America East Notebook
It’s finally settled, and in quite a fashion
Although Vermont clinched the top seed last Monday and the regular season title outright on Thursday, there was plenty of drama on the last day as several seeding battles came right down to the wire.
Northeastern locked up second place with a 70-63 home win over Albany. Later, it was learned that they took second outright as Binghamton picked up a 65-48 home win over Boston University. Binghamton will be fifth seed with the win, as Maine beat Vermont but loses the tiebreaker.
The only things left to be decided were the final three seeds, and two games on the final day decided that. With New Hampshire beating Stony Brook and UMBC beating Hartford, New Hampshire is the eighth seed, UMBC is ninth and Hartford is the tenth seed.
A complete list of the matchups will come with a look ahead to the tournament later this week.
Challenging Season Can Still End Positively for Maine
The first season at the helm has not been an easy one for new Maine head coach Ted Woodward. A team that returned most of the key players from last season, the Black Bears figured to be one of the top challengers to two-time defending champion Vermont. But injuries and other player departures have taken their toll on the team, making it difficult to get into a team rhythm, and hence the Black Bears enter the conference tournament as the fifth seed.
Despite the struggles, the Black Bears remain a dangerous team, especially if guards Chris Markwood and Ernest Turner are more healthy come this weekend. That would give them their floor leader and top scorer, and along with veterans like Kevin Reed, Joe Campbell, Mark Flavin and David Dubois, the Black Bears have a good core capable of making a run in the tournament like they did three years ago.
“We’ve had situations this year where we haven’t had our full roster for quite a while,” said Woodward. “We’re actually starting to get guys back, bit-by-bit.”
Turner, who missed four games with a separated shoulder, looked a little tentative in his first game back on Thursday against Boston University. He didn’t drive as much as he has in other games and played limited minutes. Campbell, who is valuable to the team in so many ways because of his basketball acumen, is the only Black Bear to start every game this season.
Markwood figured to be the incumbent at the point guard position entering the season. He wasn’t known for his ability to play the point, but was certainly capable, and for a while was doing well with it. In early January, he broke his hand, which kept him out for three weeks. He’s still not 100 percent now, but is playing through it.
“I give the kid a ton of credit. The kid has worked so hard to make this a great senior year for himself,” said Woodward. “He wants to make his senior year a great one, and he’s just had some unfortunate circumstances happen to him, but he’s played through it every step of the way.”
Player of the Week
Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont, and Jose Juan Barea, Northeastern
Coppenrath scored 69 points in two games, including 39 points against New Hampshire on Monday and the Catamounts won both games he played in. Barea led the Huskies to two more wins this past week, scoring 50 points and dishing out 17 assists in the two games.
Rookie of the Week
Shawn James, Northeastern, and Brian Hodges, UMBC
Northeastern partially sweeps the awards this week, as James racks up his sixth honor of the season. He had his and the school’s second triple-double ever on Sunday against Albany, scoring 15 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and blocking 11 shots. Hodges led UMBC in scoring in both of their games last week, including 14 points in Sunday’s win over Hartford.
Albany (13-14, 9-9 America East)
The Great Danes finished the season with plenty of splits – splitting games for the final week, as they have the past few weeks, and splitting their conference slate as they take fourth place with a 9-9 mark.
On Wednesday, they shot 51 percent from the field, but it wasn’t enough as host Stony Brook pulled out a 68-63 win. They trailed by as many as 13 points and faced an uphill battle most of the night, getting 21 points from Jamar Wilson.
In Sunday’s 70-63 loss to Northeastern, they never gave up despite falling behind on more than one occasion. After falling behind 12-2 early, they rallied to eventually take the lead late in the half. Then early in the second half, 14 consecutive Northeastern points put the Great Danes behind by 18, but they would steadily cut into the lead and get it into single digits for most of the final three minutes, but they got no closer than five. Lucious Jordan had 13 points to lead Albany.
Binghamton (11-16, 8-10)
The Bearcats came on strong in the final month, going 6-2 and being sparked by a five-game winning streak to start, to finish in fifth place. Last week, they bounced back from a 58-54 loss at Hartford with a strong 65-48 home win over Boston University on Sunday to close out the regular season.
Wednesday’s loss at Hartford involved a seemingly magic formula for the Bearcats to lose – they shot just over 30 percent from the field, marking the 13th time this season they shot below 40 percent, and they fell to 1-12 in those games. They were also outrebounded 41-33. Alex Adediran led the Bearcats with 16 points and Troy Hailey added 15 as he continues to shoot the ball well.
