Women's Basketball Selected Ninth in Preseason Poll
10/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team has been selected to finish ninth in the America East Preseason Poll, announced today at the 2011 America East Tip-Off event held at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city of the 2012 America East Men's and Women's Basketball Championship presented by Newman's Own. The Black Bears are coming off a 4-25 season in which they finished ninth in the conference at 2-14.
UMBC, the 2011 regular season champions, were selected to repeat as they received 60 total votes and five first place tallies. The Retrievers were followed by Boston University who received 56 votes and two first place nods. The 2011 America East Tournament Champion Hartford Hawks were selected third with 54 votes and the final two first place tallies. The Hawks were followed by Binghamton who tallied 43 votes and Albany which received 37 marks. New Hampshire picked up 25 votes for sixth place while Vermont (22), Stony Brook (15) and Maine (12) rounded out the field.
The Black Bears return seven letterwinners including three starters from its 2010-11 campaign. Maine welcomes back America East All-Rookie selection Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) who tallied 10.7 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds per game while scoring a team high 310 points in her freshman season. Also returning are veteran seniors Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.) and Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.). Last season, Baranowski appeared in 24 games for the Black Bears, averaging 3.3 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per. Williams returns to the Black Bears after starting 17 games and appearing in 28 while racking up 3.9 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game and totaling 44 assists on the year. Junior sharp-shooter Amber Smith (Ipswich, Mass.) started 18 games for Maine, producing 10.0 points per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds. Maine also looks to welcome back all-conference forward Samantha Wheeler (Derry, N.H.) who averaged a team-high 12.8 points per game in five games before suffering a season ending injury.
The Black Bears also begin a new era in women's basketball as they welcome in new head coach Richard Barron and his staff. Barron and his staff bring in five new freshman to this season's roster, including two home-grown Mainers.
The Black Bears kickoff the 2011-12 season with an exhibition contest at home against New Brunswick on Sunday, Oct. 30 before opening up the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 at Central Conn. State University. Maine plays its first regular season home game on Saturday, Nov. 19 when it hosts Bryant University.
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