ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team is making its second consecutive appearance, and ninth overall, in the NCAA Tournament after defeating Hartford, 68-48, in the America East Championship game. Maine earned a No. 14 seed in the Tournament where it will face No. 3 NC State live on
ESPN2 on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m.
The Black Bears will take on NC State for the second time this season, and second-time in the NCAA Tournament, as the two teams also met in the NCAA First Round in 1998 where the Wolfpack came out on top, 89-64. Maine is 0-4 all-time against NC State.
Maine, which is 1-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, will be making its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and first back-to-back appearance since advancing to six-straight from 1995-00. The Black Bears' lone NCAA Tournament victory came in 1999 when No. 10 Maine defeated No. 7 Stanford, 60-58. This will mark the first-time in which Maine has faced an opponent in the NCAA Tournament in which it also played during the regular season. The Black Bears are also seeded No. 14 for the first-time in its nine trips to the NCAA Tournament.
WATCH PARTY LOCATIONS IN MAINE:
All Sea Dog Brewing Company and Buffalo Wild Wings locations throughout the state of Maine will serve as the Official NCAA Tournament Watch Party locations for UMaine's NCAA Tournament run. Anyone wearing Black Bears' gear to any of the Official Watch Party locations will receive 10% off their food bill!
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
NC State |
| 25-7/15-1 |
Record/Conference |
26-5/12-4 |
| 67.2 |
Points Per Game |
71.6 |
| 57.3 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
60.7 |
| +9.9 |
Scoring Margin |
+10.9 |
| 42.1 |
Field Goal Percentage |
44.6 |
| 33.2 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
34.4 |
| 73.2 |
Free Throw Percentage |
70.0 |
| 34.4 |
Rebounds Per Game |
42.5 |
| +0.1 |
Rebound Margin |
+8.8 |
| 16.2 |
Assists Per Game |
14.8 |
| 11.2 |
Turnovers Per Game |
14.0 |
| 3.0 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.6 |
| 9.0 |
Steals Per Game |
4.8 |
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Overall: 1-8
1995: UConn 105, Maine 75
1996: George Washington 83, Maine 67
1997: LSU 88, Maine 79
1998: NC State 89, Maine 64
1999: Maine 60, Stanford 58
1999: Old Dominion 72, Maine 62
2000: North Carolina 62, Maine 57
2004: Texas Tech 60, Maine 50
2018: Texas 83, Maine 54
LAST TIME OUT:
The University of Maine women's basketball team captured its second consecutive America East Championship, and ninth overall league title, with a 68-48 victory over No. 2 Hartford on Friday, March 15 at the Cross Insurance Center.
Blanca Millan, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, led four double-figure scorers for Maine (25-7) with 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Fanny Wadling filled the stat sheet with the sixth double-double of her career as she finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Parise Rossignol went 5-for-9 from 3-point range to finish with 15 points while
Tanesha Sutton, who was named to the America East All-Tournament Team, nearly posted a double-double, chipping in 12 points and nine boards.
Dor Saar joined Millan and Sutton on the All-Tournament Team, tallying nine points with seven assists in the title game.
The Black Bears, who matched their longest winning streak since 2016 with their 14th consecutive victory, outscored Hartford 18-6 off turnovers and 15-4 in second chance points. Maine finished the contest 25-of-59 from the floor (42.4) while hitting 12-of-33 from downtown. The 12 triples were the 12th time this season in which Maine has hit double-digit treys in a contest.
Maine's offense continued to operate at a high-efficiency as the Black Bears were able to assist on 19 of their 25 field goals.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears enter the tournament riding the 10th-longest active win streak in the nation, reeling off 14 consecutive victories to match their longest streak since 2016. A win for the Black Bears would extend the streak to 15 and match the longest streak in Maine history since also stringing together 15 in a row back in 2004. Ball control and 3-point shooting have been two of the highlights which have helped lead the Black Bears to their success this season. Maine enters tournament play ranked second in the nation at 11.2 team turnovers per game and have limited itself to single-digit turnover totals on nine occasions this season. With 12 triples in the America East Championship game, the Black Bears set a new school and America East record with 262 three-point field goal makes this season. Maine ranks 35th nationally in three-point field goals made per game (8.2), leading the America East in the category, and ranked second among league leaders in three-point percentage (33.2). Overall, the Black Bears led the America East in scoring (67.2), and checked in with the 33rd ranked scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 57.3 points per game.
Individually, the Black Bears are led by the America East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player,
Blanca Millan. Millan led the America East in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game to rank 70th nationally in the category. Millan posted 26 double-digit scoring performances throughout the year, besting 20 points in 12 games. Millan was equally as impressive on the defensive end, ranking first in the conference and 21st nationally at 2.81 steals per game while ranking third among America East leaders in blocks per game (1.4).
Tanesha Sutton ranks in the top-10 in seven America East statistical categories including scoring (5th-14.6), rebounding (3rd-7.4), assists (10th-2.6) and steals (10th-1.6). Sutton, who posted double-figure scoring efforts in 23 games, carries an eight-game double-digit scoring streak in the NCAA Tournament. Sutton is second in the America East in field goal percentage (50.3) and fourth from the free throw line (78.4).
