BOSTON – The Jersey Mike’s Women’s #AEPlayoffs are here and quarterfinal action gets underway on Friday, beginning at 5 p.m. with top seed Maine hosting No. 8 UMass Lowell. Check out preview below, breaking down each of the four matchups.
All games will be on ESPN+ and for the complete bracket visit Championship Central or our #AEPlayoffs Digital program.
No. 8 UMass Lowell at No. 1 Maine – 5 PM
- The Black Bears have lost just once in the past month, winning nine of their past ten games, including a 63-46 victory over UAlbany to claim their fourth regular season title in the past five seasons.
- Maine boasts the top scoring duo in the league. Player of the Year Anne Simon is 1st in the league in scoring (18.9) and 3rd in rebounding (7.3), while Adrianna Smith is 1st in rebounding (11.2), 1st in assists (4.5) and 3rd in scoring (16.4).
- The River Hawks have dropped six straight games and finished with a 4-12 league record. They have surpassed 60 points just once in their last nine games.
- Mili Carrera leads the team in scoring at 9.7 ppg, while Sydney Watkins does a bit of everything for the team with 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game.
- Maine swept the season series against UML, winning the 55-43 and 68-49. The Black Bears have won five straight against the River Hawks and 9 of 10 overall.
No. 7 NJIT at No. 2 UAlbany – 7 PM
- The Great Danes enter Friday’s matchup at just 2-2 over their past four games and have only scored 50+ points twice in their past six contests. They did finish the regular season 13-3 with the ability to tight, low-scoring affairs.
- First-Team All-Conference selection Kayla Cooper is 4th in the league in scoring and second in rebounding, while freshman Deja Evans is putting up 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
- NJIT won three of its final four games to go from last place to the No. 7 seed. They’ve done it with their offense as they’re 4-0 when they surpass 60 points in the last month and 0-5 when they don’t.
- Second-Team All-Conference selection Alejandra Zuniga is averaging a team-best 15.0 ppg with 2.8 rebounds per game, while Trinity Williams is putting up 9.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
- UAlbany swept the season series, winning the first game at home 77-36 to begin conference play and then edged NJIT 38-36 on the road three weeks ago.
No. 6 UMBC at No. 3 Vermont – 6 PM
- Entering the playoffs, the Catamounts are just 2-2 over their last four but for the defending champions included in those wins was a 67-35 victory over second place UAlbany. They have the second-best defense in the league, allowing 52.3 points per game.
- Emma Utterback and Anna Olson continue to lead the Catamounts, with Utterback ranking sixth in the league in scoring (14.3) and third in assists (4.0). Olson is shooting a league-best 53.0 percent from the floor while averaging 11.7 points per game.
- UMBC has won two of its last three, with the lone loss being a 77-76 overtime defeat at that hands of NJIT. Over the last month, UMBC is fourth in the league in scoring at 57.3 points per game while allowing teams to shoot just 25.7 percent from three.
- Second-Team All-Conference performer Anna Blount has been on a tear over the last month, averaging 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, which rank fourth and second in the league over that span.
- Vermont swept the season series and have won four straight against UMBC. Last year the two teams faced off in the Semifinals, with UVM earning the tight victory.
No. 5 Binghamton at No. 4 Bryant – 6 PM
- The Bulldogs are in the midst of their best season in years and are 5-2 over the last month with the only losses to Maine and NJIT. They are fourth in the league in scoring at 60.1 points per game.
- Mariona Planes Fortuny has been dominant over the last month, averaging 16.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Rookie of the Year Mia Mancini is averaging 13.4 points with 12 threes over that span.
- Binghamton has won three out of its last four games and owns the third best scoring differential in the league over the last month at +7.1 points per game. The Bearcat offense is putting up 59.7 points per game over that span.
- This season the Bearcats are the only team in the league with four players averaging double figures. The quartet of Denai Bowman, Genevieve Coleman, Jadyn Weltz and Ella Wanzer had all found ways to score and help the team succeed.
- Bryant swept the season series, which is the reason the contest is in Rhode Island and not New York. The Bulldogs won the first game 62-51 and the second 55-51 with a comeback in the fourth.
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