The Friday Fives

Yesterday we previewed this weekend's upcoming action. Today, let's take a different look at everything with top plays, games to watch, stats you need to know and the best links of the day. As always, thanks for reading and make the Friday Fives the start of a great weekend!

Top Plays




Marquee Matchups

WBB: Albany at Siena, Saturday 5 p.m. -- Part one of the Albany cup will feature the women. Julie Forster and company are looking for their third straight win over Siena.

MBB: Albany at Siena, Saturday 7 p.m. -- This is the men's version of the Albany Cup and it features a Great Danes squad that is off to a 5-2 start on the season.

WBB: St. John's at Boston U., Saturday 1 p.m. -- Boston U. will become the second America East squad to take a shot at the nationally ranked Red Storm this year.

WBB: Providence at Hartford, Saturday 2 p.m. -- Hartford will play its second Big East squad in as many weeks as the Hawks look to continue their hot start.

MBB: Vermont at Rhode Island, Saturday 2 p.m. -- Vermont goes on the road for yet another tough road game, this time with the Atlantic-10 Rams.

The Numbers Game

20: Ferg Myrick poured in 20 last night against Connecticut as the Wildcats gave the Huskies a run for their money. With 6:10 remaining, Myrick sunk a three to bring New Hampshire with in three points, but the Huskies were able to hold on.

62.2: Albany sophomore Megan Craig has been shooting the ball very well for the Great Danes so far, and her 62.2 field goal percentage is good for 20th in the country (as of 12/25).

3.23: Mo Moran has been great for Boston U. so far this season, dishing the ball all over the place and taking care of it as well. Her assist to turnover ration of 3.23 is 16th in the country (as of 12/25).

57-2: The Vermont women had two incredible seasons in a row in 1991-92 and 1992-93. The head coach of those teams that won 57 games in two years? Cathy Inglese. The former coach will return to Burlington this weekend for the TD Bank Classic as the head coach of Rhode Island.

7.49: Last year UMBC sprinter Mercedes Jackson took the America East Championship by storm, as she set a school-record and facility-record in the 60 meter dash at 7.49 seconds. The 2012-13 indoor track & field season gets underway this Saturday.

Linked Up

The latest edition of Stony Brook's Get Your Red on Minute went live today.

Boston U. student-athletes will be teaching leadership skills to local middle and high school students.

Two America East women's soccer players have been named NSCAA Third-Team All-Americans.

Check out UMBC's Athlete of the Month and Top Plays for November!

The Binghamton volleyball team spent some time with local media this week. The Bearcats face No. 1 Penn St. in the NCAA Tournament tonight!

Daily Word: Weekend Preview

It's hard to believe that another month has nearly come and gone. Fall championships are over and winter sports are nearly in full swing, with indoor track and field getting started this weekend. Even harder to believe, we're just over a month away from basketball conference play. Wednesday, January 2nd is the date to circle on your calendars, as teams begin the drive for this year's America East title. 

Before all of that gets underway, however, we've got some great non-conference action over the weekend, including the Albany Cup, the Binghamton women taking a trip to Arizona and a third America East men's team trying its hand at Connecticut. Get ready for all of that and more with today's weekend preview.

Men's Basketball

Justin Edwards had a big night vs. Northeastern.

Thursday, November 29

Hartford at Yale, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire at Connecticut, 7 p.m.
Canisius at UMBC, 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 1

Brown at New Hampshire, 1 p.m.
Boston U. at St. Peter's, 2 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Stony Brook, 2 p.m.
Maine at Duquesne, 2 p.m.
Mount St. Mary's at Binghamton, 2 p.m.
Vermont at Rhode Island, 2 p.m.
Albany at Siena, 7 p.m.


What's Trending?

• Vermont is carrying the conference's longest current winning streak, having come away victorious in its past three games. 
• Jordan Reed of Binghamton has posted four double-doubles in his five games this season.
• Albany has won two straight and will look to make it three against its cross town rival, Siena.
• Justin Edwards poured in 30 points last night as Maine beat Northeastern, its second victory in a row. Edwards' 30 points are the most in the America East this season.

Women's Basketball

Friday, November 30

Houston Baptist at Vermont, 7 p.m. (1)
Stony Brook at Youngstown St., 7 p.m.

Kelsey Hogan is perfect from the free-throw line this year.

Sautrday, December 1

St. John's at Boston U., 1 p.m.
Providence at Hartford, 2 p.m.
New Hampshire vs. Quinnipiac, 4 p.m. (2)
Drexel at Vermont, 4 p.m. (1)
Maine at Florida Gulf Coast, 4:45 p.m.
Albany at Siena, 5 p.m.
Binghamton at Arizona St., 6 p.m. (3)

Sunday, December 2

New Hampshire vs. TBA (2)
Binghamton vs. TBA (3)

(1) Vermont TD Bank Classic
(2) Brown Classic
(3) ASU Classic

What's Trending?

