America East Basketball News and Notes: Noel wins Player of the Week

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We are now just over a month away from the start of the regular season for America East basketball. Teams are still getting ready for what looks like a tight race this season. While we wait for the league schedule to kick in, here are some things that are going on in the league.

The Player of the Week is junior swingman Obadiah Noel of UMass Lowell. In two victories last week, Noel averaged 17 points and seven rebounds. In the team’s win over Brown, Noel went for 18 points, six rebounds, and four steals. In their win over Central Conn. State this past Sunday, Noel had 16 points and eight boards, He saved his best moment for last when with five ticks left on the clock and the game tied, Noel drove the ball to the basket and scored the game-winning layup to give his team a 73-71 victory over the Blue Devils. This is Noel’s first Player of the Week honor.

Another member of the River Hawks reached a milestone as well. Graduate senior Christian Lutete became the 43rd member of the 1,000-point club at the school. It happened in an 89-86 loss to Sacred Heart, Early in the second half, Lutete gave his team its biggest lead of the game on a layup in the paint. He would finish as the game-high scorer with 23 points. He also leads the team in scoring at 19.4 a night, and in rebounds at 8.2.

The Rookie of the Week is Binghamton’s, George Tinsley. This is the second straight week that Tinsley has been honored, and the third straight week for the team. In two games last week for the team, he averaged 19 points and 9.5 boards. He recorded a double-double vs Loyola of 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 77-65 loss. He also leads the league in minutes played at 38 a ballgame, and in offensive rebounding with three a game. He is third overall in the league in rebounding averaging nine a game.

UNH’s Sean Sutherlin put together an impressive night vs Bryant last Tuesday night. He had a 21 point 20 rebound game for the Wildcats. It’s the first 20-20 game by an America East player since Jarius Lyles had 32 and 20 on December 19, 2016. Sutherlin leads the conference in defensive rebounding at 7.7 a contest. The Wildcats lead the league in scoring offense at 76.8 a game and is also the best 3-point shooting team in the league at 0.362% 75-for-207. They have the best rebounding margin at 9.8 a game.

The Vermont Catamounts are off to a 6-4 start. They have played a good non-conference schedule to date. Because of this, they have a high rating in the latest mid-major poll of #9. It’s easy to see why with games already under their belt against teams such as St. Johns, Virginia, and Cincinnati. The Cats are the best scoring defense in the league at 61 points a game. Guard Ernie Duncan leads the conference in assists to turnover ratio at 5.33 (16 assists, three turnovers).

Next week we will be back with more America East News and Notes.