Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (6-2) puts its four-game win streak on the line when it hosts its second-straight Ivy League opponent in a row in Brown (6-5) on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center. Maine has won two in a row against the visiting Bears.
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LAST TIME OUT:
Blanca Millan, who finished with a season-high 26 points, became the 20th Black Bear in UMaine women's basketball history to record 1,000 points, doing so while helping the Black Bears earn a 67-60 victory at Harvard.
The Black Bears, who have now strung together four consecutive victories, improve to 6-2 overall after going 4-1 over their most recent five-game road trip.
Dor Saar continued to rack up the assists, posting her second-straight nine assist performance to go along with 11 points on 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Millan, the seventh fastest Black Bear to 1,000 points, ended her historic night 10-of-19, including a 5-for-10 mark from three-point range, to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Millan now stands just one steal away from tying Melissa Heon for seventh on Maine's all-time steals list.
Maddy McVicar added a career-high 10 points while
Parise Rossignol chipped in eight points and eight boards.
Maine finished the evening with 10 three-point field goals, its second consecutive game posting double-digit totals from beyond the arc and the third overall performance of the season.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears are rolling as they return to the Cross Insurance Center riding a four-game win streak after defeating Harvard, 67-60, on Tuesday night. Maine is coming off a five-game road streak in which it went 4-1, including an 85-73 win at North Carolina.
Blanca Millan, who leads the America East at 18.3 points per game, tallied her 1,000th career point in the win at Harvard. Millan, who has posted double-digits in seven of Maine's first eight contests, has also continued her consistent play on the defensive end. Millan, already a two-time America East Co-Player of the Week this season, leads the league at 3.0 steals per game and recently moved into a tie for seventh on Maine's all-time steals list with Melissa Heon (184).
Tanesha Sutton is adding 12.9 points per game and 5.8 rebounds while shooting an impressive 44.0-percent from the floor. Sutton, 10th in the league in scoring and rebounding, has finished with double-digits in scoring in five games.
Dor Saar, who went 11-of-12 from the free throw line at Harvard, has posted nine assists in each of Maine's last two games. Saar, averaging 9.0 points per game, is third among America East leaders at 5.1 points per game.
Maine strength of late has been focused around two things: taking care of the ball and shooting the three. The Black Bears rank 12th in the nation and tops in the America East with just 12.4 turnovers per game. From beyond the arc, Maine ranks first in the league and 30th in the nation with 8.9 three-point field goals per game. Overall, Maine is averaging 63.3 points per game. Defensively, Maine is limiting its opponent to 60.4 points and rank second in the America East with 9.1 steals per game.
A LOOK AT BROWN:
The Bears are 2-1 in their last three after dropping a 72-67 decision in the championship round of the Ocean State tip-off tournament to Rhode Island. Brown defeated Bryant, 84-68, in the opening round of play. Justin Gaziano leads an impressive Brown offense with 19.9 points per game and 48.3-percent showing from the floor to go along with 5.5 rebounds. Shayna Mehta is chipping in 18.5 points, 5.5 boards and a team-best 4.8 assists while Taylor Will rounds out the double-figure averages at 11.4 points.
Brown leads the Ivy League at 70.6 points per game and are tops in the nation with 452 total rebounds, averaging an Ivy League third-best 41.1 per game. Defensively, Brown is giving up 71.0 points per game and lead the Ivy League at 10.0 steals per game.
SERIES WITH BROWN:
Maine and Brown will square off for the 13th time in history and the first since 2014. Maine holds a 7-5 advantage in the series and have won two-straight against the Bears. The Black Bears captured the most recent meeting, 58-53, back in November of 2014. Since 1986, Maine is 5-2 at home against the Bears.
Maine, playing its second-straight game against an Ivy League opponent, is 36-18 all-time against Ivy League member institutions.
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