The Friday Fives

Another week coming to an end means another edition of the Friday Fives. We (the interns) our on our way back from Indianapolis today after a great time meeting other interns from around the country at the NCAA Headquarters. Get ready for the first weekend of February basketball with today's top plays, marquee matchups and more!

Top Plays



Marquee Matchups

WBB: Hartford at Boston U., Sat. 12 p.m.

The Terriers prevailed on the road against Hartford earlier this year in a low-scoring matchup. How will the Hawks change up their approach in this rematch of two top teams?

MBB: Boston U. at Hartford, Sat. 7 p.m.

The men's version of this matchup will be just as intriguing. Hartford is currently a half game out of third place and Boston U. is riding a three-game winning streak.

WBB: New Hampshire at Stony Brook, Sat. 2 p.m.

These two squads, along with Binghamton, are all tied up for fourth place in the conference. Stony Brook has hit a bit of a rough patch while the Wildcats are riding two straight wins. This is a big opportunity for positioning.

MBB: Maine at UMBC, Sat. 7 p.m.

Coming in tied for fifth place, this game could mean a lot come tournament time. UMBC just earned a hard-fought road win over Binghamton so look to see if it can carry the momentum.

WBB: Binghamton at Albany, Sat. 5 p.m.

The Bearcats have really fought hard on the road this season and own a 2-2 record away from home in conference. This road challenge against the Great Danes will be a huge test for Binghamton.

Leading The Pack: Men's Basketball

Team leaders for men's basketball statistics

Scoring Offense: Stony Brook (68.2 ppg)

Scoring Defense: Vermont (57.9 point allowed per game)

Field Goal Percentage: Boston U. (44.9%)

Rebounding Margin: Stony Brook (+5.6)

Turnover Margin: Hartford (+2.0)

Leading The Pack: Women's Basketball

Team Leaders for women's basketball statistics

Scoring Offense: Albany (65.8 ppg)

Scoring Defense: Albany (47.5 point allowed per game)

Field Goal Percentage: Albany (43.8%)

Rebounding Margin: Albany (+11.5)

Turnover Margin: Boston U. (+3.76)

Linked Up

Check out the new video feature from Vermont called "Catamount Country", which gives viewers an inside look at the men's basketball program.

The New York Post ranked the Stony Brook men second in its local college poll.

Luke Apfeld of Vermont and Jacob Iati of Albany were named to the Capital One All-Academic Team for District I in men's basketball. Congrats!

UMBC put up its nominees for top plays and players of the month.

President Ferguson of Maine also sat down to talk about his school with our camera crew..

Daily Word: On the Road

Our home for the next three days.

We (Bryan and John) are coming to you today live from the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis. Interns just like us from all around the country are gathering at the home of college sports from today until Friday to hear from distinguished speakers who boast a variety of impressive credentials. Today was our travel day so the blog will be a bit abbreviated, but look forward to getting your conference wrap up tomorrow and the Friday Fives the day after. Until then, let's wrap up the action from last night and visit the usual array of links.

Box Scores, Recaps and Highlights

Men's Basketball

Stony Brook 65, at Albany 49: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Anthony Jackson (SBU): 14 points (5-12 FG; 3-7 3FG; 1-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• Big Stat
• The Stony Brook defense clamped down big time in the second half, holding Albany to just 5-21 shooting from the floor. The Seawolves went into the break clinging to a six point lead but opened it up by outscoring the Great Danes 30-20 in the final 20 minutes.
• Supporting Cast
• Peter Hooley had an impressive game for Albany, racking up 17 points and three assists. For Stony Brook, Jameel Warney chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Tommy Brenton also had 10 points in the win.
• Local Media
• Newsday

Women's Basketball

at New Hampshire 61, Maine 54: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Kaylee Kilpatrick (UNH): 16 points (6-11 FG; 4-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists, 2 steals
• Big Stat
• New Hampshire did a great job distributing the basketball and getting everyone involved in the offense, as evidenced by the 15 assists on 23 field goals. Three Wildcats had at least three assists, led by Morgan Frame (4) and Ariel Gaston (4).
• Supporting Cast
• Cari Reed also chipped in 16 points for the Wildcats while Morgan Frame racked up 12 rebounds. For the Black Bears, Liz Wood struggled from the field but still had 12 points. Maine was led by Corinne Wellington and her 14 points.
• Local Media
• Bangor Daily News

Linked Up

The latest women's mid-major top 25 includes three America East squads.

Dr. Charles Brown announced his retirement from his post of Athletic Director at UMBC.

The recently names U.S. National women's lacrosse team has a pair of America East ties.

Check out one of our president spots to be featured on ESPN3 games. This one features Binghamton!

Speaking of Binghamton, check out the promo for the men's game tonight between the Bearcats and UMBC.

Under The Radar: Men's Basketball Part II

Last week we began the Under The Radar series by taking a look at some men's hoopsters from Albany, Binghamton and Boston U. It's time to continue our look at the players who are quietly having great seasons in the America East. Enjoy today's latest installment as we cover Hartford, Maine and UMBC.