Parise Rossignol, averaging 11.1 points per game, is a key 3-point threat on Maine's offense. Rossignol led the America East and ranks 27th nationally from beyond the arc (41.2) and ranks fourth in the league at 2.19 three-point field goal makes per game. Five times this season Rossignol has hit five or more triples, including a school-record eight makes in a win over UMass Lowell.
Dor Saar gets the offense moving for Maine as the point guard ranks 45th nationally in assists per game (5.0) and 25th in the nation with an impressive 2.52 assist to turnover mark, featuring 161 assists on the season to just 64 turnovers.
Fanny Wadling has been a rebounding force for the Black Bears. Her fifth double-double of the season came in the America East Championship as she has tallied 10 double-digit rebounding totals in 22 games this season, after missing 10 with an injury. Wadling is the America East leader in rebounding (9.0) and boasts the league's highest assist to turnover ratio (2.9).
A LOOK AT NC STATE:
The No. 3 seed and No. 10 ranked Wolfpack earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to No. 3 Louisville, 78-68, in the semifinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament. NC State, which enters play with a mark of 15-2 at home, boasts the nation's 18th ranked rebounding squad (42.6) while averaging 71.6 points per game and checking in third in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing 60.7. The Wolfpack have held opponents to a 36.1-percent showing from the floor, first in the ACC and 22nd nationally. Individually, Kiara Leslie leads the Wolfpack in scoring (15.5) and ranks second in rebounding (7.1). Leslie checks in 11th in the ACC in scoring. Grace Hunter, who was averaging 14.6 points per game, was lost to injury after just 14 games. NC State features two more double-digit scorers in Elissa Cunane (13.6) and Aislinn Konig (11.0). Konig also leads the team in assists, ranking 14th in the ACC 3.8 per game and ranks first in the ACC in total 3-point makes (89) and second at 2.87 per game to go along with a 40.8-percent mark from downtown. DD Rogers leads the impressive rebounding unit, averaging 7.8 boards per game to rank eighth-best among ACC leaders.
SERIES WITH NC STATE:
Maine and NC State will meet for the fifth time. NC State has won all four previous meetings, including an 84-46 decision earlier this season. In that meeting,
Kelly Fogarty led Maine with 13 points while
Parise Rossignol chipped in 10.
Tanesha Sutton added six points and 10 rebounds. Three of the four games between the two teams took place on neutral sites, including a 1998 meeting in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, won by NC State 89-64. Current Black Bear coach
Amy Vachon played in the 1998 NCAA Tournament meeting. The first-ever meeting in 1989 took place in the Lady Friars Classic (Providence) while the 1994 contest was held as part of the Florida Classic. Maine is 1-2 this season against the ACC, falling to No. 20 Duke in Bangor, Maine before defeating North Carolina on the road and dropping the decision at No. 10 NC State.
SEASON NOTES:
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 54 nationally, 49 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 nine teams who qualified for either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT.
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 (69.6), while ranking third-best in scoring defense, allowing just 52.3 points per game for a scoring margin of +17.4. Maine defeated eight conference opponents by 20 points or more, with 13 of its 15 regular season 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. 12 (3/12/19)
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 12. Maine currently returned to its highest ranking (12) of the season in the latest edition of the poll.
DURING THE STREAK
The Black Bears are currently riding a 14-game win streak where they've gone 8-0 at home and 6-0 in the road. Seven of the 14 wins have come by 20 or more points. Over the stretch, Maine is averaging 70.1 points per game while holding its opponent to a 51.1 point showing. Maine's scoring margin differential during the win streak currently sits at +18.9. Maine has been impressive from 3-point range over the 14 games, shooting 35.2-percent from downtown while averaging 8.6 treys per game. Maine is holding a +6.6 turnover margin as it has averaged just 10.2 turnovers per game during the streak.
TOSSIN DIMES:
The Black Bears have tallied 20 or more assists in six of their last 14 outings. Over the 14-game win streak, Maine has racked up 243 assists to just 143 turnovers. Nine times this season Maine has surpassed the 20 assist mark in a single game.
Dor Saar ranks 45th in the nation at 5.0 assists per game and 25th with a 2.52 assist to turnover ratio. Over Maine's current 14-game win streak, Saar has recorded 70 assist to just 22 turnovers. On the season, Saar has tallied five or more assists on 18 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 1,121 points. She now stands seven 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 11.2 turnovers per game as a team. Maine's 1.45 assist-turnover ratio is sixth best among the nation's leaders. In 18 of its 32 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 (1,434). She currently stands just 28 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 26 of Maine's first 32, 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 57 of her last 65. In all, Millan has finished in double-digits in 73 of her 99 career contests.
DEFENSE = VICTORY
Over the past two years, Maine is 38-2 when holding its opponent to 60 or fewer points. The Black Bears are 46-5 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 19-1 when holding opponents under 60 points, 10-1 when opponents are held under 50.
NEW TEAM & CONFERENCE 3-POINT RECORD:
With 12 triples in the America East Championship, the Black Bears set a new America East and team record with 262 three-point makes, besting the previous all-time mark of 256 triples made in a season, 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 (250). She now stands 29 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 10 of her 22 games this season, including in six of her last eight.
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 nine rebounds vs. Hartford, she moved into 12th all-time (641). She now stands just 22 rebounds out of 11th (663). 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-
