Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team looks for its first 2-0 road start since 2003 when it travels to meet Wisconsin Green Bay at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening. In 2003, Maine's second road win of the season also came at Wisconsin Green Bay, also its last victory over the Phoenix - a 76-73 decision.
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LAST TIME OUT:
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 Nov. 15.
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 could not 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.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears have began the season extremely efficient from the field as they currently rank atop the America East conference and 57th in the nation with a 45.7-percent mark from the floor. Maine, which is averaging a league-best 8.3 three-point field goals per game, feature the America East's top offense, averaging 70.0 points per game. The offense is led by the America East's leading scorer in
Blanca Millan. Millan, the reigning America East Player of the Week after averaging 24.0 points against Bryant #20 Duke, is averaging 22.0 points per game and has total 20+ in each of her last two outings, including a game-high 25 against Duke. Millan leads four double-digit Black Bear scorers as
Tanesha Sutton is adding 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Fanny Wadling is adding 11.0 points and leads Maine with 8.7 rebounds while point guard
Dor Saar is averaging 10.3 points and has totaled five assists in each of her first three outings.
The Black Bears have been impressive with their ball control, ranking 25th in the nation by only turning it over 12.7 times per game.
A LOOK AT WISCONSIN GREEN BAY:
The Phoenix enter play at 1-2 but have been faced with a tough opening schedule, dropping their first two games to Northwestern (57-55) and No. 15 DePaul (73-64). However, Green Bay is fresh off the heels of a 56-49 victory over No. 16 Missouri.
Individually, Frankie Wurtz leads the Phoenix at 13.0 points per game. Outside of Wurtz, Green Bay has featured a very balanced scoring attached with five other plays averaging 6.7 points or higher. Laken James is adding 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds while Madison Wolf is adding 7.0 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. James has also been impressive on the defensive end of the floor, where she ranks second in the Horizon with 2.7 steals per game.
The Phoenix currently rank second in the Horizon League and 68th nationally with a 36.4-percent mark from three-point range.
For the 11th-consecutive year, Green Bay was selected as the preseason favorites in the Horizon League. In 2017-18, the Phoenix captured their 20th-straight conference title before making their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. Arguably its best strength a year ago was its defense as Green Bay produced the nations top defense, allowing just 47.4 points per game.
SERIES WITH WISCONSIN GREEN BAY:
Maine and Wisconsin Green Bay will be meeting for the fifth time in history, and the first since 2014. Maine is 1-3 against the Phoenix with its lone win coming on the road in 2003, a 76-73 decision. The last meeting between the two teams came in the 2013-14 season, a season which saw the two match-up on two occasions. Green Bay took both meetings in 2013-14, winning the most recent contest by a 72-49 final on New Year's Day in Green Bay. The Phoenix have won two in a row in the all-time series. Maine is 1-2 on the road against the Phoenix. The first meeting between the two teams came in 1991, a 58-57 Green Bay victory back in 1991.
BLANCA MILLAN - AMERICA EAST CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
On Nov. 19 the America East named junior guard
Blanca Millan its Player of the Week.
Millan, who earned her third career America East Player of the Week accolade, averaged 24.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals in games against Bryant and No. 20 Duke. Millan posted a game-high 25 points on 11-for-22 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three steals against Duke. Earlier in the week, the junior posted a game-high 23 points with nine rebounds and matched a career-high with three blocks in Maine's 74-57 win at Bryant. In all, Millan finished her award winning week with a 53-percent mark from the floor.
Millan, who currently leads the America East in scoring, has tallied double-figures in each of Maine's first three outings including back-to-back 20 point performances.
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