Around the League: 1.07.09

Wednesday's game:

New Hampshire 55, Hartford 47
With the news that Joe Zeglinski is most likely out for the remainder of the season, the outlook is gloomy in Hartford and things didn't get better Wednesday night in Durham. Despite Hartford's most valiant efforts, it wasn't enough to overcome New Hampshire on their home court. The Wildcats have now won two games in a row and this one was in hand for pretty much the entire way. A 3-pointer by Michael Turner pulled Hartford within two points (43-41) with 5:10 remaining in the second half, but following a timeout by UNH, Tyrece Gibbs nailed a trey of his own to put his team up by five and virtually seal the deal. The two-point deficit was as close to a comeback as the Hawks (5-10, 1-1) would get, as they trailed 23-19 after a low-scoring first half. For UNH (5-7, 1-0), Gibbs led the way with 21 points, but the real story was Dane Diliegro, who hauled in an astounding season-high 17 rebounds to help the Wildcats outrebound Hartford, 42-22. In fact, it's only the second time this season Diliegro pulled in double-digits in boards. Turner led the Hawks in scoring with 16, while Jared VonRosenberg chipped in 15. A lot will be asked of those two (along with Morgan Sabia) if Zeglinksi's situation really is as bad as it looks.

Thursday's games:
Vermont (9-4, 0-0) vs. Binghamton (9-4, 2-0), 7:00 p.m.
A battle of the conference's best (record-wise, certainly and also probably literally) is on hand in Binghamton. The Bearcats have a slight advantage in that they've already played two conference games while Vermont is coming off a push-over game against NJIT. This is one of the best early-conference matchups thus far and certainly worth keeping an eye on considering how well both teams are playing. Especially Binghamton, which will look to defend its five-game winning streak.

Maine (5-9, 0-1) vs. Stony Brook (8-6, 1-1), 7:00 p.m.
Stony Brook's got it easy for their third league game as they face a team that's dropped its last five games and is quickly solidifying itself as the worst in the conference (where many thought SBU would be by this point in the season). The Seawolves have opened a lot of eyes, however, and appear as though they're here to stay.