America East Notebook
Seawolves Start Winning
Stony Brook was the last winless team in America East before finally picking up two wins last week. The Seawolves have certainly not had it easy in non-conference play, as they have one of the toughest schedules in America.
Helping out is the return of sophomore guard Mitchell Beauford, who missed most of last season with a foot injury. Beauford missed the first nine games of the season still recovering from the injury and due to academic issues, but his return has helped spark the Seawolves’ two wins. He scored 20 points in their first win of the season, a 70-57 win over Colgate, then made a three-point play with 1.5 seconds left to give them a 61-58 win over Vermont on Thursday night.
The Seawolves suffered a 63-54 setback at Binghamton on Sunday, but with Beauford added to a good backcourt and conference play here, they won’t be an easy out.
Wildcats End Losing Streak
New Hampshire ended a six-game losing streak on Sunday with a 77-69 home win over Hartford.
The Wildcats looked like they could be headed for another defeat when the Hawks ran off 11 unanswered points to take a 30-20 lead in the first half. They steadily made their way back the remainder of the half, getting within 40-36 at the break, and stayed close before taking the lead in the second half. They never broke away, but the back-breaker was a three-pointer by Jermaine Anderson (17 points, 3-4 on three-pointers) with 5:21 left that put them up 64-56.
Amidst the struggles, sophomore guard Chris Vetrano has played well of late. Two games after scoring a career-high 20 points at North Carolina State, he went for 14 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field, making all four three-point attempts.
The Wildcats didn’t exactly play a weak schedule during the recent losing streak, as the first five games were on the road, and the opponents included Connecticut and North Carolina State. The last game, a home loss to struggling Binghamton on Thursday, concerned Herrion more than the previous five games.
“If we play hard and we compete hard and we fight, most nights we’re going to have a chance to win,” said Herrion.
Short-handed Hawks Slump at Start
After picking up a win last month against Maine, Hartford has dropped two straight America East contests. The Hawks are most notably an improved offensive team, led by Hofstra transfer Kenny Adeleke and freshman point guard Chris Cole. Adeleke leads the conference in scoring and rebounding, while Cole has helped settle the point guard spot.
But amidst the offensive improvement, head coach Larry Harrison is concerned with his team’s defensive play.
“Defensively, as a team, we have to step up and do better,” Harrison said. “We’re scoring enough points to win; we have to defend.”
The Hawks have been shorthanded of late, and on Sunday they were without three players, two of whom did not make the trip to Durham. Senior guard Charles Ford was dressed, but Harrison is playing it cautious since he was recently diagnosed with meningitis and only practiced on Saturday after being released from the hospital on Thursday. Junior forward Bernard Lowndes has a sprained ankle and could be out for a month, while senior forward Bo Taylor also did not make the trip and missed his fifth straight game. Harrison said that Taylor will meet with him to determine if he may return to the team.
Other Notes From the First Week
- Albany‘s 4-0 start marks the first time the team has won four in a row in America East play since joining the conference four years ago. The Great Danes continue to look the part of preseason favorites as the only undefeated team after a 76-56 blowout of Maine on Saturday.
- Part of the logjam at 2-1 in the conference standings came after Vermont knocked off UMBC on Sunday. The Catamounts continue to win at home, while UMBC did pull of a 65-64 overtime win over Boston University earlier in the week to improve to 2-0 before Sunday’s loss.
