the Informer

Erica Beverly achieved a record of 1,000 rebounds in the semi-final game against Stony Brook. (Bettina Hansen/Hartford Courant)

For the first time since 2000, the America East Women’s Basketball Championship game will consist of the top two seeds taking the court.

The No.1 seeded Hartford Hawks will look to close out the America East season unblemished to win their fifth school championship when they host the No.2 seeded Vermont Catamounts on Saturday night at the Chase Family Arena.

Hartford (27-3, 18-0 AE) is currently nationally ranked No.19 in the nation and riding a 20-game winning streak. Vermont made a brief appearance in the Top 25 earlier this season in January.

“We want to play against the best to win a championship,” said junior guard Jackie Smith. “Both teams have had a lot of success this season and in order for us to be the best you have to beat the best.”

The Hawks will play without Beverly, the America East Defensive Player of the Year, in the championship. Beverly tore her ACL on Sunday against the Seawolves when she went up for a layup and was fouled from behind by a Stony Brook guard. In the first half she became the first Hawk in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

The two teams are more than familiar with each other having already played five times in the past two seasons. The Hawks are 4-1 against the Catamounts in those games, the lone loss coming in a 66-56 defeat in last year’s tournament semi-finals.

“Last year in the tournament we were playing not to lose and this year we are playing to win it all,” added Smith. “This is a new year, a new team and a new mindset and we aren’t worried about what happened last year.”

This season Hartford was the only America East team to beat Vermont in Burlington, and they did so in thrilling fashion back on January 26. In a low scoring affair, Hartford pulled out a 38-36 victory when Diana Delva got an offensive rebound and scored the game winning basket with two seconds remaining. Delva, the America East Player of the Year, led the Hawks with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

In that game Hartford held Vermont guard’s May Kotsopoulos and Courtnay Pilypaitis to a combined 16 points on a combined 7-31 shooting effort. Both players finished the league in the top 3 in scoring, with Kotsopoulos leading the America East with 17.6 points per game. Pilypaitis, the 2007 America East Player of the Year, is also third in the league in rebounding.

The teams faced off again less than two weeks ago in the final game of the regular season. Hartford pulled out a 61-51 victory behind another monster game from Delva. She scored 22 points on perfect 8-8 shooting from the floor and grabbed 10 rebounds. Freshman Ruthanne Doherty added a double-double of her own with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks built their lead to 14 in the second half when Doherty scored in the paint to make it 43-29 with 14:26 to play but Vermont came storming back. A layup by Catamount senior Alissa Sheftic made the score 52-51 in the Hawk’s favor just 2:11 to play.

Diana Delva answered with a layup and a free throw to extend the lead to four, and reserve guard Ilicia Mathis put the game out of reach when she sliced through the Vermont defense and finger rolled in layup with 56 seconds left. The Hawks would score the final nine points of the game.

The Hawks beat New Hampshire 68-35 in quarter-finals behind Delva’s 18 points. Senior Erica Beverly scored 16 points as well. In the semifinals, the Hawks beat Stony Brook 65-43 in a game that saw the Hartford bench players outscore Stony Brook’s entire team with 44 points. The Hawks were led by Mary Silvia’s 17 points.

Vermont rolled past Albany and Boston University in the first two rounds of the tournament. In the semi-finals against BU, Pilypaitis led the Catamounts with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

“There is definitely a healthy rivalry between the two teams,” added Smith, “that will make the game more fun and exciting.”