America East Basketball News & Notes: Top Three Teams Lose

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Nobody said this would be easy and Sunday’s results backed that up. The America East Conference may be deeper than we think. If Sunday’s results are any indication of what these two months are going to be like. a wild ride is almost guaranteed. For Bryant College, Vermont, and UMass Lowell, their dreams of an undefeated league season were dashed before they ever really got started. If you want to win in this conference, your “A” game will be required on a nightly basis. That is what the first two weeks of league play have taught us. Let’s take a look inside a wild Sunday of hoops.

We start in Durham, NH. where the UNH Wildcats (7-8, 2-1) gave the defending champs, the Vermont Catamounts (8-9, 2-1) something to think about. The 67-60 victory by the Wildcats at Lundholm Gymnasium, was about one starting five being better than the other. Four of the five Wildcats starters finished Sunday’s game in double-figures. They were led by Nick Johnson who played all 40 minutes and put up a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. He was joined by Matthew Herasma (16 points), Jaxson Baker (13 points), and Clarence Daniels (10 points). These four starters would shoot a combined 19-of-51 from the field and from 3-point land they went 6-of-21. Their ability to put the ball in the basket was critical since the UNH bench only contributed nine points for the game, all by Kyree Brown. Vermont starters, Robin Duncan (15 points), and Finn Sullivan (14 points) did what they could to keep the Catamounts in the game. Off the bench, Aaron Deloney gave them 13. But it was not enough to keep UNH from winning on Sunday. Another key was Vermont only having five assists on 22 made baskets and ball movement just was not there. New Hampshire heads to Maine on Wednesday night, while Vermont is in Lowell.

Speaking of the River Hawks (14-3, 2-1), they ran into a buzz saw on Sunday in Albany. The Great Danes (6-12, 1-2) shot a blistering 65% from 3-point land (13-of-20) while UMass Lowell was 3-of-15 from deep (20%). Albany was led by Jonathan Beagle who went for 17 points and 12 rebounds. He received plenty of help from fellow starters Sarju Patel (23 points, 5-of-6 from deep), Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (22 points), and Aaron Reddish with 21 off the bench. This game was tied only once at the 18:33 mark of the first half (2-2) from there it was all Albany as they shot the #17 rank in the mid-major poll River Hawks out of McDonough Field house. If there was a bright spot for UMass Lowell it had to be the play of Cam Morris III who was a perfect 7-for-7 with 14 points in 17 minutes. The River Hawks need to lick their wounds in a hurry with Vermont coming to town on Wednesday night. Albany heads to Bryant.

We know that UMBC (11-6, 2-1) can shoot the rock, now Bryant College (10-6, 1-2) knows it too. The Retrievers shot 47% from the field (32-of-68) and 41% from 3-point land (9-of-22) to get the win on the road in Smithfield, RI. Colton Lawrence led four players in double-figures with 19 points. UMBC received 30 points in the paint and off the bench. They took great care of the basketball as they turned it over only five times while handing out 16 assists. The Bulldogs were not all that bad themselves getting three players in double-figures led by Antwan Walker’s double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. They shot 43% from the field (27-of-62) but only 33% from behind the arc (7-of-21). It would be the three-point shooting that would prove to be the difference. UMBC is off until Saturday when they host Maine, while Bryant will host Albany.

The Black Bears (6-9, 0-2) would play the day’s only overtime game losing to NJIT (4-11, 1-1) 91-83. Bench scoring would prove to be valid in this one. NJIT got 26 bench points, 16 of them by Keil de Graef. Maine could only get four, all by Ata Turget. Miles Coleman with 22 points paced four in double-figures while playing 39 out of a possible 45 minutes. Maine was led by Kellen Tynes’ double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Gedi Juozapaitis also had 26 on the day. The Black Bears sent the game to extra time on a 3-point basket by Jashonte Wright-McLeish with nine seconds left in the game. The Highlanders outscored Maine in extra time by a 14-6 count. Maine will host UNH Wednesday night, and NJIT will host Binghamton.

The America East Player of the Week is Miles Coleman of NJIT. His 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists were a big reason why the Highlanders were able to get the overtime win on the road at Maine on Sunday. He is seventh in scoring at 14.9 a game, ninth in 3-point FG per game at 1.9 (26 in 14 games) and ninth in free throw shooting at 69% (46-of-66). All while playing 30 minutes a game. For Coleman, this is his first weekly award.

The America East Rookie of the Week is Jonathan Beagle of Albany. This is the fifth time he has been honored with this weekly award. He averaged 15 points and 10.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. He is fifth in field goal percentage at 50% (75-of-148), and sixth in rebounding at 6.8 a game. If the Great Danes are going to turn this season around, Beagle will be the main reason why.

As week three begins, four teams are at 2-1 in league play, Lowell, UMBC, Vermont, and UNH. Two teams are at 1-1, Binghamton, and NJIT. Two more are at 1-2, Bryant, and Albany. Maine is yet to win a conference game although they have been right there losing to the River Hawks by two on the road on Wednesday, then losing in overtime on Sunday at home.

This is what you can expect from America East basketball week in and week out. Get out and see a game near you, you will not be disappointed.