Hartford Continue Search for First Win as Providence Dominate

WEST HARTFORD, Conn.-- The Hartford women’s basketball team began its home schedule on Saturday afternoon as the Friars of Providence College looked to keep the Hawks winless on the year.
The game ended as quickly as it started, with the Friars jumping out to an early lead and literally never looking back, routing the Hawks 75-53 in front of 1449 fans.
Providence’s Symone Roberts lead all scorers with 18 points and added eight rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Her intensity and ability to wait for the right opportunities helped lead the visitors to their third win of the season.
Hartford (0-3) began the game shooting just 2-for-20 from the field before slightly improving minutes before halftime. They were careless with the ball and, while the Friars had one more turnover on paper, the Hawks’ untimely giveaways gave Providence (3-1) several fast break opportunities.

Wildcats Get Close Win In First Game Without Abreu

When the UNH men's basketball team found out that they lost senior Alvin Abreu to knee injury for the rest of the season on Thursday, the team was understandably devastated. The team's chances of a run at an America East championship took a hit with Abreu's season ending ACL tear. And a core of seniors that had been playing together for the past three years had lost one of its most important pieces.

The Wildcats did not dwell on their misfortune for long though. UNH rallied around its fallen leader and defeated Holy Cross on Saturday night, with a combination of defense, timely shots, and pure grit. UNH was led by seniors Tyrone Conley and Dane DiLiegro in the hard fought win.

“I told Alvin before the game that I'm playing for him,” DiLiegro said following the win. “The last two days in practice have been pretty emotional.... but Alvin is on the court with us, always.”

The game itself was emotional as well. The Wildcats were down 52-51 with just 40 seconds remaining in the game when Conley missed a three pointer to take the lead. DiLiegro, however, dove on the floor for the loose rebound, secured the ball and called a timeout to give UNH another possession. Conley took advantage of the extra opportunity this time, nailing a three pointer from the wing to give the Wildcats a 54-52 lead with 33 seconds to go in the game. While the Conley three will get the most attention, it was the DiLiegro loose-ball rebound that gave UNH a chance to win the game.

“That's been Dane his whole career,” UNH head coach Bill Herrion said. “His effort has always been terrific. It was an unbelievable hustle play... and then Tyrone made the big three.”

UNH then came up big on defense, forcing Holy Cross junior Devin Brown to miss a heavily contested layup and securing the rebound after the Crusaders missed a tip in. Jordon Bronner ended up with the outlet pass and was fouled with 13 seconds left to stop the clock. Bronner hit one of two free throws to put UNH up 55-52. Holy Cross could not hit a three to tie the game in the final seconds, and when the clock hit zero, the Wildcats were off to their first 3-0 start since the 1971-1972 season.

Conley finished with 16 points, but on 8-19 shooting. The senior may have been pressing to make up for the loss of Abreu early, but finished the game strong with the big three pointer. Meanwhile DiLiegro nearly recorded a double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

“Great win for us,”  Herrion said. “Just a real, character, gut-check, tough win. I think the kids deserve all the credit. Our defense was terrific almost the whole game.”

It was a defensive game throughout, as UNH shot just 33.9 percent from the field, while Holy Cross was not much better at 36.2 percent. Both teams struggled early in the game, scoring just ten points apiece in the first ten minutes. But both got hot to end the half, as UNH took a 33-27 lead into the break, on the back of 11 points from Conley.

It was a back and forth affair in the second half, with the teams trading leads six times. Sophomore Ferg Myrick stepped it up especially for UNH, scoring 9 of his 14 points in the second half.

Myrick also came up with a crucial offensive rebound down the stretch off of a missed three pointer. Leaping high in the air to snatch the ball with just one hand, Myrick grabbed the ball, spun in midair, landed and then went back up to lay it in and give UNH a 49-48 lead with 3:34 left in the game. The talented sophomore forward will be counted on to score more and make big plays like that offensive rebound in Abreu's absence.

“He's a very talented kid,” Herrion said of Myrick. “The offensive rebound at the end was unbelievable, that was just a great play.”