• Albany and Stony Brook have both won back-to-back games coming into the weekend. The Great Danes had a 35-point win over NJIT, while the Seawolves grinded out a tough win over Robert Morris.
• Kelsey Hogan has yet to miss a free throw this year for New Hampshire. A perfect nine for nine, Hogan is tied with several players across the country for the national lead. 
• UMBC senior Raven Harris has been getting out in the passing lanes this season, tied for fourteenth in the country with four steals per game.
• Chantell Alford has been deadly from distance this year, sinking 3.5 three pointers per contest so far, good for eighth in the country (as of 11/25).

Linked Up

Listen to Vermont women's coach Lori Gear McBride talk about the upcoming TD Bank Classic and honoring the coach of the early 90's Catamounts, Cathy Inglese.

UMBC men's soccer player Liam Paddock becomes the fifth Retriever in school history to garner first-team academic all-American honors.

Albany previews the upcoming men's basketball clash with Siena.

After his 30-point outburst, Justin Edwards made an appearance in SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness blog today.

Binghamton swimmer Devin Zdanowski was featured in his local paper.

Daily Word: First Impressions Part 4

Last night saw a pair of impressive victories for America East hoops, one on the men's side and one from the women. Coach John Becker and Vermont went down to Cambridge last night and beat Harvard on national TV. The Crimson had been 30-1 in home games since February 2010, so the win was no small task by any means. Sandro Carissimo was spectacular for the Catamounts, as he poured in a career-high 25 points to lead the way.

While Vermont's win was highlighted by some offensive excellence, the Boston U. women are in the spotlight after last night's win because of defense. The Terriers moved to 4-3 by holding Rhode Island to 29 points for the entire game. That is the lowest point total allowed by an America East team since Binghamton held Colgate to 26 points in 2007.

We'll some more hoops action tonight, but first let's continue with our First Impressions series, looking at the women from Hartford, Maine and UMBC.

Hartford

The Hawks 5-1 start has been fueled by a balanced offense in which four players average between nine and 12 points per game. Leading the way has been senior forward Nikkia Smith with 12 ppg. Smith has been in double figures in five of the six games including a 16 spot against nationally ranked St. John's. The best part about her offense so far has been the efficiency with which she has scored: Smith has converted on 50 percent of her shots and 72.7 percent of her free throws. 

Also chipping in has been sophomore Amber Bepko. The guard was named Hartford's Athlete of the Week recently and spoke in an interview about how opposing teams are laying off of her a bit. Unfortunately for the opposition, the guard has made them pay. Bepko is sinking nearly two three pointers per contest and making 35 percent of her tries. Just another weapon for Coach Rizzotti.

Maine

Ashleigh Roberts has been a bright spot for a Black Bears' squad that is struggling to hit its stride. The junior is the conference's second leading scorer at 14 per game and is also hauling in five boards and 1.8 steals per contest. Roberts is another guard who rebounds exceptionally well and is in the top 10 in defensive rebounds per game this season.

Freshman guard Sophie Weckstrom is showing promise in Orono, dishing out three assists per game and doing so with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0, good for fourth in the America East.The Black Bears have had trouble with the turnover early on, so her development thus far is a great sign.

UMBC

Lauren Chase does all the things you want your point guard to do: she scores (13.6 ppg), she runs the offense (4.4 apg), she gets in the passing lanes (2.1 spg) and she gets to the line (76.3 percent in 38 attempts). The best part for the Retrievers? Chase is just a sophomore. Make sure you get a chance to watch her play when UMBC comes to town.

Joining Chase in the back court is another sophomore that gives UMBC a dangerous tandem for the future. Bria White sat out last season after transferring from Longwood. So far, her presence has been worth the wait. White is seventh in the conference with 13 points per game and 1.7 three-point field goals per contest. Her and Chase are one of the best back court duos in the conference.

Linked Up

Hartford (No. 9) and Boston U. (No. 21) are both ranked in this weeks' women's mid-major poll. Albany is in the receiving votes section. 

On the men's side, Albany, Vermont and Stony Brook are all receiving votes.

The Boston U. women's soccer team earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award.

Check out the new virtual guides for America East men's and women's basketball.

Stony Brook running back Miguel Maysonet was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Maysonet was also mentioned in an article by Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (ESPN Insider required).

What's Next?

Men's Basketball

Binghamton at Penn, 7 p.m.

Coastal Carolina at Boston U., 7 p.m.

