From UConn:

After beating Rutgers in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, the UConn Huskies will now advance to the NCAA Albany Regional on Saturday, March 28th and Monday, March 30th at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY.

The UConn Huskies will take on Texas at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday with the Regional Final taking place on Monday at 7:00pm ET. UConn Club donors can place orders on Tuesday, March 24th by phoning 1-888-GO-UCONN (468-2666) or online following the schedule below:

Donor Category/Call In Time

Hall of Fame, Legend, Champion, and All-American: 8:00am – 11:00am

MVP, Golden Husky, and Director: 11:30pm – 2:30pm

Coach, Asst. Coach and Captain: 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Ticket packages for the regionals are available for $50.00 (including all fees). Ticket packages include both the Regional Semifinals on Saturday and the Regional Final on Monday. To view ticket and travel information click the link: Women’s Basketball Albany Regional.

As a reminder, the NCAA provides a limited number of tickets to each participating institution. Specific seat locations are determined by the NCAA. UConn endeavors to accommodate as many donors as possible based on the number of tickets we receive from the NCAA. Postseason ticket allocations to current members are by donor category, then by points within that category. You may order at any time during the reservation period for your donor category based on the guidelines below. Tickets will be distributed based on availability.

Donor Category/Maximum # of Tickets

Hall of Fame, Legend, Champion, and All-American: 6

MVP, Golden Husky, Director, Coach, Asst. Coach, and Captain: 4

Should the UConn Huskies advance to the Final Four, further information about calling times, travel packages, and hotel rooms will be available after regional play.

From UConn & Atlanta Tip-Off Club:

ATLANTA (March 20, 2015) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the four finalists for the women’s Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, with no seniors remaining in consideration. UConn junior Breanna Stewart looks to repeat, and is joined by juniors Jewell Loyd (Notre Dame) and Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina), along with Minnesota sophomore Amanda Zahui B.

Stewart won the Naismith Trophy in 2014 and also claimed the Naismith High School Trophy, the country’s top prep honor, in 2012. Should Stewart win, she would join Chamique Holdsclaw, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi as the only women to win at least one Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year award and two Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year awards.

The four finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, which based selections on individual performances throughout the 2014-15 women’s college basketball regular season. The winner of the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Trophy presented by AT&T will be announced on April 7, 2015.

For the 11th consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to vote for the player of their choice and help determine the 2015 Naismith Trophy winner. Beginning March 23 and running through April 4 fans can cast their vote through the online and mobile optimized site www.NaismithVote.com. The fan vote represents 25 percent of the selection process – the largest fan impact of any collegiate basketball award.

The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States

UConn’s Trevor Gerling hopes to make it at the next level as he has signed an ATO with the Elmira Jackals.

From UConn:

STORRS, Conn. – UConn senior Trevor Gerling (Seattle, Wash.) signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Elmira Jackals of the East Coach Hockey League (ECHL) on Monday and is expected to make his professional debut Monday night. Elmira is the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Gerling closed out his four-year UConn career having played in 124 career games, collecting 64 points on 33 goals and 31 assists. His 33 goals rank 13th among UConn’s Division I (1998-present) all-time goal scorers. Gerling served as an alternate captain for the Huskies during his junior and senior seasons.

This past season, the senior forward helped guide the Huskies through their debut season in Hockey East. The Huskies finished the year 10-19-7 overall and 7-11-4 in Hockey East, tied for ninth place in the league standings. Gerling finished the year second on the team in scoring with 18 points. He was second on the club scoring 11 goals, two coming on the power play.

Gerling posted back-to-back 20 point seasons as a sophomore and a junior. During the 2012-13 season, he finished with 12 goals and 13 assists and a +7 rating, all career best marks. In 2013-14, Gerling tallied nine goals and dished 11 assists on the season.

Elmira plays in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference and have posted a 30-24-0 mark in the East Division, good for fifth place. The Jackals have 12 games remaining on their schedule starting Monday night at home host the Toledo Walleye. Gerling is expected to be in the line-up tonight for the Jackals.

As you know, the UConn women’s basketball team will be hosting the first and second rounds of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gampel Pavilion on campus in Storrs, CT.

Here’s how to get tickets from UConn:

Tickets for the first and second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Storrs will begin on Tuesday, March 17.

A first round doubleheader will take place on Saturday, March 21 in Gampel Pavilion with a second round game on Monday, March 23.

UConn Club members have an exclusive window to purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the general public can begin to purchase at 2:00 p.m. Purchasers on UConnTickets.com can choose their own seat and use print at home.

Tickets are priced per session at $20 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.

Tickets can also be purchased at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling 1-877-AT-UCONN between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Parking will be available in the North and South Garages for $5 per car —  payable upon entry to the garage.

From UConn:

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn women’s basketball team has been selected as the No. 1 seed in the Albany Region of the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, as announced by the NCAA on Monday evening.

