ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team makes its fourth consecutive appearance in the America East Championship game as it looks to repeat for the first time since capturing back-to-back crowns in 1997-98 when it hosts Hartford on Friday, March 15 at 5 p.m. live on ESPNU.
Tickets are still available for Friday's title game and can be purchased up until the day of the game by phone at 207.581.BEAR, in-person at the Alfond Arena box office or online at
GoBlackBears.com/tickets. Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. for the event.
Tickets will only be available at the Cross Insurance Center box office or online at TicketMaster.com on the day of the game.
The game also marks the second-straight season in which Maine (24-7) and Hartford (23-9) will meet to decide the league's champion after the Black Bears defeated Hartford, 74-65, in last year's America East title game. Maine is 4-5 all-time against Hartford in America East postseason play and 1-0 all-time in championship games against the Hawks.
Maine, currently riding a 13-game win streak, is making its league-best 19th appearance in the championship game. The Black Bears are 8-10 all-time in the league title game as they are looking to extend their league record for conference tournament titles to nine.
Maine entered the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second-straight year. The Black Bears are 45-24 all-time in conference tournament action including a 27-17 mark in America East postseason play. Maine is 26-6 all-time as the No. 1 seed and 8-2 all-time in tournament play against the No. 2 seed.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Hartford |
| 24-7/15-1 |
Record/Conference |
23-9/14-2 |
| 67.2 |
Points Per Game |
64.5 |
| 57.6 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
56.2 |
| +9.5 |
Scoring Margin |
+8.3 |
| 42.1 |
Field Goal Percentage |
39.5 |
| 33.1 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
29.8 |
| 72.8 |
Free Throw Percentage |
66.9 |
| 34.2 |
Rebounds Per Game |
32.6 |
| -0.4 |
Rebound Margin |
-6.8 |
| 16.1 |
Assists Per Game |
12.0 |
| 11.1 |
Turnovers Per Game |
15.3 |
| 3.0 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.0 |
| 9.1 |
Steals Per Game |
13.2 |
LAST TIME OUT:
The University of Maine women's basketball team battled back from a 12-point first quarter deficit to earn the right to play in its fourth-straight America East Championship game after a thrilling, 66-51 victory over UAlbany in Sunday's America East semifinal contest held at The Pit in historic Memorial Gymnasium.
Maine outscored UAlbany 32-19 in the second half to earn a come from behind victory over the Great Danes. The Black Bears hit 23-straight free throws in the win, finishing the day an impressive 24-of-26 from the charity stripe.
Tanesha Sutton poured in 21 points to finish in double-figures for the seventh consecutive game after hitting 9-of-10 free throws, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Dor Saar went 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, totaling 16 points and five assists while
Blanca Millan chipped in 16 points, seven boards and three steals.
The Black Bears, who went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line in the second quarter, won the rebounding battle, 41-35, including a 14-7 advantage on the offense boards.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears are currently riding a 13-game win streak, just one shy of matching their longest since 2016 (14). The 12-straight wins is currently the 11th longest active win streak and only the 14th active double-digit win streak in the nation. After committing just four turnovers in their quarterfinal win over New Hampshire, the Black Bears now check in second in the nation out of 349 teams in fewest turnovers per game (11.1). The four turnovers against New Hampshire marked the ninth time this season Maine has limited its turnovers to single digits. Maine checks in 14th in the nation with a +5.26 turnover margin and carries the 35th best defense, allowing 57.6 points per game, into Friday's contest.
Millan, who has finished with 25 double-digit scoring performances this season, paces Maine's attack as the leading scorer (17.6) in the America East. The junior guard has posted 20 or more points 12 times this season and has cruised up UMaine's all-time scoring list, surpassing 11 UMaine scoring legends, while currently ranking ninth all-time at 1,415 career points. The America East Defensive Player of the Year ranks first among league leaders in steals (2.8) and third in blocks (1.4). Millan, who has posted four or more steals 12 times this season, checks in 23rd in the nation in steals per game.