Myrick knows that his role has increased, but realizes that Conley and DiLiegro are the players who will still carry the workload for UNH.

“I have to learn to be more patient and let the offense come to me,” Myrick said. “Let the seniors lead the way and get them the ball, and I have to be more of a dirty [work] player.”

Up next for the Wildcats is Sacred Heart on Tuesday night. The game will tip off at 7 pm at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.  

Unveiling the Banner: Hartford Hawks

Here is a quick video from Hartford, where the 2009-10 America East Regular Season Championship banner was just raised to the rafters of The Chase Family Arena.

Hartford vs. Providence: Final Score- Providence 75, Hartford 53

It has been a long road trip for AExtra to begin the basketball season, but it now all comes to an end at The Chase Family Arena at the banner-raising ceremony for the Hartford Hawks. The Hawks will be honored for their 2009-10 America East championship before the game against Providence. This game will also be particularly important for this young Hawks team, as they continue to search for their first win of the season. AExtra had a chance to speak with senior guard Jackie Smith and sophomore forward Ruthanne Doherty before the game and its clear that this is still a confident team that is just taking some time to gel and get in a rhythm.

10:50- Providence has come out on fire to grab the early 18-4 lead.  The Hawks have been very careless with the ball on the offensive end, which has limited them to very few shot attempts.

3:47-  Providence has continued to build on its lead and has extended it to 31-11. While the Hawks won't be happy with their shooting on the offensive end (5-20), it will be the defensive performance and the rebounding performance that will fire up Coach Rizzotti.

Hartford Stumbles, Falls to Dartmouth in Home Opener

WEST HARTFORD, Conn.—The University of Hartford kicked off their home schedule by hosting the Dartmouth Big Green at Reich Family Pavilion on Friday night. The clash between two winless teams resulted in a 71-57 win for the visiting Dartmouth.

The Hawks could never find their rhythm offensively and seemed to be hurling the ball at the basket almost blindly at times. The Big Green, on the other hand, shot lights out, especially from behind the arc where they found 10 of their 20
shots fall.

Hartford vs. Dartmouth: Live Blog- Final Score: Dartmouth 71, Hartford 57

AExtra is in Hartford for the home debut of head men's basketball coach John Gallagher. The Hawks have come close to winning both of their first two games, but tough losses to Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut St. have the Hawks at an 0-2 record.

15:02- Both teams have come out playing excellent on the offensive end of the court. However, a shot by Dartmouth as the 35-second clock was expiring gives the Big Green the 12-9 lead at the first break in action.

After a day of rest....AExtra is back in action

After a day of recuperation and rest, AExtra is back on the road to watch some more America East basketball action. In a matter of hours, AExtra will be in the car on the way to Hartford, Conn., to watch the home debut of John Gallagher. While the Hawks have dropped their first two games of the season, they have had a chance to win both games and appear to be developing the toughness that Gallagher emphasized when he took over the program.

Prior to the day of recuperation, AExtra enjoyed a second day in Philadelphia. Prior to heading over to Villanova for the Dick's Sporting Goods Preseason NIT, AExtra got to spend some time at the Reading Terminal seeing many of the delightful food options that were available. After enjoying a delicious breakfast wrap, it was time for the ultimate test that Philadelphia offers. Despite still being full from the breakfast wrap, AExtra decided it was time to figure out whether the best cheesesteak in the city of Philadelphia is made by Geno's or Pat's. While AExtra won't give away the answer in this blog, there will be a video showing the official decision later today on this site.

While the Terriers weren't able to overcome the size and athleticism of No. 6 Villanova, Boston U. fans have to be happy with how Pat Chambers had his team playing. The Terriers played hard for all 40 minutes, and once guys like Patrick Hazel and Darryl Partin get more comfortable in the offense and with the system of play the program is trying to run, this team should be fun to watch.

