Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (7-4) looks to avoid its first three-game losing skid since the 2016-17 season when it opens up the Fordham Holiday Classic against the host Rams (7-5) on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. live on ESPN+. Maine will take on either UT Chattanooga (4-9) or Middle Tennessee State (8-3) on Saturday, Dec. 30.
The Black Bears, currently with seven non-conference wins, have matched their non-conference win total from a year ago. A pair of wins over the weekend would give Maine its most non-conference victories (9) since 2015-16 and most against Division I competition since also capturing nine in 1990-91.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Fordham |
| 7-4/0-0 |
Record/Conference |
7-5/0-0 |
| 64.5 |
Points Per Game |
62.3 |
| 66.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
60.4 |
| -1.5 |
Scoring Margin |
+1.9 |
| 40.7 |
Field Goal Percentage |
39.0 |
| 31.1 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
27.9 |
| 65.7 |
Free Throw Percentage |
71.3 |
| 30.8 |
Rebounds Per Game |
34.6 |
| -8.8 |
Rebound Margin |
+2.8 |
| 15.9 |
Assists Per Game |
12.6 |
| 11.9 |
Turnovers Per Game |
10.9 |
| 2.6 |
Blocks Per Game |
1.1 |
| 8.7 |
Steals Per Game |
4.7 |
LAST TIME OUT:
Tanesha Sutton led all scorers with 22 points on Saturday afternoon but it was not enough as the Northeastern Huskies (10-1) defeated the University of Maine women's basketball team, 63-55, at the Cabot Center. Saturday's outing, which featured a battle between top-15 ranked mid-major programs, saw 10 lead changes between the two evenly matched squads.
Sutton, who tallied her third career 20 point scoring performance, finished the day an impressive 10-of-13 from the floor while adding eight rebounds. Sutton now stands just 11 rebounds away from 500 for her career.
Blanca Millan returned to the double-digit column with 11 points while
Kelly Fogarty chipped in eight points off the bench.
Maine wrapped up the contest with a 21-for-51 showing from the floor and 9-of-16 from the free throw stripe.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, looking to match their most non-conference wins to start a season since 2015-16, have to credit some of their early season success to their ability to take care of the ball. Maine, which is averaging just 11.9 turnovers, rank seventh in the nation in turnovers per game. Three times this season, Maine has limited its turnovers to single digits.
the offense, which ranks second among America East leaders at 64.5 points per game, is led by
Blanca Millan. Millan, the America East leader in scoring, ranks 66th in the nation at 18.1 points per game. Millan has produced nine double-digit scoring performances including a career-best 36 point effort in a win over Brown. Maine ranks second in the America East in field goal percentage (40.7) and assists (15.9). Three-point shooting has played a large part in Maine's offense as the Black Bears check in 34th nationally in three-point field goals made per game (8.6). Three Black Bears rank in the top-10 of America East leaders in three-point field goals per game, led by Millan at 2.5 per game.
Tanesha Sutton, coming off a season-best 22 point effort at Northeastern, ranks sixth in the America East in scoring (13.8) and second in rebounds (7.0).
Parise Rossignol checks in at 15th in the league in scoring at 9.7 points per game while
Dor Saar is adding 7.7 points. Saar has impressed at the point this season where she ranks second in the America East and 37th nationally at 5.5 assists per game.
Defensively, Maine is allowing 66.0 points per game. As impressive as she has been on the offensive end, Millan has been solid on the defensive side where she leads the America East and checks in 31st at 3.0 steals per game to go along with 1.5 blocks.
A LOOK AT FORDHAM:
The Rams are 4-1 on their home court and enter play riding a two-game win streak after a 57-40 victory at Iona on Dec. 21. Much like the Black Bears, Fordham does a terrific job with its ball security. The Rams ranks 10th in the nation with 131 total turnovers and fourth in the nation at 10.9 turnovers per game. Also similar to Maine is Fordham's three-point offense which ranks second in the Atlantic 10 with 80 triples made and second at 6.7 three-point field goals made per game. Overall, Fordham is averaging 62.3 points per game while allowing 60.4 points.
