University of Maine
Syracuse
Women's Basketball Nipped by Syracuse in Home Opener
11/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (0-3) hung tough with Syracuse, trailing by just four at the half, but slipped up in the end, dropping its home opener to the Orange by a final score of 68-44. Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) led Maine's scoring with 10 points and five rebounds while Anna Heise (Halle, Germany) and Brittany Wells (Indianapolis, In.) each netted eight.
Kayla Alexander led all scorer's with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Orange while Elashier Hall added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Maine's largest lead of the contest came early as the Black Bears stormed out of the gate early in the first half. Roberts kicked the ball out to Courtney Anderson (Greene, Maine) who knocked down the three. On Maine's following possession, Heise was tough inside as she fought to grab an offensive board and go back up strong for a pair to give the Black Bears an early five point edge.
The Orange fought back over the next three minutes to grab a two point lead on a jumper from Shakeya Leary before Sophie Weckström's mid-range jumper tied the contest for the sixth time in the opening eight minutes.
Syracuse's 15-4 run over the next 11-minutes gave the Orange a 31-20 lead before the Black Bears turned up the intensity over the remaining three minutes of the opening half to cut the deficit to just four at the break.
Maine's late first half run began on a jumper in the paint from Anderson. After an Orange free throw, Weckström pushed the ball down the court before finding Roberts in the middle for two. Following an Orange turnover, Chantel Charles (London, U.K.) kicked the ball out to Wells who sprinted down the floor on the fastbreak for a layup. Weckström pulled down a big defensive board on the other end for Maine and quickly turned up the offense, pushing the ball up the floor before finding Wells for a jumper, completing Maine's 8-2 run to end the half.
Syracuse's lead reached 11 early in the second half before Mikaela Gustafsson (Sodertalje, Sweden) put a stop to the 5-0 run with a layup. After an Orange turnover, Roberts broke out on a break and layed the ball up and off glass while creating contact, drawing a foul and making her free throw. After a Syracuse layup, Gustafsson controlled the ball on the block before kicking it out to Roberts on the left wing who nailed a three to bring the Black Bears right back within five.
The Orange distanced themselves over the next six minutes with a 17-0 run to take a 62-40 lead with just over five minutes to play. Maine looked to chip into the lead many times but ran out of time in the end, dropping the contest to Syracuse by a score of 68-44.
Maine returns to the road in its next contest as it travels to the University of Minnesota to meet UNLV in the opening round of the Subway Classic. Game time is schedule for 2 PM CT, 3 PM ET.
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