UMBC Advances to Second Round of NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship

By Curtis Schickner, UMBC ‘12

UMBC traveled up to Princeton, New Jersey Thursday evening to take on the Ivy League Champions, Princeton University. The Retrievers (13-4-1), on the backs of the America East Conference’s leading scorers Levi Houapeu and Andrew Bulls, opened up a very emotional first half. Roberts Stadium at Princeton University features a long seating section along the press box side of the field and a section behind each net. UMBC fans traveled up by bus to support the Retrievers in seek of their first-ever NCAA win. UMBC fans packed the bleachers along the length of the field while the bleachers behind UMBC goalie Dan Louisignau were filled with Princeton fans that created quite a hectic atmosphere.

The Tigers outplayed the Retrievers in almost every facet of the game through the first half of play. Coach Caringi noted in his post-game interview that, “that was the worst soccer we’ve played all season.” Despite their early postseason funk, the Retrievers were able to minimize the damage. In the 32nd minute, Antoine Hoppenot struck an absolutely brilliant corner kick from the right side of the net into the back corner, tucked right below the crossbar, to put the Tigers up 1-0. The future looked bleak for the Retrievers late in the first half, as they were being out-shot in shots on goal, 5-0. Every opportunity, shot, and foul seemed to go in favor of the Tigers until the final three minutes of the first half.

Andrew Bulls struck a ball towards Princeton goalie Sean Lynch, who deflected the shot towards the right side of the box, where Levi Houapeu was standing to bury an 11-yarder into the left corner. The deflated Retrievers instantly sprung to life as they chased Houapeu across the field and into the arms of the clamoring UMBC fans.

The late-half goal was the turning point for the Retrievers after a half filled with too much emotion and close opportunities for the Tigers. The Retrievers seemed to come out of intermission with a little more confidence and less urgency. They played more within their system and waited patiently as they countered every one of Princeton’s attacks. In the 79th minute, the play of the game developed in what seemed like slow motion on the field. A high pass from deep in their own box soared over the players at mid-field and landed between the mid-field circle and the box. Everyone looked down from the ball to see Andrew Bulls and Levi Houapeu sprinting frantically, in front of the Princeton defense, towards the ball that was now bouncing towards the Princeton goal. Houapeu settled the ball and took a few steps as Bulls spread out wide to the right. The goalie crept out towards Houapeu who slotted the ball to a wide-open Bulls, who found the back of the net and the eventual game-winner for the Retrievers. Bulls, like Houapeu, sprinted towards the UMBC section of fans and dove head first on the wet grass to celebrate the second goal of the game.

The remaining 12 minutes could have given Coach Caringi a heart attack as the Princeton offense produced an onslaught of opportunities against veteran net-minder Dan Louisignau. Louisignau recorded a career-high 10 saves in the match while eliminating a handfull of crosses in the waning moments of the match. The final horn sounded and the Retrievers celebrated their first ever NCAA tournament win on the field with their coaches and fans.

The Retrievers hit the road again on Sunday to take on #12 ranked William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, at 5 p.m. The Tribe are 15-3-2 on the season and finished first in the CAA. The Retrievers will look to extend their unbeaten streak to seven and notch their second NCAA tournament victory in school history.

Terriers Fall to #6 Villanova

Four Terriers in double digits were not enough to upset No. 6 Villanova (3-0)in the second round of the Preseason NIT. The Wildcats shot 55.2 percent for the game, as they defeated Boston University 88-62.

The Terriers (1-2) struggled in the first half to defend against Villanova's strong shooting and solid interior play. The hosts shot a blistering 58.6 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. For the second consecutive game senior guard Corey Fisher was held to mediocre numbers; however others players for Villanova stepped up their play.

Live Chat For Boston U. at Villanova

Chambers Set to Matchup Against Former School

For Boston University men's basketball coach Pat Chambers, the matchup against Villanova in the Dick's Sporting Goods Preseason NIT carries extra significance (Click here for recap of Boston U. victory over George Washington). It was Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats that gave Chambers the opportunity to build his reputations as an outstanding recruiter and one of the top young assistant coaches in the country.

Chambers spent five seasons at Villanova, helping the Wildcats to a 126-45 record and a spot in the 2009 Final Four. The move to the America East made sense for Chambers, as that is where Jay Wright emerged as one of the top young coaches in the country during his time at Hofstra. This history between the two coaches is what makes the game tonight even more exciting for fans of the America East to follow.

