Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (1-1) hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Harvard (0-1) for the second-straight year, when it takes on the Crimson on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. live on NESN. Maine will be looking for its third-straight win over the Crimson after a 64-53 win a year ago.
COMPLETE GAME PREVIEW
GAME COVERAGE:
- Fans unable to make it to Harvard for Tuesday game can watch the game live on NESN or online via the Ivy League Digital Network at this link!
- Don Shields is back on the call for Black Bears Sports Network! Tune into Don on 1230 WGUY-AM or listen worldwide at GoBlackBears.com!
- As always, you can follow along to live stat updates here and catch your up-to-date game info, behind the scene photos and highlights by following @BlackBearsWBB on Twitter!
- Black Bear Nation! It's never too early to get tickets to your next UMaine women's basketball game at the Cross Insurance Center! Click here to purchase your tickets today!
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine will look to start 1-0 on the road for the second-straight season as it kicks off road play at Harvard for the second consecutive year. The Black Bears opened the season by hosting a highly competitive Tipoff Tournament. Maine opened action with a 67-47 victory over Purdue, its first over a B1G team since 2004 (Michigan), before falling in the tournament championship to No. 10 Mississippi St., 87-43.
Sigi Koizar (12.0 ppg, 3.5 apg) and freshman
Laia Sole (11.0 ppg) were each named to the All-Tournament team. Koizar, an America East Preseason All-Conference selection, dropped 17 points in the win over Purdue. Maine, which returns just one starter and four letterwinners, received significant production from its new cast as seven Black Bears scored their first career points over the weekend.
With a small sample size, Maine enters action at Harvard shooting 43.3-percent from the floor (42-97) and 73.9-percent from the free throw line (17-23). Maine, which led the America East in 3-point percentage and 3-point field goal makes a year ago, began the season 9-for-26 from beyond the arc (34.6%).
Last season, Maine finished the year 10-8 on the road and enter play 20-13 away from its home court over the last two years, compared to a 26-3 home court advantage in its last 29 games.
SCOUTING HARVARD:
Despite hitting 16 shots from 3-point range (16-for-30) in its opener at Minnesota, the Crimson fell by a score of 103-87 to began the season on Saturday evening. Sopomore Madeline Raster led the way with 18 points on six 3-pointers while freshman Jeannie Boehm (15) and Sydney Skinner (12) each finished in double-figures.
The Crimson return two starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team that went 14-14 and earned a selection to the WNIT where it fell, 76-50, at Hofstra. Harvard, which lost each of its top three scorers to graduation, returns senior captain Destiny Nunley who averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 2015-16.
Harvard was selected third in the Ivy League Preseason poll, consistent with its finish a year ago. Kathy Delaney-Smith returns for her 35th season at the helm of the Crimson. Delany-Smith, the winningest head coach in Ivy League history, boasts a 546-376 record at Harvard with 11 Ivy League titles and six NCAA tournament appearances.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES:
Maine enters action with an 8-5 record all-time against the Crimson. The Black Bears have won each of the past two meetings, including a 64-53 triumph in last season's opener. In that game,
Sigi Koizar led all scorers with 22 points. Maine outscored Harvard 31-22 in the first half including a 20-12 mark in the second quarter. Maine has defeated Harvard by double-digits in each of the last two meetings, winning by 11 last year and 19 (65-46) in 2014. Maine and Harvard first met in 1983, an 84-50 routing by Maine. The Black Bears won each of the first four meetings. Maine is 5-3 all-time on the road in the series.
MAINE VS. THE IVY LEAGUE:
Maine will be playing its 50th all-time contest against the Ivy League and enter action 32-17 against Ivy members.
- Brown (7-5)
- Columbia (3-0)
- Cornell (1-0)
- Dartmouth (11-4)
- Harvard (8-5)
- Pennsylvania (0-1)
- Princeton (1-0)
- Yale (1-2)
SOLE BURSTS ON TO THE SCENE:
With just one weekend of collegiate action under her belt, freshman forward
Laia Sole has already garnered a pair of awards. Sole was named the America East Rookie of the Week on Nov. 14, just days after being named to the Tipoff Tournament All-Tournament team. Sole averaged 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, highlighted by a 14 points effort in a win over Purdue.
BIG B1G WIN:
Maine got off to a big start this season as it defeated Big Ten (B1G) member Purdue, 67-47, in the opening round of the Tipoff Tournament. The Black Bears were able to avenge last season's 56-33 loss at Purdue. Maine, which tallied just 33 total points at Purdue, jumped out to a 25-6 lead in the first quarter this season before surpassing last season's game total 33 points at the half of this season's meeting (36). The victory was Maine's first over a B1G opponent since a win over Michigan in 2004. The head coach of that Maine team was Sharon Versyp, the current coach at Purdue.
TIPOFF TOURNAMENT HONORS
The Black Bears earned runner-up status in their own Tipoff Tournament to kickoff the 2016-17 season.
Sigi Koizar (17 pts) and
Laia Sole (14 pts) each tallied double-figures in the opening win over Purdue to help them earn all-tournament team honors. The Black Bears dropped the championship game to No. 10 Mississippi St.
-UMaine-
Â
