Albany, N.Y. – In a rematch of last year's America East title game, the University of Maine women's basketball team took a 35-32 lead into the half at Albany. However, the Black Bears were outscored 36-19 in the second half, falling to UAlbany by a 68-54 final on Saturday afternoon.
 
For the seventh-straight game, Blanca Millan paced the scoring efforts for the Black Bears as she finished with 19 points and five rebounds. For Millan, it was her 16^th consecutive double-digit scoring performance. Tanesha Sutton added 12 points and five boards while Dor Saar chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.
 
Jessica Fequiere led all scorers with a career-high 35 points.
 
It was sure to be a tightly contested meeting between the past two America East Championship title game participants and the first half proved it with 10 lead changes and six ties over the opening 20-minutes.
 
Four of those ties and six of the lead changes came in the first quarter. UAlbany was able to take a four-point edge early but Maine responded. A 5-0 swing by the visitors on a triple from Parise Rossignol and a bucket by Millan, gave UMaine a 14-12 lead.
 
The Black Bears carried an 18-17 lead into the second period. Early in the quarter, A Mackenzie Trpcic bucket and three-straight points from Jessica Fequiere gave UAlbany its largest lead of the half, 24-19.
 
The Great Danes maintained their lead until Maddy McVicar slashed through the lane before sticking a triple from the left wing. Sutton's free throw followed as Maine regained the lead, 31-30.
 
Millan, who tallied 15 first half points, ended the quarter with a 4-0 run of her own as the Black Bears held on to a 35-32 advantage at the break.
 
UAlbany's offense heated up in the second half as the Great Danes shot 14-for-20 (70.0) on their way to outscoring the Black Bears 36-19 in the closing quarters.
 
Maine started the half with a 4-0 run as Millan's jumper just 1:03 into the third gave the Black Bears their largest lead of the game, 39-32.
 
The bucket forced UAlbany to take a timeout. The Danes regrouped out of the break and answered, closing the period on an 18-5 run to take a 50-44 lead.
 
The sprint continued in the fourth as UAlbany put together a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the game, 64-48.
 
Maine cut the gap to 10 but failed to get any closer, dropping the America East contest, 68-54.
 
The Black Bears return home on Monday, Jan. 15 to host Vermont at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at the Cross Insurance Center box office or online at TicketMaster.com.

-UMaine-