Annapolis, Md. -- With Maine trailing by one to Penn in the Navy Classic Championship game,
Tanesha Sutton was able to get to the rim, scoring with just five-seconds remaining to give the Black Bears a thrilling 47-46 victory.
For her performances, Sutton was named the Most Valuable Player of the Navy Classic while
Parise Rossignol earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
Sutton, who posted her second-straight double-digit scoring effort and the fourth for her this season, led Maine (4-2) with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Rossignol chipped in 12 points and matched a career-best with seven boards while
Blanca Millan added nine points, four assists and four steals.
For the second-consecutive game, Maine was able to turnover its opposition 20 times. The Black Bears turned Penn's mishaps into a 15-2 points off turnovers advantage.
Penn, the selected second in the Ivy League's preseason coaches poll, falls to 4-2 on the season.
The Black Bears struggled from the floor over the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 6-of-27 from the floor in the first half.
In the first, back-to-back buckets from Sutton lifted Maine to a three-point edge. But Penn would answer, ending the quarter on a 5-1 run to carry a 9-8 lead into the second quarter.
The Quakers would maintain their lead for the entire second quarter, building the advantage up to five on a trey from Katie Kinum with 5:52 left in the half. Maine would keep charging but Penn's lead would remain at 20-18 at the conclusion of the second quarter.
The Black Bears opened the third on a 7-2 run. Millan's trey, 2:25 into the period would regain Maine's first lead since the 33-second mark of the first.
Penn would have the answer as Kinum once again gave the Quakers a one-point lead with another triple. Saar would answer with a trey of her own to put Maine back up by one but Penn would end the quarter on a 7-0 run, taking a 37-32 lead into the final quarter.
The Quaker lead would stretch out to six with 4:15 remaining before Maine began its comeback. A 3-pointer by
Maddy McVicar started a 5-0 run, chipping the Penn lead to just one.
Following a Quaker free throw, Saar found Rossignol for a triple as Maine would once again lead, this time by one with 25-seconds on the clock.
Penn's Eleah Parker was able to work inside to score with 11-seconds remaining.
With Penn up one, Maine called a timeout to advance the ball across half-court. Out of the timeout, Sutton slashed to the hole for a bucket to put Maine up, 47-46, with just five-seconds to play. Sutton would come up with the steal just moments later, sealing the one-point edge and Navy Classic Championship for the Black Bears.
Maine returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 2 when it travels to meet North Carolina at 2 p.m.
-UMaine-