University of Maine
Hartford
Maine Falls to Hartford; Meets $10k Play4Kay Goal
2/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Coach Barron Head Shaving Video
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball squad fell to Hartford 59-40 on Wednesday evening on a special Play4Kay night at Alfond Arena. The loss slips Maine back to 6-20 and 3-10 in America East play while the Hawks improved to 17-10, 8-5 in league action. Danielle Walczak (Lee, N.H.) led Maine with 11 points and five rebounds, earning her Maine's America East Player of the Game nod.
Ruthanne Doherty led the Hartford attack with a game-high 19 points as she was named Hartford's America East Player of the Game.
The Black Bears shot well from the field in the first half but Hartford turned 12 first half Maine turnover into 13 points to take a 34-22 lead into the break. Maine opened up the contest by taking a three point lead on a pair of free throws by Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.). Hartford erased the Maine lead with an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to take a six point edge.
Maine answered, breaking out a 4-0 run to close within a pair, 8:20 into the first half. Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) started the Maine run when she found Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine) for a bucket. Amber Smith's (Ipswich, Mass.) steal on the other end would lead to a jumper by Baranowski, closing the gap to just two.
The game hovered around a four point margin until the Hawks went on a 10-0 run to build their lead to 14 with 3:58 to play in the opening half. Maine wouldn't quit in the first half as Amber Dillon (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) raced down the court for a pull up jumper. Courtney Anderson (Greene, Maine) then found Walczak inside for two as Maine found itself back within 10. Hartford extended its lead back out to 14 but an end-to-end fastbreak layup by Dillon cut into the Hawks lead once again, sending Maine to the locker room down by 12.
Hartford's Nikkia Smith grabbed the first points of the second half after hitting a jumper, giving the Hawks a 36-22 lead. Walczak retaliated with a lay up of her own, cutting Hartford's lead to 12.
Hartford countered with a 6-0 run with just over 11 minutes to play. Four of those points came from Hawk guard Alex Hall. Maine went on a 8-2 run to answer Hartford on points from Knight, Corinne Wellington (Rochester, N.Y.) and Smith.
Hartford regained an 18 point lead when Doherty and Hall bucketed until Williams drained a three-pointer to bring them back to within 15 points with 3:11 to play. Despite Walczak netting the final two points of the game, Hartford secured the victory with a 6-2 run to end the game.
Note: University of Maine head women's basketball coach Richard Barron challenged the UMaine community. His challenge? To raise $10,000 for the Play4Kay initiative. If the goal was met, Coach Barron pledged to shave his head bald at midcourt following Maine's Feb. 15th contest against Hartford - the date of Maine's official Play4Kay game. The Black Bears met the goal, raising over $10,000 to honor this great cause and Coach stuck to his word, shaving his head. Thank you all for your wonderful support in this fantastic cause!
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