Women's Basketball Hosts WNIT Participant Harvard in the Season Opener Saturday
11/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
ORONO, Maine – Maine women's basketball opens the regular season at home for the second year in a row and will play host to Harvard Saturday at noon. The Black Bears have faced the Crimson every season under head coach Cindy Blodgett and hold a 6-4 all-time record in the series.
UMaine hosted a pair of exhibition games in the preseason. They defeated Husson and New Brunswick by a combined score of 165-116 and were led by Ashleigh Roberts' (Wilmington, Del./Concord) 13.5 points a game. The Black Bears have had five or more players score in double figures in both contests.
Corinne Wellington (Rochester, N.Y./Wilson Magnet) posted a double-double in the 88-44 win over Husson with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She nearly recorded a second in the comeback win over New Brunswick after tallying 16 points and pulled down nine boards against the Varsity Reds.
Harvard won last season's contest in Cambridge 72-56 behind 24 points from freshman Victoria Lippert and 15 from Claire Wheeler. Samantha Wheeler led UMaine with 15 points and eight rebounds. Brittany Williams added nine more points in 17 minutes of play.
The Crimson return all 12 players from last year's squad that finished 20-9 overall and second in the Ivy League. Harvard earned a WNIT bid and played Syracuse in the first round of that tournament. Emma Markley led the Crimson with 14 points and seven rebounds a game last season and is one of four players to average double figures a year ago.
Harvard will have a familiar face on the bench Saturday. Former Black Bear Missy Traversi returns to Alfond Arena as an assistant coach for the Crimson. Traversi served as a captain on the 2004-05 squad along with Kim Corbitt. Missy was an All-America East selection that season after she led the team in scoring with 13.2 points a game. Traversi helped lead the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance, two WNIT appearances and three America East regular-season titles. Missy is a member of Maine's 1,000 point club and ranks 13th with 1,130 career points.
Season tickets are still on sale and individual game tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-756-8326. Fans who attend Saturday's opener will receive a free 2010-11 women's basketball schedule poster. For fans who cannot make the game, live stats and a paid live video feed will be available at www.GoBlackBears.com(.)
