Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team goes for its 11th consecutive victory as it wraps up the regular season on Saturday afternoon in Binghamton. Maine's current 10 game win streak is tied for the sixth longest active win streak in the nation.
With a win, the Black Bears would clinch the outright America East Regular Season title, their second consecutive regular season title and the fourth in the last five seasons. A win would also lock-up home court advantage through the America East Playoffs. If the Black Bears were to lose at Binghamton, and Hartford win its match-up at UAlbany, Maine would still have a share of the America East regular season title. The tiebreaker between Maine and Hartford would come down to each team's rankings in the Rating Performance Index with Maine currently ranked 58 and Hartford 113.
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Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Binghamton |
| 21-7/14-1 |
Record/Conference |
12-16/7-8 |
| 67.2 |
Points Per Game |
59.9 |
| 58.6 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
64.3 |
| +8.6 |
Scoring Margin |
-4.4 |
| 43.0 |
Field Goal Percentage |
39.1 |
| 33.8 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
31.8 |
| 70.7 |
Free Throw Percentage |
71.6 |
| 33.8 |
Rebounds Per Game |
37.6 |
| -0.6 |
Rebound Margin |
+1,7 |
| 16.5 |
Assists Per Game |
12.5 |
| 11.4 |
Turnovers Per Game |
18.3 |
| 2.9 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.6 |
| 8.8 |
Steals Per Game |
7.2 |
LAST TIME OUT:
Tanesha Sutton tallied her fifth double-double of the season, racking up 19 of her career-high 28 points in the first half, to held guide Maine to its ninth consecutive victory, a 71-61 decision over Stony Brook at the Augusta Civic Center.
Maine turned on its defensive effort in the second half. After surrendering 24 points to Stony Brook in the first quarter, the Black Bears limited the Seawolves to just 18 total points in the second half.
Sutton, who tallied her 1,000th point in a UMaine uniform in the win, finished 11-of-16 from the floor for 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Blanca Millan finished in double-digits for the fifth game in a row, recording 13 of her 18 points in the second half.
Dor Saar chipped in 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting with four assists while
Fanny Wadling added a career-high 16 points and matched a career-best with four steals.
The Black Bears went 29-of-59 overall (49.2) while hitting 7-of-10 free throws and winning the rebounding battle, 36-33.
For the fourth time in five years, the Black Bears have reached the 20 win plateau as the victory lifted Maine to 20-7 overall and 13-1 in America East play.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The University of Maine women's basketball team outscored UMass Lowell 30-12 in the second half to help it cruise to its 10th-straight victory, downing the River Hawks 60-41 on Wednesday evening.
The win, which moved Maine to 12-0 all-time against UMass Lowell, improved the Black Bears to 21-7 overall and 14-1 in the America East. The Black Bears have put themselves in prime position to clinch the America East Regular Season title, and home court throughout the America East Playoffs, with a win Saturday at Binghamton.
Tanesha Sutton tallied her second consecutive double-double, leading the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds after going 8-of-11 from the floor.
Dor Saar aided the attack with 12 points and three assists while
Blanca Millan contributed eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Maine's offense was once again highly efficient as the Black Bears assisted on 18 of their 23 field goals. Maine finished the contest with 10 triples, marking its 11th double-digit 3-point performance of the season.
The Black Bears also cleaned up the offensive glass, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds while controlling the overall rebound battle by a 38-24 margin.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears are on their first double-digit winning streak since stringing together 14 victories in 2016.
Blanca Millan has led the way over the 10-game win streak, averaging 17.7 points and has been joined by three others who are averaging double-figures over the stretch (Sutton 14.7, Rossignol 12.6, Saar (11.5). The Black Bears are averaging 9.1 3-point field goals over the run while putting up 71.1 points per game and averaging just 10.6 turnovers as a unit. Maine is 9-5 on the road this season, 6-1 in league play. With a win, Maine could match its highest road win total (10) since 2016.