Individually, Bre Cavanaugh is Fordham's most dangerous offensive threat, leading the A-10 and ranking 48th in the country at 18.8 points per game. Cavanaugh is adding 6.5 rebounds and has done damage from the free throw line with a team best 46 makes from the charity stripe. Mary Goulding is adding 10.3 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds to go along with a team-high mark from the floor (45.4).
SERIES WITH FORDHAM:
Maine and Fordham will meet for the third time in history. Maine is 2-0 all-time against the Rams. The two teams last met in 2001, a 52-39 victory on the road for the Black Bears on Dec. 15, 2001. The first meeting in the series took place in 2000 when Maine defeated Fordham, 66-51, in Orono in the 2000 season opener on Nov. 19.
SERIES WITH CHATTANOOGA:
Maine is 1-0 all-time against UT Chattanooga, defeating the Mocs 49-39 at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Mass. as part of the Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 27, 2016. In that game, the Black Bears trailed 11-4 after the first quarter but held UT Chattanooga to just 17 total second half points.
Blanca Millan posted 10 points in the victory while
Tanesha Sutton turned in seven rebounds and a pair of assists.
SERIES WITH MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE:
Maine is 2-1 all-time against the Blue Raiders. The two teams have not met since the 2006-07 season when Maine lost to Middle Tennessee State, 87-60 in the opening round of the Minnesota Subway Classic. Prior to the loss, Maine had won two-straight against the Blue Raiders. The Black Bears took the first-ever meeting between the team squads by a 75-67 final in the championship of the 1986 Maine Holiday Classic. The teams met again in 1998 where Maine came out on top of a 92-78 decision.
SEASON NOTES:
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 17 (12/26/18):
The Black Bears have been ranked in every edition of the College Insider Mid-Major Poll this season. Following a five-game win streak, Maine peaked in the poll at No. 12 on Dec. 5, hanging strong at the position for two-straight weeks. The Black Bears have been the highest ranking America East school in the poll this season and are currently the only America East school ranked in the latest edition of the poll, released on Dec. 26. Maine currently sits at No. 17 in the newest poll.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST:
The Black Bears have challenged themselves with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Through its first 11 games, Maine currently has gone up against the 38th toughest schedule in the nation, out of 349 total Division I squads. Maine's competition is currently posting a 0.636 win percentage (77-44). Maine's rating percentage index (RPI) currently sits at 34 nationally. RPI is used to rank teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule.
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank seventh in the nation, averaging just 11.9 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.34 assist-turnover ratio is 14th best among the nation's leaders. In six of its 11 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with three of those performances ending with single-digit turnover totals.
A SCORING EFFORT FOR THE RECORD BOOKS:
On Dec. 8, 2018, the Black Bears defeated Brown by a 102-96 final in overtime at the Cross Insurance Center. That win marked the highest combined point total for a Black Bear women's basketball game in history (198). It also marked the second time an
Amy Vachon coached team hit the century mark, and the first 100 point effort for Maine against a Division I team since a 110 point effort in 1997 against Drexel.
MILLAN QUICK TO 1,000:
On a three-point field goal in the first quarter at Harvard (12/4),
Blanca Millan became the 20th Black Bear in history to reach 1,000 career points. Millan did so in her 75th career game, making her the seventh fastest in UMaine history to eclipse the mark. Millan is currently 33 points behind Melissa Heon (1,102) for 18th on Maine's all-time scoring list.
MILLAN TALLIES 30, ASSISTED BY SAAR:
Blanca Millan poured in a career-best 36 points in Maine's win over Brown. The total marked the first-time a Maine player had bested 30 points in a game since
Sigi Koizar tallied 30 on Feb. 20, 2016. In that same game,
Dor Saar notched a career-high 11 assists - the first time a Black Bear had bested 10 assist sin a game since Koizar's 10 against North Dakota State on Nov. 22, 2015.