America East: Then and Now

Both Jay Wright, head coach of Villanova, and Jim Calhoun, head coach of Connecticut, are familiar with America East, having earned their first head coaching jobs in the conference.

Calhoun was named the conference Coach of the Year a record five times in his tenure at Northeastern, where he guided the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances. Among his top recruits was America East career scoring leader Reggie Lewis, the captain of the Boston Celtics at the time of his death in 1993. Calhoun has since coached 24 NBA players at UConn, including Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Caron Butler and Rudy Gay. He is 576-221 in his career at UConn, with his most recent win coming over former two-year captain Steve Pikiell, now the head coach at Stony Brook. His teams have advanced to the Final Four three times, winning National Championships in 1999 and 2004.

UMBC Women's Basketball defeats Coppin State for first win of the season

Junior center Topé Obajolu broke the school single-game record with seven blocks as the UMBC women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season, defeating cross-town rival Coppin State by a score of 58-51 in the home opener at the RAC Arena Tuesday evening. Here are Highlights and Post-game comments

UNH defeats Big Green in Home Opener

In their first home game of the season, the UNH women's basketball team did not disappoint, defeating Dartmouth College 65-52 on Tuesday night at Lundholm Gymnasium.

The Wildcats took control of the game early and never relinquished it. UNH took a 7-5 lead off of a Kate Early layup at the 16:20 mark and held that lead throughout the rest of the game. It was an encouraging performance for the Wildcats, who had been routed in their first game of the season at Notre Dame last Friday.

UMBC Volleyball Senior Weekend

By Curtis Schickner, UMBC '12

The UMBC volleyball team wrapped up their regular season this weekend in front of their most important fans, friends and family members. For seniors Bianca Sande and Sabrina Hoeks, this weekend was the last time their parents will see them compete at the collegiate level, even though the team qualified for playoffs next weekend in Albany. The two seniors were celebrated on Friday night when the Retrievers hosted UNH. The RAC Arena was adorned with black and gold streamers, balloons, and family from California and Washington. The underclassmen made signs, painted the gym, and made this weekend a college moment that the two women would never forget.

Terriers Top Colonials 76-67

The Boston University men’s basketball team accomplished a feat that they failed to achieve since 1979, defeat The George Washington University. Boston University had lost 11 straight to GW and were 1-17 in the series coming into Tuesday’s NIT first round contest. The Terriers held off a late Colonials rally and secured their first win of the season by a 76-67 score.

“I think we are starting to trust each other a little bit more,” Boston University coach Patrick Chambers said. “I think we are playing more together, they’re getting a sense of where guys will be and getting a little bit more comfortable with one another.”

The Terriers never trailed during the game and the closest the Colonials were to taking the lead was when the game was tied at two apiece at the 18:40 mark. The next 13 minutes the Terriers went on a 30-10 run, to increase their lead to a game high 20 points. The Colonials improved their play in the remainder of the half and only found themselves trailing by 14. One thing the Terriers will have to work on is rebounding this season, as they lost the battle on the board 41-30.

The Longest Day of Basketball Ever

After a well-documented wake-up at 4:30 a.m., AExtra is continuing to fight through this marathon day of basketball. Following the early wakeup and copious amounts of caffeine, AExtra was treated to a thrilling victory by Stony Brook as part of the ESPN 24-hour Tip Off Marathon. The game wasn't always pretty, which wasn't surprising due to the start time, but Stony Brook still managed to pull out a road victory. AExtra came away particularly impressed by JC transfer Al Rapier and freshman forward Anthony Mayo. Both guys give the Seawolves an added dimension of athleticism and length off the bench, which is even more important give the injury to Tommy Brenton.

Following a delicious breakfast of eggs and even more caffeine, AExtra hit the road for Philadelphia. Almost immediately after arriving in this fine city, it was time to head over to Villanova to catch up with Pat Chambers and the Boston University Terriers as they get ready to participate in the Preseason NIT.

Interview with BU Men's Basketball coach Patrick Chambers

The video is courtesy of Boston University Athletics.

