Hawks and Bearcats Battle on ESPN3

AExtra continues to preview national broadcasts of America East basketball…

Binghamton at Hartford, 2 p.m. -- ESPN3

They were picked 3-4 in the preseason poll. They are 4-5 in the women’s standings right now.

Hartford and Binghamton both need wins on Saturday afternoon.

Hartford started the conference season 1-4 but a recent tear of four straight wins has the Hawks back in the hunt. A big part of that has been the defense which averages almost 10 steals per game in conference action.

Amber Bepko, a rookie guard for the Hawks, is coming off back-to-back games with eight steals. That ties a Hawk record and has really set the tone for the recent success. 

Binghamton, meanwhile, just climbed back to the .500 mark in conference play with its win over Vermont on Wednesday. Andrea Holmes scored 17 points in that game and is averaging 20 points per contest in her last two games.

The last time these two teams met, Binghamton was without the services of Viive Rebane who only played three minutes because of an injury. Hartford won the game 63-41 and has only lost once since.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in West Hartford and you can catch all the action on ESPN3.

America East Daily Word - February 10

The starting lineup for Boston University last night against Maine didn’t look like it normally does.

Regardless, the end result was another nice win for Boston U.

“I felt like they did a good job to start the game,” Jones told reporters after the game. “And I thought the guys that normally start, when they got in, did a heck of a job tonight."

And when they got in, Boston U. took off. A 17-4 outburst by the Terriers spanning the first 8 minutes of the game propelled them to the 67-54 win. The Boston Herald called it a “Sub-stantial win for BU.”

Combined with results from around the league last night, Boston U. guaranteed itself at least the No. 3 seed in the upcoming America East Tournament. The Terriers, along with Stony Brook and Vermont, have solidified the top three seeds in some order.

The Bangor Daily News and Boston Herald recap the action from Case Gym in Boston.

Elsewhere last night, New Hampshire and Albany tangled on ESPN3. New Hampshire used a 59-point effort from the trio of Alvin Abreu, Brian Benson and Ferg Myrick in the Wildcats’ 69-64 win. Couldn’t catch the game? The replay is still available on ESPN3 and we’ve got some highlights for you.

Stony Brook, meanwhile, took care of business at home against UMBC, 80-68. The win sets up a huge game on Sunday at Vermont. The Seawolves have a chance to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the tourney and collect at least a share of the regular season title. Newsday has all the postgame reaction.

In women’s basketball news, Vermont’s Nikki Taylor has a homecoming of sorts tomorrow when she and the Catamounts play at New Hampshire. Taylor is a native of York, Maine, and the Portsmouth Press Herald featured the former local star in today’s paper. Take a look at the story.

Believe it or not, the 2012 softball season is officially underway. Maine played two games today at South Florida. The Black Bears fell in the opener to Illinois St. and then in the nightcap to South Florida.

For all of your America East news, make sure to check out AmericaEast.com.

Cats Topple Danes

Alvin Abreu, Ferg Myrick and Brian Benson combined to scored 59 of New Hampshire's 69 total points and the Wildcat defense held Albany to just 64 to pick up a solid win at home on Thursday night.

Abreu led all scorers with 21 points while Myrick and Benson each added 19. Gerardo Suero scored 20 points to lead Albany.

We had our video camera to bring you some sights and sounds from the ESPN3 contest. Check it out!

Danes and Wildcats on ESPN3

AExtra continues to preview national broadcasts of America East basketball…

Albany at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. – ESPN3 

A stingy defense against a dynamic offense.

That’s the recipe for tonight’s ESPN3 bout between New Hampshire and Albany in Durham.

Both teams are in search of important conference victories after tough losses on Monday. Stony Brook escaped Durham with a hard fought win while the Danes lost to Boston U. in the final seconds. Shaking off those losses will be paramount to performing well tonight.

“We have to take that game [against Boston U.] as a learning experience,” Albany’s Logan Aronhalt said. “We know we can’t get it back.”

