league-best 69.2 points per game.
- UNH senior guard Elizabeth Belanger scored her 1,000th career point as the Wildcats lost a hard-fought contest, 67-60, to Penn.
- Maine assisted on 29 of its 34 field goals in an 82-51 rout of North Dakota State. Sigi Koizar had 16 points and 10 assists in the contest.
- UMass Lowell’s Kayla Gibbs registered her first career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. Columbia.
- Pandora Wilson averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds for UMBC last week, helping the Retrievers to wins over Coppin State and Rider.
- Stony Brook’s Brittany Snow had a pair of huge games for the Seawolves last week, averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebound as Stony Brook went 1-1.
- Four America East teams are featured in the Mid-Major Top-25 released on Nov. 17, including Albany (14), Maine (23), Stony Brook (RV) and Hartford (RV).
- Maine’s Liz Wood moved up to 13th on the Black Bears all-time scoring list with 1,169 career points.
- There are at least two America East teams playing every day over the first 13 days of the season.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 16 - Player of the Week: Deanna Mayza, Hartford; Rookie of the Week: Rebecca Carmody, Binghamton
Nov. 23 - Player of the Week: Imani Tate, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook