Top Four Seeds All Hold Serve in Hercules Tires #AEPlayoffs Quarterfinals 3/7/2020 10:56:59 PM Home court matters in the #AEPlayoffs. After earning the right to host quarterfinal games on their home floor during the regular season, all four top seeds were victorious on Saturday as #1 Vermont, #2 Stony Brook, #3 Hartford and #4 UMBC posted wins. It’s the third time in the six years of the #AEPlayoffs format that all four top seeds prevailed in the quarterfinals. The wins by each of the top four seeds sets up a star-studded semifinal matchups with the Catamounts hosting the Retrievers and the Seawolves hosting the Hawks. Both games take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN+. Read more about the quarterfinals below. For full playoff coverage, including box scores, highlights and more, visit Hercules Tires #AEPlayoffs Central. #AEPlayoffs Quarterfinals Recaps at #1 Vermont 61, #8 Maine 50 #1 Vermont (25-7) scored 17 of the game’s final 24 points to pull away from #8 Maine and earn a 61-50 victory. The Catamounts advanced to the semifinals for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. Vermont forced 17 Maine turnovers leading to 10 points off turnovers. America East Player of the Year Anthony Lamb and teammate Everett Duncan each had a game-high 19 points as the duo combined for 38 of the Catamounts’ 61 points. Nedeljko Prijovic’s 18 points paced Maine (9-22). at #2 Stony Brook 76, #7 UAlbany 73 Miles Latimer’s free throws gave #2 Stony Brook (20-12) the lead with 51 seconds left and the Seawolves held on to beat upset-minded #7 UAlbany, 76-73. The Seawolves are in the semifinals for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Makale Foreman’s three pointer with 1:42 left tied the game at 70 and the Seawolves went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to pull it out. Foreman’s 23 points led Stony Brook. Mouhamadou Gueye added 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Cameron Healy scored a game-high 28 points for UAlbany(14-18). at #3 Hartford 89, #6 UMass Lowell 75 #3 Hartford (17-15) scored a season-high 89 points, including 51 in the second half to beat #6 UMass Lowell, 62-54. With the win, Hartford is in the semifinals in three-straight seasons for the first time since 2002-04. The Hawks shot 59 percent for the game, including 68 percent in the second half, and were 24-of-25 from the free throw line. The 96 percent rate is a tournament record (minimum 8 attempts). First-team All-Conference honoree Malik Ellison scored a game-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. All-Conference standouts Christian Lutete and Obadiah Noel each had 22 points to lead UMass Lowell (13-19). at # 4 UMBC 73, #5 New Hampshire 67 #4 UMBC (16-16) shot 51 percent from the field and held off a late charge from #5 New Hampshire to win 73-67. UMBC is in the semifinals for a third-straight season for the first time since 2007-09. Leading by only three late in the second half, the Retrievers used a 7-0 run capped by a Brandon Horvath layup with 5:42 left to take 62-52 lead. Second-team All-Conference choice K.J. Jackson led UMBC with 20 points. Sean Sutherlin, a third-team all-leaguer, had 19 points and 13 rebounds to pace UNH (15-15), which improved their win total from 2018-19 by 10 this season. 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. - #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -