University of Maine
Vermont
Koizar Tallies 1,000th Career Point in Win Over Vermont
2/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BANGOR, Maine -- Sigi Koizar notched the 1,000th point of her career and finished with 21 points on the night to lead Maine to its 16th-straight home win, defeating Vermont by a score of 63-51 on Wednesday night.
Koizar became the 20th Black Bear in history to reach the 1,000 point mark and just the eighth to join the club in three seasons.
Liz Wood joined Koizar in double-figures, narrowly missing a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. Wood's rebounding total moved her ahead of Monica Peterson and into sixth all-time with 829 boards.
Maine, which improved to 8-1 in America East action and 17-7 overall, assisted on 17 of its 24 field goals, marking the 15th time this season it has assisted on 15 or more field goals in a single game. The Black Bears shot 44.4 percent from the floor, hitting 6-of-16 from beyond the arc and knocking down 9-of-12 free throw attempts.
Defensively, Maine held its fifth-straight opponent under 60 points, forcing the Catamounts into 18 turnovers, including nine steals.
The Black Bears got off to another hot start, scoring the game's first seven points. Vermont answered, cutting the lead down to three before Koizar buried one of her three first quarter triples. The make put Koizar over the 1,000 point mark for her career.
Maine's lead sunk back down to three to close the quarter after the Catamounts ended the period with a 5-0 run.
Vermont kept charging early in the second, chipping the lead all the way down to just one on a layup by Candice Wright.
Maine responded with a 12-2 run, taking its largest lead of the first half at 29-18. Lauren Bodine's triple put Maine up six before Koizar's and-1 continued to pad the lead. Bodine finished the run by finding Wood slashing through the lane for a bucket, putting Maine up 11.
Vermont closed the lead back down to seven at the half with a 5-0 run.
Maine's lead grew back to 11 early in the third quarter when Sophie Weckstrom stuck a 3-pointer as part of a 6-0 run. The lead swelled to 12 when the Black Bears closed the quarter strong on a 4-0 sprint.
The momentum carried in to the fourth when Koizar knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game and continued to charge, ending on a 13-3 run. The surge pushed Maine out to its largest lead of the game, 56-38, with 5:23 to play.
The lead would not dip below 12 the rest of the way as Maine picked up its 16th-straight home win, 63-51.
The Black Bears continue America East action at UMBC on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.
-UMaine-
