BOSTON – NJIT, UMBC, and Vermont went unbeaten this week in conference play. Despite a loss on Saturday to Vermont, UAlbany remains at the top of the standings with a 9-2 record. Vermont solidified their second-place standing with a win over the Great Danes on Saturday while Maine, Bryant, and NJIT are close behind.
The Week That Was
- NJIT had a dominant week as they beat Maine on Thursday before taking down the Wildcats on Saturday. New Hampshire outscored NJIT 17-10 in the third quarter to take the lead but it wasn’t enough to take down the Highlanders, who exploded for 29-fourth quarter points to take the win.
- UMBC had a dominant win over defending champions, Maine, on Saturday. Led by Jordon Lewis’s 17 points, the Retrievers came out in the second half and put on an impressive defensive and offensive show. UMBC closed out the game with 22 points in the fourth quarter.
- Bryant finished the week 1-1 after two competitive matchups. Following a tough loss on Thursday, the Bulldogs beat Binghamton, 68-62, on Saturday to move to 6-5 in conference play.
- In their only game of the week, Vermont battled it out to defend home court against UAlbany. Vermont ended the game on a 12-3 run that started with back-to-back 3-pointers. The 59-50-point victory kept UAlbany from sweeping the regular-season series, the Catamounts and Great Danes sit atop the conference standings with two losses a piece.
Looking Ahead
- UMass Lowell will travel to UAlbany (9-2) on Thursday for a 11 a.m. match up
- Thursday NJIT (6-5) welcomes Bryant (6-5) for a 6 p.m. matchup.
- Also on Thursday, New Hampshire (2-9) hosts Vermont (8-2) while Binghamton (4-7) welcomes UMBC (5-5)
- On Saturday, New Hampshire travels to UMass Lowell and Binghamton hosts NJIT. Maine plays at Vermont and UMBC welcomes Bryant.
Need to Know
- UMBC has now won five of its last six conference matchups including four straight.
- The Great Danes are receiving votes in the College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25.
- Kayla Cooper was named to the 15-player mid-season watch list for the Her Hoops Stats Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. She currently ranks 37th nationally in points & 23rd in field goal percentage.
- Maine’s Olivia Rockwood was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 'So You Want To Be A Coach' program.
America East Links
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2024-25 Weekly Award Winners (Feb. 10)
Player of the Week
Alejandra Zuniga – Jr., Guard, Madrid, Spain
- Scored 26 points, collected five boards, and four assists in a win over Maine. Shot 56 percent from the field in the game and went 4-for-7 in threes.
- Zuniga continued her dominance with a 20-point game against New Hampshire. She grabbed three rebounds, four assists, and a steal in the win.
- This is Zuniga’s first #AEHoops Player of the Week honor this year.
Rookie of the Week
Olivia Kulyk, NJIT – Fr., Guard, Edinboro, PA
- In a 2-0 week for the Highlanders, Kulyk averaged 5.0 points and 4 rebounds per game.
- Chipped in four boards, one block, and an assist in a win over Maine on Thursday.
- Kulyk scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds while shooting 4-for-6 from the field against and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc in a win over New Hampshire.
- She ranks 13th in the conference in scoring, first in three-point field goals made and in three-point field goal percentage. She also ranks 16th in the conference in rebounding.
- This is Kulyk’s eighth #AEHoops Rookie of the Week honor this season.
Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 11 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Nov. 18 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Allison Cannon, NJIT
Nov. 25 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Dec. 2 – Player of the Week: Eva DeChent, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Abby Misier, Binghamton
Dec. 9 – Player of the Week: Jaden Walker, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Dec. 16 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Martina Borrellas, UAlbany
Dec. 23 – Player of the Week: Kaci Donovan, UAlbany; Delanie Hill, UAlbany
Dec. 31 – Player of the Week: Clara Gomez, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Elizabeth Lavoie, New Hampshire
Jan. 6 – Player of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Jan. 13 – Player of the Week: Jadyn Weltz, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Jan. 20 – Player of the Week: Caroline Bornemann, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Martina Borrellas, UAlbany
Jan. 27 – Player of the Week: Ali Brigham, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Feb. 3 – Player of the Week: Kayla Cooper, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
Feb. 10 – Player of the Week: Alejandra Zuniga, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Olivia Kulyk, NJIT
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