BOSTON - Albany and Stony Brook, the top two teams in the America East men's basketball standings, continued their strong play last week. Each team picked up a win with the Great Danes improving to 9-4 overall and the Seawolves moving to 7-4.
The two squads were rewarded for their performances as Stony Brook's Carson Puriefoy earned America East Player of the Week honors and Albany's Joe Cremo picked up Rookie of the Week presented by Under Armour accolades.
Read more about the weekly award winners and conference notes below:
Player of the Week
Carson Puriefoy, Stony Brook - Sr., Guard, Wenonah, N.J.
- Scored a season-high 25 points, including 15 in the in the second half, in Stony Brook’s win at Lehigh Tuesday.
- Made six three-point field goals on 13 attempts.
- Dished out five assists.
- This is Puriefoy’s first Player of the Week honor of the season and second of his career.
Rookie of the Week presented by Under Armour
Joe Cremo, Albany - Fr., Guard, Scotia, N.Y.
- Scored a career-high 25 points in 27 minutes off the bench in Albany's win over Niagara Wednesday.
- The 25 points were the most for a Great Dane true freshman since 2004.
- Shot 9-of-12 from the floor, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point land.
- Added two rebounds and two steals.
Notes
- America East ranks 24th out of 32 Division I conferences in RPI, according to the Dec. 28 College Basketball News RPI Report.
- Albany (98) and Stony Brook (104) are the top teams.
- The Great Danes beat Niagara Wednesday and have won seven of their last eight games.
- America East teams are 8-2 vs. MAAC foes this season.
- The Seawolves have won six of their last eight games including a 71-68 victory over Hofstra Dec. 20. The Pride had an RPI of 64.
- New Hampshire’s seven non-conference wins match its program record set last season.
- The top four teams in the league standings -Albany, New Hampshire, Stony Brook and Vermont- are a combined 27-18 on the season, including 17-1 at home.
- UMass Lowell's win over Boston College on Dec. 6 was the first by an America East team over an ACC foe since Maine beat the Eagles on Jan. 2, 2010.
- Jameel Warney earned his 13th career America East Player of the Week award on Dec. 21, tying Vin Baker for the second-most in league history.
- Warney eclipsed the 1,000 career rebound mark earlier this season becoming just the sixth player in league history with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.
- Conference play begins January 6.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 16 - Player of the Week: Iba Camara, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Ernie Duncan, Vermont
Nov. 23 - Player of the Week: Trae Bell-Haynes, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Issac Vann, Maine
Nov. 30 - Co-Players of the Week: Willie Rodriguez, Binghamton & Jameel Warney, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: George Blagojevic, Hartford
Dec. 7 - Player of the Week: Jameel Warney, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Devine Eke, Maine
Dec. 14 - Player of the Week: Will Darley, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Joe Sherburne, UMBC
Dec. 21 - Player of the Week: Jameel Warney, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Everson Davis, Binghamton
Dec. 28 - Player of the Week: Carson Puriefoy, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Joe Cremo, Albany