Black Bears Open America East Action Monday Evening at Binghamton
12/31/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes -- Audio
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (3-10) open up America East league play when it travels to meet Binghamton (6-7) on Monday evening in a double-header in Vestal, N.Y. as the Binghamton and Maine men's teams will do battle following the women's game.
The Black Bears will be looking to start 1-0 in league play for the first time since they defeated UMBC 67-55 on Jan. 5, 2008 to begin that season 1-0 in conference action. A win would give Maine its first conference road win since downing Albany 61-58 on Jan. 28, 2010.
Maine will look to end its seven-game losing skid as it travels to battle Binghamton in the both teams' league opener. Ashleigh Roberts continues to lead the Maine offense who is averaging 55.1 points per game as the sophomore guard is tallying 8.2 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds per game. Senior Brittany Williams has 7.0 points per game and is the only Black Bear who has started all 13 games while averaging a team-high 27.4 minutes per game. Samantha Baranowski, recently coming off her 12th career double-figure performance, is chipping in 6.2 points per game while averaging 3.8 rebound and is tied for the team-high with 0.5 blocks per game. Maine has been getting solid production from its freshmen this season as it started three freshman for the first time this season in the game against Siena. Courtney Anderson leads all freshman with 6.1 points per game and also is second on the team with 25.5 minutes. Anderson's 2.5 assists per game is a team-high as she is coming off a career best seven assist performance against Siena. Fellow freshman Rebecca Knight has started the last four games for Maine and is dumping in 3.9 points to go along with 3.3 rebounds. First-year forward Danielle Walczak recently started her first career game and poured in a career-high 13 points in that contest, improving her average scoring to 3.6 points per game. The Black Bears average 55.1 points per game while giving up 62.5 and are shooting a league best 37.3% from the field. Maine continues to be solid on the boards as its 39.9 rebounds per game seperate them from the opposition by a +2.3 margin overall.
Binghamton opens up conference play at 6-7 overall and have dropped four of their last five contests including losing its most recent game 60-50 to Dayton in the championship of the Saint Peter's College Holiday Classic. The Bearcats have struggled a bit at home this season as they are 1-4 on their homecourt with their only win coming in their season opener way back on Nov. 11, a 52-43 win over Mt. St. Mary's. Binghamton features a trio of senior scorers who are all tallying double-figures on the year. Andrea Holmes paces the offensive attack with 13.9 points per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds and a team high 47 assists on the year. Holmes, a first team All-America East selection a year ago, became just the 13th player in Bearcat history to reach the 1,000-point mark last season and currently ranks fifth amongst America East leaders in scoring. Viive Rebane chips in in all aspects of the game for the Bearscats as she is averaging 12.2 points per game, leads the team in rebounding at 9.0 and is also averaging team high's in steals (2.6) and blocks (1.0). Fellow senior Orla O'Reilly rounds out the trio of scorers as she is also averaging 12.2 points per game. Binghamton also returns last season's America East Rookie of the Year in Jasbriell Swain who is tallying 7.2 points per game and 5.1 rebounds in her sophomore campaign. As a unit, the Bearcats rank eighth in the league in scoring at 55.0 points per game while they are giving up 60.1 points, a difference in scoring margin of -5.1. Binghamton is shooting 36.7% from the field and 62.3% from the free throw line while pulling down 34.5 rebounds per game. The Bearcats currently are tops in the league in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.8. Binghamton and Maine have played two of the same teams this season as the Bearcats defeated Siena on the road 80-70 and lost at home to UMass, 64-55.
Maine and Binghamton have met 20 times over the past 10 years. After 20 games the series is currently deadlocked at 10 wins a piece entering Monday night's contest. The Black Bears have struggled recently against the Bearcats as they have just two wins in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. If Maine can get a victory in this game, it will mark the first time the Black Bears have defeated Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. since winning 73-56 on Jan. 5, 2005. Maine started the series by winning six of the first seven meetings including the first ever meeting, a 63-62 overtime by Maine in Orono. More recently, Binghamton swept Maine last season, defeating Maine in the last meeting 70-43 at Binghamton on Jan. 29, 2011. Ashleigh Roberts paced Maine in that game with 14 points and three rebounds while Shareka Maner added six points while ripping down a career-high 13 rebounds in the loss. The Black Bears last win against Binghamton came on Jan. 21, 2010, a 55-51 win at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears led by 10 at the half in that contest as Samantha Wheeler recorded her third career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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