And New Hampshire’s Chandler Rhoads know his Wildcat team is so close to breaking through.

“We really proved to ourselves that we could guard [Stony Brook],” Rhoads said. “Now it just comes down to making more plays offensively.”

Aronhalt and Rhoads shared more insight about their teams with AExtra leading up to tonight’s big game.

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Aronhalt on moving past Monday’s game… 

“It leaves a lasting taste in your mouth because it was so hard to lose at home, especially since last year [Boston U.] did the same thing to us. I think the guys are rebounding well and we are really focusing offensively being patient and taking great shots especially when teams are going on a run on us, scoring every time down the floor. We know we need to be that much better defensively and make much better decisions on offense.” 

Rhoads on taking positives away from the Stony Brook game… 

“They’re by far the No. 1 team in the league right now and both times we played them were defensive games, we’re both defensive teams. Monday’s game showed us that we can hold our defensively with them and we can play with them.” 

Aronhalt on some keys to the New Hampshire game… 

“We have to bring it. We’re kind of reeling right now after two losses in a row and UNH is a tough place to play. I don’t think anyone on the team has won at UNH. We know we’re in for a battle. They’ll be a team that shoots a lot of threes and they’re dangerous like that so we have to bring some that intensity and be ready to go.” 

Rhoads on some keys to slowing down Albany’s offense… 

“They have a lot of guys who can score – Aronhalt, Suero, Black – so one of the biggest keys for us is rebounding. It’s been an Achilles heel of ours. The first shot defense is good but then offensive rebounds and things like that have been hurting us. So we’ve got to clean up the glass. 

Aronhalt on what Albany learned from the first meeting with New Hampshire…

“We’ve watched a lot of film over the last two days and Coach has told that [the first game] was one of our best games defensively. I don’t think we did anything we can’t do again but we really need to buckle down and defend well and make good decisions on offense too.” 

Rhoads on the impact of the return of Alvin Abreu…

“We really missed him last year so it’s good to have him back. He’s a senior, an older guy, he’s obviously a leader on our team. He’s been such a steady guy in our program and it’s great to have him back on the court and off the court as well. He does a great job of keeping spirits up and he is playing really well right now and that’s big for us coming down to the end of the season.

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Catch Aronhalt and Rhoads tonight on ESPN3 starting at 7 p.m. Eric Frede and Frank Sullivan have the call from Durham.

America East Daily Word - February 9

During the 2010 State Farm Slam Dunk Contest Competition, an ESPN announcer said Marqus Blakely “has a better elevator than we’ve got in our hotel room.”

He used to dazzle fans in Burlington with his vicious blocks and his high-flying dunks.

And now he gets to do that during NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Fla., as a Development League all-star.

Former Vermont Catamount Marqus Blakely, currently suiting up for the Iowa Energy, was named a D-League All-Star yesterday and will play for the East squad during the NBA all-star festivities in Orlando on Feb. 25. Blakely is among 20 of the game’s top prospects to be selected.

The two-time America East Player of the Year is averaging 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per games with the Energy this season. Blakely finished the 2010-2011 season with the NBA’s Houston Rockets, a stint that saw him dress for the final regular season game against the Timberwolves.

The Burlington Free Press keeps you updated on one of the best players in America East history.

We’ll stay on the hardwood to recap yesterday’s women’s contests throughout America East land. The midday matinee between Albany and New Hampshire saw the Danes keep hold of the No. 2 spot in the standings with a 68-59 win at home. The Troy Record and Times Union have more on that one.

Elsewhere, Binghamton avenged a loss earlier this season to Vermont by defeating the Catamounts in Vestal, 54-43. The win pushes the Bearcats back to the .500 mark in conference play. Check out some highlights from WBNG-TV in Vestal.

Lastly, Boston University won its 11th straight game by defeating Maine in Orono and UMBC completed the season sweep of Stony Brook on the road. The Bangor Daily News has more from Orono.

