Bangor, Maine -- Down by 11 to No. 20 Duke with 2:53 remaining, the University of Maine women's basketball team was able to battle back with a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. However, a last second three-point attempt fell short as the Blue Devils escaped the Cross Insurance Center with a 66-63 victory in front of 2,868 fans on Thursday evening.

"I just can't be more proud of our kids," said head coach, Amy Vachon. "They battled. I love this team, I love their fight. They're disappointed, obviously. We wanted to really win this and we believed we could. I think that's one of the things I love most about this team is that they believe they can beat anyone we play. That's a special feeling to have. You know you're not going to win every game that you play but to have that belief and going in that way, I'll take that any day."

Blanca Millan led all scorers with 25 points, her second consecutive 20+ point scoring performance. Millan, who started the game 1-for-11, illustrated Maine's theme all night: just keep battling. After her rough start, Millan went on to finish the game 10-for-11. Tanesha Sutton chipped in 14 points and five boards while Dor Saar added 11 points and her third-straight five assist performance.

Haley Gorecki paced the Duke attack with 21 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and seven steals.

Maine, which certainly had plenty of good looks at the hoop in the first but just couldn't buy a bucket (3-17), went on the outscore the Blue Devils in both the second and fourth quarters. Maine finished the game 27-for-61 from the floor (44.3) and held a 33-27 advantage on the boards, including 12 offensive.

Duke raced out to an eight point lead with 2:56 left in the first after the Black Bears began the game just 1-for-12 from the field. Maine trimmed the lead to four before Duke hit back-to-back threes and carried a 10-point edge into the second.

Maine continued to chip away in the second but Gorecki's seven points in the second quarter helped guide the Blue Devils to their largest lead of the game, 25-13, midway through the period. The home team, fueling off the crowd, kept fighting. Millan forced a steal and raced down court for two before knocking down a triple on Maine's next possession as the Black Bears clawed back within five, 27-22, at the half.

The Black Bears continued to find their rhythm early in the third when Fanny Wadling pulled down a key offensive board before finding Sutton for a pair and the Duke lead was now just three.

Duke rallied, putting together a 9-3 run in just under two minutes to lift the lead back to nine. The lead stretched to 10 late in the quarter before Parise Rossignol's jumper at the buzzer sent the game into the fourth with Maine trailing 49-41.

Millan's layup early in the fourth helped kick start an 7-2 spring for Maine. Rossignol found Sar who's triple brought the crowd to their feet and Maine back within five with 5:04 remaining.

Back-to-back triples from Gorecki and Miela Goodchil extended the Duke lead back to 11 with 2:53 to play.

But Maine kept fighting.

A layup by Sutton preceded another Millan three as Maine began its comeback. Following a Duke bucket, Wadling cashed in down low before a loose ball on the opposite end favored Maine. Sutton found Wadling who hit her second-straight field goal and Maine was within four with 1:03 on the clock. The make forced Duke to take a timeout as the Cross Center faithful were again brought to their feet.

Out of the break, Duke's Faith Suggs mishandled the ball and Wadling was there for the steal. A quick Maine timeout controlled possession for the Black Bears before Sutton drove to the hoop for a pair, cutting the lead to just two with 28-seconds left.

Maine was forced to foul, and it proved to be the correct decision. Duke missed both free throws and Millan controlled the rebound. However, the Black Bears were unable to hit the tying jumper and again were forced to foul.

Duke's Jade Williams hit one of two and Maine would have one last shot. Saar's deep three rattled off the rim and out as time expired and Duke escaped with a 66-63 victory.

The Black Bears are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 20 when they travel to meet Wisconsin Green Bay.

-UMaine-