The Friday Fives

Before Nemo blankets us all in a thick layer of the fluffy white stuff, get ready for the weekend with the Friday Fives. Here in Boston, they're closing down public transportation and we're bracing for upwards of two feet. Hopefully your forecast isn't as bleak. Stay safe, everyone.

Top Plays




Marquee Matchups

MBB: Stony Brook at Hartford, Sat 7 p.m.

While the Seawolves are looking to maintain their post as the top dog in the conference, Hartford and Mark Nwakamma will be amped up to try to defend their home court.

MBB: Albany at Maine, Sat 3 p.m.

Maine started off the conference season looking like a real contender and it has a chance to prove that again in a matchup tomorrow versus the third place Great Danes.

WBB: Vermont at UMBC, Sat 1 p.m.

Both teams are coming off of tough losses and a win on Saturday would go a long way in playoff positioning. The dangerous UMBC offense will have to solve a tough Vermont defense in this one.

WBB: Hartford at Stony Brook, Sut 4 p.m.

Stony Brook is in the midst of a tough stretch and hosting the Hawks won't make things any easier. Hartford lost another close game to Boston U. recently and will be looking to get back on track in Stony Brook.

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

The Bearcats have been on the verge of a few big victories throughout the year. Knocking off the red hot Terriers won't be an easy task, however. Boston U. comes into the game with Dom Morris playing some excellent basketball.

Fab Five - MBB Freshman

Conference rank in ( - )

Jordan Reed (Bing): 16.0 ppg (2nd), 8.7 rpg (1st), 41.3 FG%, 34.6 mpg (3rd)

Jameel Warney (SBU): 11.7 ppg (12th), 7.6 rpg (5th), 59.5 FG% (1st), 1.6 bpg (T-1st)

Maurice Watson Jr. (BU): 10.7 ppg (17th), 4.9 apg (1st), 47.1 FG% (8th), 1.7 spg (3rd)

Peter Hooley (Alb): 8.6 ppg, 3.2 apg (9th), 41.8 FG%, 82.7 FT% (4th), 1.6 A/T (3rd)

John Papale (BU): 9.0 ppg,  49 3PM (4th), 43.3 FG%, 41.5 3FG% (4th), 2.5 rpg

Fab Five - WBB Freshman

Conference rank in ( - )

Shereesha Richards (Alb): 9.6 ppg (16th), 5.9 rpg (10th), 59.2 FG% (1st), 2.5 OREB/gm (7th), 2.2 spg (7th)

Liz Wood (Maine): 9.1 ppg (18th), 6.2 rpg (9th), 34.2 FG%, 2.5 apg (10th), 32.0 mpg (8th)

Katie Roth (Hart): 5.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 36.0 FG%, .70 spg, .47 bpg

Brittany Snow (SBU): 6.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 38.2 FG%, 1.43 OREB/game .82 spg

Kylie Atwood (UVM): 3.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 31.2 FG%, 34.9 3FG% (7th), 1.27 apg

Linked Up

Albany head coach Will Brown advanced in the third annual CollegeInsider.com Shots From the Heart competition. Here's the bracket and here is the press release.

Stony Brook's Jon King was featured in his hometown newspaper.

The Seawolves women's basketball team will continue its partnership with the Boys and Girls Club.

Vermont president Tom Sullivan sat down to talk about his school in the latest America East president spot.

Fall sports scholar-athletes were announced this morning. Congrats to all the winners!

Conference Wrap: 2/7/13

While much of New England continues to go into lock down mode because of winter storm Nemo (I guess someone finally found it/him), America East basketball continues to march towards March. Seven more games last night and we've got a recap of everything right here.

