Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (7-7) carried a 34-31 lead into the break on the road at Tulane (9-4) but failed to hold on as it dropped a 77-62 decision in New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon.

Sigi Koizar paced Maine's attack with 24 points, hitting six 3-pointers along the way, and finishing with 20+ for the 23rd time in her career and the fifth time this season. Julie Brosseau gave the Black Bears a boost off the bench with 11 points in 30 minutes. Koizar and Brosseau combined for nine of Maine's 11 field goals from beyond the arc.

The difference proved to be in the third quarter where Tulane outscored Maine 24-12. Kolby Morgan and Leslie Vorpahl combined for 50 of the Green Wave points, finishing with 26 and 24 respectively.

The Green Wave forced 15 Maine turnovers in the game and held a 23-3 advantage on points off turnovers.

Maine, which shot 60-percent in the first quarter, finished the game 22-for-50 (44.0%). Tulane shot 66.7-percent in the third period and went on to finish at 54.7% (29-for-53).

In what is beginning to be a common theme for Maine, the Black Bears got off to a hot start as it raced out to a 10-point lead at the midpoint of the first quarter. Tulane got hot from outside, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers as part of a 12-3 run to close the gap to just one.

Koizar closed the first quarter with a triple and followed it up with another one early in the second quarter to regain a five point edge.

Leading by three midway through the second quarter, Koizar remained hot from outside. Back-to-back 3-pointers from the senior guard gave the Black Bears a 34-25 edge with 3:46 left in the half.

Tulane closed out the first half with six unanswered points as Maine entered the half with a 34-31 advantage.

The Green Wave completely flip-flopped the game in the third quarter, building a 12-point advantage as they would outscore Maine 24-12 in the period.

Maine kept charging as 3-pointers from Koizar, her sixth of the game, and Brosseau closed the gap to five early in the fourth.

But it would be as close as Maine could get as Tulane built its largest lead up to 16 before closing out the victory, 77-62.

Maine wraps up its non-conference slate on Friday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. when it travels to take on Boston College at Conte Forum. The Black Bears open America East play on Jan. 4 at Vermont before returning home to host UMBC on Jan. 7.

-UMaine-