Hartford Hawks

Wes Cole

The Hawks currently have three sophomores from Texas that make up their core. Mark Nwakamma is in the top 10 in the league in scoring, while Yolonzo Moore II is in the top 20. One of these two has led the team in scoring 13 out of 17 games. What about the other seven? Wes Cole, the third member of the sophomore class from Texas, leads the way with three games as the team's leading scorer.

Cole, a 6'0" guard, has been a big part of Hartford's outside attack this year. With 34 made triples this season, Cole ranks eighth in the conference and first on the team. Cole has been a big weapon off the bench this season for John Gallagher. While he has been a bit cold of late, Cole led the Hawks to one of their biggest wins this season with 22 points against Boston U. Look for him to play an important role come tournament time.

Maine Black Bears

Justin Edwards and Alasdair Fraser are both playing at all-conference levels this year for Maine. Xavier Pollard is one of the America East's leading assist men and Mike Allison has been a beast on the boards so far in conference play. But the past two games have featured some excellent outside shooting from a player who only has two starts on the year.

Zarko Valjarevic's two starts this year have come in the last two games and he has rewarded his squad with 10 triples. In his most recent game, Valjerevic notched seven from downtown which tied the single-game high for the conference this season. Maine, which has made the second fewest three-pointers in America East, may have just unleashed a new weapon.

UMBC Retrievers

Ryan Cook has been a great story for the Retrievers and this year is now the fourth-leading scorer in the conference at 15.7 per game. He and the rest of his teammates have received a huge boost this year from Brett Roseboro, the big man who transferred from St. Bonaventure. Roseboro, who is averaging 9.9 points per game this season on 49.1 percent shooting, has been the benefactor of numerous alley-oop lobs this year and has added a new dimension to the offense.

He has also made a huge impact on defense and you can tell by looking at the America East leaderboards. Roseboro is 11th in the conference in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots. With a talented big man in the middle, UMBC will still be a real threat in the conference tournament.

Linked Up

Congratulations to the Binghamton student-athletes, who achieved a 3.12 GPA this fall.

Jon Rothstein writes that the Stony Brook men have their eyes set on the field of 68.

Also from Stony Brook, Coach Steve Pikiell sat down with CollegeInsider.com for a podcast.

Relive UMBC's Mid-Day Madness with their Sights and Sounds video.

Stony Brook and Albany will tangle tonight in a huge men's basketball matchup. Check out the promo!

AEC Rewind: 1/28/13

Tommy Brenton

It was an important weekend in America East hoops, as the Albany women and the Stony Brook men held onto first place and the New Hampshire men and the Maine women got important wins. There were no shortage of great moments this weekend either. We had a triple-double, a new all-time leading scorer, a new member of the 1,000 rebound club, a Sportscenter Top 10 play and a big rivalry game on ESPN3. Get caught up on it all with the AEC Rewind.

Box Scores, Recaps and Highlights

Men's Basketball

at Boston U. 81, UMBC 75: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Chase Plummer (UMBC): 19 points (8-13 FG; 3-5 3FG), 11 rebounds, 3 assists
• Big Stat
• The Terriers had a huge advantage in the paint and it showed up at the end of the game. Scoring 46 points inside to UMBC's 26, Boston U.'s starting frontcourt had 29 points combined.
• Supporting Cast
• We mentioned Morris and Thomas, but the entire Terrier starting lineup registered double-figures. D.J. Irving had 13, Maurice Watson Jr. had 10 and six assists and John Papale also chipped in 10. For the Retrivers, Ryan Cook was a perfect three of three from downtown en route to 15 points.
• Local Media

New Hampshire 63, at Binghamton 45: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Ferg Myrick (UNH): 16 points (7-17 FG; 2-4 3FG), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
• Big Stat
• New Hampshire is leading the conference this year in three-point defense and this weekend's game versus Binghamton was no exception. The Bearcats were shutout from beyond the arc, missing on all 12 attempts. That is a testament to the focus New Hampshire puts on shutting down the outside game.
• Supporting Cast
• Jordan Reed had another nice game to add to his rookie resume at Binghamton. On 7-13 shooting from the field, Reed racked up 18 points and six rebounds to lead his squad. For New Hampshire, Chandler Rhoads netted 15 points to go with five assists and five steals.
• Local Media
• Seacoast Online
• Press and Sun

at Stony Brook 79, Maine 69: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Tommy Brenton (SBU): 15 points (5-7 FG; 5-9 FT), 14 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals
• Big Stat
• Maine struggled from the free throw line in this one, finishing just 8-24 from the charity striped. Paired with Stony Brook's solid shooting throughout (45% FG, 41.2% 3FG), the Black Bears weren't able to close the gap in the end. 
• Supporting Cast
• Eric McAlister had a career-high of 22 points on 8-11 shooting from the field for Stony Brook. For Maine, Zarko Valjarevic notched seven three-pointers, tying him with Jacob Iati of Albany for the single-game high this season. Justin Edwards also had 19 points and 13 boards for the Black Bears.
• Local Media 
• Newsday
• Bangor Daily News
• Making History
• Brenton's triple-double was the first in the America East since 2005. His 11 assists are the fifth highest single-game total in Stony Brook history. He went over 1,000 career rebounds in the game, becoming just the eighth player in conference history to do so. Oh an he made the pass on an alley-oop that was the No. 5 play on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays. Not a bad night for Mr. Brenton.