Box Scores, Recaps and Highlights

Men's Basketball

Chase Plummer

Albany 79, at UMBC 56: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Chase Plummer (UMBC): 15 points (6-11 FG; 3-6 FT), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals
• Big Stat
• UMBC played a solid second half but wasn't able to overcome its ice cold start from the field. In the first half, the Retrievers shot 6-28 from the floor (21.4%) and scored just 19 points to the Great Danes 36. 
• Supporting Cast
• For Albany, Jacob Iati led the way with 14 points on the strength of five triples. He was joined in double-figures by DJ Evans and Peter Hooley. Brian Neller continued his stretch of excellent play by adding 12 points for UMBC.
• Local Media
• Albany Times Union
• Troy Record

Hartford 76, at Binghamton 62: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Mark Nwakamma (Hart): 22 points (7-11 FG; 8-10 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
• Big Stat
• This game was a story of two halves, as Binghamton trailed by just two points heading into the half. After shooting 51.9 percent in the first 20 minutes, the Hawks turned up the defense and held their opposition to 36.4 percent from the floor and just eight made field goals. Hartford then made 13-18 free throws in the second half to seal the deal.
• Supporting Cast
• John Peterson chipped in 16 for the Hawks and Wes Cole made four from deep to rack up 12 points. For the Bearcats, Jordan Reed once again led the way with 17 points. Taylor Johnston also heated up from deep, nailed four shots from beyond the arc.
• Local Media
• Press and Sun

at Vermont 63, New Hampshire 48: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Luke Apfeld (UVM): 16 points (4-6 FG; 2-4 3FG; 6-6 FT), 2 rebounds
• Big Stat
• The Vermont defense brought its A-game again. New Hampshire became the third straight team to be held below 50 points against the Catamounts, who are 3-0 in those games. They also turned defense into offense all night, outscoring New Hampshire 16-4 in points off of turnovers.
• Supporting Cast
• With Apfeld back from injury, he and Clancy Rugg now form a nice front court pairing for the Catamounts. Rugg had 13 points in the win and Brian Voelkel also added 14 rebounds. For the Wildcats, Patrick Konan led the way with 15 points.
• Local Media
• Burlington Free Press
• WCAX News

Women's Basketball

at Albany 85, UMBC 41: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Shereesha Richards (Alb): 22 points (6-8 FT; 10-13 FT), 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists
• Big Stat
• Albany's defense showed up big time in this one and didn't allow a single UMBC scorer to reach double-figures, something that is a tough task consider they have three starters who average 10 or more. Combined with that, the Great Danes shot 57.7 percent in the first half to help put things away.
• Supporting Cast
• Megan Craig also showed up big off the bench, tossing in 19 points and eight boards. For UMBC, Ashley Lambert led the way with nine points.
• Local Media
• Troy Record

at Boston U. 64, Stony Brook 45: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Rashidat Agboola (BU): 17 points (6-6 FG; 5-5 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
• Big Stat
• The Terriers "Big Three" all delivered in this one, as Chantell Alford (20 pts) and Mo Moran (12 pts) combined with Agboola to outscore Stony Brook 49-45. The combined field goal percentage of this group was 60 percent.
• Supporting Cast
• Sabre Proctor led Stony Brook with 14 points on 5-12 shooting from the field. Teammate Chikilra Goodman also chipped in 10 points for the Seawolves.

at Hartford 65, Binghamton 50: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Nikkia Smith (Hart): 14 points (7-13 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• Big Stat
• Hartford overcame a poor shooting performance in the first half by doing a few things really well. The first was shooting 51.6 percent in the second half. The second was forcing 22 turnovers which led to 22 points.
• Supporting Cast
• Amber Bepko helped out in the scoring department by chipping in 12 points and four assists. For the Bearcats, Mallory Lawes led the way with 10 points and four rebounds.
• Local Media
• Press and Sun

at New Hampshire 67, Vermont 45: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Kelsey Hogan (UNH): 17 points (6-6 FG; 4-4 3FG; 1-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Big Stat
• Vermont couldn't get it going from the field in the first half and that was the difference in this one. After shooting 4-27 in the first 20 minutes, the Catamounts trailed 29-11. New Hampshire helped seal the deal by shooting 66.7 percent in the second half and 57.5 percent for the game.
• Supporting Cast
• Elizabeth Belanger (12 pts) and Kaylee Kilpatrick (10 pts) reached double-figures for the Wildcats. For Vermont, Annie Wheeler had 14 to pace her squad. 
• Local Media
• Seacoast Online
• Burlington Free Press

Linked Up

Gnarlz, the New Hampshire mascot, is the latest America East mascot to get a #Chance2Dance

New Hampshire is also doing some research on barefoot running. Definitely worth checking out.

