Author Archives: ianbethune

Pairings Announced for 2015 American Women’s Basketball Championship

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UConn earned the American regular-season title and clinched the No. 1 seed in the 2014 American Women’s Basketball Championship, to be held March 6-9 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. All 11 league teams will compete for the championship title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The tournament field is based on regular-season league records. The highest five seeds earned byes into the quarterfinals on March 7.

No. 1 UConn (29-1, 18-0 American) clinched the conference regular-season title outright with a win over Memphis on Saturday. The Huskies will open tournament play at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday versus the winner of No. 9 Cincinnati and No. 8 UCF.

No. 2 USF (24-6, 15-3 American) opens tournament play at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday versus the winner of No. 10 SMU and No. 7 Memphis. The Bulls dropped their regular-season finale to UConn on Monday at the Sun Dome.

No. 3 Tulsa (17-12, 12-6 American) defeated Cincinnati, 71-58, on Monday to clinch the tournament’s third seed. The Hurricane is 8-2 over their last 10 games and will open tournament play on Saturday at 8 p.m. vs. the winner of No. 6 Tulane and No. 11 Houston.

No. 4 Temple (16-15, 12-6 American) won its regular-season finale over Houston, 56-45, and will face No. 5 East Carolina in the tournament quarterfinals at Noon eastern on Saturday.

No. 5 East Carolina (20-9, 11-7 American) clinched a quarterfinals bye with a 10-point win over UCF on Monday. The Pirates will face No. 4 Temple on Saturday at Noon ET.

No. 6 Tulane (20-9, 11-7 American) wrapped up regular season action on Saturday with a three-point loss at Tulsa. The Green Wave earned the sixth spot at the conference championship and open tournament play on Friday at 8 p.m. eastern vs. No. 11 Houston.

No. 7 Memphis (13-16, 7-11 American) will face No. 10 SMU in the first round of the conference championship on Friday at 6 p.m. ET. The Tigers will face the Mustangs for the second consecutive time after dropping their regular season finale to SMU on Monday.

No. 8 UCF (9-20, 5-13 American) will take on No. 9 Cincinnati in the first-round of the conference championship on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. The Knights dropped a 10-point contest to East Carolina on Monday.

No. 9 Cincinnati (7-22, 4-14 American) takes on No. 8 UCF in the first-round of the conference championship. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. eastern. The Bearcats fell to Tulsa, 71-58, in their final game of the season on Monday.

No. 10 SMU (7-22, 3-15 American) defeated Memphis, 60-53, on Monday and earned the championship’s 10th seed. The Mustangs will take on the seventh-seeded Tigers on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

No. 11 Houston (6-23, 1-17 American) opens tournament play at 8 p.m. ET on Friday versus sixth-seeded Tulane. The Cougars fell in their regular-season finale to Temple on Monday.

Package and single-session tickets are still available for the conference championship. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. In addition, tickets can be purchased online by logging on to the Mohegan Sun Arena website at www.mohegansun.com or the Ticketmaster website at www.ticketmaster.com.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office. Box office hours are 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. daily. All ticket purchases are subject to additional convenience fees.

Fans can watch the entire tournament on the ESPN family of networks. The first round and quarterfinal games on March 6 and 7, respectively, will be carried live on ESPN3. The semifinals on March 8 will be televised on ESPNU while the championship game on March 9 will air on ESPN.

For more information on the American Women’s Basketball Championship, please visit championship central at www.theamerican.org/wbb.

American Athletic Conference Weekly Men’s Basketball Honors – March 2

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly men’s basketball honors for the week ending March 1.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Rodney Purvis • So. • G • UConn

Purvis helped UConn to two wins last week as the Huskies moved into fifth place in the conference standings, giving them the inside track on a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference Championship. He led all scorers with 28 points to go with three assists and three steals in an 81-73 win against No. 21/21 SMU and had 12 points in a 60-49 win at East Carolina. Purvis averaged 20.0 points and 2.5 assists in the two games and is averaging 10.5 points per game for the season.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Daniel Hamilton • Fr. • F/G • UConn

Hamilton averaged a double-double of 12.5 points and 12.0 rebounds to help UConn to a 2-0 mark last week to extend its winning streak to three games. Hamilton had nine points, 17 rebounds and five assists in a 60-49 win at East Carolina and had 16 points with seven rebounds in an 81-73 win against No. 21/21 SMU. Hamilton is second on the Huskies in scoring at 10.8 points per game.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Octavius Ellis • Jr. • F • Cincinnati

Averaged 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in a 1-1 week. Shot .667 from the field (14-of-21).