The Huskies (32-1) will play their opening round game vs. No. 16 seed and Northeast Conference Tournament Champion Saint Francis Brooklyn at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs on Saturday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

No. 8 seed Rutgers will challenge No. 9 seed Seton Hall in Saturday’s other first-round game set to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The winners of Saturday’s games will advance to the second-round game on Monday, March 23 at a time to be determined, also in Storrs.

The winner of the second round tilt will advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinal, which will be played at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

Each game of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.

Connecticut owns the sport’s all-time winningest record in NCAA Tournament play, checking in at 97-17 (.851). The team is making its 27^th-straight appearance in the event and has advanced to the Regional Semifinals in each of the last 21 seasons.

The team will enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed for the 18^th time in program history and the ninth season in-a-row. UConn is 79-9 all-time as a No. 1 seed, including wins in 61 of its last 66 games. Eight of the program’s nine national championships have come when the squad began play as a No. 1 seed.

Husky head coach Geno Auriemma, who was tabbed as The American’s Coach of the Year on March 6, has guided the program to all 97 of its NCAA Tournament wins and will attempt to join former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt (112) as the only members of the NCAA Tournament 100-win club.

UConn earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning its second-straight American Athletic Conference Championship.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the first and second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Storrs will begin on Tuesday, March 17.

UConn Club members have an exclusive window to purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the general public can begin to purchase at 2:00 p.m. Purchasers on UConnTickets.com can choose their own seat and use print at home.

Tickets are priced per session at $20 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.

Tickets can also be purchased at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling 1-877-AT-UCONN between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Parking will be available in the North and South Garages for $5 per car — payable upon entry to the garage.

From UConn:

STORRS — The UConn men’s basketball team, fresh off its appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship finals, has accepted an at-large bid to continue its postseason in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Huskies, 20-14, are a No. 4 seed in the 32-team NIT field and will play host to Arizona State out of the Pac-12 on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

UConn bowed to SMU, 62-54, in the AAC championship game Sunday at the XL Center after a thrilling run of three victories in three days over USF, Cincinnati and Tulsa to reach the title game against the Mustangs.

It will be UConn’s 13th appearance in the NIT and its first since 2010. The Huskies have an overall NIT record of 15-11, including an NIT Championship in 1988 under Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun.

Arizona State, 17-15 overall, finished 9-9 in the Pac-12, tied with Stanford for fifth place. The Sun Devils, out of Tempe, lost to USC, 67-64, in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. It is also their 13th appearance in the NIT and they have an overall record of 6-12. Coached by Herb Sendek, the Sun Devils made their last NIT appearance in 2013.

Arizona State is led by 6-5 senior Shaquielle McKissic, averaging 12.0 points per game, while 6-6 sophomore Savon Goodman (11.0) and 6-4 junior Gerry Blakes (10.9) are also double-figure scorers.

The winner of Wednesday’s first-round game will advance to the NIT round of 16, facing the winner of the game between No. 1 seed Richmond, 19-13, out of the Atlantic 10 and No. 8 seed St. Francis of Brooklyn, 23-11, from the Northeast Conference. The date and time and location of the second-round game are to be determined.

Two other members of the American Athletic Conference received NIT at-large bids Sunday night. Temple is a No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 seed Bucknell in a first-round game, while Tulsa received a No. 2 seed and will meet No. 7 seed William & Mary in the first round.

This year’s NIT will use two experimental rules in all games. The 35-second shot clock will be reduced to 30 seconds and the restricted arc in the lane will be widened from three feet to four feet.

The NIT semifinals are schedule for March 31 and the championship finals are on April 2, both at Madison Square Garden.

Ticket information

Tickets for Wednesday night’s first round game vs. Arizona State are priced at $10 apiece and $4 for UConn students.

UConn Club members and Husky season tickets holders can purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com during an exclusive time period of Sunday night through Monday at noon.

Tickets to the general public will go on sale Monday at noon at UConnTickets.com and will have the ability to select their seats and print tickets at home. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting the UConn Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling the UConn Ticket Office at 1-877-AT-UCONN from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

UConn students can purchase tickets at the box office in Storrs, including game night.

Parking at the North and South Garages will be available for $5 on Wednesday night, which is paid upon entry to the garage.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – University of Connecticut point guard Moriah Jefferson(Glenn Heights, Texas) has been named to as one of five finalists for the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making abilities and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.

Moriah Jefferson is one of five finalists for the 2015 Lieberman Award as the best point guard in women’s basketball

Since its inception in 2000, three Huskies have taken home the award a total of six times. UConn point guards earned the honors in the first five consecutive years of its existence, with Sue Bird earning the award its first three years (2000-2002) and Diana Taurasi receiving the accolades in the subsequent two years after Bird (2003, 2004). Renee Montgomery was the last Husky to net the award in 2009.

