Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team opens its 56th year of competition against former America East foe, and current Colonial Athletic Association member, Delaware. The Black Bears enter play 32-23 mark in season openers. Maine, opening on the road for the first time since 2015, is 3-1 in its last four season openers. Friday's opener can be seen live at
FloSports.com 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:
Th The Black Bears return three starters, 10 letterwinners and six of its top eight scorers from last year's America East Championship and NCAA Tournament participating team. The Black Bears, selected as the unanimous top pick in the America East Preseason Coaches Poll, to repeat as league champions in 2019-20 will look to become just the fifth team in league history to complete a championship three-peat. Maine is also in search of its 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Maine is led by the reigning America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year,
Blanca Millan. Millan, named to the America East Preseason All-Conference squad, enters her senior season ranked ninth on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,438 points. Last year, Millan led the America East in scoring (17.2 ppg) and steals (2.8). Third-year point guard
Dor Saar returns to run the offense for the Black Bears a year removed from earning her first America East All-Conference selection while ranking second in league with 4.9 assists per game. Saar also ranked in the top-20 among league scorers at 9.4 ppg.
Fanny Wadling returns for her senior season in the paint after averaging a league-best 9.0 rebounds in 2018-19. Wading registered five double-doubles in 23 games a year ago while averaging 6.7 points and 3.0 assists.
Millan currently ranks ninth on Maine's all-time scoring list and 44th on the all-time America East scoring list with 1,438 points. Millan needs just 10 points to surpass Delaware great Danielle Leyfert (1,447) for 43rd on the America East list.
A LOOK AT DELAWARE:
The Blue Hens are coming off a 16-15 season a year ago which saw them go 11-7 in the CAA before falling to Towson in the quarterfinal round of the CAA tournament. Delaware is led by graduate student, and 2018 CAA Player of the Year, Nicole Enabosi who returns a year removed from ACL surgery. Enabosi, a preseason All-CAA honoree, ranks in the top-20 in Delaware history in rebounds per game, double-doubles, blocks and total points. Joining Enabosi on the Preseason All-CAA team is Samone DeFreese. DeFreese, a CAA All-Second Team honoree a year ago, averaged 10.9 points per game in 2018-19 to go along with an impressive 73.3-percent showing from the free throw stripe. The Blue Hens are led by third-year head coach Natasha Adair.
SERIES WITH DELAWARE:
Maine and Delaware are meeting for the 24th time in history. The Black Bears currently maintain a 17-6 edge in the all-time series. The teams are meeting for the first time since Dec. 8, 2009 when Elena Delle Donne and the Blues Hens escaped Orono with a 52-50 victory. Delle Donne led the way with a double-double, totaling 26 points and 12 boards. Maine is making its first trip to Delaware since 2008 when it fell to the Blue Hens, 55-40. The Black Bears hold an impressive 9-2 record on the road against the Blue Hens. Maine, which won in its first nine trips to Delaware, is looking for its first win on the road in the series since Jan. 4, 1999.
THE BLACK BEARS VS. CAA...
Maine has had great success against current CAA member institutions, entering with a 111-40 mark against CAA schools. Maine will meet three CAA schools this season including Delaware, before back to back games with Northeastern (12/21) and Drexel (12/30).
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CHALLENGING SCHEDULE, ONCE AGAIN:
Last season, the Black Bears challenged themselves with what ended up being the 56th toughest schedule in the country. This year is no different. To start the season, Maine has one ranked team on its schedule (No. 14 NC State) and another (No. 20 Arizona) in which it possibly will meet as part of the Gulf Coast Showcase. Maine's schedule features six teams who participated in postseason tournaments (NCAA/WNIT) a year ago with the potential of two others who were members of the 2019 NCAA Tournament in Drake and Arizona State, who Maine may meet in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 15 (11/5/19)
The Black Bears, who were ranked in every edition of the College Insider Mid-Major Poll during the 2018-19 season, begin this season ranked No. 15 among top mid-major programs. The Black Bears peaked at No. 12 in the poll last season on Dec. 5. Maine is currently the only America East school represented in the mid-major top-25.
BEAR TRACKS:
EXHIBITION RECAP
The Black Bears went 2-0 in its exhibition warm-ups, defeating Stonehill 78-56 before handing McGill a 61-22 decision. Millan paced Maine's exhibition attack, averaging 25.5 points while shooting 54.8-percent (17-31) from the floor and going 11-of-12 from the free throw stripe.
Dor Saar averaged 13.0 points and 5.5 assists in the preseason action. Defensively, the Black Bears forced an average of 18.5 turnovers per game.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL
The Black Bears were selected as the unanimous favorite to win the America East, as noted in the America East Preseason Coaches Poll. Maine was selected to win the league for third-consecutive season.
