Both Boston College programs kicked off the new year with identical 1-0 records in ACC action. The men are currently on a two-game winning streak following a decisive, 96-81, victory against Syracuse on New Year's Day. In the win the men shot an astounding 61.5% from the three-point land, knocking down 16-of-26. It was their first win against Syracuse since upsetting the #1 ranked Orange, 62-59 in overtime on February 19, 2014.
Four Eagles reached double-figures as they spread the ball around on the floor nicely. First year guard Ky Bowman, who was named ACC Co-Freshman of the Week Tuesday afternoon, led the way with 30 points and nine assists. Sophomores Jerome Robinson and A.J. Turner followed up with 16. First year forward Nik Popovic came off the bench to round out the Eagles in double digits with 11 while graduate Connar Tava came one point shy of his first double-double of the season, tallying nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Eagles will face a tough test this week. They travel to Winston-Salem tonight at 7pm to face a tough Wake Forest team (9-5, 0-1 ACC), who dropped their first ACC game to Clemson at home, 73-68, before the new year. At the end of the week, BC will be back in North Carolina again this time in Durham where they will tip-off against a Grayson Allen-less Duke squad on Saturday January 7th at 2pm. The Blue Devils lost their first ACC game of the year on the road to Virginia Tech, 89-75, on December 31st.
On the women's side, the Eagles opened ACC action with a 60-48 victory at home over Clemson. Sophomore forward Mariella Fasoula notched her second double-double of the season as she led three Eagles in double figures with 19 points and 11 rebounds. First year forward Georgia Pineau followed up with 14 points while senior guard Kelly Hughes netted 12 points in the victory.
The women take a six-game winning streak on the road this week when they travel to Pittsburgh Thursday evening at 7pm before heading to upstate New York to face Syracuse Sunday afternoon at 2pm.
DIVISION II
In Division II men's basketball action, Southern New Hampshire, Merrimack and Franklin Pierce all find themselves atop the Northeast10 with identical 5-2 conference records. Before the new year, Merrimack freshman Juvaris Hayes earned NE10 Rookie of the Week honors, for the fourth time, after becoming just the second player in the nation to dish out 16 assists in an 84-72 victory over LIU-Post on December 30th.
Merrimack pushed their winning streak to four games edging out non-conference Dominican (N.Y.), 67-65 Monday evening. They look continue their winning ways this week when they host NE10 foes the University of New Haven on Wednesday January 4th at 7:30pm and Pace, Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
Southern New Hampshire put up triple digits for the first time this season in a 107-69 victory over non-conference Concordia (N.Y.).. Senior forward Devin Gilligan was named the NE-10 Player of the Week after pouring a career single-game high 30 points, shooting 11-of-12 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc against Concordia.
The Penman look to keep pace with Merrimack and Franklin Pierce when they host Saint Rose this Wednesday at 7:30pm then go on the road to American International on Saturday at 3:30pm.
After winning the Division II national title in 2013-14 and going back to the Elite Eight in 2015-16, the Bentley University women's basketball team sits atop the NE-10 standings with a perfect 7-0 conference record and 11-3 overall. Tabbed as the favorite to win the NE-10, the Falcons are currently ranked 11th in the WBCA Top 25 Coaches poll.
Winners of six of their last seven games, Bentley heads into week one of 2017 coming off a 103-66 victory over Holy Family and look to remain undefeated in the NE10 when they host the University of New Haven (2-9, 1-5 NE10) on Saturday January 7th at 1:30 p.m.
DIVISION III
There are five Division III New England men's basketball programs who find themselves in D3Hoops' Top 25 this week. Receiving 15 first place votes, the 10-1 Babson College Beavers remain at #1 despite dropping their first game of the season, a heartbreaker, to #3 Amherst College, 99-97, before the break on December 8th.
Opening the season at 9-0, the Beavers lead the NEWMAC in both scoring average and scoring defense. Getting help from senior guard Joey Flannery, who leads the conference averaging 25.9 points per game and junior forward Nick Comenale, who is third in the NEWMAC with 18.0 points per game, the Beavers are averaging 88.2 ppg while giving up only 69.6 points defensively.
Babson opens NEWMAC action this week on the road, traveling to Boston Wednesday evening January 4th for a 6pm tip against Emerson College (4-7, 0-0 NEWMAC) before traveling to Springfield on Saturday January 7th for a 2pm tilt.
WPI senior guard Sean Doncaster and Springfield freshman Jake Ross were named NEWMAC Co-Offensive Player of the Weeks. Doncaster earned the honors after leading the Engineers to two victories against non-conference foes Keene State and Eastern Nazarene. Ross took home both Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week after earning MVP accolades at the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic over the new year holiday. In wins over non-conference Elizabethtown and Connecticut College, the Western Mass. native nearly averaged a double-double, 25.5 points per game with 8.5 rebounds per game.
If there is only one game you can get out to this weekend, it is this Saturday's NEWMAC "Battle of the Engineers" when WPI travels to Cambridge for a 3pm tip-off against MIT.
On the women's side, the NESCAC has three teams in D3Hoops' Top 25 poll. Not surprising at all, Tufts finds themselves alone at #1 with a perfect 10-0 record as they open conference play this week with back-to-back NESCAC games at home against Bowdoin and Colby. Breathing down Tufts back in the number two spot is another conference rival Amherst, who is also 10-0 but due to a tougher schedule and previous post-season national titles, the Jumbos got the edge in the poll.
Scrolling down the poll just a little bit we find our third and final New England school and another NESCAC institution: Bowdoin College at #17. However, the Polar Bears dropped down four spots following their first loss of the season to unranked Claremont-Mudd Scripps in overtime, 70-62, in Claremont, California over the winter break. They look to right the ship tonight, on the road against non-conference Regis College in Weston, Mass, at 7pm.
Speaking of Regis, the Pride are once again sitting atop the NECC standing with a perfect 3-0 conference record - keeping their conference regular season winning streak in line. The Pride's lone conference loss was a 66-63 loss to Daniel Webster College in 2011-12 NECC Semifinals.
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