Women's Hoops Hosts Clemson on Friday Evening, Looks for 11th-Straight Home Victory
12/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (8-4) looks for its third-straight win, and its 11th straight at home, when it hosts Clemson (3-7) Friday evening at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center.
HOLIDAY SWEATER TICKET DEAL:
Fans wearing their favorite Holiday sweaters to Friday night's game will receive 50% off general admission tickets and a chance to win a $50 Buffalo Wild Wings gift card!
FOLLOW THE BLACK BEARS:
- TICKETS - Tickets are available by visiting GoBlackBears.com or at the Cross Insurance Center box office. Fans may also purchase tickets by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
- WATCH - Watch the Black Bears LIVE at AmericaEast.TV
- LISTEN - Don Shields will have the call on 94.1 WGUY-FM or at GoBlackBears.com
- LIVE STATS
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine, which has won two-straight and five of its last six, are coming off a convincing 76-38 victory over Bryant. In the win, Maine shot 65.5% in the first half and finished the game 33-for-57 (57.9%). Defensively, Maine forced 25 Bryant turnovers and limited the Bulldogs to a 27.7% mark from the floor and a slim 1-for-16 from 3-point range. Sigi Koizar led all scorers with 18 points while Liz Wood added 15 points, four rebounds and six steals.
Junior guard Sigi Koizar leads the Black Bears, averaging 17.0 points per game. Koizar, who has tallied double-figure scoring efforts in her last four games and 10 of Maine's 11 contests, ranks fourth in the league in scoring and ninth in the nation with 204 points. Koizar has been dialed in from downtown, leading the league with a 46.8% showing from 3-point range with 29 makes, averaging 2.4 per game. Koizar is sixth in the league at 49.7% from the floor and assists per game (3.9). Liz Wood, who recently moved into ninth all-time in scoring at Maine, is averaging 9.8 points per game and leads the Black Bears with 7.3 rebounds, sixth best in the league. Wood, shooting 43.8% from the floor, has swiped 37 total steals which is the third most in the nation. She is averaging 3.1 steals per game. Mikaela Gustafsson is averaging 8.3 points per game while her 51.9% mark from the field is fourth best in the America East.
Maine, averaging 61.6 points per game, has been impressive on the defensive end thus far. The Black Bears currently lead the league in points allowed, ranking 21st in the nation as they're giving up just 52.8 points per game. Maine also leads the league in assists, averaging 16.1 assists on 23.8 field goal makes per game, proving a highly function offense, involved offense.
SCOUTING CLEMSON:
The Tigers enter play coming off their first road victory of the season, a 71-53 victory at Tennessee Tech. The win was Clemson's second in three games after it previous had been locked in a six game losing skid.
Clemson features young talent as its top five scorers are made up four sophomore's and a freshman, led by sophomore guard Cha'Nelle Perry who is averaging 14.2 points per game and 4.0 rebounds. Freshman guard Danielle Edwards is averaging 11.3 points and team-highs in rebounds (6.4) and assists (3.3). Sophomore Victoria Cardaci is adding 7.3 points while shooting 27.4% from 3-point range (20-for-73). Her 73 attempts from long range rank eighth in the nation.
Clemson is averaging just 51.2 points per game while giving up 58.5. The Tigers are shooting 34.9% from the field, 22.8% from 3-point range and 63.2% from the free throw stripe.
A GLIMPSE INTO THE SERIES:
This will be the third all-time meeting between Maine and Clemson and the second time the teams have met in Maine. The current series is tied at 1-1. The Black Bears won the first ever meeting by a score of 80-78 on Nov. 25, 2006 in the championship of the Dead River Company Classic. The following year, Maine traveled to Clemson for its season opener and lost 72-59. In its lone win, Amanda Tewksbury buried a jumper as the second half buzzer sounded, breaking a 78-78 tie and giving Maine the 80-78 victory. At the time, current Maine assistant coach Todd Steelman was an assistant at Clemson. Maine's last ACC victory came a year ago when it defeated Boston College, 69-64.
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