Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team continues non-conference action when it puts its two-game win streak on the line as it travels to take on North Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m. The contest will mark Maine's fourth consecutive road outing.
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LAST TIME OUT:
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 at the tournament, 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, selected second in the Ivy League's preseason coaches poll, fell to 4-2 on the season.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears continue their five-game road stretch and enter action fresh off a pair of key non-conference victories over North Carolina A&T (58-52) and a thrilling, last-second 47-46 win over Penn to capture the Navy Classic title. In both games, Maine trailed both at the half and with five-minutes remaining and was able to charge back and win both. In those pair of wins, Sutton averaged 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds to earn tournament MVP honors. Sutton, who has recorded double-digits in four of her last five outings, enters the weekend averaging 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 45.6-percent from the floor. Sutton's impressive field goal percentage ranks sixth best among America East league leaders.
Blanca Millan, who had tallied double-figures in each of Maine's first five games before a nine point outing against Penn, leads Maine at 16.5 points. Millan, who stands just 31 points away 1,000 for her career at Maine, is adding 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Millan ranks fourth in the America East in scoring and second in steals per game.
Dor Saar is adding 7.7 points and leads Maine at 3.8 assists per game. Saar ranks third in the America East in assists per game and also third in total assists. A chunk of the sophomore point guard's scoring has come from the outside where she leads Maine in three-point makes (12), hitting at a 35.3-percent rate. Saar ranks third in the league in three-point percentage.
Fanny Wadling, who has missed three-straight games due to injury, was averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 8.7 rebounds before suffering a setback against Duke.
Maine, which has held four of its six opponents under 60 points, ranks fourth in the America East allowing just 58.3 points per game. The Black Bears have done a terrific job taking care of the ball, ranking 23rd nationally and tops among America East leaders with just 12.8 turnovers per game. Defensively, Maine has forced 20+ turnovers in two-straight games. Maine's 7.5 three-point field goals per game are second best in the league while they also are the league's runners-up at 9.2 steals per game.
A LOOK AT NORTH CAROLINA:
The Tar Heels, who where selected eighth in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) preseason predicted order of finish poll, began the season 5-1 but have most recently dropped each of their last two outings. Most recently, UNC came up on the wrong end of a 76-69 decision at Ohio State. Preseason All-ACC selections Janelle Bailey and Paris Kea lead the Tar Heels, averaging 15.9 and 14.8 points, respectively. UNC features four double-figure scorers with Bailey and Kea joined by Stephanie Watts (14.4) and Shayla Bennett (12.1) points. Bailey leads the Tar Heels at 8.8 rebounds per game and 50.0-percent while Bennett is the team's leader at 3.9 assists.
UNC, averaging 75.5 points per game, has done a lot of its scoring damage from the free throw line. The Tar Heels rank third in the country with 130 free throws and 26th nationally with a 76.9 team free throw percentage. As much as they score from the line, they're also dangerous from outside where they rank 20th in the nation with 62 triples and sixth in the ACC with 7.8 three-point field goals per game.
SERIES WITH NORTH CAROLINA:
Maine and North Carolina will meet for the fifth time, and first since 2015. Maine is 0-4 all-time against UNC. In the latest meeting (12/31/15),
Sigi Koizar's jumper with four-seconds remaining gave Maine a 58-56 lead. However, UNC quickly moved down the floor before Stephanie Watts' three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Tar Heels a 59-58. Maine is 0-2 all-time at North Carolina, falling in Chapel Hill in 2015 and 1996. Maine lost 65-36 to UNC in Myrtle Beach (2014) and dropped a 62-57 decision to the Tar Heels on March 18, 2000 in the NCAA Tournament. Current head coach
Amy Vachon served as Maine's point guard in the 2000 contest.
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