Maine Falls in Opening Round of the 18th Annual Dead River Company Classic

Friday, November 26

6 pm

University of Maine

Navy

Maine Falls in Opening Round of the 18th Annual Dead River Company Classic

11/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ORONO, Maine – Maine (1-3) fell 65-43 to Navy (4-1) in the first round of the 18th Annual Dead River Company Classic Friday night. Three players scored in double figures to lead the midshipmen to a championship game appearance Saturday.

Cassie Consedine scored 16 points to lead all scorers, while Jade Geif recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. America East Player of the Game, Amber Smith (Ipswich, Mass./Ipswich), led the Black Bears with 12 points, while Samantha Wheeler (Derry, N.H./Timberlane Regional) tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.

Smith has scored in double figures in every game this season and leads the team with 15.5 points a game. Wheeler has nearly matched that and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

Maine added 11 steals to their already impressive America East leading 10 a game. Wheeler and Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) both stole three each to lead the team.

Jaymie Druding (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) played in her third-straight game and recorded career highs in points with four and rebounds with six. She also added two blocks and a steal in 21 minutes.

Navy led 20-17 at halftime behind eight points from Cassie Consedine. Navy went four of 14 from behind the arc to help give them the early lead. Wheeler led all scorers with 9 points, but both teams shot below 30% in the first half. Wheeler finished the half with nine points, five rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes of action.

The Black Bears survived a six minute scoreless drought to start the game and pulled within one with 11:42 remaining in the first half. Wheeler scored UMaine's first points of the contest on a pair of free throws. Smith cut Navy's lead to 5-4 with a layup eight minutes into the contest. The Midshipmen extended their lead to as many as six, but Smith stole a pass and drained the fast-break layup to cut Navy's lead to two points, 17-15, with three minutes remaining.

Florida held off a strong first-half effort by South Alabama to win 61-51 in the first game of the day. Florida will play Navy in the championship game at 2 p.m., and South Alabama will face Maine in the consolation game at noon.