RECORD NIGHT IN NORTH CAROLINA:
The Black Bears matched an all-time, single-game record for three-point field goals with 16 makes in their win at North Carolina.
STORMING BACK TO WIN THE CLASSIC:
In both of its games at the Navy Classic (vs. NC A&T and vs. Penn), Maine trailed both at the half and with five-minutes to go. However, Maine was able to comeback in both games, winning each and capturing the Navy Classic title.
MILLAN DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK:
After starting the season with double-figures in each of Maine's first five games,
Blanca Millan has tallied double-digits in nine of Maine's first 11, including back-to-back 20+ point efforts against Bryant (23) and #20 Duke (25), a 21 point showing at North Carolina and 26 points at Harvard. Millan's season-best effort came in a career-high 36 point showing against Brown. Dating back to last season, Millan has posted double-digit scoring totals in 39 of her last 41. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 56 of her 78 career contests.
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STEALS CHART:
Millan has tallied 192 steals over her time at UMaine. Her five steals against Brown moved her ahead of Melissa Heon and into seventh all-time at Maine. Millan currently stands 31 steals away from sixth all-time at Maine (224).
SUTTON ON THE BOARDS:
Tanesha Sutton currently leads Maine, ranking second in the conference at 7.0 rebounds per game. Sutton stands just 11 career boards away from 500 in her career. Taking a look at Maine's all-time rebounding standings, Sutton is 63 boards behind Ashley Roberts for 20th all-time (552).
DEFENSE = VICTORY:
The Black Bears have prided themselves on the defensive end of the court, leading the America East a year ago with a 56.6 scoring defense. The total ranked 24th in the nation. In its last 27 outings, Maine is 24-1 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 32-4 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less.
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Black Bears have been impressive at home as of late. Maine is 49-6 on its home court in its last 55 outings, including a 30-3 mark in America East play over the past 33 league contests. The home mark includes a 21-game win streak, including a 13-0 home record in 2015-16. Last season, Maine went 12-2 at home and averaged 70.1 points per game with a +15.6 scoring margin while averaging 9.1 three-point field goals. In 2017-18,
Blanca Millan averaged 18.7 points while shooting 47.7% and averaging 3.3 steals at home. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 21-3 at home.
ANNE SIMON SIGNS NLI:
On Nov. 21, it was announced that Anne Simon signed her National Letter of Intent to join the Black Bears for the 2019-20 season. Simon, a 5'8" guard from Sandweiler, Luxembourg, was a three-year captain for her Luxembourg National Team. Simon averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists at the 2018 European Championship. During her career at the National Team level, Simon has averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
TAPLEY COMPLETES JUNIORS PHASE OF MARINE OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL:
In the summer of 2018,
Sierra Tapley completed the Juniors phase of Marine Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico Marine Base in Quantico, Va. Tapley reported to Quantico on May 26 and completed the course on July 6. Tapley plans to complete a six week course next summer known as "Seniors", often described to be more difficult than Juniors due to the advanced physical standards and increased responsibility. Upon completion, she will graduate OCS with a goal of completing a six month period of training known as "The Basic School".
INTERNATIONAL VIBE:
As has been the norm over the last few seasons for the Black Bears, Maine features numerous players from around the globe on its roster including players from Turkey (Alper); Israel (Saar); Spain (Millan), Germany (Barra), Slovakia (Bolozova) and Sweden (Wadling).
VACHON INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
On Oct. 5, 2018, UMaine women's basketball head coach
Amy Vachon was inducted into the 2018 University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame class. Vachon, who graduated from UMaine in 2000, was a two-time captain for the Black Bears, helping guide Maine to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Vachon currently still holds the UMaine record for most assists in a single-season (234) and the UMaine and America East record for career assists (759). Vachon was also inducted in the State of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
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