Maine at Northeastern, 7 p.m.

Stony Brook at Cornell, 7 p.m.

Women's Basketball

New Hampshire at Harvard, 7 p.m.

Stony Brook at Robert Morris, 7 p.m.

NJIT at Albany, 7 p.m.

Daily Word: First Impressions

The hoops season is heating up and we've seen America East squads play all across the country in these opening weeks. As a part of the season kick-off, we're taking a look at some of the standout statistics from each men's and women's team. Last week we highlighted Albany, Binghamton and Boston U. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and this week we'll move on to Hartford, Maine and UMBC. As an added bonus, the first batch of NCAA statistics went up and we'll tell you which America East players have a spot on the leaderboards. First up, the men.

Hartford

Hartford's Mark Nwakamma

Hawks sophomore forward Mark Nwakamma is one of only two players in the conference to be in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding. Through five games, Nwakamma has been the focal point of Hartford's offense, leading the team in scoring (17.0 ppg), rebounding (7 rpg), field goals made and attempted (33 for 70) and blocks (7). He's also second in minutes (33.4 per game) and assists (12). Safe to say that he is going to be a focus point for defenses all year long.

Fellow Texan Yolonzo Moore II has stepped up as a floor general for Coach Gallagher, leading the team in assists while also joining Nwakamma as the only other Hawk to average double-figures. The sophomore is tenth in the conference with 3.2 dimes per contest and has also been one of the most accurate shooters from distance so far, making 46.7 percent of his three-point attempts.

Maine

The big man in the middle, Alasdair Fraser, has delivered so far this season after being selected to the preseason all-conference squad. Fraser has two double-doubles already and just missed a third in the team's first win over Siena on Sunday. Aside from an uncharacteristically low-scoring game in the season opener against Dartmouth, the junior has reached double-figures in every other game.

Justin Edwards, the Black Bears' second leading scorer a season ago, has resumed his high-scoring ways in 2012-13. Through five games, Edwards 13.4 points per game are just a hair below his 13.9 per game average last year. Edwards has also been the top thief in the America East thus far, swiping 2.8 steals per game.

UMBC's Chase Plummer

UMBC

How about the start Ryan Cook is having? The senior has poured in 16.6 points per game while hauling in 8.2 boards for the Retrievers. When UMBC nearly topped Central Connecticut St. a week ago, Cook had a monster double-double with 20 and 10. Cook has been extremely effective on the offensive boards, averaging 4.4 boards per game on that end. Paired with Plummer, who we'll talk about in just a second, the Retrievers have themselves a nice one-two punch.

Chase Plummer joined Fraser as a preseason all-conference selection has contributed an excellent 13.2 points per game in the early going. And while opposing defenses have forced him into a few too many turnovers, Plummer is making up for it in other ways, like his 1.8 steals per game and his five boards per contest. Additionally, Plummer has done all of this without finding his touch from the field yet. If his shooting percentage takes a hit up to the 41.6 percent mark from last season, look out.

NCAA Leaderboards (for games through 11/25)

Individual

Jordan Bronner (UNH): T-9 in assist/turnover ratio (6.0)
Alasdair Fraser (Maine): T-41 in blocks per game (2.4); T-25 in rebounds per game (10)
Sandro Carissimo (Vermont): T-1 in free throw percentage (100% -- 12 for 12)
Luke Apfeld (Vermont): T-19 in free throw percentage (94.7% -- 18 for 19)
Justin Edwards (Maine): T-25 in steals per game (2.8)
Jacob Iati (Albany): T-16 in three-pointers made per game (3.33); T-25 in three-point FG percentage (51.3)
John Papale (Boston U.): T-23 in three-pointers made per game (3.2)

Team

Albany: T-33 in three-point field goal percentage (40.5)
Boston U.: T-30 in thee-pointers made per game (8.6); 34th in turnovers per game (11.2)
New Hampshire: 20th in defensive field goal percentage (35.7)
Stony Brook: 50th in rebounding margin (+7.3)
Vermont: 18th in free throw percentage (77.4); 37th in scoring defense (56.8)

Linked Up

People are taking notice of the rising athletics program at Stony Brook.

Stony Brook (18) and Albany (20) made an appearance in the ILWomen's 2013 preseason rankings.

Mike Black fought off injury last night to will Albany to a victory over Wagner.

The New Hampshire women turned to their bench to get a win over Cornell yesterday.

UMBC's Pete Caringi III, Stony Brook's Leonardo Fernandes and Vermont's Conor Leland are all nominees for the Soccer News Net College Boot Player of the Year award. Follow the link to vote!

What's Next?