We have three important conference matchups tonight on the men’s side highlighted by the ESPN3 game between New Hampshire and Albany in Durham. Also on the docket, is Maine at Boston University and UMBC at Stony Brook. All three games are important as we play the final stretch before the conference tournament.

Several pieces of lacrosse news were released today including several more stories on the UMBC men’s lacrosse team from the Baltimore Sun. The return of one player and the shift of another have the Retrievers excited for the season. Inside Lacrosse picked some sleepers in the women’s lacrosse scene for the season and Stony Brook, the mag says, is a team to look out for with an influx of new talent.

For all of you conference news, head over to AmericaEast.com.

America East Daily Word - February 8

Craving an in depth, and we mean “in depth,” breakdown of the rest of the America East men’s basketball season?

Look no further because we’ve got one for you. 

USA Today published a comprehensive look at the standings, remaining games, keys to those remaining games and a team-by-team look around the league.

The timing of such an inclusive release fits in perfectly with the point of the season we are at. Tournament time in Hartford is just around the corner and there is still so much to decide. In fact, we could see the first signs of a playoff bracket this week. 

The report mentions a few games to watch this week including tomorrow night’s UMBC-Stony Brook matchup on Long Island and the New Hampshire-Albany tilt in Durham. A win for Stony Brook over UMBC sets up the potential for Stony Brook to capture a share of the regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament with a win at Vermont on Sunday. And the Danes and Wildcats continue to jockey for position before we get to Hartford in a few weeks. 

Take a look at the full report and see what USA Today has to say about your team!

In women’s basketball news, Boston University, winners of 10 straight games, cracked the Mid Major Top-25 poll today checking in at No. 22. The Terriers are the only conference unbeaten remaining and will go for eleven straight tonight at Maine. The Bangor Daily News has a preview of that game.

Albany and Hartford, meanwhile, received votes for the Mid Major Top-25. Albany collected four tallies and Hartford grabbed one. The Danes hold down the second spot in the league standings and a four-game winning streak has Hartford right back in the hunt in third.

The College Preview Issue of Baseball America went out to subscribers recently and Stony Brook’s Travis Jankowski, the 2011 Cape Cod League MVP, found himself the subject of a major spread in the mag. Jim Shonerd calls Jankowsi the program’s “gold standard” and one of the main reasons the Seawolves will have another great year. Check out the article, here (subscription required).

Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard spoke on Monday at Binghamton University as part of the women’s athletics luncheon. The Press and Sun Bulletin caught up with the seven-time medalist to about her career-path and future goals. Check out the feature. Our own Chelsey Canavan also sat down with Beard and will produce a video feature later this week on AmericaEast.com.

We’ve got a full slate of women’s hoops this evening in addition to the Boston U.-Maine bout in Orono. Albany and New Hampshire play this afternoon in a weekday matinee. Elsewhere tonight, Vermont is at Binghamton to take on the Bearcats and Stony Brook hosts UMBC. The Burlington Free Press has more on the Bearcat-Catamount showdown.

For all of the live coverage links to tonight’s games, check out AmericaEast.com.

Seawolves Top Wildcats

It lived up to its "defensive battle" billing.

Stony Brook and New Hampshire played solid defense throughout Monday night's game on ESPN3 but in the end, the Seawolves got a few more key stops and knocked down some free throws to wrap up a 57-48 road win.

With the win, Stony Brook maintains its hold on first-place in the conference standings.

Tommy Brenton led Stony Brook with 14 points and Alvin Abreu scored 19 for the Wildcats.

Relive some of the action with some sights and sounds from Durham.

merica East Daily Word - February 7

Maine announced the recipients of the 2012 “M” Club Dean Smith Awards over the weekend.

The award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athlete with outstanding academic and athletic achievement along with citizenship and community service.   

Kelly Newton of the field hockey team and Andrew Rogers of the men’s basketball team garnered that distinction this year.

