BOSTON - As the holiday break came to a close, America East women's basketball conference play started up with UMBC topping Vermont in the first league game of 2016. Four conference games will be played on Wednesday as the league schedule heats up. Non-conference play will finish up on Monday night and the America East sits at 57-60 overall.
Here are the week eight award winners:
Player of the Week
Shereesha Richards, Albany, Sr., F, Rae Town, Jamaica
- Earns her 18th career Player of the Week honor.
- Poured in 31 points in a win over Yale on 13-of-19 shooting.
- Also grabbed 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
- Her four games with 30+ points are as many as the rest of the league has combined.
Rookie of the Week
Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook, Fr., F, Miami, Fla.
- Named Rookie of the Week for a conference record seventh-straight week.
- Scored 11 points and collected 14 rebounds in a win over Harvard.
- Notched her fifth double-double of the season.
Notes
- Three America East teams are featured in the Mid-Major Top-25 released on Dec. 29, including Albany (18), Maine (RV) and Stony Brook (RV).
- According to the latest College Basketball RPI report, the America East is 19th among Division I conferences, four spots higher than it was on this date a year ago.
- The America East and the Ivy League are the only two non-Power 5 Conferences with five teams in the top-100 of scoring defense (Maine-17, Albany-64, UMBC-76, New Hampshire-92 and Stony Brook-96)
- UMBC shot season-bests from the floor (50%) and 3-point range (64.3%) en route to its highest point total of the year in an 85-48 win over Vermont to open conference play.
- UMBC forced Vermont into 30 turnovers, marking the eighth time in 14 games the Retrievers have forced 20+ turnovers.
- Albany is one of only four teams in the country to boast the top two scorers in its respective conference joining St. John’s (Big East), UC Riverside (Big West) and James Madison (Colonial).
- Maine dropped a heartbreaker, 59-58, at North Carolina on New Year’s Eve. The Black Bears held a two-point lead with two seconds to go when the Tar Heels won the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Sigi Koizar poured in 21 points, including the final eight for Maine.
- Albany’s Shereesha Richards posted 31 points in a win over Yale, her fourth 30+ point performance this season. The rest of the conference has four 30-point performances combined.
- Stony Brook won its fifth-straight game, 64-63, over Harvard on Wednesday. Freshman Ogechi Anyagaligbo notched her fifth double-double of the season in the win.
- UMBC ‘s nine non-conference victories this season are a new program record.
- Vermont’s five non-conference wins are the most for the team since 2011-12.
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
Nov. 30 - Player of the Week: Sigi Koizar, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook
Dec. 7 - Player of the Week: Shereesha Richards, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook
Dec. 14 - Player of the Week: Imani Tate, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook
Dec. 21 - Player of the Week: Shereesha Richards, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook
Dec. 28 - Player of the Week: Andreana Thomas, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook
Jan. 4 - Player of the Week: Shereesha Richards, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook