Agganis Doubleheader

We had a busy night at Agganis Arena on Wednesday with an America East hoops doubleheader between Boston University and Vermont.

The women squared off in the night's first game. Boston U. got 28 points from Chantell Alford en route to a 72-64 win over the Catamounts.

In the nightcap, UVM built a 19-point second half lead and hung on to defeat the Terriers on the road, 68-67. Luke Apfeld and Matt Glass combined to score 29 points to pace UVM.

Take a look at some of the scenes from Wednesday night!

America East Daily Word - February 2

Lacrosse season is rapidly approaching and we knew it wouldn’t be long before local media coverage started to break down our teams. 

UMBC’s men’s lacrosse team was the subject of a handful of features today in the Baltimore Sun taking a look at some of the preseason storylines for the Retrievers. 

One such storyline is the competition at the goalkeeper position. Adam Cohen, after starting just twice last year, gets the preseason nod for the Retrievers according to coach Don Zimmerman. With Cohen getting the nod to start the season, that leaves UMBC with an experienced goalie ready in the waits. Check out what the Sun has to say about it. 

Zimmerman also chats a bit about some injuries that have plagued the team here in the early going of the season but he has taken an “optimistic stance.” With a solid group of underclassmen getting significantly more time in practice, the Retrievers, Zimmerman says, will be fine. 

And then there is the all-encompassing season preview breaking down reasons UMBC has to be optimistic and some key players to look out for. Make sure you keep an eye out for Nick Doub who could be a huge difference maker this year in Baltimore. 

UMBC opens its season February 18 at home against Robert Morris.

We had a huge night of hoops last night including a great doubleheader in Boston between the Terriers and Catamounts of Vermont. The Boston U. women came away with a 72-64 win and the Daily Free Press wraps that game up while the men played in a classic in the nightcap. Vermont let a 19-point second half lead slip away in the closing stages but escaped with a 68-67 win. John Fantino of the Burlington Free Press has more from both games. 

Albany completed the home and home sweep against UMBC as the women won a thriller in Baltimore and the men proved too much for UMBC back in Albany. Gerardo Suero scored 32 points, a new career high, to pace the Dane men. The Troy Record and Times Union take us through the action. 

Binghamton and Stony Brook split their matchups last night with the home teams winning in each game. The Seawolf men came out on fire, draining 14 three-pointers to get the win. Newsday was there to bring you reaction from Long Island. Meanwhile, the Binghamton women got back on track with a win at the Events Center. The Press and Sun Bulletin has more. 

And lastly, Hartford and UNH also split with the Wildcat men holding serve at home and the Hawk women doing the same in West Hartford. The Courant has more from the Hawks’ win and Foster’s Daily Democrat has the scoop from Durham. 

Elsewhere in hoops news, Stony Brook’s Tommy Brenton was featured on the College Basketball Nation Blog yesterday by Myron Medcalf. In the post, Medcalf explains what a boost Brenton has given to his team since returning from a knee injury. The junior forward leads the team in assists, steals and rebounds. Check out the feature, here.

 For your fill of conference news make sure to head over to AmericaEast.com for all of the latest!

Agganis Hot Spot Part 2

AExtra continues to preview national broadcasts of America East basketball.

Vermont at Boston University , 7 p.m. - - ESPN3

It’s a rivalry that stretches far beyond the basketball court.You can find the same intensity on the soccer pitch, the ice rink, the lacrosse turf.

Vermont versus Boston University, regardless of sport, is always a battle.

And on Wednesday night you can watch the storied rivalry continue live on ESPN3.

Agganis Arena will be hopping on Comm. Ave. with the Catamounts and Terriers battling for sole possession of second place in the league standings as we inch closer and closer to Championship weekend.

The two teams got together back in early January. The Cats took that matchup behind a big time game from Matt Glass. The Terriers struggled to find a rhythm in Burlington but a 7-1 record since sure indicates that they’ve found it.

Both teams are playing good basketball which makes Wednesday night quite intriguing.

