Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (12-7, 5-1) returns to the Cross Insurance Center on Sunday at noon where it puts its 5-1 home record on the line against visiting Binghamton (8-11, 3-3) on Alumnae Weekend for the Black Bears, presented by Chick-fil-A. Maine, winners of each of its last four home contests, will look to improve to 6-1 in league play with a win against the Bearcats.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
BINGHAMTON |
| 12-7/5-1 |
Record/Conference |
8-11/3-3 |
| 65.2 |
Points Per Game |
59.9 |
| 61.7 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
64.7 |
| +3.4 |
Scoring Margin |
-4.7 |
| 42.2 |
Field Goal Percentage |
39.2 |
| 31.6 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
32.0 |
| 69.3 |
Free Throw Percentage |
69.9 |
| 32.0 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.6 |
| -2.6 |
Rebound Margin |
+1.4 |
| 15.6 |
Assists Per Game |
12.6 |
| 11.8 |
Turnovers Per Game |
18.4 |
| 2.5 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.7 |
| 8.2 |
Steals Per Game |
6.8 |
LAST TIME OUT:
STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (12-7, 5-1 America East) held Stony Brook (14-4, 3-2) to just six points in the fourth quarter as it was able to go on the road and hand the Seawolves a 68-54 victory on Saturday afternoon.
Blanca Millan led all scorers with 20 points, 13 of which coming in the second quarter, while
Fanny Wadling tallied her second double-double in as many games, finishing with 14 points and matching a career-best with 15 boards.
Dor Saar also matched a career-high with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Millan's points total pushed her past Tracey Frenette and Ashley Underwood and into 12th place on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,200 career points.
The Black Bears ran a highly efficient offense against Stony Brook, assisting on 23 of their 29 field goals with Saar and
Maeve Carroll each tallying five helpers. The Black Bears showed their fight late in the periods as they were able to put together several runs over the closing minutes of each quarter.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, recently off a two-game road split with Hartford (L, 49-46) and Stony Brook (W, 68-54), are off to their best start to conference play since 2016 at 5-1. Maine's offense has been impressive in the early going against America East foes, checking in atop the league in conference only action at 67.3 points per game. Defensively, the Black Bears rank second against league opponents, allowing just 51.5 points for a +15.8 scoring margin over their first six conference contests.
Fanny Wadling has been extremely impressive in her last two outings, becoming the first player since
Sigi Koizar (2017) to tally double-doubles in consecutive games. Wadling has been a rebounding force in the league slate, recording career-highs in rebounding with 15 boards in each of her last two games. Wadling currently ranks second among league leaders in conference only action at 8.0 rebounds per game.
Overall,
Blanca Millan leads the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game. With 20 points in Maine's win at Stony Brook, Millan surpassed Tracey Frenette for 14th on Maine's all-time scoring list and Ashley Underwood for 13th (1,200 points). Millan's 330 points this season rank her first in the league and 42nd nationally. The junior guard ranks fifth among league leaders in three-point field goals per game (2.0). Defensively, Millan 31st in the country at 2.84 steals per game and ranks fourth in the America East at 1.4 blocks per game. Again looking at Maine's record books, Millan stands just 10 steals behind Cathy Iaconeta (224) for sixth all-time in Black Bear history.
Tanesha Sutton, who was injured late at Hartford and missed the Stony Brook game, checks in fifth in the America East in scoring (14.0) and third in rebounding (6.9). Sutton is just 100 points away from becoming the 21st Black Bear to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau.
Dor Saar has been an assist machine this season. Saar is third in the league at 5.1 assists per game and 20th nationally with 96 total assists.
Parise Rossignol ranks 13th in the league in scoring at 13.0 points per game. Rossignol has tallied double-figures in 10 of Maine's 19 games.
The Black Bears rank sixth in the nation at 11.8 turnovers per game, giving it away just 224 times this season (23rd best nationally).
A LOOK AT BINGHAMTON:
The Bearcats enter winners of two of their last three after most recently scoring a 70-50 road victory at UMass Lowell on Wednesday. In the victory, Binghamton was led by Rebecca Carmody's double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Carmody is nearly averaging a double-double on the year in conference play at 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Overall, Carmody leads the Bearcats in scoring (13.3), rebounding (7.8), assists (3.2) and steals (1.6). Carmody is the league's leader in rebounding and ranks seventh overall in scoring. Kai Moon is also adding double-figures, averaging 12.3 points per game with a 41.7-percent mark from three-point range. Carly Boland rounds out Binghamton's double-digit scorers at 10.4 points per game and 4.8 rebounds. Olivia Ramil is adding 8.3 points and ranks 10th in the league in rebounding (5.6).
