ORONO, Maine -- The top-two teams in the America East standings meet in a pivotal conference clash as Maine (17-7, 10-1) looks to avenge its only league loss of the season when it hosts Hartford (16-8, 9-1) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year's America East Championship game. The Black Bears enter play with the longest current winning streak among league foes with six-straight victories in conference play. The contest matches the league's highest scoring offense (Maine - 66.9) against the league's highest ranked scoring defense, in terms of points allowed, (Hartford-56.9). Tickets may be purchased at
TicketMaster.com or at the Cross Insurance Center box office.
Prior to the game, UMaine will honor its two seniors,
Parise Rossignol and
Tanesha Sutton, recognizing them for their time as Black Bears. Also, the contest will mark Maine's annual 'Pink Game' in which Maine will be wearing its special edition pink jerseys to help raise awareness of cancer research and prevention. The Black Bears are auctioning off their pink jerseys, with all proceeds going to support local Caring Connections. Bidding will close at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Place your
BID HERE.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Hartford |
| 16-8/10-1 |
Record/Conference |
16-8/9-1 |
| 66.9 |
Points Per Game |
64.4 |
| 59.1 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
56.9 |
| +7.8 |
Scoring Margin |
+7.5 |
| 42.8 |
Field Goal Percentage |
38.8 |
| 33.8 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
29.8 |
| 69.8 |
Free Throw Percentage |
66.2 |
| 33.0 |
Rebounds Per Game |
33.2 |
| -1.4 |
Rebound Margin |
-7.6 |
| 16.7 |
Assists Per Game |
12.2 |
| 11.6 |
Turnovers Per Game |
15.8 |
| 2.5 |
Blocks Per Game |
1.9 |
| 8.8 |
Steals Per Game |
13.0 |
LAST TIME OUT:
Led by three Black Bear double-figure scorers, the University of Maine women's basketball team overcame a subpar shooting performance to down UMBC, 58-45, on Saturday afternoon at the UMBC Events Center.
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Despite the Retrievers (8-17, 1-9 AE) outshooting (42.5% to 35.2%) and outrebounding (36-25) the Black Bears (17-7, 10-1 AE) Maine scored 24 points off of UMBC's 29 turnovers and converted 15-of-21 from the free throw line to earn its 10th America East victory of the season. Maine has now won six-consecutive games and earned five-straight victories against UMBC.
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Blanca Millan tallied a game-high 14 points and grabbed four rebounds, with 12 of her points coming in the second half alone.
Parise Rossignol recorded 12 points, while
Fanny Wadling filled the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, a block and zero turnovers in 36 minutes of play. When Wadling was on the court, Maine outscored UMBC by an impressive 25 points.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears recently third-straight road win as they completed the season sweep of UMBC with a 58-45 decision on Saturday. Maine has now held four-straight opponents to 45 points and limited five of its last seven to under 50 points.
Blanca Millan, who tallied 12 of her team-high 14 points against UMBC in the second half, has now reached double-digit scoring efforts in five of her last six and reached the mark 19Â total times this season, leads the Black Bears in scoring. Like she has for much of the season, Millan leads the league in scoring at 17.3 points per game. The junior now stands just 10 points away from moving into 10th on Maine's all-time scoring list (Stephanie Guidi - 1,295). As impressive as she's been on the offensive end, ranking fourth in the America East in field goal percentage (43.0) and fifth in three-point field goals (2.0), her defensive play has also been top of the line. Millan currently ranks 25th in the nation, and tops in the league, with 2.8 steals per game. Her five steals at UMBC moved her into sixth on Maine's all-time steals list with 228.
Tanesha Sutton enters play just 30 points away from becoming Maine's 21st 1,000 point scorer. Sutton is one of only two players in the league to rank in the top 10 in scoring (6th-13.1), rebounding (3rd-6.9) and assists (7th-2.7) to go along with her third-ranked field goal percentage (48.2).
Parise Rossignol, who has tallied double-digits in each of her last five outings, ranks eighth among America East scoring leaders at 12.3 points per game. Rossignol, who has hit two or more 3-point shots in six-straight, leads the league with a 43.8-percent showing from beyond the arc. Rossignol ranks second in conference only scoring (15.5), just behind Millan's 15.9 points per conference game mark.
Dor Saar enters play ranked second in the league at 5.3 assists. Her assist to turnover ratio in conference play sits at an impressive 3.4 as she has tallied 58 assists to just 17 turnovers in 11 league games.
Fanny Wadling, who has tallied four double-digit rebounding performances this season, three of which coming in league play. Wadling checks in second among conference only rebounding leaders at 7.9 boards per contest.
Maine leads the America East in overall scoring at 66.9 points per game and have bested 70 points eight times this season. In league play, Maine is averaging 70.1 points per game while limiting the opposition to just 50.5 to build a +19.6 scoring margin over league foes. Over its current six-game win streak, Maine is averaging 72.5 points and a +22.5 scoring margin while shooting 45.8-percent from the floor, including a 40.4-percent showing from downtown with a +7.3 turnover margin. Over the stretch, Millan is averaging 17.5 points while Rossignol is chipping in 15.7.