The Bangor Daily News ran a feature highlighting the two Black Bears and how their academics are intertwined so successfully with their athletic schedules and abilities. Pete Warner breaks down the success of these two student-athletes, speaking to both of their coaches about what makes them such fitting recipients for the awards.

“[Newton would] come into practice having run from her last class to the locker room and got dressed, then she ran out the minute practice was over because there was something to go to,” head coach Josette Babineau said in the article.

Rogers, meanwhile, was dubbed the “ultimate student-athlete” by his coach who sees no boundaries for his 5-foot-9 floor general.

Check out the full article about Newton and Rogers, here. And for a video of the entire ceremony which saw over 200 Black Bear student-athletes honored for their academic achievement, click here. 

We’ll stay in Orono to start the recaps of three men’s hoops games last evening. In the Pit, Vermont jumped out early and never looked back against the Black Bears en route to a 79-69 win. UVM received 17 points from Matt Glass and Maine got 20 from Gerald McLemore and 15 from Justin Edwards. The Burlington Free Press and Portland Press Herald have more from this one.

Elsewhere, Stony Brook played lockdown defense against New Hampshire to pick up its seventh consecutive win, 57-48. Both teams struggled offensively but some key free throws made the difference for the Seawolves. Foster’s Daily Democrat and Newsday break it down.

And the game of the night took place in Albany between the Danes and Boston University. Albany had a 16-point lead in the second half but that’s when Darryl Partin went off. Partin scored 25 of his career-high 33 after intermission and the Terriers came back from a 81-78 win. Read more from the Albany perspective from the Times Union and Troy Record. To get the Boston U. story, check out the Daily Free Press.

One game on the docket this evening as UMBC hosts Hartford in Baltimore in what is a key game for both teams in the league standings.

For all your America East news, check out AmericaEast.com.

Seawolves Invade Wildcat Country

AExtra continues to preview national broadcasts of America East basketball.

Stony Brook at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - - ESPN3

Defense, defense, defense.

And after that, Stony Brook and New Hampshire will play more defense.

Expect Monday night’s game between the Wildcats and Seawolves to be a gut-check on the defensive end as both teams pride themselves on how hard they guard.

Stony Brook is atop the league allowing just 59.2 points per game while UNH sits at third allowing 64 per contest. That’s a recipe for a defensive battle in Lundholm Gym, where the Wildcats have earned six of their eight total wins this year and 8 of 11 all-time meetings against Stony Brook.

And with just three and a half weeks until tournament time, you don’t need to remind these two teams just how big a game this is.

AExtra got the chance to speak with New Hampshire’s Alvin Abreu about it will take to get a win on Monday.

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Abreu on the Wildcats’ win against Hartford last time out…

“I think it was a great win for our psyche because we’ve been kind of down coming of some tough, tough losses. So any win we can get is good. It gives us some extra lift, gives the team some life. Everyone feels good after a win like that.”

Abreu on what it will take to knock off Stony Brook…

“Stony Brook is really, really good. They’re at the top of the league, they’re proving themselves right now. They have the veteran experience and they’re playing very good basketball. It’s going to take a solid game with minimal errors. We definitely have to keep them out of the paint, limit them to one shot and turn defense into some offense.”

Abreu on what UNH learned the first time it played Stony Brook…

“First and foremost we learned that they’re a very tough and physical team so we have to try to match them in that department or we’re going to struggle to win the game. We have to bring up our level of toughness, intensity and physicality in the paint. They’re very well coached, I’m impressed by their defense, they’re just a solid team all around. “

Abreu on the getting the Seawolves at home…

“You always like to play home games. At their place, they had a lot of fans on their back and we have some good fans here, some loyal fans. A lot of them helped us to rally against Hartford, they really picked us up in the tough stretch we were going through, so we’re looking forward to Monday.”

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Stony Brook invades Wildcat Country tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.