Stony Brook running back Miguel Mayonset earned an invite to the NFL Combine.

Also from Stony Brook, check out President Sam Stanley chatting about the Brook.

ESPN baseball writer and prospect guru Keith Law called former Binghamton pitcher Mike Augliera a sleeper in the Boston Red Sox system. If you are an ESPN Insider, you can read the full article here.

Under The Radar: Men's Basketball Part III

A full lineup of America East hoops awaits tonight, so get ready for all of that action by checking out the final men's piece in our Under The Radar Series. Today's players hail from New Hampshire, Stony Brook and Vermont. Next Tuesday we'll wrap up with the women. Enjoy!

New Hampshire Wildcats

UMBC wasn't the only America East squad who gained a big man this season. Much like previous Brett Roseboro, Chris Pelcher came to New Hampshire after two years with Iona. The one time top 300 recruit according to ESPN has transitioned nicely to the America East and is currently fourth in blocked shots. The junior is averaging 9.7 points per game on the season and is also seventh in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Pelcher gives the Wildcats a legitimate threat in the paint, something every coach on the planet wants. Paired with fellow junior Patrick Konan, New Hampshire has a duo to build around. Pelcher in particular has been very efficient from the field this season, ranking third in the conference with a 53.3 percent field goal percentage.

Anthony Jackson

Stony Brook Seawolves

The Seawolves have shown themselves to be deep on the offensive end, with a duo of Dave Coley and Jameel Warney leading the way most nights. Tommy Brenton also falls into this category, though he's always been more of a do-it-all player than a pure scorer. Stony Brook's under the radar guy is someone who stepped into a starting role this year.

Anthony Jackson has been the primary back-up point guard for the past two years, only this season becoming the guy in the backcourt. Earlier this season he missed a few games with an injury and Carson Puriefoy had to step up to fill the void. Jackson has been dangerous this season, averaging 11.4 points and shooting 85.1 percent from the charity stripe, which ranks second in the conference. His experience and poise will be a huge factor in Stony Brook's postseason run this year.

Vermont Catamounts

One of the biggest questions for Vermont this season was who would score the basketball. The departures of the Catamounts leading scorers left a cast of role players needing to step up and take control. While the offense still runs through guys like Brian Voelkel, Sandro Carissimo and Luke Apfeld, it's been someone else who has become the go-to-guy for Vermont.

Named Mr. Basketball after his senior year at Burlington High School in Vermont, Clancy Rugg did a post-grad year at Northfield Mount Hermon with fellow Catamount Josh Elbaum. When he came back to Burlington, there was not immediately a primary role for him. But now, Rugg is Vermont's leading scorer with 11.1 points per game. The junior really stepped up when his team needed him, averaging 17.8 points per game in the five games that Apfeld missed.

Linked Up

The Burlington Free Press has a pair of articles talking Vermont basketball, one on the men and one on the women.

In addition to the America East baseball preview posted on our website earlier, Baseball America released their preview, which is free to all.

Today we released our first Black History Month feature. Stay tuned for all four videos, which will be released each Wednesday throughout the month of February.

Under The Radar: Women's Basketball Part II

We had a quick interruption last week wit the trip to Indianapolis, but lets get back at with the Under The Radar series. Today we'll cover the women from Hartford, Maine and UMBC as we continue working our way through the league. Enjoy!

Hartford Hawks

The Hartford scoring attack is among the most balanced in the league, with no single player averaging more than 10.9 points and six averaging more than five points. This under the radar player is in that group and might be scoring more if not for some nagging injuries throughout the course of the season.

Amber Bepko is the second-leading scoring this year for the Hawks, despite missing seven games. The sophomore sharp-shooter is netting 10.1 points per game including 1.6 triples per contest. When she's out on the floor she brings another dimension to the Hartford offense, pairing with Nikkia Smith to form an inside-out attack. Her health will be key to this team down the stretch, as it takes aim at an America East Championship.

