Women's Basketball

Women's #AEHoops Preview: Feb. 12-14

BOSTON – First place is on the line this weekend as Binghamton can grab a stranglehold over the league with a pair of victories, while Vermont and Maine look to make a make a play for the top of the standings as well.
 
Binghamton (9-1) at Vermont (9-2) – 6 PM
  • The Bearcats have won five straight and are coming off impressive wins over UMBC and NJIT at home last weekend. Vermont, meanwhile, dropped a contest last week to Maine but shut down UNH and is a game back of the Bearcats in the standings with just five led in conference play.
  • Earlier this season Binghamton beat Vermont 71-67 on its home court as the Catamounts were outscored 24-13 in the final quarter. Bella Pucci had 20 points for Binghamton while Malia Lenz added 21 for Vermont.
  • In conference play, Binghamton is 2nd in the league in scoring (67.0) , while ranking 7th in scoring (60.4) and third in scoring margin (6.6). Vermont leads the league in scoring margin (13.1) and scoring defense (52.9) while ranking 4th in scoring (66.0).
 
New Hampshire (2-8) at NJIT (5-6) – 6 PM
  • New Hampshire has dropped two straight after winning back-to-back games. On Thursday they lost a heartbreaker in OT to Bryant and then fell to UVM Saturday. NJIT, came up short against Binghamton on Saturday after beating UMass Lowell on Thursday.
  • Earlier this season the Highlanders earned a 69-62 road victory. They outscored UNH 22-12 in the final quarter to secure the comeback win as four players scored in double figures. Eva DeChent had 34 points and 11 rebounds for UNH in the loss.
  • NJIT is 3rd in league action in scoring (66.8), but ranks 8th in scoring defense (67.1). The Wildcats are 5th in scoring defense (58.7) and last in scoring at 48.7 ppg.
 
UMass Lowell (1-10) at Bryant (6-5) – 6 PM
  • The River Hawks are coming off their first conference win of the season, taking down UAlbany 58-45. On Thursday they fell by just nine to NJIT. Bryant fell 64-56 on the road to Maine last week. Overall the Bulldogs have lost 4 of 6, holding both opponents to under 50 points in their two wins.
  • Bryant earned the biggest conference win of the year against UMass Lowell earlier this season with an 80-38 victory. The Bulldogs shot 47% from the floor, led by 21 points from Mimi Rubino and 20 from Maranda Nyborg.
  • The Bulldogs are 2nd in scoring defense (56.4) this year while ranking 5th in scoring (59.5). Conversely, UMass Lowell is 9th in scoring defense (72.7) and 8th in scoring (53.6).
 
Maine (8-3) at UMBC (6-4) – 6:30 PM
  • The Black Bears have won three straight, highlighted by a sweep over Vermont and Bryant last week and have held of their last three opponents under 60 points. UMBC is coming off a 14-point loss to Binghamton last week and have been held under 60 points each of the last three games, going 1-2 over that span.
  • Maine earned a 58-43 victory over the Retrievers early in conference play. UMBC led 15-13 after one, but the Black Bears slowly extended their lead over the final three quarters as the Retrievers shot just 29.3 percent from the floor with one made three.
  • UMBC ranks 4th in scoring defense (58.1) and 6th in scoring (58.3), while Maine is 1st in scoring (68.1) and up to 3rd in scoring defense (58.0).
 
Saturday, Feb. 14
  • Maine at NJIT – 12 PM
  • New Hampshire at UMBC – 1 PM
  • Vermont at Bryant – 2 PM
  • Binghamton at UAlbany – 7 PM
 
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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 and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
 
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