Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (12-8, 5-2) puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it hosts UMBC (2-18, 1-6) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in its America East #SpreadRespect contest. The Black Bears, who are tied for second in the America East standings, have won eight of their last nine meetings with the Retrievers.
 

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A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears enter action riding a three-game win streak, matching their longest streak of victories this season. Most recently, the Black Bears picked up a 56-46 road win over America East preseason favorite New Hampshire. Maine, which handed the Wildcats their first home loss of the season, was led by Blanca Millan who posted double-digits for the 19th-straight game, finishing with a team-high 16 points. Fanny Wadling notched her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 boards while Tanesha Sutton added 15 points. Maine sealed the game late, outscoring New Hampshire 11-1 in the final 6:19 of action.

The always consistent Blanca Millan continues to roll and lead the Black Bears as she has now posted double-figures in each of Maine's last 19 outings while ranking fourth among the league's scoring leaders at 17.7 points per game. Millan ranks fourth in the league from the floor (48.0) and checks in fifth in three-point field goals per game (2.1). The sophomore guard, who has recorded a steal in 26 consecutive games, leads the league at 2.8 steals per game while her 55 total steals is 21st best in the nation. Tanesha Sutton has now stretched her double-figure scoring streak to five games and enters averaging 10.7 points while leading the Black Bears in rebounding (6.7) and assists 3.1; ranking fifth and seventh, respectively, among America East leaders in each category. Julie Brosseau is adding 11.7 points and is also a threat from outside, ranking fourth in the league at 2.2 three-point field goals per game. Fanny Wadling, fresh off her first career double-double, is adding 7.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Maine, which is allowing just 48.3 points per game over its last three outings, currently ranks second in the league and 32nd nationally in scoring defense (57.3). The Black Bears check in third among league leaders on offense, averaging 63.9 points per game. The most impressive part of Maine's overall game of late has been its impressive ball security. Maine, which turned it over just four times against Vermont, marking its single-game lowest total dating back to 1987, is averaging just 7.7 turnovers per game over its last three outings. The Black Bears lead the conference in three-point makes (151), attempts (493) and makes from long range per game (7.6).

SCOUTING UMBC:
The Retrievers enter action just 1-17 in their last 18 outings and are currently in the midst of a three-game losing skid. On Wednesday, UMBC suffered an 81-51 setback at Binghamton. Prior to that contest, they dropped a tightly contested 78-75 decision to the current America East leading UAlbany. UMBC's lone conference win of the year came against UMass Lowell, 66-54. Laura Castaldo leads the UMBC scoring attack, ranking 12th in the league at 11.9 points per game. Te'yJah Oliver is adding 7.8 points while Janee'a Summers is chipping in 7.4 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds.

Offense has been a struggle this season for UMBC. The Retrievers rank last in the league and 342 out of 349 Division I teams with a scoring offense averaging 53.1 points per game. Defensively, UMBC is eighth out of nine league teams, allowing 66.2 points.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE UMBC SERIES:
Maine and UMBC square off in the 30th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Black Bears, who defeated UMBC 64-50 back on Jan. 10, enter with a 17-12 advantage in the series and have won eight of the last nine meetings. In the first meeting this season, Maine outscored UMBC 44-21 in the second and third quarters to cruise to a 64-50 victory. Blanca Millan led the way with her second career double-double after posting 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Black Bears dominated the boards, pulling down a season-high 20 offensive rebounds, leading to a 45-26 overall rebounding edge. The Black Bears are 10-4 all-time at home in the series, and have won each of the last four meetings in Maine. All eight of Maine's latest victories in the series have been by 10+, including two 30+ margins in two of its last three victories. In three meetings with UMBC, Millan is averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.

#SPREADRESPECT
Continuing its dedication to fostering leadership on and off the field, the America East Conference and its member institutions will again conduct #SpreadRespect games, including today's contest. It is the fourth-straight year each America East men's and women's program will host a SpreadRespect night. SpreadRespect games, formerly branded You Can Play Nights, were created with the purpose of furthering awareness and education to ensure equality, respect and safety for all athletes without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. That respect also extends to race, ethnicity, gender, religion and more.

DURING THE STREAK:
The Black Bears enter today riding a three-game win streak to match their longest win streak mark of the year. During the streak, Maine has trailed for just 2:29 and are averaging just 7.7 turnovers per game. Defensively, Maine forced New Hampshire (18) and Hartford (17) to 35 combined turnovers and currently hold a +8.0 turnover margin over its last three outings. Maine's defense has held two of its last three opponents under 50 points, both of which entered ranked in the top three in scoring offense, while its last three opponents are averaging just 48.3 points per game.

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