This and That About Saturday's Action

A lot of intriguing angles surrounding each of Saturday's games. All six squads in action are coming off victories. In fact, conference teams have combined to go 9-1 to start the month of December. Here's a look at the matchups:

• Brown at New Hampshire kick things off at 1 at Lundholm Gym. The Bears' coaching staff is certainly familar with America East. Assistant coach T.J. Sorrentine earned Player of the Year honors in 2002 and buried Syracuse with his legendary 30-footer in the 2005 NCAA tournament. Volunteer assistant Kyle Cieplicki was a four year standout for the Catamounts and head coach Jessie Agel was an assistant for all three of Vermont championship squads.
• Binghamton, fresh off back-to-back wins looks for its first-ever win against a Big East foe when they take on Rutgers at 2
• Boston U. hosts Marshall at 3. The will be the second of at least 6 to be played at Agganis Area this season. The Terriers have won four of six to start the season after compiling a 1-5 mark through the first 6 games of last seasson.
• Hartford's tilt with La Salle will be televised on NESN at 4. Explorer's coach John Giannini was the head coach at Maine for 8 seasons.
• In the game of the day, Albany, winners of 5 straight, renews its rivalry with Siena at 7 at the Times Union Center. Over 10,600 tickets had already been sold as of 1 p.m. yesterday.
• Vermont faces the No. 3 team in the country in Pittsburgh at 7. The Cats have won 2 of their last 4 games against ranked opponents, knocking off Boston College in 2006 and the afore mentioned upset of the Orange in '05.

Seawolves Make It Three In A Row

The Seawolves extended their win streak to three games with a 71-50 blowout of Columbia. Chris Martin hit 4 of his 6 attempts from the field and all 8 of his free throw attempts for a career-high 19 points. Desmond Adedeji added 11 points and 9 boards.

Albany Featured in Mid-Majority Game of the Night

Kyle Whelliston, a columnist for ESPN.com among other ventures and an avid follower of mid-major college basketball, has tabbed Saturday's Albany-Siena contest as the Mid-Majority Game of The Night for the weekend on his website MidMajority.com. Whelliston ranks tomorrow's Capital Region tilt among the best Division I city rivalries in the mid-major ranks despite its short history.

A huge crowd is expected for the game. The Albany Times Union is reporting over 10,600 tickets had already been sold as of shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday.

Hartford, Maine Explode Offensively in Home Wins

Michael Turner and Joe Zeglinski each had 26 points and 6 rebounds to lead Hartford to a 97-82 win over Lafayette at Chase Arena. Eight Black Bears scored in twin figures as Maine crushed state university parnter Maine-Presque Isle 126-50. Troy Barnies (16 points, 20 rebounds), Junior Bernal (16, 10), Sean McNally (12, 11) and Svetoslav Chetinov (10, 15) all recorded double-doubles.

Stony Brook looks to extend its win streak to three when Lehigh visits Long Island Friday.

Terriers, Wildcats Win On Road

Corey Lowe, Jake O'Brien and John Holland combined for 55 of Boston University's 75 points en route to a 75-59 victory at Harvard Wednesday. Lowe led the way with 20, while Brien had 18 points and 8 rebounds. John Holland rounded out the trio's output with 17. With his team trailing by 4 with just over 2 minutes to play, New Hampshire's Tyrece Gibbs scored canned a pair of huge 3-pointers to to turn the deficit into an advantage and lead the Wildcats to a 57-54 win at Colgate. Gibbs finished with 19 points overall and Tyrone Conely added 11. In Baltimore, freshman Chauncey Gilliam tied his career high with 17 points and Darryl Proctor added a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, but UMBC fell to crosstown-rival Towson 82-65.

Hartford and Maine are in action Thursday. The Hawks host Patriot Leage foe Lafayette, while the Black Bears host state system partner Maine Presque Isle, both at 7.

Vermont, Stony Brook Win In Blowout Fashion

Vermont won its third straight with a 88-71 victory over Dartmouth in which it shot 59 percent from the field. Marqus Blakely led the charge with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Trimboli had 23 points and 9 rebounds, while freshman Garvey Young tallied a career-high 19 points. Stony Brook won consecutive games for the first time since in a year with a 60-39 win over New Jersey Tech. Freshman Bryan Dougher scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the first half. Muhammad El-Amin added 13.

A pair of crosstown-rivalries highlight Wednesday's action. MASN will televise the battle between Baltimore rivals UMBC and Towson. Tip is set for 7:05. Boston University will go toCambridge to face Harvard at 8. Also on Wednesday, New Hampshire travels to Colgate at 7.

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.