Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team takes its show on the road to meet Navy at the Portland Expo for a Sunday matinée at 1 p.m. The game is part of the
Military Appreciation Series, presented by Dead River Company, in which the Black Bears will provide all military personnel, veterans and their immediate family members complimentary tickets to Sunday's men's and women's doubleheader.
The Black Bears have won four consecutive games in Portland, going undefeated in America East postseason play when the league hosted the America East Championship tournament at the Cross Insurance Center in 2017 and 2018. Maine defeated Binghamton and New Hampshire in quarterfinal and semifinal action, respectively, in 2017 before earning postseason victories over UMBC and New Hampshire in the 2018 quarter and semifinals. Maine is making its first appearance at the Portland Expo since it dropped a 51-38 decision to Rhode Island on Dec. 8, 2012.
Military personnel and veterans with proper identification are asked to email UM.Tickets@maine.edu to reserve complimentary tickets for themselves and their immediate family members. Ticket(s) may also be picked up at the gate on Sunday at the Portland Expo.
Tickets are still available for purchase for Sunday's doubleheader! One ticket is good for both the UMaine women's and men's game! Fans may reserve their tickets at GoBlackBears.com/tickets or in-person on game day at the Portland Expo. The men's game against Maine Maritime will begin 30-minutes following the conclusion of the women's game.
Sunday's contest can be seen on
AmericaEast.TV and heard on the Black Bear Sports Network locally via 96.1 WGUY-FM and worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
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OVERVIEW:
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears are looking to snap a three-game losing skid after falling on Tuesday at #14 NC State, 62-34.
Dor Saar led Maine in scoring for the second-straight contest, netting 10 points against the Wolfpack while
Blanca Millan added eight points and 10 boards.
Millan leads the Black Bears, checking in third in the America East at 20.5 points per game and leading Maine with 6.3 rebounds per game. Millan has posted a 41.9 (26-62) mark from the field and has been among the nation's leaders from the free throw line this season. Her 84.4-percent mark from the stripe ranks fourth in the conference with her 27 free throw makes placing her fourth nationally and tops in the America East. Saar, who has led Maine in scoring in each of the past two outings with a pair of double-digit performances, is averaging 10.0 points and 3.0 assists in the early going. Saar, who has hit eight triples in her past two outings, is seventh in America East at 2.0 three-point field goals per game. With senior forward
Fanny Wadling missing the first four games due to injury,
Maeve Carroll has been valuable inside for the Black Bears. Carroll ranks second on the team with 5.3 rebounds through four games to go along with 5.3 points while shooting a team-high 45.0-percent from the floor.
Maine has been impressive in the early going from the charity stripe, checking at the top of the America East leaders and 19th nationally at 79.6-percent from the line. Moving outside, Maine leads the America East in 3-point attempts (92) and checks in third among America East leaders in 3-point field goals made (25), averaging a third-best in the league 6.3 makes from downtown per game. The Black Bears have also been impressive with their ball control, ranking 36th in the nation and second in America East with just 12.8 turnovers per game, turning into a +2.75 turnover margin.
A LOOK AT NAVY:
The Mids are set to take on their second consecutive America East opponent after suffering a 64-56 setback on Friday evening at Vermont. Sophie Gatzounas led the way for Navy, totaling a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Laurel Jaunich added 11 points and seven boards in the loss. On the season, Kolbi Green has led a balanced scoring attack for Navy, entering averaging 11.5 points and 2.8 steals. Gatzounas is adding 9.8 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds while Jennifer Coleman is chipping in 9.3 points and 2.8 steals.
Navy, which returns four starters from its 2018-19 team which went 10-19 overall and 5-13 in Patriot League play, is led by Stefanie Pemper. Pemper, in her 12th season at Navy, spent 10 years at the helm of the women's basketball program at Bowdoin. Defense has been a strong suit for Navy early on. The Mids opened the weekend ranked second in the country in steals per game and enter Sunday's meeting averaging 14.0 takeaways. Navy ranks 66th nationally in scoring defense, holding its opposition to just 56.0 points per game.
SERIES WITH NAVY:
Maine and Navy are meeting for just the fourth time in history, and the first since 2011 ... Maine is 1-2 all-time against Navy ... The Black Bears won the first-ever meeting between the two schools, 92-55, on Jan. 2, 1988 in a game played in Bangor, Maine ... Navy has won each of the last two meetings, a 65-43 victory in the opening round of the Dead River Company Classic in Orono on Nov. 26, 2010 and a 73-56 decision on Dec. 3, 2011 in the opening round of the Navy Classic in Annapolis ... This will be the second neutral site game played between the two teams ... Maine looks to snap the two-game losing skid ... The Black Bears will be playing their second Patriot League opponent in their last three outings after dropping a 69-42 decision to Boston University in Bangor on Nov. 17. Maine is 54-47 all-time against current Patriot League member institutions.
-UMaine-
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