University of Maine
Stony Brook
Black Bears Pick Up Second America East Victory, Defeat Stony Brook 57-44
1/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- Four Black Bears totaled double-figures in scoring as the University of Maine Women's Basketball team (5-15, 2-5 America East) defeated Stony Brook (4-16, 1-6 AE) by a score of 57-44 on Saturday afternoon. Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.) was named Maine's America East Player of the Game as she totaled double-digits in scoring for the fourth-straight game with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Corinne Wellington (Rochester, N.Y.) also tallied 12 points, going 6-for-6 from the free throw line, to go along with six rebounds while Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) added 11 points and Danielle Walczak added 10 points.
Maine opened up the ballgame going 14-for-28 from the field in the first half en route to building a 33-20 lead heading into the halftime break. The Black Bears used a 15-2 run over a seven-minute span early on in the first half to take a 19-8 lead on the Seawolves, fueled by a pair of three-pointers by Williams. Courtney Anderson (Greene, Maine) started the run with a free throw before Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine) kicked the ball out to the top of the key where Williams knocked down the three. After a pair of free throws by Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.), Williams worked the ball down low to Wellington who hit the jumper off glass for two. Anderson pulled down a board and rushed down the floor, finding Baranowski on the low left block. Baranowski used her left hand, laying the ball up and off the window for a pair. Williams hit another three from the top of the key before knocking down a jumper off a screen with just seconds left on the shot clock, giving the Black Bears a 19-8 lead.
After the teams traded baskets, the Black Bears used a 14-3 run, capped off when Walczak made a nice entry pass to Knight on the block for two and followed it up by knocking down a jumper of her own, to take its biggest lead of the half at 33-16. Stony Brook ended the half on a 4-0 run to send the game into the break with the Black Bears leading 33-20.
Walczak paced Maine's first half attack with eight points and four rebounds while Williams also netted eight points with a pair of steals.
Maine's offense continued to click in the second half as the Black Bears started the half with a 16-3 run to take a 26 point lead. Wellington hit back to back shots in the middle of the run for Maine before Baranowski stepped inside the three-point arc and knocked down a 17-footer. A pair of free throws by Wellington followed before she hit Baranowski with a nice pass that ended in a bucket for the Black Bears. Knight capped the run with a nice jumper from the right corner, as Maine found itself up 49-26 with 8:20 to play in the second half.
Stony Brook refused to go away quietly, staging a 17-1 run, including five points from Taylor Burner, to close within 10 with under a minute to play at 51-40. However, the Black Bears knocked down its free throws late and held on to its second America East win of the season, 57-44.
The Black Bears return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 25th when they host New Hampshire in the Pit at 6 p.m.
-U-M-
**Notes: The win for Maine marks the first time the Black Bears had won at Stony Brook since defeating the Seawolves 76-59 on March 2, 2005. The win also snaps a 15 game road conference losing streak as Maine's last win before the win at Stony Brook came at Albany on Jan. 28, 2010.