AExtra chatted with both coaches about what it will take to get the ‘W.’

Joe Jones on how his team competed at Stony Brook…

“I just love the way we competed, down 14, the way we competed to make a run and get back into the game, it was awesome. It was awesome to watch a be a part of. It was a tough environment, tough game, a physical game, they made more plays down the stretch than we did but I was really proud of the way we handled ourselves and the way we competed.”

John Becker on the toughness of his team against New Hampshire…

“We’ve really done a better job closing out games and making plays at the end of games and that’s something we weren’t doing early in the year. I think our tough non-conference schedule is starting to pay dividends now and guys have done a great job of making plays down the stretch.”

Jones on the first matchup with Vermont…

“First of all you’ve got to give Vermont credit, they played very hard, they kicked our tail on the backboard, they executed their stuff, they were better than us that first game. And tonight is going to be a great game. It’s great for the league to be able to compete against teams like Stony Brook, like Vermont, great for the league.”

Becker on what we can expect from Agganis Arena tonight…

“I think it’s going to be a tough game. I think both teams are playing much better defensively and I expect both teams to really get after each other and it should be a hard-fought game, a defensive-minded game, hopefully it’s a good crowd being on ESPN3, a great atmosphere and we’re really going to have to play well to get this win.”

Jones on the keys to the game…

“They had great success running their offense against us the first time and executing. We’re one of the better defensive teams in the league and we have to play like it [tonight], we’re going to have to really compete. Their execution on the offensive end, us keeping them off the glass and us getting good quality shots on the offensive end and those are really the keys to us being able to come out with a ‘W.’

Becker on how to contain D.J. Irving and Darryl Partin…

“They’re two of the best players in our league. Obviously, D.J. Irving is as fast as an player in the league end to end so we have to keep him in front of us and make him take contested jump shots. Darryl’s good at getting out in transition, he’s going to get shots up we’ve just got to make him work for everything.”

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Catch all the action between the Catamounts and Terriers tonight on ESPN3.

America East Daily Word - February 1

Defend your home court and steal games on the road.

Such a simple plan of attack for conference play, yet an especially difficult task to achieve. 

Three men’s squads playing at home tonight have done exactly that. In fact, the four teams at the top of the league standings have yet to lose at home during conference play. 

Let’s start in Boston for the game of the night between the Terriers and Vermont. Boston U. has won 15 straight at home against America East opponents, an impressive streak to be sure. Their opponent, Vermont, is 5-0 at home this season in conference play. 

The first-place Stony Brook Seawolves feed off the raucous crowds at Pritchard Gym and have won 11 straight overall at home dating back to last season. Stony Brook looks to make that 12 in a row tonight against Binghamton. 

Albany, meanwhile, is a perfect 8-0 at home this season as it takes on UMBC tonight to try and make it 9-0. Stony Brook, Boston U. and Vermont all play at Albany in the second wave of conference action. 

Overall this season, those four teams are 18-0 at home in conference play.

In the lone remaining men’s game this evening, New Hampshire plays host to Hartford in Durham. 

We’ve also got four more games on the women’s side tonight all of which carry some intrigue when it comes to the league standings.

Boston University looks to remain the conference’s lone unbeaten when it hosts Vermontat Agganis Arena on ESPN3. AExtra has a preview of that game and you can check out the Daily Free Press’ pregame coverage as well. 

Albany travels to Baltimore as UMBC tries to avenge a loss at Albany earlier this year and Hartford looks to do the same when UNH invades the Chase Family Arena. In the final game of the evening, Stony Brook travels to Binghamton for a bout with the Bearcats. 

Before we leave today, take a look at the promo for tonight’s ESPN3 women’s game between Vermont and Boston U.

Agganis Hot Spot Part 1

AExtra continues to preview national broadcasts of America East basketball.

Vermont at Boston University, 5 p.m. – ESPN3

Boston University head coach Kelly Greenberg says her team learned the most from its conference opener at Vermont back in early January.

