A Thriller in Vermont, Boston U. Snaps Skid

We had a pretty good idea coming into to today's Albany-Vermont matchup that it would be an entertaining game. The last three meetings had been decided by a total of 5 points with the Great Danes taking all three. That trend continued as Albany pulled out an 82-77 thriller to improve to 2-1 in league play. Anthony Raffa tied his career-high with 22 points and Will Harris added 20 for the Great Danes, who shot 48.1 percent from the floor and a season-high 72.7 percent from 3-point lant (8-of-11). Colin McIntosh tied his career-high with 25 for Vermont, which fall to 0-2 in conference play for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign.

Earlier in the day, Boston University snapped its 5-game losing skid with a 68-37 trouncing of New Hampshire. The Terriers, who held the Wildcats to 2-of-33 shooting from deep, jumped out on a 16-2 run and never looked back. John Holland scored 25 points for the second straight game and Scott Brittain added 15. Tyrone Conley led UNH with 8.

Monday is an off day in America East, but stayed tuned to the blog for the league's weekly award winners.

Vemont Falls in Hawaii, Boston U. Beaten By Cornell

Vermont took on Colorado State in the semifinals of the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii two days after downing George Washington in the first round. The Catamounts trailed by as many as 13 in the second half and trimmed the decifit to 2 with 1:52 to go, but CSU's Marcus Walker scored 6 straight points to close it out. Colin McIntosh had the hot hand for Cats and finished with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor. Nick Vier added 18 points and 5 assists, while Mike Trimboi had 12.

In Ithaca, Boston University got outscored by Cornell 15-0 to start the game and were outmatched by the defending Ivy champs 89-59. Corey Lowe had a team-high 14 and Tyler Morris added 13 for the Terriers, who have dropped three straight.

UMBC Gets Rare Win at Nebraska

Rookie Chauncey Gilliam scored 21 points and added 8 rebounds as UMBC defeated Nebraska, 66-64, ending the Cornhuskers’ streak of 31-straight non-conference wins at the Devaney Sports Center. Gilliam made 9-of-11 shots from the field and received help from veterans Darryl Proctor and Jay Greene in the Retrievers’ first win over a school from a BCS conference. Proctor had 15 points and 13 rebounds while Greene added 13 points and 9 assists. UMBC jumped on Nebraska early, leading by 20 before settling into a 37-21 lead at the half. The Retrievers shot 57.1 percent from the floor for the game and made 15-of-18 free throws, including 6-of-6 in the final 1:37. Nebraska had a chance to tie with 2 seconds left but Proctor blocked a shot by Steve Harley to secure the win. UMBC is now 6-5 while the Huskers fall to 7-3.

America East scoring leader D.J. Rivera (20.8 ppg) continued to have the hot hand for Binghamton as he poured in 22 points in a 69-58 win over Rider. Rivera added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. The Bearcats trailed 43-38 with 13:57 remaining before a deciding 22-4 run. Moussa Camara added 13 points, all in the first half, for the Bearcats, who improve to 5-4.

Rookie Gerald McLemore scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting but Boston College handled Maine, 99-66, at Chestnut Hill. Vermont fans, turn away from the screen: Former Catamount Joe Trapani scored 15 points and added 4 rebounds for the Eagles. The 6-8, 220-pound forward, who has started all 12 games for the 10-2 Eagles, is now second on the team in scoring (14.0 ppg) and leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.

Sophomores Tyrone Conley (12 points, 6 rebounds) and Alvin Abreu (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) reached double figures but New Hampshire fell 60-56 at Fordham.

America East teams take a break for the holidays before returning to action Saturday at Binghamton plays at Tulane, New Hampshire hosts Hofstra (4 p.m.) and Vermont meets George Washington in Hawaii.

Odds and Ends

We haven't known what to do with ourselves during this "dead" period. Three days with no games will extend to four as Albany's contest with Sacred Heart set for Friday has been postponed due to the snowstorm currently hitting the Northeast. The game will be played tomorrow at 2:30. Other random thoughts as teams head into their final non-conference games prior to conference play...

• Binghamton will have Gonzaga transfer Theo Davis beginning tomorrow against Manhattam. The highly touted big man transferred to the program midway through the 2007-08 season and became eligible following the final exam of the first semester, which took place today.
• The game with Manhattan is a return game from last year's BracketBusters pool. The Bearcats hope to make it two in a row against the Jaspers and help the league improve to 7-1 in games from that pool. Boston University and Vermont swept its home and home with St. Peter's and UNC-Wilmington, respectively, while Albany won its return contest with Canisius after dropping the matchup in Buffalo last February.
• UMBC faces American in a battle between two defending champions that will be televised on MASN. The Eagles won the Patriot league last season. The Retrievers are 0-2 thus far when aired on MASN this season and have allowed 22 three-pointers in those two games.
• The Terriers and Catamounts will both appear on regional TV on Sunday at 12 noon. Vermont travels to Quinnipiac on NESN, while Boston U. hosts former conference member Delaware on CN8.
• 2004 America East Rookie of the Year Jon Iati in his first season as Director of Basketball Operations at Quinnipiac.
• America East has posted 42 non-league wins in 82 games to date this season after combining for just 44 wins all of last season. The nine schools still have 35 non-conference games to go this year.

