Orono, Maine -- For the third time in the last four years, the America East regular season title will be decided between Maine and UAlbany. The winner of Sunday's game will be crowned the regular season champion and earn the No 1 seed in the upcoming America East Championship tournament. Maine and UAlbany have met 38 times with the series deadlocked at 19 wins each. Tip-off on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center.
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PROMOTIONAL EVENTS:
The Black Bears have several events planned surrounding Sunday's America East showdown.
- The University of Maine Athletic Department will be hosting its National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration at the Cross Insurance Center. Doors will open at 11 a.m. with team photo opportunities with the UMaine women's basketball team beginning on the Cross Insurance Center floor level at 11:15. At 11:45, UMaine Athletics will host an Interactive Sports Fair day in which several local athletic organizations, UMaine teams and club sports, and other athletic vendors will be on hand offering the opportunity for fans to try their hand in several sports fields. Your ticket to Sunday's women's basketball game grants you entrance to this exciting Interactive Sports Fair.
- The Black Bears will also be hosting their seventh annual Play4Kay Pink Game, a fundraiser to support the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. All funds collected online will go directly to support cancer research through the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Over the past six years, UMaine and the generous community of Black Bear fans have joined together to raise over $40,000 towards the cause. Gifts will also be collected at the game on Feb 25. All money raised during the game will go directly to Caring Connections, a cooperative women's health program sponsored by the Bangor Y and Eastern Maine Medical Center. During the game, Maine will once again be donning its pink jerseys. To donate, please click here: Kay Yow Cancer Fund Donation.
- Sunday will also be Senior Day where the Black Bears will recognize their lone senior, Kristen Johnson, for her hard work and commitment to the University of Maine women's basketball team. The team will recognize Johnson prior to the start of Sunday's contest.
- Following the conclusion of Sunday's contest, there will be a post-game reception. All are welcome to join the team on the 3rd floor of the Cross Insurance Center for the celebration.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, winners of 11 of their last 12 and two straight, are coming off a convincing 79-47 victory at Vermont. In the win,
Tanesha Sutton tallied her fifth double-double of the season after finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Blanca Millan led all scorers with 22 points, her 14th time this season besting the 20-point plateau. Maine, which shot 56.3 percent in the first half, was dominant in the rebounding category. The Black Bears held a 44-27 advantage on the boards, with 19 coming on the offensive end to lead to a 24-8 edge in second chance points.
Millan's steady scoring effort has helped her climb to second in the America East at 17.9 points per game. The sophomore has now recorded double-figures 27 straight games. Millan, who is adding 5.2 rebound, ranked fourth from the field at 45.1 percent and fifth in three-point field goals per game (2.2). Her defensive effort continues to impress as she leads the league at 3.1 steals per game while her 88 total steals places her ninth nationally, just 19 shy of matching Julie Bradstreet's UMaine single season record (107). Sutton, who checks in 15th in the league in scoring (11.4), ranks in the top-10 in seven other categories. She is fourth in rebounding (7.2) and eighth in assists (2.9); leading Maine in both, while registering sixth in steals (2.0). Sutton, who does it all for the Black Bears, has registered seven games in which she's tallied double-digits in points, multiple steals and at least five boards.
Julie Brosseau is 14th in the league adding 11.8 points and ranks third among league leaders in three-point makes per game (2.3). Brosseau has hit three or more triples on 12 occasions this season.
The Black Bears continue to set the tone defensively in the America East, leading the league after allowing just 55.7 points per game. In league only action, Maine is allowing just 53.8 points and have held seven opponents to 50 points or less. Offensively, Maine is second in the league, averaging 65.9 points and leads the league in all three-point categories including percentage (33.2), makes per game (8.0), total makes (224) and attempts (674) - ranking top 50th nationally in all of the above. The Black Bears are also number one in the league in overall field goal percentage (41.9). Maine is just 21 three-point makes away from matching its school-record high of 245 set in 2013-14 and only 39 attempts away from its record of 713. Â
SCOUTING UALBANY:
The Great Danes enter riding a three-game win streak after battling back from a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat Binghamton, 57-53 on Thursday evening. UAlbany is 9-4 on the road this season, with all three of its conference losses coming away from its home court. The Great Danes, who lead the America East in offense at 69.3 points per game, are led by redshirt senior Jessica Fequiere. Fequiere ranks third in the league at 17.6 points per game and checks in as UAlbany's leading rebounder, ranking eighth among league leaders with 6.0 rebounds per game. Tiana-Jo Carter, who just became UAlbany's all-time blocks leader, is adding 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds. Point guard Mackenzie Trpcic is the league's leader in assists, averaging an impressive 6.8 per game to go along with a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio; second best in the America East. UAlbany ranks second in the league in rebounding (38.0) and have been especially strong on the offensive boards, checking in atop the league at 14.9. Defensively, UAlbany has forced an America East best 23.1 turnovers per game and rank second in the league in blocks (3.7) and steals (11.3). However, the Dane also turn it over at the highest rate (17.6) in the league.
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A GLIMPSE INTO THE UALBANY SERIES:
Maine and UAlbany, who have met in each of the last two America East Championship contests, will square off for the 38th time in history with the all-time series knotted up at 19-19. UAlbany has won three-straight in the series, including a 68-53 decision in Albany earlier this season. In that game, Maine carried a 35-32 lead into the half but was outscored 36-19 in the second half.
Blanca Millan led the Black Bears with 19 points while
Tanesha Sutton (12) and
Dor Saar (11) each added double-figures. Brosseau only played three minutes in the meeting after suffering an injury early in the first quarter. Maine's last victory in the series came at home a year ago when it defeated the Danes 84-71 in Bangor. Since the series began in 2001, Maine is 8-6 all-time at home against UAlbany.
Blanca Millan enters play averaging 14.5 points against the Great Danes, totaling double-digits in three of her four meetings with UAlbany, including a 26 point effort in Maine's 2017 win.
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