Two spots in the 2021 Hercules Tires America East Women’s Basketball Playoffs are up for grabs on Sunday.
No. 1 Maine will host No. 4 UAlbany to kick off the semifinals at 1 p.m. followed by No. 2 Stony Brook hosting No. 3 UMass Lowell at 3 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+.
The winning teams will advance to the championship game on ESPNU next Friday, March 12 at 5 p.m. with the league champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For full playoff coverage, including links to watch live and live stats plus coverage from last weekend's quarterfinals games, visit Hercules Tires #AEPlayoffs Central.
#AEPlayoffs Semifinals
#4 UAlbany at #1 Maine
- The No. 1 seed is 20-3 all-time against the No. 4 seed.
- No. 4 UAlbany (7-10) defeated No. 5 New Hampshire at home last weekend in the quarterfinals to advance in the #AEPlayoffs for the ninth time in ten years. A win would send the Great Danes to the final for the first time since 2017.
- No. 1 Maine (16-2) earned a bye to the semifinals after winning its third regular season title in four years and league-best 17th overall. The Black Bears are looking to advance to the championship game for the sixth consecutive year.
- The 2019 semifinals featured this exact matchup in Orono as Maine defeated UAlbany 66-51.
- In the six prior postseason matchups between the teams, each team won three games.
- Maine swept the 2020-21 regular season series.
#3 UMass Lowell at #2 Stony Brook
- No. 2 seeds are 13-9 in 22 prior postseason meetings with the No. 3 seed.
- No. 3 UMass Lowell (12-8) earned a quarterfinal win over No. 6 NJIT to become the first team to advance to back-to-back semifinals as a No. 3 seed since BU in 2003 and 2004. A win Sunday would clinch the River Hawks’ first ever championship game appearance.
- No. 2 Stony Brook (13-5) received a bye after earning a top-two seed for the second year in a row. The Seawolves are seeking a second-straight title game appearance.
- This is the first playoff meeting between the two teams, who split the regular season series.
- The matchup features teams that lead the country in several defensive categories. The Seawolves rank first in points allowed while the River Hawks lead the nation in three-point defense.
- Sunday’s contest features five All-Conference players in UMass Lowell’s Denise Solis (First Team) and Kharis Idom (Second Team) and Stony Brook’s Asiah Dingle (Second Team), India Pagan (Second Team) and Annie Warren (Third Team).
Full #AEPlayoffs semifinals notes
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