Millan, who has notched double-figures in five of her last six, enters play just 31 points away from moving into 10th on Maine's all-time scoring list. The junior guard leads the America East in scoring at 17.4 points per game and currently boasts the fourth highest shooting percentage among league leaders (42.8). Defensively, Millan leads the league in steals (2.9) and ranks second in blocks (1.5). Millan, has posted four or more steals in five of her last seven outings and ranks fifth on Maine's all-time steals list (240), checks in 22nd nationally in steals per game and 16th in total steals (80).
Tanesha Sutton, who has posted double-doubles in each of her last two outings, ranks in the top 10 among league leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Sutton's 50.3-percent showing from the field is tops among league leaders while she checks in fourth in points per game (14.2) and third in rebounding (7.1). With 19 points last time out, Sutton stretched her double-figure streak to four in a row.
Parise Rossignol continues to lead the America East with a 42.4-percent mark from 3-point range, averaging 2.3 makes from distance per game. Her 3-point percentage is good for 25th nationally. Rossignol is ninth overall in scoring at 11.7 points per game.
Dor Saar gets the offense moving for the Black Bears, checking in second in the league at 5.0 assists per game and tops in the league, and 23rd nationally, with a +2.52 assist to turnover ratio.
The Black Bears continue to pace the league in scoring at 67.2 points per game. Maine sits at the top among America East leaders in field goal percentage (43.0), 3-point percentage (33.8) and 3-point field goals per game (8.3). Maine continues to impress with its ability to take care of the ball on the offensive end. Maine ranks 10th in the nation in fewest total turnovers (320) and checks in seventh best nationally with a 11.4 turnover per game average.
A LOOK AT BINGHAMTON:
The Bearcats enter play winners of three of their last four but recently had their three-game win streak snapped with a 63-50 loss on Wednesday at Hartford. Rebecca Carmody, one of the most dynamic players in the America East, leads the way for Binghamton. Carmody, who checks in seventh in the league at 12.9 points per game, is the America East leader at 8.0 rebounds per game. The senior also ranks fourth among league leaders at 3.3 assists. Kai Moon is adding 12.8 points to go along with an impressive 83.5-percent showing (66-79) from the free throw stripe.
Binghamton checks in second in the league in rebounding, averaging 37.8 boards per game while averaging 59.7 points. The Bearcats are eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 64.0 points per game. Binghamton's achilles heel has been its turnovers, entering play averaging the most (18.0) per game in the America East - 505 total on the year.
SERIES WITH BINGHAMTON:
Maine and Binghamton will meet for the 38th time with the Black Bears holding a 23-14 advantage. Maine, which has won 12 of the last 14 meetings, are deadlocked at 10-10 on the road with Binghamton in the series. The Black Bears picked up a 61-38 victory a year ago in Binghamton. Earlier this season, Maine scored a 95-66 win over the Bearcats in Bangor. The 95 points were the most tallied by the Black Bears in league play this season and its most against a league opponent since 1998 (Delaware-98).
Blanca Millan led Maine's four double-digit scorers in the victory this season in Bangor, finishing with 29 points. Maine finished the contest with 23 assists and just four turnovers while racking up a school-record 35 points in the third quarter.
Millan enters play averaging 17.0 points per game in her six outings all-time against Binghamton. Millan has tallied double-figures in five of her six outings with the Bearcats.
SEASON NOTES:
THE BLACK BEARS IN LEAGUE PLAY...
Maine is 14-1 in league action, currently riding a 10-game league winning streak, and a perfect 8-0 at home against league opponents. Against league foes, the Black Bears rank at the top in scoring offense (69.8), while ranking second-best in scoring defense, allowing just 51.7 points per game for a scoring margin of +18.1. Maine has defeated seven conference opponents by 20 points or more, with 13 of its 14 league wins coming by double-digits. Maine is shooting 45.2-percent from the floor in America East action and averaging 17.9 assists. Individually,
Blanca Millan (16.5),
Tanesha Sutton (14.5) and
Parise Rossignol (13.5) rank first, fifth and sixth among league leaders in America East scoring average.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 18 (2/27/19)
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. 30. Maine currently sits at No. 18 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, 52 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.