Seeing a 19-point lead evaporate over the course of the second half and having a tough time handling the defensive pressure of Vermont, the Terriers learned some valuable lessons in a game they did eventually win.

“We learned that there are two halves of basketball to play and about the balance we have,” Greenberg told AExtra.

Since that game, Boston U. has put those lessons into practice finishing the first half of league play unbeaten.

The scrappy Catamounts are in town looking to deal their opponent its first loss in conference play.

Expect things to get fast and furious at Agganis tonight on ESPN3. AExtra caught up with Greenberg and Vermont head coach Lori Gear-McBride to chat about a pivotal conference matchup.

Greenberg on finishing the first wave of conference play with a win…

“UMBC is a very good team and they are hard to play against, and they had their big crowd. Early on I thought we were a bit bothered by the noise level. And then to start the second half, we went on a nice run and our defense was just great – I don’t think they scored in the first 10 minutes – so it was nice to go into a long break with a W.

Gear-McBride on how things came together in the win at Stony Brook…

“We had the week to prepare so we were really able to focus on fixing some things with our team and I thought we spent a week just coming together and really getting focused on the second half of the conference season.

Greenberg on the lessons learned from conference game No. 1 at Vermont…

“Vermont does a great job trying to take away your strengths and when they were very physical in denying our three guards we kind of became flat. After that game we worked a lot on getting the ball inside, working from the inside out and that has really changed things for us. That Vermont game has been the game we’ve learned the most from.”

Gear-McBride on adjusting to playing without Lauren Buschmann and Lauren Wheeler…

“We’ve been able to reestablish some roles on the team and we are a very balanced team and in some ways even more balanced now that we’ve had some injuries. Our freshmen have stepped up, everyone is sharing the basketball, playing hard, playing unselfishly and I think we’re playing pretty  good basketball right now.”

Greenberg on what make Vermont so tough…

“They are scrappy, they play very hard. They’ve had some injuries which has hurt them but they’ve stood their ground and they’re pushing the ball more. They have some talented young players and it almost helps them that they don’t have as much experience [with the injuries] because they’re just going out there and letting it all out. I think it’s going to be an up-and-down and physical game and we’re looking forward to it.

Gear-McBride on what makes Boston U. so tough…

“They have a lot of talent first of all and it’s experienced talent. Having Alford and Moran playing and starting since they were freshmen, and Young and Agboola inside, they just have so many different weapons. They are very good on the offensive end, they know how to score, you can’t just stop one person or two people they have really strong players on the court all the time.”

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Catsversus Terriers tonight on ESPN3 at 5 p.m. as we play into the second wave of conference action.

America East Daily Word - January 31

The ESPN Sears Bracketbusters bracket was announced yesterday and for the first time ever, all nine America East men’s basketball teams will participate.

Stony Brook headlines the conference’s matchups when it travels to Boston to take on former America East member, Northeastern. The Huskies are unbeaten against America East foes this year, collecting wins against at Boston U. and at Vermont. Newsday breaks down the Seawolves’ matchup.

Boston University and Vermont will both receive challenges come Feb. 18 or 19.  The Terriers head to Loyola and Vermont hosts Niagara. The Catamounts haven’t played the Purple Eagles since the late ‘80s. John Fantino has more details in the Burlington Free Press.

Albany draws Rider at the SEFCU Arena where the Danes are unbeaten this season. Rider and Albany played once back in 1958 – the only meeting between the two teams. Check out the Times Union for more.

Binghamton will hit the road for a date with Radford in Virginia. The Bearcats played in a Bracketbusters game back in the 2007-2008 season defeating Manhattan, 66-56. The Press and Sun Bulletin has some interesting notes on this one.

Other matchups include Maine hosting Marist, New Hampshire welcoming Towson, Hartford playing at St. Peter’s and UMBC at Canisius.

Here is the America East’s full release.

More hoops news out of Vermont, Brian Voelkel is featured in the March edition of SLAM Magazine. The sophomore do-it-all forward has a sidebar in a section about under-the-radar players who demand attention on the court. Check out a picture.

