Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team continues its two-game homestand when it hosts UAlbany at the Cross Insurance Center in a rematch of last season's America East semifinal contest on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. The Black Bears have won four-straight meetings against the Great Danes, including a three-game sweep in 2018-19. Maine has also won five consecutive home meetings with UAlbany as the Great Danes have not won in Orono or Bangor since 2015.
Tickets are still available for Saturday's game and may be purchased at
TicketMaster.com or by visiting the Cross Insurance Center box office.
For those unable to make it to Saturday's contest, the game will be streamed at
ESPN+ and also broadcast via radio on 96.1 WGUY-FM and worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
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TALE OF THE TAPE:
| Maine |
Category |
UAlbany |
| 6-11, 2-1 |
Record |
6-9, 2-0 |
| 58.5 |
Points Per Game |
57.6 |
| 63.9 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
58.3 |
| -5.5 |
Scoring Margin |
-0.7 |
| 39.4 |
Field Goal Percentage |
38.7 |
| 32.0 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
30.2 |
| 74.0 |
Free Throw Percentage |
63.7 |
| 28.5 |
Rebound Per Game |
34.7 |
| -8.8 |
Rebound Margin |
+1.2 |
| 14.0 |
Assists Per Game |
14.7 |
| 14.0 |
Turnover Per Game |
17.1 |
| 7.3 |
Steals Per Game |
5.5 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.5 |
OVERVIEW:
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Dor Saar leads the nation in total minutes played (641:25) and paces Maine's scoring attack at 10.6 points per game. Saar, the America East active leader in career assists, checks in third among America East leaders in assists at 4.4 per game and sits just one assist shy of matching Julie Bradstreet (330) for ninth on Maine's all-time assists list. America East reigning Rookie of the Week,
Anne Simon, has continued her consistent offensive pace. Simon has registered double-figures in each of her last six outings, and eight of her last nine, while checking in at 10.2 points per game. Simon, 17th in the America East in scoring, also checks in seventh in the league in steals per game (1.6).
Maeve Carroll has recorded a double-double in each of her last two outings while scoring double-digits in each of her last four outings. In league play, Carroll is averaging 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds. Carroll, who has posted double-figure rebounding totals in four games this season, ranks sixth in the league at 7.1 rebounds per game.
Maddy McVicar is averaging 15.7 points per game in league play and continues to be perfect from the free throw line, hitting 21-of-21 this season.
Kelly Fogarty checks in second-best in the America East from beyond the arc with a 39.2 shooting percentage from long-distance. Fogarty has been on fire from 3-point range in league play, shooting 59.1-percent (13-22) through three league contests.
Maine's offense continues to run from beyond the arc. The Black Bears are 11th in the nation in 3-point field goals made (131) and eighth in 3-point attempts (410) while leading the America East at 7.7 field goals made from 3-point range per game. Maine's offense as a whole is off to a rapid start in league play. The Black Bears lead the league in scoring offense against league competition, averaging 74.3 points per game, while ranking first in field goal percentage (48.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (42.9) in America East play.
A LOOK AT UALBANY:
The Great Danes, coming off a Wednesday bye, are 2-0 to start league play after home wins over Vermont (58-49) and Binghamton (56-53). UAlbany, 2-4 on the road in non-conference play, enter play with the league's seventh best offense (57.6) and second best scoring defense after limiting opponents to just 58.3 points per game. The Great Danes defense the three better than any team in the America East, holding their opponents to 24.8-percent from downtown through their first 15 contests.
Individually, UAlbany is led by Alexi Schecter who is posting team-highs in scoring (13.5) and rebounding (6.5), ranking in the top 10 among America East leaders in both categories. Schecter also features the leagues second-highest field goal percentage, cashing in on 51.7-percent of her attempts from the floor. Kyara Frames is adding 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and the fourth highest assist per game average in the league, 4.3. Grad transfer Amanda Kantzy has settled into the lineup well, turning in 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 15 starts.
SERIES WITH UALBANY:
Maine and UAlbany, who have captured each of the last eight America East Tournament titles, will square off for the 42nd time in history. Maine holds a slim, 23-19, edge in the all-time series and has won four-straight against the Great Danes. Most recently, Maine swept three games in 2018-19 from the Great Danes, including a 66-51 decision in the America East semifinals behind 16 points and five assists and four rebounds from Saar. Since the series began in 2001, Maine is 10-6 all-time at home against UAlbany and have won each of the last five meetings in Maine. UAlbany's last win on the road in the series came on Jan. 3, 2015.
Saar has tallied double-digit scoring totals in four of her five outings against the Great Danes and enters play averaging 10.6 points and 5.4 assists in her series against UAlbany. The contest pits Maine's league-leading 3-point offense (32.0 | 7.7 per game) against UAlbany's top-rated 3-point defense, holding oppponents to just 24.8-percent from 3-point range.
START TO LEAGUE PLAY:
Maine has won each of its first two home games in league play, running its home conference winning streak to 20-straight. Through its first three league games, Maine features five scorers tallying double-figures in Carroll (16.7), McVicar (15.7), Simon (14.3), Fogarty (13.7) and Saar (10.0). Maine is averaging a league-best 74.3 points per game against America East competition while hitting 30-of-70 attempts from 3-point range (42.9). Maine is averaging 20.3 assists per game in conference play.
-UMaine-
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