Women's Basketball Travels to Minnesota for Subway Classic
11/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes -- Live Stats -- Audio
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (0-3) takes back to the road as it travels to Minneapolis, Minn. to take part in the 2012 Subway Classic. The Black Bears will play UNLV (1-1) on Saturday at 2 PM CT before facing either Minnesota or Ohio on the following day. The Black Bears last participated in the Subway Classic in 2006.
Maine looks for its first win of the 2012-13 season as it fell to 0-3 after falling to Syracuse last time out. The Black Bears are coming off a 68-44 loss to the Orange in a game that slipped away in the second half as Maine trailed by just four at the half against its Big East foe. Maine is averaging 53.7 points per game while shooting 37.3% from the field and 76.9% from the free throw line. The Black Bears are averaging 36.7 rebounds and 8.3 steals per game.
Junior guard Ashleigh Roberts leads the Maine attack as she is averaging 13.7 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds. Roberts has tallied double-figures in her last two games (35 for her career) including a career-high 29 point night against Wofford (11/10). Roberts also leads the team from beyond the arc as she is shooting 50% from three-point land. Four of Maine's top four scorers are freshmen as Mikaela Gustafsson ranks second with 8.7 points to go along with 4.3 rebounds and has hit at least one three-pointer in each of her first three games. Brittany Wells is adding 7.3 points per game as center Anna Heise is averaging 7.0 with 4.7 rebounds. Heise leads the Black Bears from the free throw line with a 83.3% mark. Liz Wood is also averaging 7.0 points per game and leads the Black Bears in both rebounding (5.7) and minutes (32.0). Sophomore Courtney Anderson is dropping 6.7 points while adding four assists and six steals at the point. The Black Bears return four letterwinners from last season's squad while welcoming in nine freshmen.
UNLV enters the weekend at 1-1, defeating UC Santa Barbara 58-52 in the opener before dropping its last contest 83-82 to Arizona. The Lady Rebels boast three players who are averaging double-digits in scoring. Senior Kelli Thompson paces the Lady Rebels' attack as she is pouring in 21.5 points per game to go along with eight rebounds while Alana Cesarz is adding 13.5 points and five rebounds. Freshman Amie Callaway is averaging 11.0 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds and leads the team with six blocks. Rmanii Haynes gets the offense moving for UNLV as she is averaging 10.0 assists per game to go along with 8.5 points. The Lady Rebels are averaging 70.0 points while giving up 67.5 to its opposition as its first two games have been decided by a total of just seven points. UNLV shoots 50.5% from the field, 29.6% from beyond the arc and 78.6% from the free throw line. UNLV is out rebounding its opponent by a 4.0 margin as it is averaging 38.5 rebounds per game. The Lady Rebels return all five starters to a team that went 11-20 overall and placed eighth in the Mountain West conference after going 4-12 in league play.
Minnesota enters the Subway Classic at 2-0 after defeating Washington State in overtime 87-83 in its opener and downing Villanova 75-60. The Gophers are led by junior forward Micaella Riche who is averaging a double-double with 24.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Riche also leads the squad with three blocks and is shooting 68.0% from the field (17-25). Sophomore Rachel Banham is averaging 23.5 points per game and 4.0 rebounds to go along with 3.0 assists. Banham was named the 2012 Big Ten Freshman of the Year a season ago. Leah Cotton is chipping in 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Kionna Kellogg is adding 7.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds. Minnesota has scored over 75 points in its first two games as it won the Best Buy classic in its opening weekend. The Gophers are averaging 81.0 points per game to its oppositions 71.5 while shooting 44.8% from the field and 77.5% from the line. Minnesota has been dominant on the boards as it is averaging 47.0 rebounds per game and besting its opponents by +18.5 mark.
Ohio University enters the weekend at 1-0 after knocking off Cleveland State in its season opener by a score of 63-56. Shavon Robinson led the Bobcats in their opener as she dropped 15 points and added seven rebounds. Ohio had three scorers in double-figures in its opener as Mariah Byard added 13 points and Tina Fisher nearly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. The Bobcats are averaging 63.0 points per game and shot 43.5% from the field in its opener while going 5-for-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc and 18-for-26 (69.2%) from the free throw line. Ohio was outrebounded in its opener 38-35 and turned the ball over 23 times. The Bobcats return three starters and nine letterwinners from a 2011-12 squad that finished the season at 14-18 overall and 6-10 in the MAC. The Bobcats placed fourth in the east division of the MAC, advancing to the semifinals in the conference tournament.
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