The top seeds advanced in Saturday’s America East women’s basketball quarterfinals as Maine, UAlbany, Vermont and NJIT all won tight games on their home floors and will play again Tuesday night in the semifinals.
#1 Maine 63, #8 Hartford 49
- Hartford hung tough for three quarters but the top seed pulled away in the fourth.
- Caroline Bornemann scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the first half.
- The Hawks shot 42 percent from three-point range while holding Maine to 19 percent.
- Player of the Year Anne Simon carried the load in the second half and finished with a double-double (17 pts., 12 reb.).
- All-Conference selection Alba Orois finished with a game-high six assists for the Black Bears.
#2 UAlbany 49, #7 New Hampshire 44
- In a game that featured ten lead changes, the Great Danes advanced to their tenth semifinals in 11 seasons.
- New Hampshire’s defense rivaled the host seed’s, forcing them into 16 turnovers with a full-court press.
- With several minutes remaining, freshman Freja Werth hit a key three-pointer to make it a two possession game which led to the win.
- Werth finished with 12 points and was perfect (4-for-4) from long distance.
- Senior All-Conference choice Amanda Torres scored a game-high 16 points.
#3 Vermont 71, #6 Binghamton 63
- A decisive fourth quarter sent Vermont to the semifinals for the first time since 2013.
- Down 55-4, the Catamounts scored 12 of the next 16 points to pull away for the final time.
- First-Team All-Conference honoree Emma Utterback fought through an injury in the second half and finished with 19 points.
- All-Conference second teamer Anna Olson scored a game-high 22 in her #AEPlayoffs debut.
- First team selection Denai Bowman finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Binghamton.
#4 NJIT 47, #5 UMass Lowell 33
- Without Third-Team All-Conference selection Lyzi Litwinko, NJIT was able to advance to its first #AEPlayoffs semifinals in its second year in the league.
- The Highlanders held UMass Lowell to 26 percent shooting and outscored the River Hawks 29-16 in the second half.
- The home team scored the first four points out of the break to put the lead to five.
- Third-Team All-Conference choice Kenna Squier scored a game-high 14 points while senior Ellyn Stoll notched 13.
No. 1 Maine will host No. 4 NJIT and No. 2 UAlbany will host No. 3 Vermont in the semifinals. Both games will be played on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Tickets can be obtained by contacting each host's ticket office or visiting #AEPlayoffs Central.
The two semifinal winners will play for the America East title and an automatic NCAA bid on Friday, March 11 at 5 p.m. at the highest remaining seed’s home court.
All 2022 #AEPlayoffs action can be watched on ESPN networks. The quarter and semifinals will air on ESPN+ as part of The AE on ESPN with a simulcast for international viewers on AmericaEast.TV. The championship game will be nationally televised on ESPNU. All three rounds will also be available via the ESPN app.
Complete postseason information can be found at americaeast.com/wbbplayoffs.
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.
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