RARE OPPORTUNITY
The Black Bears have the opportunity to become just the fifth team in America East history to complete a three-peat of the league championship after earning America East Tournament titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Maine earned four-straight titles during the 1994-98 seasons.
MILLAN AMERICA EAST'S ACTIVE SCORING LEADER
At 1,438 points, Millan is the America East's active scoring leader. Historically, Millan checks in 44th on the all-time America East scoring list.
40.
Liz Wood (Maine - 1,462)
41. Carrine Jones (Northeastern - 1,455)
42. Elizabeth Belanger (New Hampshire - 1,453)
43. Danielle Leyfert (Delaware - 1,447)
44.
Blanca Millan (Maine - 1,438)
MILLAN CLIMBING MAINE'S ALL-TIME SCORING CHART
Millan, who reached the 1,000 point plateau seventh fastest in school history (75) games, opens the season ninth on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,438 points. She currently stands just 25 points away from moving ahead of
Liz Wood for eighth all-time (1,462).
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STEALS CHART
Millan begins the season with 252 career steals. She now stands 27 steals behind head coach
Amy Vachon for fourth all-time (279) in Maine history. Millan has led the America East in total steals for two-straight seasons.
MILLAN DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK
Dating back to last season, Millan has posted double-digit scoring totals in 57 of her last 66. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 73 of her 100 career contests.
MILLAN AMONG THE BEST FROM DOWNTOWN SINCE 2000
Since the 2000 season, Millan ranks fourth among Black Bears in 3-point makes over the past 19 seasons. During her tenure at Maine, Millan has hit 174 triples. She stands just 10 behind her former teammate,
Sigi Koizar (184), for third on that list since 2000.
DOR'S DIMES
In 2018, point guard
Dor Saar ranked second in the America East in assists (161) and assists per game (4.9) while leading the conference and checking in 25th nationally in assists to turnover ratio (+2.48). Saar currently ranks just 55 assists behind Carrie Goodhue (1988-92 - 309) for 11th on Maine's all-time assists list. Saar tallied five or more assists in 18 of Maine's 33 games in 2018-19.
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY
Maine was extremely impressive with its ball control last season. The Black Bears ranked second in the nation, averaging just 11.1 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.45 assist-turnover ratio is seventh best among the nation's leaders. In 18 of its 33 games, Maine turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with 10 of those performances ending with single-digit turnover totals.
60 OR LESS
Over the past six seasons, Maine is 108-18 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 46-6 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less. Over the past six seasons in league play, Maine is 61-8 when holding America East opponents to 60 points or fewer.
60 OR MORE
On the flipside, Maine is 106-21 over the past six seasons when it scorers 60 or more. In league play, Maine has a 62-6 record when scoring 60 or more points.
HOME SWEET HOME
In 2018-19, the Black Bears went 13-1 in home games, including an 11-1 mark at the Cross Insurance Center. Maine was also undefeated against America East competition at home, going 12-0 against league competition on its home courts in Augusta, Orono and Bangor. Maine carries a 12-game home win streak, 10 of which coming at the Cross Insurance Center, into the 2019-20 season with its last home loss coming against No. 20 Duke back on Nov. 15, 2018.
NEW TEAM & CONFERENCE 3-POINT RECORD
The Black Bears knocked down a UMaine and America East record 273 three-point buckets in 2018-19. Along the way, Maine also set a new school mark for 3-point attempts (826) and matched a single-game high with 16, 3-point field goals made in a win at North Carolina (12/2/18).
SAAR, KAHELIN COMPETE AT FIBA U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPS.
Saar and Kahelin spent time this past summer competing for their native Israel and Finland, respectively, at the U20 FIBA European Championships. Saar led the tournament in assists per game (5.3) and ranked fourth in scoring (18.0) to go along with 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals and just 2.2 turnovers per game to help guide Israel to a fifth place finish. Kahelin averaged 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists to help Finland earn a promotion to Division A.
BLACK BEARS IN THE PROS
Maine currently has six former players competing professionally for their respective teams overseas:
Milica Mitrovic (Partizan - Serbia);
Sigi Koizar (Enisey Krasnoyarski kraj - Russia);
Mikaela Gustafsson (Telge Basket - Sweden);
Tanesha Sutton (Norrkoping Dolphins - Sweden);
Chantel Charles (Clarinos - Spain) and
Anna Heise (Jahn Muenchen - Germany).
TAPLEY COMPLETE JUNIORS PHASE OF MARINE OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL
In the summer of 2019,
Sierra Tapley completed completed Marine Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico Marine Base in Quantico, Va. This comes following her completion of the Junior phase of OCS in the summer of 2018.
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 Luxembourg (Simon); Israel (Saar); Spain (Millan), Germany (Barra), Slovakia (Bolozova), Finland (Kahelin) and Sweden (Wadling).
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