DURING THE STREAK
The Black Bears are currently riding a 10 game win streak where they've gone 5-0 at home and 5-0 in the road. Five of the 10 wins have come by 20 or more points. Over the stretch, Maine is averaging 71.1 points per game while holding its opponent to a 52.1 point showing. Maine's scoring margin differential during the win streak currently sits at 19.0. Maine has been impressive from 3-point range over the 10 games, shooting 37.6-percent from downtown while averaging 9.1 treys per game. Maine is holding a +6.3 turnover margin as it has averaged just 10.6 turnovers per game during the streak.
TOSSIN DIMES:
The Black Bears have tallied 20 or more assists in six of their last 10 outings. Over the 10-game win streak, Maine has racked up 189 assists to just 106 turnovers. Nine times this season Maine has surpassed the 20 assist mark in a single game.
Dor Saar ranks 48th in the nation at 5.0 assists per game and 23rd with a 2.52 assist to turnover ratio. Over Maine's current 10-game win streak, Saar has recorded 50 assist to just 14 turnovers. On the season, Saar has tallied five or more assists on 16 occasions.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Black Bears have been impressive at home as of late. Maine is 57-6 on its home court in its last 63 outings, including a 38-3 mark in America East play over the past 41 league contests. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 29-3 at home. This season, Maine is 10-1, 8-0 in league play, at home with the lone loss being a three point decision to then No. 20 Duke. Maine is averaging 77.6 points per game at home. Millan is averaging 20.0 points at home while Rossignol is adding 16.9 on the home court. The Black Bears are shooting 47.6% on their home court and averaging an impressive 20.6 assists.
SUTTON REACHES 1,000 POINTS:
With a free throw in the second half at UAlbany,
Tanesha Sutton became the 21st player in UMaine women's basketball history to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau. The point total included her 28 points tallied as a freshman at Duquesne. In all, it took Sutton 116 games to reach the mark. If you look at only her time at UMaine, Sutton eclipsed 1,000 points in a Black Bear uniform on Feb. 24 against Stony Brook. With 19 points at UMass Lowell, Sutton moved into 20th on Maine's all-time scoring list. She now stands 49 points behind Melissa Heon (1,102) for 19th all-time.
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-17.4),
Tanesha Sutton (4th-14.6) and
Parise Rossignol (9th-11.7). 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 with
Blanca Millan second (16.5), Sutton fifth (14.5) and Rossignol sixth (13.5).
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank seventh in the nation, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.45 assist-turnover ratio is sixth best among the nation's leaders. In 15 of its 28 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with eight 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 15 points against Hartford, Millan moved into 10th on Maine's all-time scoring list. She currently stands just 31 points away from passing Lauree Gott for 10th all-time (1,387).
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 22 of Maine's first 28, 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 and added her second 30 point effort with 31 points at UAlbany. Dating back to last season, Millan has posted double-digit scoring totals in 53 of her last 61. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 69 of her 95 career contests.
DEFENSE = VICTORY
Over the past two years, Maine is 34-2 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 42-5 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less. This season, Maine is holding league opponents to just 51.7 points per game in America East play and is 15-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, 8-1 when opponents are held under 50.
CLOSING IN ON ANOTHER 3-POINT RECORD:
The Black Bears enter play just 23 three-point field goals away from tying the all-time mark of 256 triples made in a season, a mark set last season. Maine has tallied 200 or more 3-point field goals in six-straight seasons.
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STEALS CHART:
Millan's four steals against UAlbany moved her into fifth on Maine's all-time steals list (236). She now stands 39 steals behind
Amy Vachon for fourth all-time (279).
SUTTON ON THE BOARDS:
Tanesha Sutton currently ranks third in the conference, at 7.1 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 one rebound out of 17th all-time (598). This season, Sutton has tallied double-digit rebounding totals in seven games while tallying six double-doubles. Â
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.
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