Orono, Maine -- A year after besting Clemson by 33 points, the University of Maine women's basketball team (3-4) looks to hand the Tigers (7-0) their first loss of the season on Friday evening at the Littlejohn Coliseum. Maine enters action with the current 114th toughest schedule in the nation compared to Clemson's 291st mark.

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A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine will look for its first back-to-back wins of the season after coming off a 49-39 victory over UT-Chattanooga in neutral site action in Springfield, Mass. on Nov. 27. The win provided a solid defensive effort from the Black Bears as they were able to get back to a defensive presence more likely seen from last year's squad which finished fifth in the nation in defense. Sigi Koizar led three Maine scorers in double-figures with 13 points while Laia Sole (12) and Blanca Millan (10) joined Koizar in double-digits.

Koizar enters action leading Maine at 13.6 points per game. The senior guard has finished with double-digit scoring efforts in four of Maine's first seven contests, including her last two. Koizar, who is fifth among America East leaders in scoring, also ranks 11th in assists (2.4) and is tied for second with an impressive 90.5 percent mark from the free throw line (19-21). With eight freshmen, the Black Bears will have to rely on scoring efforts and significant minutes from its underclassmen. Freshman forward Laia Sole, a two-time America East rookie of the week, has answered the challenege and enters play averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 assists. Sole has produced four double-digit scoring marks and checks in with a 39.7 percent showing from the floor. Fellow freshman Blanca Millan is adding 7.6 points and first-year Naira Caceres leads Maine on the boards (5.7).

Maine ranks third in America East defense, allowing 60.3 points per game. Maine is second in the league from the free throw stripe (72.2) and continues to look to improve from the field where it checks in at 37.3 percent. Maine, which was tops in the league and among the nations leaders in 3-point shooting a year ago, is shooting 25.4 percent from long range over its first seven games.

SCOUTING CLEMSON:
The Tigers are off to their best start since 1998-99 (11-0), a year after losing their final 18 games and finishing 0-16 in the ACC and 4-25 overall. Clemson is 4-0 at home and led by guard Nelly Perry (12.7 ppg) to go along with 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 3.7 assists. Aliyah Collier is chipping in 10.8 points and leads the Tigers at 7.8 rebounds with a 57.1 percent mark from the floor. Alexis Carter is adding 9.7 points and shooting 81.3 percent from the free throw line (26-32).

The Tigers enter action ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 53.1 points per game and are ninth in field goal percentage defense (32.0). Offensively, Clemson is outscoring its opposition by a +14.6 difference as it is averaging 67.7 points per game.

ALL-TIME SERIES WITH CLEMSON:
Maine and Clemson will be meeting for the fourth time in history and the second time in as many years. Maine has won two of the three meetings, taking the first meeting back in 2006 by a score of 80-78 in the finale of Maine's Dead River Company Classic, before a 75-42 rout of the Tigers last season. In that win, Sigi Koizar led all scorers with 25 points as Miane outscored Clemson 42-22 in the second half. Maine was on fire in the win, shooting 57.4 percent from the floor, with eight 3-pointers, and a 35-18 advantage in points in the paint. Clemson is 1-0 against Maine at home, defeating the Black Bears 79-59 in the 2007 season opener.

-UMaine-