Devonta Pollard • Jr. • F • Houston

Averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 steals in a 1-1 week.

Quenton DeCosey • Jr. • G • Temple

Scored 16 points with nine rebounds and three assists in a 66-54 win against Houston.

Louis Dabney • Jr. • G • Tulane

Averaged 25.0 points and shot .515 from the field in two games. Scored 32 points in a loss at Tulsa.

Shaquille Harrison • Jr. • G • Tulsa

Averaged 14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a 2-0 week.

Video: UConn Men Flex Muscles In 81-73 Win Over SMU

UConn G Rodney Purvis (44) flexes his muscles after making layup and being fouled in the second half against the SMU Mustangs at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

UConn G Rodney Purvis (44) flexes his muscles after making a layup and being fouled in the second half against the SMU Mustangs at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

The UConn men’s basketball team has not beaten the SMU Mustangs since the two teams joined the American Athletic Conference. For whatever reason, the UConn Huskies don’t match up well with them.

The last time these two teams faced each other, the Huskies were embarrassed in Dallas, TX. This time, head coach Kevin Ollie came up with a different game plan.

It was executed to perfection by his charges.

Rodney Purvis, who played perhaps his finest game in an UConn uniform, paced the Huskies to an 81-73 win over No. 21 SMU in front of 15,564 at the XL Center in snowy Hartford, CT.

UConn improves to 17-11 (10-6 American) while SMU falls to 23-6 (14-3 American).

Purvis led the way with 28 points and the 46% foul shooter hit all seven of his attempts. Ryan Boatright added 23 points and five assists while Daniel Hamilton had 14 of his 16 points in the second half. Hamilton also led the team with seven rebounds.

Markus Kennedy was the high scorer for the Mustangs with 18 points and had a game-high nine rebounds. Yanick Moreira had 14 points while Sterling Brown had 13 points.

The UConn men’s basketball team is back in action on Thursday night when they’ll host the Memphis Tigers on Senior Night at Gampel Pavilion. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m.

SMU Mustangs @ UConn Huskies 3/1/15 box score

Here are the postgame quotes.

Here are UConn’s postgame notes.

photo credit:  ©2015 Ian Bethune

Photos-WBB: UConn Huskies vs Memphis Tigers – 2/28/15

Here is a photo gallery from the UConn women’s basketball game versus the Memphis Tigers at Gampel Pavilion on February 28, 2015. The UConn Huskies won the game easily, 87-24.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune

Video: UConn Women Rout Memphis 87-24 on Senior Day

Senior Day is always an emotional time for the UConn women’s basketball team. It’s the end of a particular era for members of the senior class. And it’s the last regular season game they’ll ever play at Gampel Pavilion.

One thing you have to watch out for is a letdown. It has happened before. But not this time.

Kaleena Mosqueda-LewisKaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart combined for 38 first half points to make sure there was no setback on Senior Day in the UConn Huskies 87-24 win over the Memphis Tigers in front of a sold-out crowd on campus in Storrs, CT.

The win also clinched the regular season American Athletic Conference Championship, UConn’s (28-1, 17-0 American) second in a row. Memphis falls to 13-15 (7-10 American).

KML led the way with 21 points, including five three pointers. She also scored the 2,000th point of her career early in the game. Stewart added 20 points and eight rebounds. Moriah Jefferson chipped in with 12 points and six assists while Gabby Williams had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Kiah Stokes, who blocked her 300th career shot in the game, got the start and had four points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Ariel Hearn was the high scorer and rebounds for Memphis with seven points and five rebounds. Asia Fuqua-Bey, Mooriah Rowser and Courtney Powell all contributed four points.

There’s no rest for UConn as they’ll head to sunny, warm Florida on Sunday for a matchup with the USF Bulls on Monday night at 7 p.m.

