America East Basketball News & Notes: A Look Back at Opening Day

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The America East basketball season tipped off on Saturday with eight teams in action across four games. Bryant, NJIT, UMass Lowell, and Vermont all secured opening-game victories, while UMBC is set to begin its campaign on Thursday night. Here is how the first day of conference play unfolded.

Bryant Defeats Maine in Championship Rematch

In a rematch of last spring’s tournament championship game, the Bryant Bulldogs (5–10, 1–0) traveled to Orono to take on the Maine Black Bears (2–14, 0–1). Defense was the story of the afternoon as the Bulldogs held the Black Bears to just 32% shooting in a 56–51 win.

Four Bryant players finished in double figures, led by Aaron Davis with 13 points. This week’s AE Rookie of the Week, Ashley Sims, recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, Quincy Allen also posted a double-double, contributing 12 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. One area of concern for the Bulldogs was their ball security, finishing with 16 turnovers to just 7 assists. Maine struggled to find rhythm from the outside, shooting a frigid 11.1% (2-for-18) from three-point range. TJ Biel was the lone Black Bear in double figures, finishing with a game-high 20 points.

Bench Depth Leads NJIT Past Binghamton

NJIT (6–10, 1–0) took care of business on the road, defeating Binghamton (4–12, 0–1) 73–65 thanks to a massive 38 points from their bench. Sebastian Robinson led that reserve unit with 22 points as the Highlanders outscored the Bearcats by 11 in the second half.

NJIT also received double-figure performances from starters Melvyn Edonkoli (16) and David Bolton (12). The Highlanders dominated the interior, scoring 34 points in the paint. Conversely, the Bearcats’ offense never quite got untracked. Ryan Richardson was the only starter in double figures with 16 points, while Bryson Wilson provided 15 off the bench. Jeremiah Quigley, typically a double-double threat for Binghamton, had a difficult opener, finishing with only 4 points in 23 minutes.

UMass Lowell Dominates the Paint Against UAlbany

UMass Lowell (6–10, 1–0) used 50 points in the paint to power past UAlbany (4–12, 0–1) in an 83–71 victory. The backcourt duo of Angel Montas Jr. (the reigning AE Player of the Week) and Xavier Spencer led the charge, combining for 39 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Spencer finished with a game-high 23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while Montas Jr. added 16 points and 9 boards. The River Hawks controlled the tempo, holding the lead for 35 minutes and maintaining a solid assist-to-turnover ratio (14 assists to 9 turnovers). The Great Danes were led by Amir Lindsay, who played all 40 minutes and recorded 19 points and 7 assists. Okechukwu Okelie provided a spark off the bench with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks—highlighted by several dunks—while Nasir Muhammad added 10 points.

Vermont’s Efficient Shooting Sinks UNH

Vermont secured a comfortable 80–61 victory over UNH, shooting an efficient 53% from the floor. Three Catamount starters reached double figures: TJ Hurley (20 points), Gus Yalden (18 points), and Sean Blake (17 points). Like many of Saturday’s winners, Vermont found success inside, tallying 42 points in the paint.

The Wildcats (4–10, 0–1) were paced by KiJan Robinson with 22 points and Belal El Shakery with 11. RJ Kennedy added 10 points off the bench. However, UNH’s 14 turnovers proved costly, resulting in 12 points for the Catamounts.