Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (13-7, 6-1) looks to improve to 7-1 at home when they host UMass Lowell (6-14, 2-5) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center. The Black Bears enter action 10-0 all-time against the River Hawks. For tickets please call 207.581.BEAR or purchase online at
TicketMaster.com.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
UMass Lowell |
| 13-7/6-1 |
Record/Conference |
6-14/2-5 |
| 66.7 |
Points Per Game |
55.5 |
| 62.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
64.4 |
| +4.7 |
Scoring Margin |
-8.9 |
| 42.6 |
Field Goal Percentage |
37.6 |
| 32.0 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
28.6 |
| 70.1 |
Free Throw Percentage |
68.6 |
| 32.8 |
Rebounds Per Game |
33.0 |
| -1.8 |
Rebound Margin |
-2.8 |
| 16.0 |
Assists Per Game |
13.0 |
| 11.4 |
Turnovers Per Game |
17.5 |
| 2.4 |
Blocks Per Game |
1.8 |
| 8.0 |
Steals Per Game |
7.1 |
LAST TIME OUT:
Blanca Millan poured in 29 points as the University of Maine women's basketball team (13-7, 6-1) cruised past Binghamton (8-12, 3-4) by a final of 95-66 on Sunday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center.
Maine's offense was on fire against the Bearcats as the Black Bears' 95 point output was their most against a conference foe since tallying 98 in a victory over Delaware on Feb. 8, 1998. The Black Bears were especially impressive in the third quarter where they poured in 35 points; a new school-record for points in a quarter. In the third period alone, Maine went 10-of-16 from the field, 5-for-6 from three-point range and hit 10-of-11 from the free throw stripe.
Maine, which finished the contest with 23 assists and just four turnovers, held the rebounding advantage over Binghamton by a 47-34 final margin. Maine went 35-of-72 overall from the floor, hitting 11 triples while knocking down 14-of-17 from the charity stripe.
Millan, who went 11-of-19 from the floor with six boards, was joined in double-digits by
Parise Rossignol who finished with 14 on 6-of-8 shooting.
Dor Saar racked up 11 points, nine assists and five boards while
Tanesha Sutton added 10 points.
Fanny Wadling continued her stretch of strong rebounding efforts, posting her third-consecutive game with double-digit boards (10) while chipping in eight points.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, who have won two in a row and six of their last seven, are fresh off one of their most impressive offense performances of the season. Maine racked up 95 points in a 95-66 victory over Binghamton. The 95 points were Maine's highest point total against a league opponent since posting 98 against Delaware back in 1998. Maine posted 35 points in the third quarter against Binghamton, marking its highest-ever point total for a single quarter.
Blanca Millan, who poured in her second-highest point total of the season with 29 points against Binghamton, was named America East Co-Player of the Week for her performance. Millan, who has posted 20+ scoring performances in three of her seven conference outings, continues to lead the conference in scoring at 18.0 points per game. Millan stands just 19 points behind Ashleigh Roberts for 11th on Maine's all-time scoring list (1,248).
Tanesha Sutton, who returned to action against Binghamton after missing one game due to injury, ranks fifth in the league at 13.8 points per game and checks in third-best at 6.7 rebounds. Sutton, who checks in third at 48.5-percent from the field, is the only America East player to rank inside the top-5 in both scoring and rebounding.
Dor Saar continues to be an assist giving machine. Fresh off a nine assist performance against Binghamton, Saar ranks second in the America East at 5.3 assists per game. Eleven times this season Saar has posted five or more assists, including a career-best 11 in a win over Brown.
Parise Rossignol has posted double-figure scoring efforts in five of Maine's seven conference games and ranks fifth in the league in conference only scoring at14.1 points per game.
Fanny Wadling has been a rebounding machine since her return to the lineup on Feb. 2. In league play, Wadling is averaging 8.3 rebound, including reaching double-digits in rebounding over each of her last three outings.
The consistency continues for the Black Bears: many assists, few turnovers. Maine posted 23 assists and just four turnovers in its win over Binghamton and now ranks ninth in the nation with a 1.40 assist/turnover ratio. Maine is sixth in the nation in turnovers per game, giving it away at a minuscule rate of 11.4 times. Six time this season, Maine has limited its turnovers to single-digits. Maine, which has been around the top of the conference in points per game, took over the top spot as it is now averaging 66.7 points per game overall and ranks first in points per game in conference play at 71.3 points. In conference only action, Maine leads in all shooting categories including field goal percentage (46.6), three-point percentage (36.1) and free throw percentage (79.1). The Black Bears' rebounding has also come on strong in league play. Maine is holding a +9.4 rebounding margin over its conference foes.
A LOOK AT UMASS LOWELL:
The River Hawks enter play on a three-game losing skid after dropping a 70-50 decision last Wednesday against Binghamton. UMass Lowell, which is 3-8 on the road this season, ranks 325th in the nation out of 349 teams in scoring offense at 55.5 points per game. The mark ranks sixth best in the league. Defensively, the River Hawks rank seventh in the conference as they are allowing 64.4 points per game. UMass Lowell checks in second-best among league leaders in turnovers forced at 16.9 per game.
Individually, graduate student Brianna Rudolph leads the River Hawk offense. Rudolph ranks ninth in the league at 11.9 points per game and eleventh best at 5.4 rebounds per game. Katherine Smith is adding 9.0 points while guard Ren'Cia Rolling controls the offense, checking in third among America East leaders at 5.0 assists per game.
SERIES WITH BINGHAMTON:
Maine and UMass Lowell will meet for the 11th time. The Black Bears are undefeated against UMass Lowell, entering action with an 10-0 record in the series. Since the River Hawks joined the America East in 2013, Maine is 5-0 at home in the series. The Black Bears are averaging 74.4 points per game at home against the River Hawks and hold a +20.8 scoring margin on their home court in the series. In the last meeting, Maine held on for a 70-65 victory at home thanks in part to Sutton's 19 points and nine boards and 20 UMass Lowell turnovers. Sutton (11.3) and Millan (11.0) are each averaging double-digits over their careers against the River Hawks.
SEASON NOTES:
CONFERENCE OFFENSE:
Maine's offense has been on fire throughout league play, averaging a league-best 71.3 points per game against conference foes. Millan leads the league in America East play at 17.0 points per game. All six of Maine's conference wins have come by double-digits, including a 40 point victory over UMBC. Maine holds a +17.7 scoring margin over league opponents.
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 63 nationally, 28 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.
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.
SUTTON CLOSING ON 1,000 POINTS:
With six points at Hartford,
Tanesha Sutton now stands just 90 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-18.0) and
Tanesha Sutton (5th-13.8). 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 - 1st (17.0), Rossignol (5th - 14.1) and Sutton (7th-13.5).
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank sixth in the nation, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.40 assist-turnover ratio is ninth best among the nation's leaders. In 11 of its 20 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with six of those performances ending with single-digit turnover totals. Maine had a season-low three turnovers in its win at Vermont. Against Binghamton, Maine tallied 23 assists to just four turnovers.
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 20 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 46 of her last 51. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 63 of her 87 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 53.6 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 12 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 53-6 on its home court in its last 59 outings, including a 34-3 mark in America East play over the past 37 league contests. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 25-3 at home. This season, Maine is 6-1 at home with the lone loss being a three point decision to then No. 20 Duke. Maine is averaging 80.0 points per game at home. Millan is averaging 22.0 points at home while Rossignol is adding 16.6 at the Cross Insurance Center in 2018-19. The Black Bears are shooting 48.1% on their home court and averaging an impressive 19.9 assists.
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 on Dec. 2.
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).
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-