Tanesha Sutton, currently riding a seven-game double-digit scoring streak, does it all for the Black Bears. Sutton, who ranks in the top 10 among America East leaders in scoring (5th-14.7), rebounding (3rd-7.3), assists (10th-2.7) and steals (9th-1.7), is averaging 19.9 points and 8.9 rebounds over her last seven games. Sutton is second in the league in field goal percentage (50.3) and fourth from the free throw stripe (78.0). Point guard
Dor Saar checks in second-best and 48th nationally at 5.0 assists per game. Saar, who has turned in 17 performances of five or more assists this season, ranks 24th in the nation with a 2.48 assist to turnover ratio. Saar has turned it over just 61 times in 1,080 minutes of action, averaging just 2.0 turnovers per game.
Fanny Wadling leads the league in rebounding at 8.9 per game, with double-digit rebounding totals in five of her last seven and nine of her 21 total games this season.
Parise Rossignol ranks 14th in the league in scoring at 11.0 points per game and ranks second among league leaders in 3-point shooting (40.4), and fifth in 3-point field goals per game (2.1).
Maine leads the league in scoring at 67.2 points per game and features a +18.1 scoring margin against America East competition. The Black Bears have recorded double-digit wins in 15 of their 18 games against America East foes, including their two postseason contests. Defensively, Maine's 57.6 points per game allowed overall rank third in the league and 35th nationally. The Black Bears continue their impressive effort in taking care of the ball, ranking fifth nationally in total team turnovers (345) to go along with a sixth-best assist to turnover ratio (1.44). Maine is tops in the America East in field goal percentage (42.1), second in 3-point percentage (33.1) and first in 3-point field goals made per game (8.1). Maine's 250 made 3-point field goals this season rank just six makes behind the all-time school record (256), set last season.
A LOOK AT HARTFORD:
The Hawks enter the championship round on a seven game win streak after advancing to the title game with wins over No. 7 UMBC (65-48) and No. 3 Stony Brook (64-59). Hartford, which trailed by eight in its semifinal contest, rallied back thanks to a 22 point effort from Sierra DaCosta and a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) from Jade Young.
Hartford credits the majority of its success to its superb defensive effort. The Hawks rank 19th in the nation and tops in the America East in scoring defense, allowing just 56.2 points per game. Their 13.2 steals per game and 423 total steals each rank second nationally. Hartford is forcing 24.9 turnovers per game, also second best in the nation, and feature a +9.66 turnover margin. Offensively, the Hawks rank third in the conference at 64.5 points per game and are led by senior Lindsey Abed who enters averaging 14.9 points per game; good for third best in the league. Abed is shooting 43.3-percent from the floor and leads the league with a 40.6-percent showing from 3-point range. DaCosta is adding 12.0 points while Ella Awobajo joins the duo in double-figures, chipping in 10.4 points and 4.4 assists. Young is the team's leader in assists at 5.7 per game to go along with 8.9 points.
SERIES WITH HARTFORD:
Maine and Hartford will meet for the 78th time in history with the Black Bears holding a 48-29 advantage in the all-time series. Maine is 27-11 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 six home meetings with Hartford. Maine has won eight 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 Maine's latest win against Hartford at home, four Black Bears finished with double-figures, led by Sutton's 24 points while Saar added a career-best 19, Rossignol with 18 and Millan added 15 and five blocks. Maine shot 50.9-percent from the floor in the win with 11 triples.
Millan has tallied double-digits in six of her seven career games against Hartford and enters averaging 16.7 points per game against the Hawks.
Tanesha Sutton is adding 11.7 points in the series and 5.1 rebounds.
SEASON NOTES:
THE BLACK BEARS VS. LEAGUE OPPONENTS...
