University of Maine
Minnesota
Women's Basketball Falls on the Road to Minnesota
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minneapolis, Minn. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (1-2) hung with Big Ten foe and 2015 NCAA tournament participant Minnesota (2-0) through three quarters. However, the Black Bears were outscored 24-10 in the fourth, falling 91-64 in the end.
Sigi Koizar led Maine with 13 points and five rebounds and matched a career-high with seven assists. Sophie Weckstrom hit four 3-pointers for 12 points while Mikaela Gustafsson added nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Black Bears finished action 25-for-69 from the field (36.2%), hitting 11 of 31 from 3-point range and pulling down 34 rebonuds. Maine assisted on 21 of 25 hoops.
Minnesota started hot and continued a torrid offensive pace, shooting 35-for-64 from the floor (54.7%) and hit at a 50% rate from 3-point range after knocking down 13 shots from behind the arc.
Rachel Banham led all scorers with 30 points for the Gophers after hitting 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
The Gophers began action with four makes from beyond the arc in the opening 5-minutes to race out to a seven point lead.
Maine answered as a 3-pointer from Lauren Bodine capped a 5-0 run, bringing the Black Bears back within two late in the first quarter.
Minnesota's 16-5 run over the next 8:52 gave the Gophers their largest lead of the opening half, 36-23. However, the Black Bears would stage a late second quarter charge as it hit four 3-pointers down the stretch and cut the lead to 46-37 at the break after a trey from Koizar.
Maine kept its charge rolling into the second half when back-to-back 3-pointers by Weckstrom midway through the third quarter brought it back within three.
An 18-0 run by the Gophers put the game out of reach late as they would go on to capture a 91-64 victory.
Maine closes its season-opening four-game road series on Sunday when it takes on North Dakota State at 1 p.m.
-UMaine