On Sunday, the Bearcats were never seriously challenged after making eight of their first 11 shots and opening up a 30-11 lead in the first half. They withstood a run of 11 unanswered by the Terriers, with Hailey hitting two clutch three-pointers to push the lead back into double figures for the rest of the game. Andre Heard led the way with 16 points, while Nick Billings had a solid game in his final home game with 13 points and three blocked shots and Billy Williams had 12 points. Williams had missed a significant amount of time in recent weeks, and his return will help the Bearcats as they attempt to make a run in the conference tournament.
Boston University (20-7, 14-4)
The Terriers still had a chance to get second place with a little help entering last week, but wound up in third place after splitting their games, a home win over Maine and a 65-48 loss at Binghamton. With the one win, they have won 20 games for the fourth straight year, the first time that has happened at the school.
“Obviously, I’m very proud of the fact that these guys were able to win 20 games for four consecutive years,” head coach Dennis Wolff said of his seniors. “It’s a terrific accomplishment.”
Thursday night, the Terriers pulled out all the stops against Maine after the Black Bears took a 17-16 lead. They went on a 13-1 run to take the lead for good, consistently holding off mini-runs that the Black Bears made in the second half. Chaz Carr (21 points) and Rashad Bell (17) led the way in their final regular season home game, while freshman Tony Gaffney was the key reserve with 12 points.
“I think Gaffney played the best game he’s played since he’s been here,” said Wolff.
At Binghamton, a fast start by the Bearcats did the Terriers in. The Terriers ran off 11 unanswered points to get back in the game, but never got within single digits after that as they shot under 35 percent from the field. Bell was the only player to score in double figures, making all nine of his free throws en route to 13 points.
Hartford (8-19, 4-14)
The Hawks wind up in last place despite splitting their games last week. They snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 58-54 home win over Binghamton, then headed south and lost 68-58 at UMBC.
The Hawks shut down Binghamton early, as they allowed the Bearcats to make just one of their first 12 shots from the field and ran off 10 unanswered points for an early double-digit lead. That would be as high as their lead got, as they held off several charges from the Bearcats in the second half before holding on for the win. Aaron Cook had his first career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Against UMBC, it was the Hawks who went south on the offensive end at a key stretch, as they made just one of their first 14 shots in the second half to lose a halftime lead. UMBC went on a 23-5 run, and Hartford never got within eight points in the final five minutes. Charles Ford and freshman Brian Glowiak each had 12 points to lead the way for the Hawks.
Maine (13-14, 8-10)
A tough regular season for the Black Bears ended with a mixed week, from the low of losing 66-50 at Boston University on Thursday night to the high of knocking off regular season champion Vermont at home on Sunday by an 87-66 margin.
The Black Bears got back Ernest Turner on Thursday after he had missed over two weeks with a shoulder injury, but he looked tentative at times. He played better against Vermont, which gives hope that he will be in good shape come this weekend at the conference tournament.
At Boston University, Kevin Reed (team-high 13 points, 7 rebounds) kept them in the game in the first half as they managed to grab a 17-16 lead before the Terriers took the lead for good. They made a couple of second-half runs, but the Terriers consistently had answers and that was not lost on head coach Ted Woodward.
“They always make you pay for the smallest mistakes,” Woodward said. “I think that’s the biggest thing about their seniors – you make a couple of mistakes, they capitalize immediately.”
On Sunday, the Black Bears played like the team they were expected to be prior to the season, coming out like gangbusters in knocking off Vermont. They shot 52 percent from the field and made 11-of-22 three-pointers, and forced 16 Vermont turnovers. Mark Flavin led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Kevin Reed added 17 points and Joe Campbell had 16.
New Hampshire (9-18, 5-13)
The Wildcats closed out the regular season by going 1-2, losing on the road at Vermont (81-67) and Northeastern (88-65), then returning home for a 76-66 win over Stony Brook.
The Wildcats didn’t go quietly at Vermont, as they stayed right with the Catamounts early in what was a game of runs. They led on a couple of occasions in the first half, but once the Catamounts broke a 15-15 tie with 10 unanswered points, it was an uphill climb from there for the Wildcats and they could never rally all the way despite shooting 52 percent from the field on the night. Ben Sturgill led the way with 21 points and Mike Christensen, who has played well in the final weeks, had 14.
The Wildcats were never really in the game at Northeastern, as they fell behind early and were blown out. They committed 19 turnovers, most of which proved costly as Northeastern scored 26 points off them. Sturgill had 14 points and Blagoj Janev added 13 to lead the way.