Maine finished league play at 15-1, its most league wins since also capturing 15 in 2016. Maine ended the regular season riding a 11-game league winning streak and went a perfect 8-0 at home against league opponents. Against league foes, the Black Bears rank at the top in scoring offense (69.4), while ranking second-best in scoring defense, allowing just 51.3 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 15 league wins coming by double-digits. Maine is shooting 43.3-percent from the floor in America East action and averaging 16.8 assists. Individually,
Blanca Millan (16.9),
Tanesha Sutton (14.3) and
Parise Rossignol (12.9) finished the regular season ranked first, sixth and ninth among league leaders in America East scoring average.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL - No. 13 (3/6/19)
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 March 6. Maine currently sits at No. 13 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 59 nationally, 44 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 an 13-game win streak where they've gone 7-0 at home and 6-0 in the road. Six of the 12 wins have come by 20 or more points. Over the stretch, Maine is averaging 70.2 points per game while holding its opponent to a 51.4 point showing. Maine's scoring margin differential during the win streak currently sits at +18.8. Maine has been impressive from 3-point range over the 13 games, shooting 35.1-percent from downtown while averaging 8.3 treys per game. Maine is holding a +7.1 turnover margin as it has averaged just 10.1 turnovers per game during the streak.
TOSSIN DIMES:
The Black Bears have tallied 20 or more assists in six of their last 13 outings. Over the 13-game win streak, Maine has racked up 224 assists to just 131 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 24th with a 2.52 assist to turnover ratio. Over Maine's current 13-game win streak, Saar has recorded 63 assist to just 19 turnovers. On the season, Saar has tallied five or more assists on 17 occasions.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Black Bears have been impressive at home as of late. Maine is 59-6 on its home court in its last 65 outings, including a 38-3 mark in America East play over the past 41 league contests. Under Coach Vachon, the Black Bears are 31-3 at home. This season, Maine is 21-1, 8-0 in league play, at home with the lone loss being a three point decision to then No. 20 Duke. Maine is averaging 76.1 points per game at home. Millan is averaging 19.6 points at home while Sutton is adding 15.7, Rossignol 15.2 and Saar 10.4 on the home court. The Black Bears are shooting 45.5% on their home court and averaging an impressive 18.5 assists. Maine also leads the America East in home attendance (1,669).
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 21 points against UAlbany, Sutton moved into 19th on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,109 points. She now stands 19 points behind Stacey Porrini (1,128) for 18th all-time.
FEATURED SCORERS - TOP 10
The Black Bears currently have two scorers ranked in the top-5 among America East overall leaders in leading scorer
Blanca Millan (1st-17.6) and
Tanesha Sutton (5th-14.7). 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 first (16.9), Sutton sixth (14.3) and Rossignol ninth (12.9).
TURNOVER EFFICIENCY:
Maine has been extremely impressive with its ball control this season. The Black Bears currently rank second in the nation, averaging just 11.1 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.44 assist-turnover ratio is sixth best among the nation's leaders. In 18 of its 31 games, Maine has turned the ball over just 11 times or fewer, with nine 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 19 points against Hartford, Millan moved into ninth on Maine's all-time scoring list. She currently stands just 47 points away from tying
Liz Wood for eighth all-time (1,462).
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 25 of Maine's first 31, 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, 27 against UAlbany and 23 at Binghamton. 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 56 of her last 64. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 72 of her 98 career contests.
DEFENSE = VICTORY
Over the past two years, Maine is 37-2 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 45-5 in the Vachon era when limiting teams to 60 or less. This season, Maine is holding league opponents to just 52.2 points per game in America East play and is 18-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, 9-1 when opponents are held under 50.
CLOSING IN ON ANOTHER 3-POINT RECORD:
The Black Bears enter play just six 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 33 steals behind
Amy Vachon for fourth all-time (279).
SUTTON & WADLING ON THE BOARDS:
Fanny Wadling leads the America East at 8.9 rebounds per game. Wadling has posted double-digit rebounding totals in nine of her 21 games this season, including in five of her last seven.
Tanesha Sutton currently ranks third in the conference, at 7.3 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 seven rebounds vs. UAlbany, she moved into 13th all-time (632). She now stands just six rebounds out of 12th (638). This season, Sutton has tallied double-digit rebounding totals in eight games while tallying seven double-doubles.
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-