Women's Basketball

UMBC at American, 7 p.m.
Vermont at Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Canisius at Binghamton, 7 p.m.
Boston U. at Rhode Island, 7 p.m.

Men's Basketball

Vermont at Harvard, 7 p.m.

AEC Rewind

The Monday after a long weekend (especially one which revolves around devouring large quantities of food) are always tough. But it's a gorgeous day here in Cambridge as we look back on a weekend that was stocked full of America East hoops. Check out all the scores, stories and highlights from the past few days in today's AEC Rewind.

Men's Basketball

Ryan Cook leads the conference in scoring.

Saturday, Nov. 24

Canisius 75, at Stony Brook 82: Box/Recap
Central Conn. St. 77, at Hartford 80: Box/Recap/Highlights
New Hampshire 50, at Holy Cross 60: Box/Recap
Boston U. 45, at George Mason 48: Box/Recap/Highlights
Marywood 51, at Binghamton 76: Box/Recap

Sunday, Nov. 25

Siena 66, at Maine 72: Box/Recap
Stony Brook 62, at Connecticut 73: Box/Recap/Highlights

Fast Break

Mike Black and Jacob Lati are responsible for 48.5 percent of Albany's total scoring output through six games.

Binghamton's Jordan Reed has racked up a double-double in three of his four games this year, including 21 and 11 against Marywood.

Dom Morris recorded his third career double-double in Boston U.'s loss to George Mason.

Hartford scored 80 points in its win over CCSU, shooting 55 percent from the floor. It was the Hawks highest scoring total in

Xavier Pollard of Maine set an America East high for 2012-13 with 12 assists in the Black Bears' win over Siena.

UMBC is set to play Marquette tonight behind the America East's leading scorer, Ryan Cook (18.5 ppg).

New Hampshire is leading the conference with five blocked shots per game, thanks in part to Chris Pelcher (2.2 bpg).

Tommy Brenton had a steal and a dunk with 13:04 left in the game versus Connecticut to put Stony Brook up 39-35. Though the Seawolves would succumb to the Huskies, Brenton now has 13 steals on the year (2.2 per game).

Vermont's offense has been a balanced attack thus far, as no player is averaging double figures, but three are averaging more than nine points per contest. The Catamounts have had three leading scorers in four games.

Women's Basketball

Saturday, Nov. 24

Ashleigh Roberts leads Maine in points per game.

VCU 74, at Maine 58: Box/Recap
Vermont 61, at North Florida 64: Box/Recap
Dartmouth 49, at Albany 62: Box/Recap/Highlights
Siena 62, at Binghamton 44: Box/Recap
Boston U. 58, at Michigan 67: Box/Recap/Highlights

Sunday, Nov. 25

Cornell 56, at New Hampshire 59: Box/Recap
Stony Brook 59, at NJIT 34: Box/Recap
St. John's 66, at Hartford 54: Box/Recap/Highlights
Eastern 40, at UMBC 78: Box/Recap/Highlights

Fast Break

Megan Craig had a career-best 27 points in Albany's win over Dartmouth.

Jasbriell Swain continued her excellent rebounding from the guard position, hauling in eight boards as Binghamton fell to Siena.

Boston U. made 11 three-pointers in its loss to Michigan, the second-highest total in the conference this season. The Terriers lead the conference in three-point makes and percentage.

Hartford got within four points of No. 18/16 St. John's with just over five minutes to play before the Red Storm pulled away. The Hawks are 5-1 on the season.

Ashleigh Roberts of Maine has scored in double-figures four of the last five times out, including two 20-plus showings. Roberts is the conference's third leading scorer at 14 per game.

UMBC's 38-point margin of victory over Eastern was the largest in the America East this season. The Retrievers are scoring just over 65 points per contest.

After its victory over Cornell, New Hampshire is 4-0 all-time versus the Big Red. The Wildcats are also 11-2 in their last 13 home openers.

Stony Brook's Jessica Previlon has notched two straight double-doubles, including a 15 point, 10 rebound showing in a win over NJIT.

Tierra Shumpert scored a career-high 21 points as Vermont lost to North Florida and is now the Catamounts' leader scorer (11.2 ppg).

Linked Up

The Hartford men's basketball team paid a visit to a local children's hospital before Thanksgiving.

Stony Brook gave Connecticut a good game yesterday, but that's not enough for the Seawolves.

Before the Seawolves tangled with the Huskies on Sunday, the Hartford Courant took a look at the work Coach Pikiell is doing on Long Island.

Binghamton will face No. 1 Penn St. in the NCAA volleyball tournament.

Check out the newest episode of Vermont's Catamount Weekly.

What's Next?

Men's Basketball

Wagner at Albany, 7 p.m.
UMBC at Marquette, 8 p.m.