Women's Hoops Looks to Close Out 2014 with a Victory at William & Mary
12/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (7-4) looks to close out the 2014 calendar year with a victory when it faces William and Mary (6-3) on the road on Sunday afternoon. Maine is looking for its seventh win in its last eight games and has a chance to finish with its best December record (5-1) since 2001.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS...
Maine looks to return to the win column after a setback against #6 North Carolina on Friday evening in Myrtle Beach. The Black Bears trailed by 15 in the first half but fought all the way back to cut the Tar Heels lead down to just three early in the second half. However, North Carolina proved to be too much down the stretch, pulling away for a 65-36 victory. Sigi Koizar tallied nine points to lead the Black Bears while Bella Swan added seven points and Liz Wood added 10 rebounds.
The Black Bears, looking for their seventh win in eight games, are led by sophomore guard Sigi Koizar. Koizar ranks seventh in the America East with 15.2 points per game and has tallied double-figures in five of the last six. Koizar ranks in the top 10 in the league in field goal percentage (50.5-9th), free throw shooting (77.4-5th) and steals (2.1-6th) while tallying 2.6 assists. Preseaosn All-Conference pick Liz Wood is adding 13.8 points per game and leads the Black Bears in rebounding (6.8), assists (3.1), steals (2.7) while hitting 51.8 percent of her shots from the floor. Sophie Weckstrom is averaging 7.3 points and shooting a team-high 78.6 percent from the free throw line while fellow junior Anna Heise is adding 6.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and leads the team with a 52.0 percent mark from the floor.
As a unit, Maine's defense has been a highlight as the Black Bears rank second in the league in opposing points per game (56.9), third in steals (9.0), second in turnover margin (+1.55) and have forced the most turnover in the league (218). The Black Bears average 58.9 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the floor, 30.0 percent from 3-point range and 69.0 percent from the free throw stripe. Maine is averaging 31.8 rebounds, 13.1 assists and are tied for the league lead in 3-point makes per game (6.9).
SCOUTING WILLIAM AND MARY...
William and Mary returns home for the first time since Nov. 29 and have won four of its last five, including a 71-51 victory at Wofford on Dec. 18. Marlena Tremba leads the Tribe with 16.7 points per game to go along with 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Tremba is shooting 42.0 percent from the floor and is posting an 82.9 percent rate from the free throw line. Jazmen Boone is also adding double-figures with 14.0 points and 6.9 rebounds. Alexandra Masaquel is chipping in 7.2 points and leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. Latrice Hunter comes off the bench and gets the offense moving as she leads the team with 3.3 assists. William and Mary averages 70.9 points per game while giving up 64.8 The Tribe are shooting 44.7 percent from the floor, 39.0 percent from behind the 3-point mark and 70.2 percent from the free throw line and are posting 15.2 assists per game.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE SERIES...
Sunday's contest will be the fourth meeting in the series between Maine and William and Mary with the Black Bears holding a 2-1 advantage. Maine won the first two meetings in the series but dropped the most recent meeting in 2007 by a score of 63-62 at William and Mary. The Black Bears will be looking for their first ever win on the road in the series. The first ever meeting between the two teams happened in 1987 when the Black Bears took a 71-69 victory in a game played in Portland, Maine. Maine picked up a second-straight win in the series in the season opener in 2006, defeating William and Mary 66-46. Two of the three games in the series have been decided by two points or less.
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