ORONO, Maine -- The No. 15 University of Maine Black Bears will travel to meet No. 2 Texas for a NCAA Tournament First Round matchup on Saturday, March 17 at 6 p.m. EDT live on ESPN2. Maine, making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2004, will be looking to improve to 2-7 in NCAA postseason play. Maine's only win in the NCAA Tournament came in 1999 when No. 10 Maine defeated No. 7 Stanford, 60-58. The Longhorns, ranked No. 8 in the AP Poll, will be Maine's fourth ranked opponent of the season and third top-10 ranked foe.
 

No. 15 University of Maine (23-9, 13-3 America East) at No. 2 Texas (26-6, 15-3 Big 12)
Date & Time	Saturday, March 17 - 6:00 PM EDT
Venue	Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center - Austin, Texas
Watch	ESPN2/WatchESPN
Listen	1230 WGUY-AM/GoBlackBears.com
Live Stats	NCAA GameCenter
Game Notes	UMaine | Texas
Twitter	@BlackBearsWBB | #ncaaW | #BlackBearNation
Tickets	NCAA First/Second Round Tickets
NCAA First Round Headquarters	NCAA First Round HQ
All-Time Series	Overall: Texas leads, 1-0 (72-34, Dec. 29, 1992) | Box Score
Maine NCAA Tournament Record	Overall: 1-7 | Lone win: Maine 60, Stanford 58 (3/12/99)
Official UMaine Watch Party	Hosted at four Buffalo Wild Wings locations throughout Maine (Bangor, Topsham, Auburn, South Portland) - Details Here
NCAA Women's Bracket	Interactive Bracket

A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine enters the NCAA First Round winners of six in a row and 15 of their last 16 after earning the America East automatic bid with a 74-65 victory over Hartford in the league's championship game. Maine, which earned its first America East title since 2004, assisted on 20 of its 25 field goals in the win, going 50 percent from the field and outscoring the Hawks 24-11 to earn the victory. Blanca Millan, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, led all scorers with 22 points, 18 of which coming in the second half. Millan was joined in double-figures by four other Black Bears, including All-Tournament Team selection Parise Rossignol (12), who tallied double-digits in each of Maine's three postseason contests, and Julie Brosseau (16). Brosseau's 16 points, including four three point field goals, all came in the second half. Fanny Waddling added 10 points, a game-high eight rebounds and team-best six assists, while Tanesha Sutton rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11. The win earned Maine its eighth conference title; the most in league history.

First team all-conference and all-defensive team selection Millan ranks second in the conference at 17.8 points per game. Millan, who ranks fourth in the league from the floor (45.0), has tallied double-figures in each of Maine's last 31 games, finishing with 20 or more on 13 occasions. Her 2.2 three-point field goals per game check in fifth best in the conference. Defensively, Millan has swiped a steal in 37 straight games and ranks 12th in the nation with 97 total steals and 13th at 3.03 per game. Her 219 field goals are 35th most in the country. Sutton, a second team all-conference selection, has notched double-digits in each of her last eight outings and 15 of her last 16 while averaging 12.0 points per game. Sutton leads the Black Bears in rebounding (7.1), fourth best in the league, with seven or more rebounds in 16 contests. Her six double-doubles leads the team this season while she also ranks in the top-10 in the conference in assists (2.9) and steals (1.9). Dor Saar, the America East Rookie of the Year, has turned in seven double-digit performances in league play and leads the Black Bears at 3.0 assists per game. Julie Brosseau is adding 11.4 points and ranks fourth in the league at 2.2 three-point field goals per game. Parise Rossignol, the league's sixth player of the year, has turned in double-digits off the bench in each of Maine's last three outings and earned a spot on the America East All-Tournament team after averaging 13.3 points in postseason action.

Maine's defensive effort continues to shine as the Black Bears enter play ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 55.8 points per game. Maine has limited 14 opponents to 50 points or less and are currently allowing just 52.0 points per game in postseason play. Offensively, Maine ranks second in the league at 65.8 points per game. The Black Bears lead the league in all three-point categories including percentage (33.3), makes per game (7.9), total makes (253) and attempts (760) - ranking in the top 50 nationally in the last three categories. Maine has set school and league records in three point makes (253) and three point attempts (760). Maine's overall 42.2 percent showing from the floor leads the America East.

OFFICIAL WATCH PARTY TO BE HOSTED AT BUFFALO WILD WINGS LOCATIONS:
Four Buffalo Wild Wings sites throughout Maine will be your official watch party locations for the University of Maine women's basketball teams' NCAA First Round matchup against Texas on Saturday, March 17 at 6 p.m. Visit your local Buffalo Wild Wings to be a part of the official statewide watch party when the No. 15 Black Bears go for their second-ever NCAA Tournament victory against No. 2 Texas live on ESPN2! Fans who wear UMaine gear to the watch parties will receive 10% off their final bill!