In Sunday’s finale, the Wildcats shot over 54 percent from the floor, but didn’t have it easy against Stony Brook. The game wasn’t sealed up until they made six free throws near the end. Christensen had another solid game with 18 points and Sturgill added 15 and nine rebounds.
Head coach Phil Rowe is pretty happy with the progress Christensen has made this season, particularly at the end of the season as he looks to be acquiring some consistency.
“He’s going to be a terrific player in this league after he gets some strength and some fitness,” Rowe said. “He’s just a young guy trying to find his way and he is getting a bit better.”
Northeastern (19-8, 15-3)
The Huskies ran their winning streak to six games this week with home victories over New Hampshire (88-65) and Albany (70-63).
Thursday’s win was an old-fashioned blowout, as the Huskies dominated the Wildcats in most statistical categories and were never seriously challenged after they broke a 6-6 tie with 12 straight points. Barea led the way with 26 points, while Marcus Barnes added 21 and the Huskies were 14-30 on three-pointers.
On Sunday, the Huskies had to withstand two surges by Albany for the win. In the first half, they jumped out to a lead, but the Great Danes rallied to take the lead late in the first half. The Huskies started the second half by scoring 19 of the first 21 points, but Albany steadily brought the lead back down into single digits. Each time, however, the Huskies had enough to answer and hang on to the lead.
“They made a hard run at us in the second half, but we came up with some execution plays that we work on in practice all the time that I was excited to see because those are the types of things that have gotten us over the hump this year,” said head coach Ron Everhart.
Shawn James anchored the effort with the second triple-double in school history – both by him. He scored 15 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked 11 shots. The 11 blocks tied his own school record, and he is well on his way to smashing the school’s all-time career record in that category.
“I feel real good. I knew we needed this game, so I came out to play,” James said after the game.
Stony Brook (11-16, 6-12)
The Retrievers split a pair of games this past week, as they knocked off Albany on senior night by a 68-63 score before going on the road and losing at New Hampshire on Sunday by a score of 76-66.
On Thursday, the Seawolves pulled it out late, as the score was tied at 61 in the final two minutes before Cori Spencer (11 points) took over by scoring consecutive baskets to put them ahead for good. Bobby Santiago led the way with 17 points and five assists.
Sunday’s loss at New Hampshire was a tight game throughout, and the Seawolves certainly had their chances. But they shot below 40 percent from the field, thus not capitalizing on many of them, and they weren’t able to make the plays down the stretch. Mike Popoko scored a career-high 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the way, and Santiago (11 points) was the only other player in double figures.
UMBC (10-17, 5-13)
The Retrievers closed out with a split of games, taking Vermont down to the wire before losing 66-61 on Thursday, then coming home and picking up a 68-58 win over Hartford.
On Thursday, they led for most of the first half and still had a 54-44 lead near the halfway point of the second half. Then the Catamounts came roaring back with an 11-0 run, then they took the lead for good when they scored five straight to break a 57-57 tie. Brian Hodges had 13 points to lead the way.
In Sunday’s win, a 23-5 second half run changed the game as the Retrievers trailed by three at the half. The Retrievers led comfortably for most of the second half, holding a double digit lead in the final minutes. Hodges again led the way with 14 points and Rob Gogerty had 13 points and six assists in his final home game.
Vermont (21-6, 16-2)
Vermont did what they had to do to lock up the regular season championship, getting home wins over New Hampshire (81-67) on Monday and UMBC (66-61) on Thursday before heading up to Maine and losing 87-66 without stars Taylor Coppenrath (sickness) and T.J. Sorrentine (leg). Both are expected to play in the tournament without a hitch.
Against New Hampshire, Coppenrath tied his season high with 39 points and Sorrentine had 21 as they held off the Wildcats. The Wildcats didn’t go quietly, but the Catamounts were never seriously threatened in the final minutes of the game.
Thursday’s game, the much-anticipated senior night, was a struggle against UMBC. The Catamounts trailed by eight at halftime and by double digits for a good portion of the second half. They took the lead by one after a run of 11 unanswered points, then took the lead for good when they broke a 57-57 tie with five straight points. Their second half defense made all the difference, as they won despite shooting just 33 percent for the game. Coppenrath had 30 points, while classmate Germain Mopa Njila had nine points and 14 rebounds.
Sunday’s game was never in doubt, as Maine jumped out early en route to its blowout win. Freshman Kyle Cieplicki, making his first career start, had 14 points to lead the way and classmate Ryan Schneider was the only other player in double figures with 10.
