BOSTON - Conference play officially hit the midway point as every team is through eight games of the schedule with just eight left before the America East women's basketball championship on March 5-6 & 11 in Binghamton, N.Y. Albany is off to an 8-0 start for the fourth-straight year, with Maine close behind at 7-1. Stony Brook follows in third at 6-2, the team's best start to league play since 2013-14 when the Seawolves last reached the title game. There is a three-way tie for fourth as UMBC, Binghamton and Hartford went .500 through the first portion of the schedule.
Here are the week 12 award winners:
Player of the Week
Taylor McCarley, UMBC, Jr., G, Bowie, Md.
- Averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.5 steals while shooting 65.2% from the floor in a 2-0 week for the Retrievers.
- Totaled 17 points and 10 assists along with five steals in a win over Binghamton.
- Connected on 8-of-10 from the floor, scoring a season-high 27 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in a win over UNH.
- Moved into eighth all-time at UMBC in assists.
Rookie of the Week
Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook, Fr., F, Miami, Fla.
- Earns her eighth Rookie of the Week honors, tying her for the second-most in a single season in America East history. Hartford’s Erica Beverley holds the record with 10 in 2005-06.
- Scored eight points on 4-of-8 shooting in a win over Vermont.
- Had 11 rebounds for her ninth double-digit rebounding performance this season.
Notes
- Three America East teams are featured in the Mid-Major Top-25 released on Jan. 26, including Albany (15), Maine (RV) and Stony Brook (RV).
- According to the latest College Basketball RPI report released on Feb. 1, the America East is No. 16 among Division I conferences, a seven spot improvement from this time a year ago. Albany (54), Maine (93) and Stony Brook (100) are all in top 100.
- Albany has started 8-0 in conference play in each of the last four seasons and is 32-0 in January since 2013.
- Albany guard Zakiya Saunders is averaging 7.7 assists per game, which is currently the second-highest assist average in America East history behind Maine’s Amy Vachon, who averaged 8.1 assists per game in 1998-99.
- Stony Brook has won seven-straight games at Island Federal Credit Union and is 19-5 since the building opened at the start of the 2014-15 season.
- UMBC guard Taylor McCarley is one of only three players in the country to average at-least 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
- Maine’s 15-game home winning streak is the eighth longest such streak in the nation.
- Albany’s Zakiya Saunders dished out 13 assists vs. Stony Brook, the most for an America East player since Boston U’s Christine Kinneary had 14 vs. Northeastern on Nov. 19, 2007. Saunders has five 10+ assist games this year, which matches the most in a single-season for any America East player as far back as the statistics go (1999-2000).
- Albany senior Shereesha Richards needs 50 more rebounds to become the fourth player in America East history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She ranks 8th all-time on the career scoring list with 2,137 points.
- The America East is the only non-Power 5 Conference with six teams in the top-81 of scoring defense (Maine-8, Albany-25, Stony Brook-59, UMBC-69, Binghamton-76, Hartford-81).
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
Jan. 11 - Player of the Week: Shereesha Richards, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Davion Wingate, Stony Brook
Jan. 18 - Player of the Week: Shereesha Richards, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Rebecca Carmody, Binghamton
Jan. 25 - Player of the Week: Liz Wood, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Davion Wingate, Stony Brook
Feb. 1 - Player of the Week: Taylor McCarley, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Ogechi Anyagaligbo, Stony Brook