The Selection Committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The list will be narrowed down to fifteen and then a final five by mid-March. The Lieberman Award winner will be announced during the WBCA Award Show in Tampa, Florida at the Women’s Final Four.

Jefferson, who became the first Husky since Kelly Faris in 2012-13 to earn the league’s Most Improved Player accolade, has enjoyed a strong junior campaign. The Texan is averaging 12.0 points in 27.7 minutes through 33 games this season en route to a spot on the All-Conference First Team. In total, she ranks first on the team in assists (159) and steals (88) and is one of seven Huskies shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor (58.1). She provided a spark in UConn’s 87-62 victory over No. 1 South Carolina on Feb. 9, notching 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with a game-high six assists.

Jefferson’s 2.6 steals per game regular season average was tops in the American Athletic Conference. In February, she was selected to the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 List.

In three conference tournament games, Jefferson tallied 56 points to go along with 20 assists en route to a selection on the All-Tournament squad.

The 2015 Lieberman Award winner will be announced during the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Award Show in Tampa, Florida at the Women’s Final Four. For more information on the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award, log onto www.pointguard.org.

The winners of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship, UConn will await seeding and pairing for the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

From the Boston Red Sox

BOSTON, MA-The Boston Red Sox today signed infielder Yoan Moncada (yo-AHN mohn-CAH-dah) to a minor league contract.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Moncada, 19, batted .277 (84-for-303) with 58 runs, 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 28 RBI, 40 walks, and 21 stolen bases in 101 games over two seasons in Cuba’s major league, Serie Nacional. A switch-hitter, he spent both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons with Elefantes de Cienfuegos, posting a career .388 on-base percentage.

The 6-foot, 215-pound infielder appeared exclusively at second base with Cienfuegos. In 45 games last season, he led the team in total bases (67) and runs scored (32), and tied for the team lead with 13 extra-base hits (7 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR) while batting .273 (45-for-165) with 13 RBI. He helped Cienfuegos to the 2012-13 playoffs.

In addition to his time in Serie Nacional, the native of Abreus, Cienfuegos, Cuba represented the country in various tournaments, most recently the 18U World Championships in Taiwan in September 2013. He also played for Cuba in the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands (July 2013), the 16U World Championships in Mexico in August 2011, and the COPABE Pan American 16U Championship in Mexico in October 2010.

Moncada, who established residency in Guatemala before signing with Boston, will be assigned to Red Sox minor league spring training camp.

HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn freshman Daniel Hamilton (Los Angeles, Calif.) was named the Rookie of the Year and senior Pat Lenehan (Cheshire, Conn.) was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year as the American Athletic Conference announced its top individual awards for men’s basketball at a press luncheon Thursday.

Daniel Hamilton was named 2015 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year.

Other awards announced today included SMU junior guard Nic Moore as the league’s Player of the Year and Temple coach Fran Dunphy as the Coach of the Year.

Hamilton, a 6-7 swingman, has started every game this season for the Huskies and has filled the box score with his solid all-around play. He is UConn’s leading rebounder at 7.6 per game and led the entire conference in rebounding in league games at 9.1 per game.

Hamilton is also UConn’s second-leading scorer at 10.8 points per game and is second in assists at 3.6 per game. In conference games, those numbers went up to 11.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. He is among the top 20 in scoring, rebounding and assists in the league.

Hamilton, who was an Honorable Mention All-AAC pick, was named the AAC Rookie of the Week four times during the season. He reached double figures in 17 games, led UConn in rebounding in 17 games and recorded five double-doubles, the most on the team. His season-high 25 points against Memphis on Feb. 19 were the most by a UConn freshman since Jerome Dyson in 2006-07 and his 17-rebound performance against East Carolina on Feb. 25 were the most by a UConn freshman since Corny Thompson in 1978-79.

Hamilton joins a list of UConn players who have won the Rookie of the Year Award that includes Earl Kelley (1982-83), Nadav Henefeld (1989-90), Doron Sheffer (1993-94), Khalid El-Amin (1997-98) and Rudy Gay (2004-05), all in the Big East Conference.

Lenehan, a 6-3 guard, is a former walk-on who earned a UConn scholarship this season. He has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA as a molecular and cell biology major and intends to pursue a medical career with a specialty in cancer research. A Rhodes Scholar finalist, he has already been accepted to medical school at Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Columbia and UConn.

Lenehan has received some of the highest academic honors UConn can bestow, including the Goldwater Scholarship, the Presidential Scholars Award Scholarship, the UTC Academic Scholarship, and he has been recognized as a Babbidge Scholar.

He is the second UConn player to win a conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, joining two-time Big East Scholar-Athlete winner Emeka Okafor (2002-03, 2003-04).

Earlier this week, UConn sophomore Amida Brimah was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year, senior Ryan Boatright was a unanimous first team All-ACC pick, Hamilton was a unanimous pick to the All-Rookie Team and Brimah and Hamilton were Honorable Mention all-league selections.