Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team goes for its first win streak of the season as it looks to string back-to-back wins together when it faces former conference foe Northeastern on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center. The Black Bears square off against the Huskies for the 59th time in history and the sixth time in the past seven seasons. Tickets for Saturday afternoon's contest are still available and may be purchased at
TicketMaster.com or in-person by visiting the Cross Insurance Center box office during regular operating hours.
For those unable to make it to Wednesday's contest, the game will be streamed at
ESPN+ and also broadcast via radio locally via 96.1 WGUY-FM and worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
UMaine Athletics will host a Holiday Party on Saturday during the women's basketball contest, including a special appearance by Santa Claus! Fans are encouraged to dress in their best ugly Holiday sweaters! Saturday's game will feature Holiday themed music and Holiday sweater give aways!
Â
TALE OF THE TAPE:
| Maine |
Category |
Northeastern |
| 4-8, 0-0 |
Record |
3-6, 0-0 |
| 54.7 |
Points Per Game |
60.6 |
| 62.9 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
69.2 |
| -8.2 |
Scoring Margin |
-8.6 |
| 37.1 |
Field Goal Percentage |
37.7 |
| 29.3 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
28.1 |
| 71.0 |
Free Throw Percentage |
64.4 |
| 28.3 |
Rebound Per Game |
33.6 |
| -9.7 |
Rebound Margin |
-4.1 |
| 12.2 |
Assists Per Game |
12.9 |
| 14.2 |
Turnover Per Game |
19.2 |
| 7.8 |
Steals Per Game |
8.8 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.0 |
OVERVIEW:
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine is coming off one of its most thrilling wins in recent history after knocking off, then No. 15 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll, Green Bay by a 61-60 final on
Maeve Carroll's 12-foot jumper at the buzzer.
Dor Saar poured in 30 points in the win to help her earn her first America East Co-Player of the Week honor while
Anne Simon chipped in a career-high 17 and was awarded as the America East's Rookie of the Week for her performance.
Saar, who tallied her 300th career assist against Green Bay, leads the Maine offense into its clash with Northeastern. The point guard ranks 14th in the league at 10.8 points per game, with double-figures in each of her last two. Saar averaged 20.0 points per game in two contests last week, including a career-high 30 points in the win over Green Bay. In that contest, Saar knocked down eight 3-point field goals, matching her for second most in a single game in UMaine history. Despite scoring in chunks recently, Saar continues to distribute it as she checks in fifth in the league at 3.9 assists per game. Overall, Saar ranks fourth in the America East in both 3-point percentage (33.0) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.5). Her 30 total makes from 3-point range rank 24th best in the nation. The Black Bears depend on Saar as she leads the nation in total minutes played (451:53), ranking 11th nationally at 37.64 minutes played per game. With double-digit scoring efforts in three of her last four outings,
Anne Simon has improved her scoring average from 5.5 points per game to 7.8 over her last four to rank second among Black Bear scorers. Simon has also been attacking the boards recently, with career-highs of six in each of her last two outings. Simon is averaging 3.1 rebounds per game.
Maeve Carroll ranks 27th in the league in scoring (7.2) and ninth in rebounding (6.4).
The Black Bears rank fourth in the America East in scoring defense, limiting opponents to a 62.9 scoring mark. Maine is forcing 15.1 turnovers through its first 12 games while limiting its mishaps to 14.2. Offensively, Maine is averaging 54.7 points per game with the majority of its damage done from beyond the arc. Maine checks in 28th in the nation with 85 three point field goals made, averaging 7.1 per game, and rank eighth nationally with 290 total attempts from 3-point range this season.
A LOOK AT NORTHEASTERN:
After dropping each of its first six games of the season, Northeastern has reeled off three-straight wins including a most recent 60-47 decision against Hartford. Prior to the victory, Northeastern earned a 72-61 win over North Dakota State before going on the road to defeat Harvard, 46-44.
Stella Clark, who registered a game-high 17 points in the Huskies' win over Hartford, leads the way for the offense. Clark is averaging team-highs in scoring (14.1) and assists (3.6) while turning in a 33.3-percent clip from 3-point range. Alexis Hill is adding 14.0 points per game and leads the way in the rebounding column for Northeastern at 5.6 boards per game. Defensively, Hill paces the team with 2.8 steals and a block per game.
The Huskies are forcing an impressive 20.1 take aways per game but also give it away at a high-rate, averaging 19.2 turnovers per outing with a total of 173 turnovers already racked up this season. Like Maine, Northeastern likes to run its offense from outside where it ranks third in the CAA at 5.8 three point field goals made per game.
SERIES WITH NORTHEASTERN:
Maine and Northeastern have a storied history as each were conference foes in the Seaboard Conference, the North Atlantic Conference and, most recently up until 2004-05, the America East conference. The teams will meet for the 59th time in history. Maine is 35-23 all-time against Northeastern and will be taking on the Huskies for the sixth time in the past seven years. The teams have split each of the last six meetings, with Northeastern earning a 63-55 victory in last seasons showdown. Maine enters play 19-6 all-time at home against Northeastern in the series. Northeastern is making its first trip to Maine since 2016, a game won 68-49 by the Black Bears. Maine has won eight-straight home games against the Huskies with Northeastern's last win in Maine coming in 1999. The two teams have met seven times in postseason play, with Northeastern holding a slight 3-4 record in conference postseason action. Maine defeated Northeastern, 70-59 to capture the 1995 North Atlantic Conference championship. The first-ever meeting between the two squads took place in 1977, a 57-40 win by the Huskies.
-UMaine-
