America East Basketball News & Notes: League Play Begins

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We are done with what turned out to be a really good non-conference season for America East Conferences teams. Now the fun begins, and it starts on Saturday when league play starts. There is more good news for the conference as the UMass Lowell River Hawks are off to their best start as a division one program. They have risen to #21 in the Collegeinsider Top-25 Mid-Major poll. Two other teams Bryant (69 votes) and UMBC (5 votes) were also mentioned. The news is all good, so let’s see what else is going on.

Not only are the River Hawks ranked at #21 in the Mid-Major poll. They are also at #79 in the NET Ranking. The 12-2 start is their best since becoming a division one program ten years ago. As they begin league play on Saturday on the road at NJIT (3-10), they do so as a Top-100 team in 19 different categories. They are 7th in rebound margin (10.2), 8th in defensive FG% (36.6), 12 in FG% (50.4). They are 7-0 at home, holding five opponents to under 60 points. with six nine+ point wins. Home cooking is what it’s all about, and the River Hawks are putting it to good use.

On Wednesday night UMBC (9-4) took a six-game winning streak on a road test at Maryland out of the Big 10. They played this game as the third-best offense in the conference averaging 77.6 points per game. Unfortunately, they came up short in an 80-64 loss stopping their win streak. They also have the third-best margin at 4.8 per game. Three-point shooting has been their calling card in non-league play. They lead the conference in three-point makes averaging 10.1 a game, 138 in 14 games. They are second in the league in 3-point FG percentage (37%). They are the best free throw shooting team in the league at 76% (169-of 222) and the best in opponent free throw percentage at 74%. When they shoot the ball well they can play with almost anyone.

Bryant College (9-4) is coming off a big non-conference home win over Towson of the CAA last Thursday afternoon. The 69-59 win featured, for the first time this season, bench scoring. The 25 points off the pine came from two players, Tyler Brelsford (13 points) and Chauncey Hawkins (12 points). This is news for a team that has struggled with bench play all year long. Bryant was 14-of-18 from the foul line in this game. For the year, they are third in the league in free throw shooting at 74% (207 of 281). They are second in combined team rebounding at 41.4, team offensive rebounding at 11.4, and second in rebounding margin at 5.3 on an average of 36.1. They are number one in team defensive rebounding at 29.5 a game.

The Maine Black Bears (6-7) are finishing off a tough 2-game road trip to Arkon and Ohio State. The 32-point loss to the Zipps, as well as the 34-point loss to the Buckeyes, are not indicative of the way the Black Bears have played this season. They will be a factor in the conference. They lead AE in steals with an average of 9.75 (117 in 12 games), They are second in combined opponent rebounding at 33 a night (396 in 12 games). They are second in team FG percentage at 47% (330-of-697). The Black Bears are a better team this season and their won-lost record reflects that.

UMass Lowell’s big man Abdoul Karim Coulibaly is this week’s AE Player of the Week. In their lone game a week ago vs Boston University, Coulibaly recorded his fifth double-double of the season. The 21 points and 11 rebounds also featured four steals and three blocked shots. He is second in the league in rebounding at 8.8 a game and sixth in blocked shots at just under one a game. To date, Coulibaly is averaging 13.5 points per game. For Coulibaly, this is his second weekly award.

For the third time this season, Albany’s forward Jonathan Beagle is this week’s AE Rookie of the Week. In their lone game last week a win over Northern Illinois Beagle had 14 points and added three assists. He is seventh in FG percentage at 50% (60-of-119), and sixth in rebounding at 6.7 a game (68 defensive, 43 offensive). The Great Dane’s record is not anything to write home about at 5-10 but Beagle is a player to watch in America East.

Looking forward to conference play getting started. We will be back next week with news on how the first weekend went in America East.