University of Maine
North Carolina
Women's Basketball Win Streak Snapped by #6 North Carolina
12/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (7-4) saw its six-game winning streak snap as it was defeated by #6 North Carolina (10-1) by a score of 65-36 on Friday evening at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Maine, which trailed by 15 in the first half, fought all the way back to cut the Tar Heels' lead to just three early in the second half but could not get any closer. Sigi Koizar (Vienna, Austria) paced Maine's attack with nine points and four rebounds while Liz Wood (Catlett, Va.) added 10 rebounds and four points.
The Black Bears held North Carolina to its second-lowest point total of the season as the Tar Heels shot just 34.9 percent from the floor.
Allisha Gray scored a game-high 17 points for the Tar Heels while Latifah Coleman added 10 points and Xylina McDaniel added 12 rebounds and nine points.
North Carolina rattled off the game's first 14 points as it jump on Maine early to take a 14-0 lead with 7:33 gone in the first half.
Bella Swan (Farmington, Ut.) put Maine on the board and ended the Tar Heels' run as she recorded the Black Bears' first bucket of the game. Swan tallied a second hoop shortly after to cut the North Carolina lead to 13.
The Tar Heels ran their lead out to 15 but the Black Bears had an answer, responding with a 9-2 run. A pair of layups from Wood sandwiched two free throws from Koizar before Mikaela Gustafsson's (Sodertalje, Sweden) 3-point shot brought the Black Bears all the way back within eight.
With the North Carolina lead back up to 11, Maine ended the half strong with Sophie Weckstrom's (Espoo, Finland) 3-pointer capping a 5-0 run to close the half and send the Black Bears into the break trailing 24-18.
Maine showed fire early out of the halftime break as it stopped the Tar Heels on three-straight trips before Koizar slashed through the lane for a make while drawing a foul. Koizar hit the free throw, completing the three-point play and bringing the Black Bears back within three.
Maine's offense could not close any further as the Tar Heels responded with a 20-4 run to take a 20-point edge, 44-24, with just over 10-minutes left in the second half.
A 5-2 run from the Black Bears was answered by a 15-0 burst by the Tar Heels as the lead expanded out to 61-29 with five-minutes left in regulation.
Maine refused to fade away as Swan knocked down a 3-pointer and Koizar's pair of free throws brought the lead under 30.
However, the North Carolina fire power proved to be too much as the Black Bears fell 65-36 to the Tar Heels.
Maine will close out the 2014 calendar year schedule at William and Mary on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 1 PM.
-U-M-
