BOSTON – On the final day of the regular season, Maine used a raucous home court advantage to take down UAlbany and clinch the top seed in the upcoming #AEPlayoffs. UAlbany took the No. 2 seed, while NJIT came through with a pair of victories to go from 9th to 7th in the final standings.
The Week That Was
- Maine opened the week with a hard-fought 57-51 win over Binghamton, before taking down UAlbany 63-46 on Saturday. Maine trailed 11-9 after the first quarter, but outscored the Great Danes by 12 in the second and seven in the fourth for the 17-point victory.
- Binghamton and Bryant both went 1-1 last week to finish tied at 8-8. Bryant clinched the No. 4 seed due to its 2-0 record against the Bearcats during the regular season. Binghamton’s win over UNH on the final day pushed the Wildcats out of playoff contention.
- NJIT put together its best week of the season with a pair of victories to claim the No. 7 seed. The Highlanders outlasted UMBC 77-76 in overtime on Thursday and then on Saturday blew out Bryant 64-38, led by Kenna Squier’s 15 points.
- Defending champion Vermont won its only game of the week 55-51 over UMass Lowell as the Catamounts earned the No. 3 seed.
Playoff Picture
- #AEPLayoffs Quarterfinal action gets underway on Friday, with home games at each of the top four seeds.
- No. 8. UMass Lowell at No. 1 Maine - 5 p.m.
- No. 7 NJIT at No. 2 UAlbany – 7 p.m.
- No. 6 UMBC at No. 3 Vermont – 6 p.m.
- No. 5 Binghamton at No. 4 Bryant – 6 p.m.
- The two highest remaining seeds will host semifinal contests on Monday, March 11 with the Championship taking place on Friday, March 15 at the highest seed remaining.
- For complete information on the #AEPlayoffs, visit Championship Central.
America East Links
Fans will once again be able to watch every #AEHoops game this season regardless of where they live! The majority games will air on The AE on ESPN, either ESPN+ or ESPN3, in the United States. Games will also be available internationally on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the brand new America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
The women’s #AEHoops preseason poll was announced on Oct. 19.
2023-24 Weekly Award Winners (March 4)
Player of the Week
Anne Simon, Maine – Gr., Guard, Sandweiler, Luxembourg
- Averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as Maine clinched the regular season championship.
- Totaled 26 points, ten rebounds and three assists in a win over Binghamton.
- Came through with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists against UAlbany to clinch the top seed in the #AEPlayoffs.
- This is Simon’s eighth #AEHoops Player of the Week honor this season.
Rookie of the Week
Mia Mancini, Bryant – Fr,, Guard, Mansfield, Mass.
- Averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in a 1-1 week.
- Finished with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds in a win over UMass Lowell to clinch the No. 4 seed.
- Supplied 22 points, four rebounds and three steals in a loss to NJIT.
- This is Mancini’s eighth #AEHoops Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 13 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Nov. 20 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Madilyn Dogs, NJIT
Nov. 27 – Player of the Week: Adrianna Smith, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Dec. 4 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Dec. 11 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Dec. 18 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Deja Evans, UAlbany
Dec. 26 – Player of the Week: Emma Utterback, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Nia Scott, Bryant
Jan. 2 - Player of the Week: Deja Evans, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Deja Evans, UAlbany
Jan. 8 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Jan. 15 – Player of the Week: Adrianna Smith, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Rayne Durant, UMass Lowell
Jan. 22 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Maggie Cavanaugh
Jan. 29 - Player of the Week: Emma Utterback, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Deja Evans, UAlbany
Feb. 5 – Player of the Week: Adrianna Smith, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Deja Evans, UAlbany
Feb. 12 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
Feb. 19 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Silvia Gonzalez, Bryant
Feb. 26 – Player of the Week: Mariona Planes Fortuny, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
March 4 – Player of the Week: Anne Simon, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Mia Mancini, Bryant
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -