American East Conference

No. 1 Maine, No. 6 Hartford Advance to #AETourney Title Game

3/4/2018 7:43:26 PM

Portland, Maine – America East will crown a new champion in women’s basketball for the first time in seven years. No. 6 Hartford defeated six-time defending champion No. 2 Albany in the semifinals to become the first six-seed to advance to the title game. The Hawks won the last championship prior to that stretch and seek their sixth title in program history.
 
The Hawks will visit No. 1 Maine, who defeated No. 5 New Hampshire to advance to their third consecutive title game. The Black Bears have won a conference-best seven championships in program history. It will be the first time a championship game is played in Maine since 1998.
 
The game is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU. Should they not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Great Danes will play in the WNIT.

The atmosphere was vibrant again at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine for the #AETourney quarterfinals and semifinals. Total attendance from Sunday was reported at 2,285 and the combined attendance of both days totaled 5,735.
 
#AETourney Central
Bracket
 
#1 Maine 64, #5 New Hampshire 48
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

• The Black Bears opened the contest on a 15-6 run through the first frame and outscored the Wildcats 16-7 in the third quarter to put the game in hand.
• Blanca Millan (16 points), Tanesha Sutton (14 points) and Parise Rossignol (13) led the scoring effort.
• Millan, a First-Team All-Conference selection, also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• This is the 16^th semifinals loss for the Wildcats. They have never appeared in a championship game.
• Senior Brittni Lai scored a game-high 17 points for New Hampshire.
• Fellow seniors Kat Fogarty and Carlie Pogue each finished the game with double-doubles.
• Of Pogue’s 11 rebounds, six came in the first quarter. Fogarty grabbed four of her 10 rebounds in the same frame.
• Maine outscored New Hampshire 20-8 in the paint.
• The Black Bears shot 45% from the field.

 
#6 Hartford 58, #2 Albany 56
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

• Similar to last year’s semifinals game, this contest came down to the final possession.
• Four Hawks scored in double figures in Jade Young, Sierra DaCosta, Janelle Harrison and Darby Lee.
• Alexia Douglas notched seven assists which tied a game-high.
• In a game between two top-ten defenses in the nation according to forced turnovers, the Hawks and Great Danes combined to cause 43 turnovers.
• The largest lead of the game was Albany by eight. Hartford led for just 10 minutes.
• Three Great Danes tallied double-digit points, led by sophomore Mackenzie Trpcic who had a game-high 16.
• Trpcic also finished with seven assists.
• Maine native Tiana-Jo Carter finished with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds in front of her home crowd.
• Albany led both teams shooting 43% while Hartford’s mark was 37%.
• Friday will be Hartford’s first championship game appearance since 2015, when they were the five seed.
• It will also mark the first championship game appearance for a six seed in the tournament.

About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.