ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (15-13, 8-5) goes for its fourth consecutive win as it hosts the America East's top seeded New Hampshire Wildcats (21-4, 11-1 AE) on Wednesday evening at the Cross Insurance Center. Maine, closing out a three-game homestand, looks to avenge an earlier 50-44 loss at New Hampshire back on Jan. 19.

PREVIEW/GAME NOTES

A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine, averaging 77.0 points per game in its last two, have won three in a row after a 78-71 overtime victory over Stony Brook on Sunday. In the win, Sigi Koizar poured in 18 of her 21 points in the second half to lead the way while adding 11 rebounds for her fourth career double-double. Maine controlled the action inside, outscoring Stony Brook 44-26 in the paint. Tanesha Sutton matched a career-high with 16 points while Julie Brosseau (11) and Laia Sole (10) joined with double-figure efforts.

Koizar, coming off her sixth 20+ scoring performance of the season and the 24th of her career, leads Maine at 13.0 points per game; good for sixth best in the America East. Koizar is third on Maine's all-time 3-point list (178). The senior guard has been Maine's bright spot from the free throw line where she checks in fourth among league leaders at 81.4% and ranks fifth in 3-point field goals (1.9 per game) with a total of 47. Laia Sole continues to roll through conference action in just her first season as a Black Bear. Sole, who is averaging 10.3 points overall, ranks 10th in the America East in conference only scoring, averaging 12.5 points. Sole, checking in with 4.8 rebounds in league play, ranks fifth with a 51.5% mark from the field against America East opponents. After a 10 point effort against Stony Brook, Sole has now scored in double-digits 14 times and in four of her last five outings. Blanca Millan, averaging 8.4 points overall, has also stepped up her game in league action. Millan ranks 22nd in conference only scoring (10.0), sixth from the floor (49.5) and 12th from 3-point range (33.3). Defensively, Millan leads Maine with 49 steals. Julie Brosseau is the leading deep threat for a Maine team which is shooting 30.6% from beyond the arc. Brosseau leads Maine with 52 makes from 3-point range and ranks 12th in the league with a 33.3% mark and sixth at 1.9 makes from downtown per game.

Maine, winners of four of its last five, is limiting opponents to just 58.5 points per game overall and rank second in the league in conference defense at 54.5 points allowed. Defensively, Maine is 51st in the nation. The Black Bears, who are coming off their first overtime performance of the year, check in third among league leaders with a 40.9% mark from the floor. Maine's 178 makes from 3-point range are second in the league and its 581 total attempts from outside are 34th best in the nation.

SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE:
The Wildcats lead the America East standings with an 11-1 record and are just two wins away from tying their single-season school record for wins in a season (23). This is just the first time since the 1983-84 season that UNH has eclipsed the 20 win plateau. Three of the Wildcats' four losses have come on the road. New Hampshire has won 15 of its last 16 and two in a row after picking up a 76-69 victory over Binghamton on Sunday. Carlie Pogue, who, on Monday, was named America East Player of the Week for the third time this season, poured in a career-high 32 points in the win over Binghamton.

Pogue leads the Wildcats, ranking third in the America East at 16.2 points per game, and currently sits second among league leaders in rebounding (7.2). Brittni Lai, a junior in her first season at UNH after transferring from Marist, is adding 10.9 points and leads the Wildcats in assists at 3.6, fifth best in the league.

New Hampshire boasts the top defense in the league and ranks 12th in the NCAA, allowing just 54.4 points per game. The Wildcats are tops in America East in free throw shooting (73.1), second from the field (41.4) and fourth from 3-point range (32.6). New Hampshire has also been strong on the boards, ranking second in the league at 38.3 rebounds per game while leading the league in opponent rebounding, limiting teams to just 32.2 per game. The mistakes are limited with UNH who leads the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.0), averaging just 14.4 turnovers per game.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE SERIES:
Maine and New Hampshire will meet for the 86th time. The Wildcats are Maine's second-longest rival (Vermont-90). The Black Bears own the all-time series, 51-34, and have won three of the last four. However, New Hampshire snapped Maine's three-game win streak in the series earlier this year with a 50-44 win in Durham. Blanca Millan led Maine with 10 points in the last meeting with UNH. Maine is 22-8 at home against New Hampshire and have won two in a row against the Wildcats at home. Sigi Koizar has scored 20+ in three of her last four outings against New Hampshire. Dating back to 1985, Maine is 18-14 all-time on the road against UNH. Maine's first-ever contest was played against New Hampshire, a 15-13 Wildcat victory in 1920.

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