Vermont 50, at Albany 43: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Clancy Rugg (UVM): 14 points (6-8 FG; 0-1 3FG; 2-3 FT) 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
• Big Stat
• Vermont followed the method laid out by Binghamton earlier this year to shut down Albany's backcourt duo of Mike Black and Jacob Iati. In that game, the Bearcats limited the Great Danes' duo to 3-22 shooting from the field. On Saturday, the Catamounts help Black and Iati to 3-24 shooting. A big effort from the Vermont defense.
• Supporting Cast
• The Catatmounts only had four players score for them the entire game, so the contributions of Sandro Carissimo (13 pts), Ethan O'Day (13 pts) and Candon Rusin (10 pts) were pretty important. Black fought his way to 13 points for Albany while John Puk had a very efficient performance, notching 12 points on 6-7 shooting.
• Local Media
• Burlington Free Press
• Albany Times Union

Women's Basketball

at Albany 59, Vermont 32: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Ebone Henry (Alb): 21 points (6-13 FG; 2-4 3FG; 7-8 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals
• Big Stat
• It was an eight point game at the half, but Albany turned up the defensive pressure in the final 20. Outscoring the Catamounts 34-15, the Great Danes held their opposition to just 15.4 percent shooting in the second half, led by Henry and her six steals.
• Supporting Cast
• Shereesha Richards was the only other player to reach double-figures on the day, as she used a 6-7 shooting performance to notch 12 points. For the Catamounts, Niki Taylor and Kayla Burchill both had six points.
• Making History
• Ebone Henry became Albany's all-time leading scorer in the victory, a pretty big deal to those of us that count things. Henry was much more even keel in her reaction: "Offense just sells tickets," she said. "Defense wins championships." 
• Local Media
• Albany Times Union
• Burlington Free Press

Boston U. 63, at UMBC 49: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Rashidat Agboola (BU): 21 points (10-21 FG; 1-3 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Big Stat
• UMBC gave the Terriers all they could handle in the first half and only trailed 32-31 when play resumed. But that's when Boston U. went on a 22-4 run to put the game out of reach. The Terriers' defense held UMBC without a basket for nearly eight minutes during the run.
• Supporting Cast
• Chantell Alford chipped in 18 points and six assists for Boston U., while Mo Moran had 11 points and nine assists. Brittany Crowell had another good game for the Retrievers, netting 18 points, while Raven Harris also added 15 points.
• Local Media
• Boston.com

at Maine 67, Stony Brook 51: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Liz Wood (Maine): 12 points (5-9 FG; 0-2 3FG; 2-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks
• Big Stat
• The Black Bears held a 14-point edge at the free-throw line in this one, making 19 of their 20 shots. Stony Brook hit on five of seven attempts, but the big disparity at the charity stripe was one of the largest factors on Saturday.
• Supporting Cast
• Ashleigh Roberts came off of the Maine bench and tallied 14 points to go along with five boards. Danielle Walczak also had a nice game for the Black Bears, notching a double-double (12 pts, 10 rebs) to go with three steals and two blocks. For Stony Brook, Dani Klupenger had 14 points including four triples while Jessica Previlon added 12 points.
• Local Media
• Bangor Daily News

New Hampshire 60, at Binghamton 52: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Morgan Frame (UNH): 23 points (8-14 FG; 7-8 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
• Big Stat
• The Wildcats held a pretty significant advantage on the boards, outnumbering Binghamton 44-29. Led by Kaylee Kilpatrick's 12 rebounds, New Hampshire limited the Bearcats second-chance opportunities by grabbing 36 defensive boards.
• Supporting Cast
• Cari Reed reached 14 points on the strength of three triples to go along with her six rebounds for New Hampshire. For the Bearcats, Vaneeshia Paulk set a new career-high with 17 points while Jasbriell Swain added 11.
• Local Media
• Foster's Daily Democrat
• Press and Sun

Linked Up

Newsday asks the question, is Eric McAlister Stony Brook's X factor?

Tommy Brenton earned a mention in Jeremy Lundblad's weekend recap on ESPN.com.

The Maine Campus says Liz Wood is hitting her stride at the right time.

Remember Stump the Schwab on ESPN? Well if you always pondered giving him a run for his money, this Wednesday night is your chance.

If you haven't seen it on one of our ESPN3 games yet, here's the promo for this year's men's lacrosse championship. Awesome stuff.