Memphis Tigers @ UConn Huskies 2/28/15 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Photos-MHOC: UConn Huskies vs UMass Minutemen – 2/27/15

Here is a photo gallery from the UConn men’s hockey game versus the UMass Minutemen at the XL Center on February 27, 2015. The UConn Huskies won the game 4-0 on Senior Night.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

photo credits: ©2015 Ian Bethune

UConn’s Breanna Stewart Garners AAC Player of Week Honors

From UConn:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third time this season, University of Connecticut women’s basketball junior forward Breanna Stewart (Syracuse, N.Y.) has been selected as the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday morning.

Breanna StewartStewart averaged 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in just 26.5 minutes per game in the Huskies’ 2-0 week. Stewart scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting against Houston on Feb. 17 before notching a season-best 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting to go along with nine boards and six blocks in UConn’s 92-26 victory over Tulsa.

At 17.0 points per game, Stewart is tied for third in the conference and also ranks in the top-10 in field goal percentage (.537), blocks per game (2.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55). This season, the junior forward has notched eight 20-point games and has reached double figures in 23 of UConn’s 27 games.

Since Connecticut’s convincing 87-62 over then-ranked No. 1 South Carolina, she has averaged 21.8 points on 58.1 percent shooting from the floor.

Last week, the Syracuse, N.Y. native was selected as a member of the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 and Naismith Trophy Midseason Top-30 lists.

In total, the Huskies have earned six conference Player of the Week nods and five conference Freshman of the Week honors.

Stewart and the Huskies are set to play their penultimate regular season road contest on Monday at Tulane. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on SNY.

photo credit: ©2015 ian bethune

UConn’s Daniel Hamilton Nabs AAC Rookie of Week Honors

From UConn:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — For the third time this season, UConn freshman Daniel Hamilton (Los Angeles, Calif.) has been named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week, the conference announced today.

Daniel HamiltonHamilton, a 6-7 swingman, had a stellar week as the Huskies went 1-1 with a win over Tulane following a loss at Memphis. Hamilton averaged 16.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game in the two contests. In the loss at Memphis, he scored a career-high 25 points, to go with 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. Against Tulane, he again filled the box score with 7 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals.

Hamilton was also named Rookie of the Week on Nov. 24 and Jan. 26 and was selected the AAC Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 15.

In addition, UConn sophomore center Amida Brimah (Accra, Ghana) was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll after his performances in the 1-1 week. Brimah averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and was 13-of-14 from the floor for the Huskies. Against Tulane, the 6-11 center was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor. Brimah was the AAC Player of the Week on Dec. 15.

photo credit: ©2015 ian bethune

American Athletic Conference Weekly Women’s Basketball Honors – Feb. 23

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced winners of the league’s weekly women’s basketball honors for games ending Feb. 22.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Breanna Stewart * F * 6-4 * Jr. * UConn

Stewart averaged 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 70.6-percent from the field in a 2-0 week for UConn. Stewart accumulated those averages in only 26.5 minutes per contest. The junior started the week with a 26-point, five-rebound, four-assist effort in UConn’s win over Houston on Tuesday.  Her 26 points came on 11-16 shooting in 26-minutes of action against the Cougars.  She followed that up with a season-high 28 points in a win at Tulsa, 23 of which came during the first half, on 13-18 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and six blocks.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Laura Ferreira * F * 5-11 * USF

Ferreira recorded her first-career double-double Wednesday night against Tulsa, scoring 11 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds before tallying a career-best 17 points in a win over Temple on Sunday to go along with seven rebounds. The freshman averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the undefeated week and helped the Bulls clinch a top-two seed in the upcoming conference championship with Sunday’s win.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Jada Payne * G/F * 6-2 * R-Jr. * East Carolina

Averaged 18.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in a 2-0 week, scored 1,000th career point vs. SMU

Alisia Jenkins * F * 6-1 * Jr. * USF

Recorded her 19th double-double of the season last week, averaged 13.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game

Tyonna Williams * G * 5-6 * Sr. * Temple

Shot 58-percent (11-for-19) from the field last week while averaging 16.5 points and 3.0 assists per game

Danielle Blagg * G * 5-11 * Sr. * Tulane

Averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in a 1-1 week for Tulane

Cheyenne Creighton * F * 6-1 * Fr. * Memphis

Tallied back-to-back double-digit games last week, averaged 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds on 55-percent shooting