Liz Wood

Maine Black Bears

If you were to just look at the season-long stats, it wouldn't tell you the whole story with regard to how well freshman Liz Wood has been playing. Averaging a modest 9.1 points per game on the season, Wood has been one of the best players in the conference of late. Over her last six games, the forward is netting 16.5 points and 8.17 rebounds per game, including back to back games over the 20 point plateau.

While the last six games have been her coming out party, Wood is 10th in both scoring and rebounding since conference play began. This year has been a struggle for the Black Bears, but watching Wood's progress has to be very encouraging. Her and sophomore forward Danielle Walczak will form quite a one-two punch moving forward.

UMBC Retrievers

The Retrievers have formed quite the trio as the season has progressed, at times playing a lineup as short as five. Leading the cause are Brittany Crowell (12.9 ppg) and Raven Harris (11.5 ppg), but Bria White has been a rock-solid third option. The youngest of the three, White is posting 10.4 points per game on the season.

White's highlights this season include leading the team in scoring in back-to-back games early in conference play. One of those games was the Retrievers first America East win, coming against Maine. Currently tied with New Hampshire for fifth in the conference, UMBC is 2-2 over its last four games and discovering its identity on offense. With a third option as talented as White, these Retrievers could make some noise in the tournament.

Linked Up

Check out the matchups the Vermont and Albany drew in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters on ESPN.

The latest CollegeInsider.com podcast features Hartford men's basketball coach John Gallagher.

Stony Brook checks in at 22 on the CollegeInsider.com men's top 25 poll, with Albany and Vermont receiving votes.

Check out episode two of the new season of America East On Campus!

Baseball season is just around the corner and Hartford wants to take you behind the scenes for a look at the pitchers.

AEC Rewind: 2/4/13

Can you believe it's already February? Conference play is in its second trip around the circuit and Selection Sunday is only a little over a month away. There were some statement wins made this weekend as the playoff picture begins to take shape. Get caught up on anything you may have missed this weekend with today's AEC Rewind.

Box Scores, Recaps and Highlights

Men's Basketball

at Albany 79, Binghamton 46: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Jacob Iati (Albany): 16 points (6-8 FG; 4-6 3FG), 3 assists
• Big Stat
• Albany lit it up from the field throughout the game, shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from the three-point line. The starters shot an even more impressive 64 percent from the field and an even 50 percent from downtown.
• Supporting Cast
• Jayson Guerrier had 18 points in just 17 minutes off the bench for Albany. He tallied five triples on seven attempts as a part of that effort. For Binghamton, Jordan Reed and Brian Freeman each racked up 14 points. Reed also chipped in two assists and two steals.
• Local Media
• Albany Times Union
• Press and Sun

Mark Nwakamma

at Hartford 66, Boston U. 58: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Mark Nwakamma (Hart): 22 points (9-15 FG; 1-2 3FG; 3-5 FT), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
• Big Stat
• This isn't necessarily a stat that made the difference in the win, but its significant nonetheless. Hartford, with its victory Saturday, swept Boston U. in conference play for the first time since 1998-'99. The Hawks have definitely emerged as a legit threat this season with a prime-time player (PTPer as Dickie V. would say) in Nwakwamma.
• Supporting Cast
• Wes Cole chipped in 10 off the bench, including a pair of big triples, for Hartford. For the Terriers, D.J. Irving had 14 points and eights boards in the loss.
• Local Media
• Hartford Courant
• Boston.com

at UMBC 68, Maine 67: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Chase Plummer (UMBC): 17 points (6-10 FG; 1-1 3FG; 4-11 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
• Big Stat
• UMBC had to go small in this one, with three big men out. As a result, they did not dress a player taller than 6'6". That meant that guards really had to step up and step up they did. Despite the lack of size, UMBC was only outrebounded 37-34 thanks to eight rebounds from Ryan Cook and seven from swingman Plummer.
• Supporting Cast
• Brian Neller played the role of hero in this one for UMBC, rising up and nailing the game-winning triple with 0.5 seconds remaining. The senior sharpshooter finished with 12 points on the night. Joey Getz also had a career-high 16 for the Retrievers. For Maine, Zarko Valjarevic (featured on the blog last week) led all scorers with 20 points while hoisting up 17 three-point attempts.
• Local Media
• Baltimore Sun
• Bangor Daily News