UMBC NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Selection Show Party

Here is video and interviews from the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament Selection Show Party, that was thrown in honor of the 2010 America East Champion UMBC Retrievers. UMBC will play at Princeton in a first round game on 11/18/10 at 7 pm.

Tip-Off Take-Off: Refuse to Snooze Part 2

AE Online host and AExtra blogger Max Mandel discusses an early wake up for an early game.

Tip-Off Take-Off: Refuse to Snooze

AExtra chatted with Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell Monday afternoon to get his thoughts on his early-Tuesday-morning game at Monmouth.

Adios Baltimore....It's a day of travel for AExtra

Unfortunately, AExtra departs from Baltimore on the heels of two losses. Both Maine and UMBC got off to good starts, but neither team was able to keep the momentum going over 40 minutes. In this case of Maine, the absence of Sean McNally and Terrance Mitchell made the matchup with Maryland incredibly difficult. However, the Black Bears kept the game close throughout the first 15 minutes, with Murphy Burnatowski and Troy Barnies making excellent contributions. Unfortunately, foul trouble to Raheem Singleton and Gerald McLemore slowed down the offensive flow, which led to Maryland building a lead that Maine couldn't overcome.

Wildcats Take Down Lesley In Season Opener

The UNH men's basketball team started their season off on the right foot Saturday afternoon, delivering a dominating 79-47 win over Lesley University.

The Wildcats opened the game up in the second half, overwhelming the Lynx with pressure defense, turning turnovers into fast break opportunities. UNH scored 33 points off of 25 Lesley turnovers, while the Wildcats did a good job of securing the ball, turning it over just 11 times.

Senior guard Alvin Abreu led the way for UNH, scoring 20 points on 5-11 shooting from the floor and 8-8 from the charity stripe. Sophomore forward Ferg Myrick pitched in 18 points of his own, to go along with 7 rebounds.

UMBC defeats New Hampshire on PK's to win America East Men's Soccer title

For the second time in school history, the UMBC men’s soccer program will compete in an the NCAA Division I Championships as the Retrievers advanced, 5-4, in penalty kicks in the America East Conference title game after playing visiting New Hampshire to a 0-0 scoreless draw. America East Striker of the Year Levi Houapeu was named the Championships Most Outstanding Player. Here are highlights and post-game interviews.

Pre-Game with Randy Monroe

AExtra caught up with UMBC head coach Randy Monroe for some thoughts on the Retrievers prior to their season-opening game at home against VMI.

Ted Woodward Before the Game

AExtra was able to catch up with Maine head coach Ted Woodward before the Black Bears take on the Maryland Terrapins. Apologies for the audio, but the Comcast Center blasts the music throughout the arena.

Game Chat: Maine at Maryland/ VMI at UMBC

Goodbye Albany.....Hello Baltimore

After two days in the lovely city of Albany, AExtra has taken the Tip-Off Take-Off to Baltimore, Md. Since AExtra possesses the ability to be in two places at once, there will be coverage from two games today. At 2 p.m., AExtra will have coverage of Maine at Maryland. Due to its magical abilities, AExtra will also have live coverage from UMBC, as the Retrievers host VMI in their season-opener.

Before coverage from Baltimore kicks off, it's important to take a look back at the great performance by Vermont last night. With so many questions surrounding who would replace its departed stars, many people probably didn't consider Vermont as one of the top teams in the conference. While it was only one game, the Catamounts sure did look impressive in ending Siena's 38-game home winning streak. Senior forward Evan Fjeld, who possesses the top mustache in college basketball, dominated on the interior and provided this Vermont team with the leadership that head coach Mike Lonergan has been demanding.

Equally important was the performance of freshman forward Brian Voelkel. In his collegiate debut, Voelkel nearly recorded a triple-double, scoring nine points, grabbing 10 boards and dishing out nine assists. Voelkel is going to be a treat for America East fans to watch throughout his career.

AExtra has been spoiled by the intensity and quality of the games so far. With so many highly-anticipated games still to come, it should be exciting to see what the rest of this trip holds. By the way, for any fans that wish to join us for an in-game chat during both games today, AExtra will have Cover It Live set to launch at 1:30 p.m.