MAINE NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

• Maine is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.
• The Black Bears are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
• Maine received automatic bids for earning conference championship honors in '95, '96, '97, '98, '00, '04 and '18 and earned an at-large bid in '99.
• Maine is 1-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Black Bears' only win in the NCAA Tournament came in 1999 when No. 10 Maine knocked off No. 7 Stanford, 60-58, in Norfolk, Va.
• In that win, current Maine head coach Amy Vachon tallied 11 points and seven assists.
• Maine is 1-6 in the NCAA First Round.
• As a player, current Maine head coach Amy Vachon led the Black Bears to four straight NCAA Tournament Appearances ('97, '98, '99, '00).
• In their last appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Maine lost to Texas Tech, 60-60, in the First Round in 2004 in Missoula, Mont.
• In 2017-18, Maine has played four teams who qualified for the NCAA Tournament; No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Duke, No 8 Miami (Fla.).

MAINE NCAA TOURNAMENT COMPLETE OVERVIEW:
Overall Record: 1-7

BY REGIONAL
East: 1-4
Mideast: 0-2
West: 0-1

BY CITY
Baton Rouge, La.: 0-1
Charlottesville, Va.: 0-1
Missoula, Mont.: 0-1
Norfolk, Va.: 1-1
Raleigh, N.C.: 0-1
Santa Barbara, Calif.: 0-1
Storrs, Conn.: 0-1

VERSUS OPPONENTS
Connecticut: 0-1 (105-75, '95)
George Washington: 0-1 (83-67, '96)
LSU: 0-1 (88-79, '97)
North Carolina: 0-1 (62-57, '00)
North Carolina State: 0-1 (89-64, '98)
Old Dominion: 0-1 (72-62, '99)
Stanford: 1-0 (60-58, '99)
Texas Tech: 0-1 (60-50, '04)

VERSUS CONFERENCES
ACC: 0-2
Atlantic 10: 0-1
Big East: 0-1
Big 12: 0-1
CAA: 0-1
Pac-10: 1-0
SEC: 0-1

BY SEED
As a...
No. 10-Seed: 1-1
No. 11-Seed: 0-1
No. 12-Seed: 0-1
No. 13-Seed: 0-3
No. 16-Seed: 0-1
Versus a...
No. 1-Seed: 0-1
No. 2-Seed: 0-1
No. 4-Seed: 0-3
No. 5-Seed: 0-1
No. 7-Seed: 1-0
No. 8-Seed: 0-1

BY ROUND
First Round: 1-6
Second Round: 0-1

A LOOK AT TEXAS:
The Longhorns enter the tournament 26-6 after falling in the Big 12 Championship to Baylor, 77-69. The loss marked Texas' third loss to Baylor on the season. The Longhorns went 15-3 in Big 12 play, with their only losses to Baylor (2) and at TCU. On Jan. 15, the Longhorns came up just short to overall No. 1 seed UConn, 75-71.

Texas is led by a pair of All-Big 12 First Team selections in Ariel Atkins and Brooke McCarty. McCarty a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 squad, is averaging 13.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists. McCarty ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.71); good for 20th nationally.  Atkins leads the Longhorns in scoring, checking in 10th best in the Big 12 at 14.8 points per game. Her 53.1 percent mark from the floor is good for fifth in the league while she ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally with 85 total steals, averaging 2.7 per game. Lashann Higgs, an All-Big 12 Second Team selection, is adding 12.8 points and 3.4 boards while Jatarie White rounds out Texas' double-figure scorers at 10.5 points per game.

Rebounding is a strong suit for the Longhorns, especially on the offensive boards. Texas leads the Big 12 and checks in 22nd nationally at 15 offensive rebounds per game. The Longhorns rank 12th in the nation in overall rebounding (43.0) and check in fourth nationally with a +10.4 rebounding margin.

Texas' offense places it 16th in the nation and second in the Big 12, averaging 80.7 points per game. Defensively, the Longhorns average 8.7 steals per game and are holding their opponents to 63.8 points.

HISTORY VS. TEXAS:
Maine and Texas have met just one time in the past. The Longhorns came away with a 72-34 victory back on Dec. 29, 1992 in the Bell Atlantic Classic held in Piscataway, N.J.

MAINE VS. BIG 12:
The Black Bears are 1-6 all-time against the Big 12. Maine's lone win came on January 1, 1995 when it defeated TCU, 96-47, in Portland, Maine as part of the Portland Shoot-Out. Maine's will be playing its second straight Big 12 opponent in the NCAA Tournament after dropping a 60-50 decision to Texas Tech in 2004. The Black Bears also faced West Virgina in the 2005 WNIT where they fell, 74-59. Maine last played a team from the Big 12 on Dec. 1, 2010 when it suffered a 126-63 loss at Kansas.

CURRENT BLACK BEARS' POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
No current Black Bear players have ever appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Kirsten Johnson, Parise Rossignol, Maddy McVicar and Tanesha Sutton were a part of Maine's 2015-16 squad which dropped a 90-44 decision at Quinnipiac in the opening round of the 2016 WNIT. Johnson played five minutes in the game and pulled down two rebounds while Rossignol played three minutes and had one rebound. McVicar did not play and Sutton was a redshirt. Johnson and Rossignol were also members of Maine's 2014-15 squad which lost at Villanova, 71-60, in the first round of the 2015 WNIT. Johnson did not play in the game while Rossignol logged seven minute and one rebound.

Maine head coach Amy Vachon appeared in four NCAA Tournament games, including a 60-58 win over Stanford in 1999.

-UMaine-