Albany, Binghamton Stay Hot

Anthony Raffa posted game-highs of 17 points and 5 assists, while adding a team-high 6 rebounds to lead Albany to its fifth straight win, a 57-47 decision over Bryant. Brian Connelly contributed 13 points and Tim Ambrose added 11 on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor. Binghamton won its second consecutive contest after drubbing Quinnipiac 74-58. D.J. Rivera and Dwayne Jackson led the way with 17 points each. Reggie Fuller added 12, while Malik Alvin had 11.

Vermont and Stony Brook hit the floor on Tuesday. The Catamounts host Dartmouth at 7 and the Seawolves travel to New Jersey Tech for a 7 o'clock tip.

Hartford Falls At Penn State

Joe Zeglinski scored 16 points and Morgan Sabia added 13, but it wasn't enough as Hartford fell at Penn State 89-64. The Nittany Lions closed the first half on a 17-3 to build a double-digit lead and sustained it through the second stanza.

UMBC and Vermont take the floor on Friday. The Retrievers face Quinnipiac in the first game of the Tyler Ugolyn Classic at Columbia at 6, while the Catamounts take on Maryland in College Park at 8 on CN8.

Boston U. Rallies for OT Win at Bucknell, Vermont Downs Yale

Corey Lowe scored 19 points as Boston University outscored Bucknell, 28-16 in the second half and went on to post a 71-68 win in overtime at Lewisburg, Pa. John Holland, who made two free throws with 1:12 left in regulation to force overtime, scored seven of the Terriers' 12 points in the extra session. Colin McIntosh scored 17 points and Mike Trimboli added 16 as Vermont defeated Yale, 89-58, at Patrick Gym. Muhammad El-Amin scored 15 points but Stony Brook fell to 1-1 with an 80-71 loss at Lafayette.

Four America East teams are in action Wednesday. Maine looks to run its winning streak to three games as the Black Bears travel to Princeton for a first-ever meeting with the Tigers at 7. Former George Washington assistant coach Kevin Broadus got the best of his old team as Binghamton defeated the Colonials, 71-59 at the Events Center last year. The two teams square off in Washington, DC at 7:30. Albany is in search of its first win of the season when the Great Danes travel to Bryant at 7. New Hampshire entertains Harvard at Lundholm Gym at 7.

Binghamton Wins Opener

D.J. Rivera scored 28 points and added 10 rebounds to lead Binghamton to an 80-62 win over Mansfield at the Events Center on Monday. Hartford trailed No. 2 Connecticut, 43-42 early in the second half before the Huskies went on a 33-5 run en route to a 99-56 win. Morgan Sabia scored 15 points for the Hawks. Mike Johnson scored 16 points and handed out 7 assists but Albany fell to a Big East team for the second time in four days, losing 75-64 at DePaul. UMBC is now 1-1 following a 67-60 loss at crosstown rival Morgan State. Darryl Proctor had 19 points and 8 rebounds for the Retrievers.

Three America East teams are in action Tuesday. Stony Brook looks to start the season at 2-0 for the first time in its Division I history when the Seawolves travel to Lafayette. Vermont and Boston University look to bounce back from overtime losses to George Mason and George Washington, respectively. The Catamounts play host to Yale while the Terriers are at Bucknell. Each of the three games starts at 7.

Maine Wins 100 Club Classic, UMBC Opens With Win

Maine won the 100 Club Classic with a 60-47 victory over host Kennesaw State on Saturday. Mark Socoby, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the title game, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Troy Barnies also scored 16 for the 2-0 Black Bears. UMBC raised its 2008 America East Championship banner and then saw five players score in double figures in a 91-54 win over Stevenson. Darryl Proctor had a game-high 20 points and added nine rebounds. Jay Greene and rookie Chauncey Gilliam each scored 17 points, with Greene dishing nine assists.

Darryl Monroe (19 points, 17 rebounds) made two free throws with 0.7 seconds left to lead George Mason to an 80-79 win over Vermont at a soldout Patrick Gym. Mike Trimboli, who scored four of his nine points in overtime, had given the Catamounts a 79-78 lead with 1:13 to play. Marqus Blakely filled the stat line with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals before he fouled out with 3:31 left in overtime.

New Hampshire starts its season Sunday when the Wildcats entertain Suffolk at 1.