ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (2-1) wraps up its season-opening four game homestand when it hosts UMaine Fort Kent (0-2) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center. A victory would give the Black Bears their best start to a season since also starting 3-1 in 2013-14.
 

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A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
UMaine enters play fresh off a 70-68 overtime victory on Tuesday evening in its 2017-18 Cross Insurance Center season debut. Blanca Millan led the way with a game-high 26 points while Dor Saar (12) and Tanesha Sutton (10) each chipped in double-figures. The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes and marked Maine's fourth-straight victory when going to overtime.

Blanca Millan continued her hot start to the season as she recorded her first career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Bryant. For Millan, it was her second-straight game scoring 20+ as she currently ranks second in the America East at 19.7 points per game. Tanesha Sutton, averaging 10.0 points per game, has also had a terrific start to the season. Sutton is doing it all for the Black Bears as she ranks third in the league in rebounding (7.7), fourth in steals (3.3) and seventh in assists (3.7). Freshman point guard Dor Saar is settling into her role well as she is adding 9.0 points and has scored double-digits (11, 12) in each of Maine's last two games.

In the early stages of the season, Maine's defensive efforts have picked up right where it left off over the last two seasons. The Black Bears currently lead the America East in points allowed (53.7), limiting opponents to a slim 32.9% mark from the floor and a 21.6% showing from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING UMFK:
The Bengals are looking for their first win of the season after suffering a loss at UMass (111-45) and at home against UMaine Augusta (74-70). In the latest outing, senior Bianca Gutierrez led the way with 23 points and five rebounds while Savana Jankowski added 18 points, eight rebounds, six steals and four blocks. Micayela Hernandez rounded out the double-digit efforts with 16 points.

On the season, Guitierrez is averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 54.5% from 3-point range. Jankowski (13.0) and Hernandez (11.5) are each averaging double-digits while Jankowski is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.5 boards per game.

UMFK is averaging 58.5 points per game but are allowing 92.5. A majority of the offense runs from the 3-point line where UMFK is shooting 36.2% and avearging 8.5 makes from 3-point range per game. The Bengals have been very limited on the boards in the early going, averging just 2.5 offense rebounds per game and 20.5 total rebounds as they have been outrebounded by a -27.5 margin.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE SERIES:
This will be the first ever meeting between UMaine and UMaine Fort Kent. The Black Bears are 39-3 all-time against fellow UMaine System schools. UMaine's last contest against a system school was on Jan. 14, 1987 when it defeated UMaine Presque Isle, 108-29.

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