America East

America East Basketball News & Notes: League Play is Underway

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Last Saturday, league play began in the America East Conference. There were really no surprises, however, there were some close games. If the first weekend is any indication of how this league is going to play out, the next eight weeks of basketball will be a lot of fun. Here is a look at how the first weekend went.

 

One of those teams that received a scare was the UMass Lowell River Hawks (13-2, 1-0). The #17 ranked team in the newest CollegeInsider Top-25 Mid-Major poll started their league season on the road at NJIT (3-11, 0-1). For 37 minutes of game action, the Highlanders stayed with the River Hawks. With 3:40 left in the game, NJIT held a nine-point lead and was poised to start their season with a major upset at home. Fortunately for UMass Lowell, college basketball lasts forty minutes. The visitors went on a 12-0 run over the last 3:40 to win the game by a 67-64 score. Guard play at this level can be the difference between winning and losing. UMass Lowell’s Ayinde Hikim (12 points) and Mikey Watkins (15 points) off the bench came through when the River Hawks really needed them. In the final 3:40, they combined for nine of the final twelve points with Hikim scoring seven of them. The Highlanders were able to stay in the game behind the play of Miles Coleman who finished with 18 points. The River Hawks begin their home schedule on Thursday night vs Maine.

 

Another team that found themselves in trouble was the Bryant College Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0) whose home opener vs Binghamton (4-10, 0-1) went down to the wire. With 54 seconds left, the Bulldogs had a one-point lead at 77-76. The strength of this team so far has been their free-throw shooting. It was needed to get their first-ever win in America East. Bryant hit five of six FT in the last 54 seconds to get the win over the Bearcats 82-78. Bryant was 26-of-31 from the line in the game. In the second half, they were 17-of-18. Earl Timberlake (16 points, 11 rebounds), Doug Edert (10 points), and Sherif Gross-Bullock (29 points) combined for 55 of the 82 points for the Bulldogs. The Bearcats had four players in double-figures, Dan Petcash (22 points), Miles Gibson (15 points), Jacob Falko (14 points), and Armon Harried (12 points). The difference in this game was free throw shooting and bench scoring, Bryant got 13 points Binghamton only seven. Next up for Bryant is a nationally televised game on the road at Vermont on ESPNU on Thursday night.

 

The defending champs started their defense of the title on Sunday at UMBC. The Catamounts (7-8, 1-0) lead wire to wire in this one. Ten players saw time on the court and nine of them scored. Only two finished in double-figures, Dylan Penn with 19, and Matt Veretto with 15. Vermont was good from the field shooting 44% from 3-point land 11-of-25, and 52.9 from inside the arc 27-of-51. UMBC (9-6, 0-1) did not shoot the ball well shooting only 35% from the field (22-of-62), and 23% from 3-point land (7-of-30). The Retrievers did get fifteen points off the bench but it was not enough to get the win at home. Vermont goes home for the match with Bryant, while UMBC faces UAlbany.

 

The University of New Hampshire Wildcats (6-7, 1-0) may have the best player in the league in Clarence Daniels who dropped 17 on the Great Danes on Saturday. He got help from Nick Johnson who also scored 17 points. The two combined for 34 of the 67 points the Wildcats got in this win on the road. UNH jumped out to a 41-18 halftime lead on UAlbany (5-11, 0-1) and cruised to a 16-point win. UAlbany had a difficult time putting the ball in the basket shooting 35% from the field (19-of-54) and 23% from 3-point (3-of-13). Gerald Drumgoole JR led the Great Danes with 15 points. The Wildcats will stay on the road going to Binghamton, while UAlbany heads to UMBC.

 

The America East Player of the week is Bryant College Sherif Gross-Bullock whose 29 points in last Saturday’s win was a career-high for him. He added six rebounds and two steals. He leads the conference in scoring at 17 points a game. He is tenth in minutes played at 30 a night, and is fifth in 3-point FG percentage at .383 (36-for-94). This is his second weekly award.

 

The AE Rookie of the Week is UNH forward Ridvan Tutic, whose defensive play was a big reason why the Wildcats got off to a good start on the road. His career-high 11 boards were key in helping his team hold the Great Danes to 35% percent shooting and 51 points. Tutic only scored five points, which became secondary to what he did on the defensive end of the floor. He is seventh in rebounding averaging 6.7 a game. This is his first weekly award.

 

That’s a look at the first weekend of play in the league. Maine gets started this Thursday at Lowell as the conference begins playing twice a week for the rest of the season. We will be back next week with more from America East.

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