Binghamton, which began the season 0-7 on the road, has won each of its last two road games. The Bearcats rank fourth in the America East in scoring (59.9) but have struggled defensively, checking in eighth best among nine America East schools allowing 64.7 points. The Bearcats have been strong on the boards, ranking second in the league at 37.6 rebounds per game. Binghamton is second-best among league leaders from three-point range (32.0).
SERIES WITH BINGHAMTON:
Maine and Binghamton will meet for the 37th time with the Black Bears holding a 22-14 advantage. Maine, which has won 11 of the last 13 meetings, enter play with a 12-5 record all-time at home against Binghamton. Maine has won four of the last five in Maine, but fell in overtime, 66-62, a year ago. Millan, who has tallied double-digits in four of her five meetings against Binghamton, enters play averaging 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds against the Bearcats. Twice Millan has bested 20 points against the Bearcats.
SEASON NOTES:
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 25 (1/23/19)
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 Jan. 22. Maine currently sits at No. 25 in the most up to date poll.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST:
The Black Bears challenged themselves with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Through its first 13 games, Maine had gone up against the 56th toughest schedule in the nation, out of 351 total Division I squads. Maine's rating percentage index (RPI) currently sits at 65 nationally, 34 spots above the next highest America East team, Hartford. RPI is used to rank teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. Maine's 13 non-conference games included contests against 10 teams who appeared in the 2017-18 postseason in one form or another. Currently, five of the teams Maine has played are ranked inside the Top-50 in RPI.
SUTTON CLOSING ON 1,000 POINTS:
With six points at Hartford,
Tanesha Sutton now stands just 100 points away from becoming the 21st Black Bear in the history of the program to tally 1,000 points. Included in the total is her 28 points which she tallied during her freshman season at Duquesne. If she reaches the mark, Sutton and Millan would become the first Maine duo to reach the 1,000 point plateau in the same season since Ashley Underwood and Bracey Barker achieved the feat in 2006-07.
FEATURED SCORERS
The Black Bears currently have two scorers ranked in the top-5 among America East leaders in leading scorer
Blanca Millan (1st-17.4) and
Tanesha Sutton (5th-14.0). Taking a look at conference only stats, Maine is the only school with three players ranked in the top-10 of the league's leaders in scoring (Millan - 3rd (15.0), Sutton - 5th (14.2), Rossignol - 6th (14.2).
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank seventh in the nation, averaging just 11.8 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.33 assist-turnover ratio is 12th best among the nation's leaders. In 10 of its 19 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with five of those performances ending with single-digit turnover totals. Maine had a season-low three turnovers in its win at Vermont.
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 AND CLIMBING THE CHARTS:
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. With 20 points at Stony Brook, Millan moved into 12th on Maine's all-time scoring list. She currently stands just 49 points away from passing Ashleigh Roberts for 11th all-time (1,248).
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.
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 14 of Maine's first 18, including back-to-back 20+ point efforts against Bryant (23) and #20 Duke (25), a 21 point showing at North Carolina, 26 points at Harvard and 27 against UAlbany. 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 45 of her last 50. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 62 of her 86 career contests.-
DEFENSE = VICTORY
Over the past two years, Maine is 28-2 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 36-5 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less. This season, Maine is holding league opponents to just 51.5 points per game in America East play.
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STEALS CHART:
Millan has tallied 200 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 10 steals away from sixth all-time at Maine - a mark held by Cathy Iaconeta (224).
SUTTON ON THE BOARDS:
Tanesha Sutton currently ranks third in the conference, at 6.9 rebounds per game. On Dec. 30 against Chattanooga, Sutton tallied her eighth career double-double, also tallying her 500th career rebound along the way. Taking a look at Maine's all-time rebounding standings, Sutton is 15 boards behind Ashleigh Roberts for 20th all-time (552).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Black Bears have been impressive at home as of late. Maine is 52-6 on its home court in its last 58 outings, including a 33-3 mark in America East play over the past 36 league contests. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 24-3 at home. This season, Maine is 5-1 at home with the lone loss being a three point decision to then No. 20 Duke. Maine is averaged 77.5 points per game at home. Millan is averaging 20.8 points at home while Rossignol is adding 17.0 at the Cross Insurance Center in 2018-19.
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.
BLACK BEARS IN THE PROS:
Maine currently has five former players in the professional level in Europe.
Sigi Koizar ('17) - ZTE NKK (Hungary);
Milica Mitrovic ('16) - Partizan (Serbia);
Anna Heise ('16) - Jahn Muenchen (Germany);
Mikaela Gustafsson ('16) - Telge (Sweden);
Chantel Charles ('16) - Ciudad de la Adelantados (Spain).
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 COMPLETE 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.
-UMaine-
