Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team, riding a two-game conference win streak, begins a three-game road trip when it travels for its 13th overall meeting with UMass Lowell on Wednesday with a special, 11 a.m. tip-off scheduled. Maine has won all 12 meetings between the two teams and enters play 6-0 all-time on the road against the River Hawks.
Wednesday's game will be streamed at
ESPN3 and also showcased live on NESN. As always, Don Shields will have the call on the radio airwaves locally on 96.1 WGUY-FM and worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
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TALE OF THE TAPE:
| Maine |
Category |
UMass Lowell |
| 7-11, 3-1 |
Record |
8-9, 4-0 |
| 58.6 |
Points Per Game |
56.3 |
| 63.1 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
63.9 |
| -4.5 |
Scoring Margin |
-7.6 |
| 39.5 |
Field Goal Percentage |
35.5 |
| 32.2 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
26.2 |
| 73.4 |
Free Throw Percentage |
63.8 |
| 29.2 |
Rebound Per Game |
38.9 |
| -7.9 |
Rebound Margin |
-1.0 |
| 13.8 |
Assists Per Game |
10.5 |
| 13.9 |
Turnover Per Game |
19.6 |
| 7.2 |
Steals Per Game |
8.8 |
| 1.3 |
Blocks Per Game |
1.9 |
OVERVIEW:
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, undefeated at home in league play, are paced by a balance scoring attack led by
Dor Saar. The junior point guard, coming off a 21 point effort, ranks 14th in the league at 11.2 points per game - with double-digits in each of her last three outings. Saar, who recently moved into 10th on Maine's all-time assists list (335), ranks second in the league at 4.5 assists per game while registering five or more assists in six games this season. Saar, the nation's leader in total minutes played (681:25), checks in seventh among league leaders from 3-point range (32.4) and third at 2.4 triples made per game. Saar ranks eighth in the nation in 3-point attempts (136) and 29th best in 3-point field goals made (44).
Maeve Carroll, with double-doubles in each of her last three outings, is averaging 17.8 points per game and 9.5 assists against league competition. Overall, Carroll ranks 19th in the league in scoring (10.1) and fifth on the boards (7.3) while remaining highly efficient from the field at a team-high 51.8-percent. Carroll is currently riding a five-game double-digit scoring streak and sits 11th in the league with 2.6 assists per game. Freshman
Anne Simon recently had her streak of six games scoring in double-digits snapped when she posted nine points last time out against UAlbany. Simon, with double-figure scoring efforts in eight of her last 10, ranks 17th among league leaders in scoring at 10.2 points and seventh on the defensive end with 1.6 steals per game.
Kelly Fogarty, averaging 7.2 points, ranks second among America East leaders from 3-point range (39.0) while
Maddy McVicar, with double-digits scored in three of her last four, is adding 8.9 points while going a perfect 21-of-21 from the free throw stripe this season.
The Black Bears rank in the top-20 of the nation in both 3-point field goals attempted (11-432) and made (16-139) while shooting 32.3-percent from distance and ranking first in the America East with 7.7 triples made per game.
A LOOK AT UMASS LOWELL:
The River Hawks are riding a five-game win streak after starting league play 4-0 and most recently coming off a 66-56 victory at Binghamton. UMass Lowell, 4-4 at home this season, has benefited by causing turnovers as it leads the America East in both steals per game (8.8) and turnovers forced per game (18.7). The River Hawks have also been a force on the boards where they rank third best among America East leaders at 38.9 rebounds per game. Individually, Ren'Cia Rolling paces UMass Lowell on both the offensive and defensive end. Rolling leads the River Hawks at 12.4 points per game, good for eighth best in the league, while adding a league-best 2.2 steals per contest. Rolling is shooting 33.0 percent from outside, averaging 2.2 triples per game - good for fifth among league leaders. Denise Solis is the River Hawks' top rebounder, averaging 6.4 boards per game, while adding 10.4 points. Kharis Idom is adding 9.2 points and 4.4 boards while Jaliena Sanchez leads the River Hawks at 2.8 assists per game to go along with 8.4 points.
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SERIES WITH UMASS LOWELL:
Maine and UMass Lowell will meet for the 13th time. The Black Bears are undefeated against UMass Lowell, entering action with a 12-0 record in the series. Since the River Hawks joined the America East in 2013, Maine is 6-0 on the road in the series. The Black Bears defeated UMass Lowell by scores of 60-41 and 79-45 in last year's regular season series. The first-ever meeting between the two teams came on Jan. 23, 2014, a 75-66 victory by the Black Bears in Lowell. Through four career games against the River Hawks,
Dor Saar is averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in the series.
START TO LEAGUE PLAY:
Maine has won each of its first three home games in league play, running its home conference winning streak to 21-straight. Through its first four league games, Maine features five scorers tallying double-figures in Carroll (17.8), McVicar (13.3), Simon (13.0), Saar (12.8) and Fogarty (11.0). Maine is averaging a league-best 70.8 points per game against America East competition while hitting 38-of-92 attempts from 3-point range (41.3). Maine is averaging 18.0 assists per game in conference play with a turnover margin of +3.8 (11.5-15.3).
CARROLL'S SEEING DOUBLE:
With a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds in Maine's win over UAlbany,
Maeve Carroll became the first Black Bear since Abby Schrader (2005) to register a double-double in three consecutive games. Carroll, with double-digit scoring totals in each of her last five outings, is averaging 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in her last three outings.
-UMaine-