Stony Brook 56, at New Hampshire 54: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Dave Coley (SBU): 13 points (4-9 FG; 1-1 3FG; 4-4 FT), 8 rebounds
• Big Stat
• 10 is the number to take away from this one. The Seawolves lead the country with 10 road wins in 2012-13, and this win in particular embodies the toughness with which they play away from home. Both teams were great from the free throw line, as Stony Brook made 15 of 18, including 12 of 14 in the second half.
• Supporting Cast
• Anthony Jackson and Jameel Warney both chipped in 11 points for Stony Brook. Warney added to his conference leading block total of 36 (tied w/ Alisdair Fraser) with two. For New Hampshire, Chandler Rhoads led the way with 12 points and seven boards.
• Local Media
• Newsday

Women's Basketball

at Albany 69, Binghamton 41: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Ebone Henry (Alb): 22 points (7-15 FG; 2-5 3FG; 6-6 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Big Stat
• Albany shot exactly 12-25 in both the first and the second half, good for 48 percent from the floor for the game. All the while, the Great Danes held Binghamton to 30.6 percent shooting for the game.
• Supporting Cast
• Shereesha Richards and Julie Forster both reached double-digits for Albany. For the Bearcats, Sherae Swinson led the way with 12 points while Mallory Lawes added 10 of her own.
• Local Media
• The Troy Record

at Boston U. 42, Hartford 40: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Chantell Alford (BU): 12 points (5-15 FG; 0-1 3FG; 2-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists
• Big Stat
• In a back and forth defensive battle, Boston U. opened the second half on an 8-0 run that gave it enough of a cushion to hold on. Alford made two big free throws down the stretch and Whitney Turner came up with an offensive rebound on the front end of a one and one. 
• Supporting Cast
• Rashidat Agboola nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds for the Terriers. To lead the Hawks, Nikkia Smith tallied 12 points while Ruthanne Doherty also had 11.

Danielle Walczak

UMBC 86, at Maine 79: Box/Recap

• Top Performer
• Danielle Walczak (Maine): 28 points (10-15 FG; 8-10 FT), 11 rebounds, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Big Stat
• UMBC scored a season-high 86 points on the strength of 12 triples, also a season-high. The Retrivers needed all of them, as Maine put on a scoring show of its own. The top three scorers for both schools combined for 50+ points, with UMBC big three reaching an even 60 points and Maine's tallying 57.
• Supporting Cast
• Brittany Crowell (22), Raven Harris (20) and Bria White (18) all had huge games for UMBC, just as they've been doing for the better part of conference play. For the Black Bears, Liz Wood continued her strong rookie season with 19 point and 12 boards while Courtney Anderson added 10 points.
• Local Media
• Bangor Daily News

at Stony Brook 60, New Hampshire 47: Box/Recap/Highlights

• Top Performer
• Sabre Proctor (SBU): 17 points (7-11 FG; 0-1 3FG; 3-5 FT), 1 rebound
• Big Stat
• Stony Brook had a big edge in many of those coaches stat categories that show up on the bottom of the box score. The Seawolves outscored New Hampshire 34-22 in the paint, 22-11 off turnovers, 6-0 on the fastbreak, and 22-16 in bench points. It was a complete effort by Stony Brook and it showed up in the box score.
• Supporting Cast
• Chikilra Goodman added 11 points for Stony Brook while the due of Cari Reed (14) and Morgan Frame (12) combined for 26 of New Hampshire's 47 points.

Linked Up

As the Troy Record puts it, the sky is the limit for Albany's Megan Craig.

New Binghamton women's lacrosse coach Stephanie Allen is looking forward to the challenge.

The Maine Campus writes about track and field athlete James Reed and his record-breaking ways.

CollegeBaseballInsider.com sat down with Stony Brook pitcher Brandon McNitt.

The men from Vermont and Albany will find out their ESPN BracketBusters opponent tonight at 6:30 on ESPNU.