University of Maine
Vermont
Women's Basketball Escapes with 57-54 Victory at Vermont
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BURLINGTON, Vt. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (20-6, 12-1 America East) picked up its 12th straight victory, escaping with a 57-54 win at Vermont (5-21, 2-12 AE) on Wednesday evening.
Vermont was able to cut a 10 point Black Bears' lead down to just one but a pair of 3-pointer attempts with under 30-seconds remaining in the contest did not go, securing a 57-54 victory for Maine. The Black Bears, at 12-1 in the league, remain in a deadlock at the top of the America East standings with UAlbany.
Sigi Koizar (Vienna, Austria) led all scorers, tallying 14 of her 16 total points in the second half. Mikaela Gustafsson (Sodertalje, Sweden) had a great showing off the bench with 12 points while Sophie Weckstrom (Espoo, Finland) added 10 points.
The Black Bears held their 15th straight opponent under 60 total points on their way to their 20th victory of the season; the first 20+ win season since 2004-05 for Maine. As a unit, Maine went 20-for-45 from the floor (44.4%) and 14-for-22 from the free throw line.
The first half featured a seesaw battle with five lead changes and a pair of ties, with neither team taking more than a five point edge in a tightly played opening 20 minutes.
Trailing by three, the Black Bears were able to string together a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the half with 7:48 left in the first. Back-to-back buckets from Sigi Koizar (Vienna, Austria) and Anna Heise (Halle, Germany) put Maine up by just one. Courtney Anderson (Greene, Maine) was able to force a steal on the defensive end and raced down court, drawing a foul at the opposite end. Anderson hit both free throws out of a time out as the Black Bears led, 19-16.
Vermont answered with an 8-0 run spanning the next 2:47 and took a five point edge on a pair of 3-pointers from Kylie Butler and Kayla Burchill.
The Black Bears regained the lead in the waning seconds of the first half following a 6-0 run, capped on a last second layup from Sophie Weckstrom (Espoo, Finland) off a steal from Wood.
Maine's offense found its rhythm out of the break as it started the second half with an 11-4 run, extending its lead out to 36-28. Lauren Bodine (Louisville, Ky.) put Maine up seven on a three from the left foul line extended before Koizar slashed through the lane, taking a pass from Bodine and laying it in while drawing a foul. Following a free throw from Koizar, Maine's lead reached eight, five minutes into the second half.
Vermont weathered the early storm and responded, cutting the lead back down to a pair with an extended 8-2 run. Burchill and Butler again hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tighten the Maine advantage.
Maine was able to again hit a hot streak and take a nine point edge, 48-39, following a 10-3 run with 8:22 remaining. Weckstrom hit two big shots during the stretch, knocking down a clutch three from the wing before working inside for a pair on Maine's next trip down the floor. A free throw from Weckstrom shortly after gave Maine its largest lead of the game, 54-44.
Vermont battled right down to the final buzzer as it ran off a 10-1 run over the final 3:23 to chip Maine's lead all the way down to just one. The Catamounts were forced to foul late, putting Anderson to the line where the senior knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with just 21.6 remaining.
Vermont had a 3-pointer try late that clanged around and bounced out. However, Vermont maintained possession following a deadball offensive rebound. With 2.5 seconds left, Vermont inbounded the ball and tried a deep last second three attempt that fell short as Maine escaped with a 57-54 win.
Maine remains on the road when it travels to take on Binghamton Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.
-U-M-