A LOOK AT HARTFORD:
The Hawks have won two in a row after suffering their first loss in conference three games ago with a 73-62 decision at Binghamton. Hartford, who has won 11 of its last 12, enter play with a scoring defense ranked 29th in the nation, allowing just 56.9 points per game. The Hawks boast the third highest steals per game rate (13.0) in the country while also ranking third in the nation in turnovers forced per game (24.8). Individually, Lindsey Abed, who recently set an America East record with 10 three-point field goals in the Hawks' win against UMBC, ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 14.3 points per game. Abed is second in the league with a 40.4-percent mark from downtown and also second with 2.75 steals per game. Led by Abed, the Hawks feature three double-digit scorers with Sierra DaCosta (11.3) and Ella Awobajo joining the club (10.9). Abed (2.5) and DaCosta (2.4) lead the team in assists while Jade Young's 5.0 rebounds are a team-high.
SERIES WITH HARTFORD:
Maine and Hartford will meet for the 77th time in history with the Black Bears holding a 47-29 advantage in the all-time series. Maine is 26-11 at home against the Hawks, including last year's 74-65 triumph in the America East title game. The Black Bears have won each of their last five home meetings with Hartford. Maine has won seven of the last meetings but recently had its seven-game win streak against Hartford snapped with a 49-46 loss back on Jan. 16. In that game, Maine trailed by as many as 13 but was able to claw its way back to take a three-point lead with under three minutes remaining. However, Hartford ended the game on a 6-0 run to take the victory.
Fanny Wadling posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards in the contest while
Dor Saar chilled in a team-high 13 points.
Millan has tallied double-digits in all five of her six career games against Hartford and enters averaging 17.0 points per game against the Hawks.
Tanesha Sutton is adding 9.7 points in the series and 4.5 rebounds.
SEASON NOTES:
THE BLACK BEARS IN LEAGUE PLAY...
Maine is 10-1 in league action, currently riding a six-game league winning streak, and a perfect 6-0 at home against league opponents. Against league foes, the Black Bears rank at the top in scoring offense (70.1), while ranking second-best in scoring defense, allowing just 50.5 points per game for a scoring margin of +19.6. Maine has defeated six opponents by 20 points or more, with all league wins coming by at least 11.Maine is shooting 45.5-percent from the floor in America East action and averaging 18.6 assists. Individually,
Blanca Millan (15.9) and
Parise Rossignol (15.5) rank first and second among league leaders in America East scoring average.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 23 (2/5/19)
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 Feb. 5. Maine currently sits at No. 23 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 75 nationally, 31 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.
TOSSIN DIMES:
The Black Bears have tallied 20 or more assists in five of their last six outings. Over the six-game win streak, Maine has racked up 126 assists to just 64 turnovers. Eight times this season Maine has surpassed the 20 assist mark in a single game.
Dor Saar ranks 32nd in the nation at 5.3 assists per game and 19th with a 2.68 assist to turnover ratio. Over Maine's current six-game win streak, Saar has recorded 35 assist to just five turnovers.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Black Bears have been impressive at home as of late. Maine is 55-6 on its home court in its last 61 outings, including a 36-3 mark in America East play over the past 39 league contests. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 27-3 at home. This season, Maine is 8-1, 6-0 in league play, at home with the lone loss being a three point decision to then No. 20 Duke. Maine is averaging 78.3 points per game at home. Millan is averaging 20.8 points at home while Rossignol is adding 18.0 at the Cross Insurance Center in 2018-19. The Black Bears are shooting 47.3% on their home court and averaging an impressive 20.7 assists.
SUTTON CLOSING ON 1,000 POINTS:
Tanesha Sutton now stands just 30 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 - TOP 10
The Black Bears currently have three scorers ranked in the top-10 among America East overall leaders in leading scorer
Blanca Millan (1st-17.3),
Tanesha Sutton (6th-13.1) and
Parise Rossignol (8th-12.3). 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, including both of the top two (Millan - 1st 15.9), (Rossignol - 2nd 15.5), and
Tanesha Sutton (10th - 12.0). Â
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank seventh in the nation, averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.44 assist-turnover ratio is fifth best among the nation's leaders. In 12 of its 24 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with seven 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.
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 nine points at Stony Brook, Millan moved into 11th on Maine's all-time scoring list. She currently stands just 10 points away from passing Stephanie Guidi for 10th all-time (1,295).
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 in 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 19 of Maine's first 24, 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 50 of her last 57. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 66 of her 91 career contests.-
DEFENSE = VICTORY
Over the past two years, Maine is 32-2 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 40-5 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less. This season, Maine is holding league opponents to just 50.5 points per game in America East play and is 13-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, 7-1 when opponents are held under 50.
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STEALS CHART:
Millan has tallied 200 steals over her time at UMaine. Her five steals at UMBC moved her ahead of Cathy Iaconeta and into sixth on Maine's all-time list. Millan currently stands four steals away from matching Julie Bradstreet's mark of 232 for fifth place all-time.
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. With her 10th career double-double (10 rebs) at UNH, Sutton moved into 18th on Maine's all-time rebounding list. She now stands just 35 rebounds out of 17th all-time (598).
RECORD BREAKING NIGHT FOR ROSSIGNOL - PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
On Jan. 30 against UMass Lowell,
Parise Rossignol set a new UMaine school-record with eight three-point field goal makes. Rossignol finished the game with a career-high 32 points. Hereight three-point field goals are tied for 13th most in a single game in the NCAA this season and tied for third in the America East all-time record books. The senior guard recorded 21 of her game-high 32 in the first half alone. Rossignol bounced back with a 13 point showing at UNH, helping her earn her second America East Player of the Week honor of the season.
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.
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. Since then, UNC has gone on to defeat Notre Dame and NC State.
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-