Jumping off the court now, we’ll head to the track where Stony Brook’s Lucy van Dalen is making serious noise in her senior campaign. The New Zealand native has already qualified for two NCAA Championship races and will test her running prowess at the prestigious Millrose Games next weekend. Runner’s World caught up with her as did the New Zealand Herald to talk to her about her accomplishments.

We don’t have any hoops games on the docket this evening but tomorrow’s schedule more than makes up for that. Sixteen teams take the floor tomorrow night including four on ESPN3. Stay tuned to AExtra tomorrow for previews of both the men’s and women’s games between Vermont and Boston University.

For all the conference news, head over to AmericaEast.com  

Vermont Runs Past UNH Late

Back and forth and back and forth.

Such was the case for most of Sunday's game between Vermont and New Hampshire in Burlington on CBS Sports Network.

Enter Sandro Carissimo.

Vermont's point guard drained two huge three-pointers late in the second half fueling a 16-2 Vermont run to close out a 77-60 win over the Wildcats. Four McGlynn scored 20 points for the Catamounts.

America East brings you video highlights from an exciting day in Catamount Country.

America East Daily Word - January 30

The Stony Brook baseball team put together one of the finest seasons in America East history in 2011. 

Posting a school-record 42 wins and marching into the conference tournament with a 22-2 league record, the Seawolves believe things could be even better in 2012. 

College Baseball Insider thinks so too. 

Phil Stanton, College Baseball Insider’s Co-Founder, featured the Seawolves in an article today breaking down the 2011 season and looking ahead to the 2012 campaign that is not too far away. His main focus: the crop Cape Cod League veterans who return to Long Island for another shot at the America East title. 

Three of those veterans were Cape League all-stars this summer, including the league MVP Travis Jankowski. In addition, Willie Carmona is back after a fine summer on the Cape and a 2011 America East Player of the Year season. 

Joe Nathan Field will be the sight of quality baseball this spring and the starting point of a journey that Stony Brook hopes will stretch into June. 

Check out Stanton’s full article on the Seawolves, here. 

We’ll stay with the spring sports and some news from the lacrosse scene. The Hartford men’s lacrosse team comes in ranked No. 23 by Inside Lacrosse in its preseason rankings countdown. Coach Peter Lawrence and company look to build on an America East Championship season this spring. Meanwhile, Inside Lacrosse’s first preseason women’s poll has the Albany Great Danes at No. 16. The Danes were the last undefeated team in the nation heading into the NCAA Tournament last year. 

Now back to the hardwood, where Sunday’s only game featured Vermont, New Hampshire and a packed house at Patrick Gym in Burlington. Four McGlynn scored 20 points and Sandro Carissimo nailed two huge three-pointers down the stretch to seal a 77-60 Catamount win. The Burlington Free Press has all the postgame reaction. 

The common theme this weekend in women’s hoops was payback. All four victorious women’s teams avenged losses from earlier in the year. Hartford defeated Albany, Maine downed Binghamton, Vermont took care of Stony Brook and New Hampshire bested UMBC. That sets the stage for an exciting conclusion to conference play as we are just about a month away from the conference tourney. 

Maine’s win over Binghamton was the Black Bear’s third in five games. Richard Barron has his team playing a more consistent brand of basketball, one that the Portland Press Herald thinks can turn the Maine program around. 

On the men’s side this weekend, Stony Brook defended home court against Boston University in a game for first-place in the league, Albany squeaked one out on the road at Hartford and Maine downed Binghamton in Orono. 

More men’s hoops news comes to us from the TD Garden where Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics thanks to a late hoop from Kyrie Irving. The rookie’s father, Drederick, was in attendance to watch the play. The elder Irving was a guard on Boston University’s 1988 NCAA Tournament team and the Boston Globe wrote about the special moment last night in Boston. 

No games on tap for this evening but we’ve got several national broadcasts later in the week so stay tuned to AExtra for all of your pregame coverage.