Orono, Maine -- The Black Bears look to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2013, and just the seventh time since 1975, when they continue life on the road on Sunday at noon at Northeastern. Sunday's game will be broadcast live on NESN, streamed to
FloHoops, and heard on the airwaves at 96.1 WGUY-FM and nationwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
The meeting, Maine's final non-conference contest of the 2020-21 season, will mark the third consecutive season, and the fourth in the past five seasons, in which the two teams have met.
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OVERVIEW:
LAST TIME OUT:
Kingston, R.I. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team extended its win streak to 12 in a row with a 61-47 victory on Friday evening at Rhode Island. The win marked Maine's 800th victory in program history.
The Black Bears featured a balance scoring attack with four players reaching double-figure scoring efforts on the evening.
Anne Simon, who tallied 10 points in the first quarter, finished with a game-high 16 to go along with seven rebounds and two assists.
Dor Saar chipped in 14 points with four triples, four assists and three boards while
Blanca Millan added 12 points for her 78 double-digit scoring performance of her career. For the second-straight night,
Abbe Laurence posted a double-digits with 10 points.
Freshman
Alba Orois, who logged 29 minutes in her second career game, tallied nine points and four assists for the Black Bears.
Maine, which assisted on 14 of its 22 buckets, won the rebounding battle for the second-straight night, outrebounding the Rams by a slim 30-28 margin.
The Black Bears, who went 10-for-23 from the floor in the first half, finished the game 22-of-47 from the field (46.8). Maine knocked down 8-of-22 from 3-point range while forcing 17 Rhode Island turnovers and outscoring the Rams 20-8 in points off turnovers.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
After losing leading scorer
Blanca Millan to season-ending injury in just the sixth game of the 2019-20 season, the fifth-year combo guard returned to the floor in a big way as she tallied 30 points and a career-high 14.5 rebounds for her fifth career double-double in Maine's season opening win at Providence. Millan, the high highest scoring Black Bear of all-time at 1,589 career points, currently sits 32nd on the America East all-time scorers list. Millan, who added a 12 point, seven rebound effort in Maine's win at Rhode Island, was awarded for her efforts with her ninth America East Player of the Week award.
Dor Saar, who ranked second in the America East in assisting a year ago, enters action as the America East active leader with 419 career assists - good for fourth all-time at Maine. Saar, who dropped her first double-digit scoring performance of the young season with 14 at Rhode Island, is one of Maine's premier 3-point threats on a roster full of 3-point artists. Saar finished last season ranked in the top-5 of America East leaders in 3-point percentage and 3-point field goals made per game.
Anne Simon, the reigning America East Rookie of the Year, posted a game-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds at Rhode Island. For Simon, the scoring total was her 21st time in double-figures in her last 23 outings. Simon ranked fifth in conference only scoring a year ago, posting a 15.7 points per game mark in league action.
Abbe Laurence has provided Maine with key minutes in the post through the first two games. Laurence, who had appeared in 11 games with one start before this season, has started each of Maine's first two games while posting 10 points in each outing. Maine will also welcome back fifth-year forward
Fanny Wadling when it visits Northeastern. Wadling, who missed the entire 2019-20 season due to injury, will be appearing in her first game since Maine's NCAA Tournament showdown at NC State on March 23, 2019.
A LOOK AT NORTHEASTERN:
The Huskies, selected fourth in the CAA Preseason Coaches Poll after a fourth place finish a year ago, ended last season at 13-16 overall and 9-9 in league play. Northeastern returns All-CAA second team and CAA all-defensive team selection Alexis Hill to this year's roster. In total, Northeastern welcomes back four primary starters from 2019-20, 85 percent of its total minutes and 84 percent of its scoring. Hill, who averaged 13.1 points per game a year ago, and Stella Clark (11.0 ppg) are featured as the Huskies' top returning scorers. Each were selected to the 2020-21 Preseason All-CAA team. Northeastern opened the season with a 69-59 loss at UMass Lowell on Wednesday evening. Kendall Currence led all scorers with 19 points. Northeastern struggled on the boards as it was outrebounded 48-29, including giving up 22 offensive rebounds.
SERIES WITH NORTHEASTERN:
Maine and Northeastern have a storied history as each were conference foes in the Seaboard Conference, the North Atlantic Conference and, most recently up until 2004-05, the America East conference. The teams will meet for the 60th time in history. Maine is 35-24 all-time against Northeastern and will be taking on the Huskies for the seventh time in the past eight years, the fourth in the last five, and the third consecutive season. Northeastern has won each of the past two meetings, including a 66-58 victory in last season's showdown on Dec. 21 in Bangor. In that contest,
Maddy McVicar led three Maine scorers in double-figures with 16 points.
Anne Simon added 14 points while
Maeve Carroll chipped in 11 points and nine boards. Turnovers proved to be costly for Maine as the Black Bears gave it away 24 times in the loss, Maine's highest single-game turnover total of the 2019-20 season. Maine led 33-29 at the half in the loss. The Black Bears last visit to Northeastern came on Dec. 22, 2018. That trip resulted in a 63-55 loss to the Huskies. Maine has not won on the road at Northeastern since Jan. 22, 2005. The two teams have met seven times in postseason play, with Northeastern holding a slight 3-4 record in conference postseason action. Maine defeated Northeastern, 70-59 to capture the 1995 North Atlantic Conference championship. The first-ever meeting between the two squads took place in 1977, a 57-40 win by the Huskies.
MILLAN EARNS NINTH AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR:
On Dec. 14, the America East conference presented
Blanca Millan with her ninth league player of the week honor. Millan, who missed the majority of last season after suffering an injury in Maine's sixth game of the 2019-20 season, averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in her return to competition. In her first game since Nov. 29, 2019, Millan posted a game-high 30 points to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds in Maine's season-opening win at Providence. The totals marked Millan's fifth 30-point scoring performance of her career, her seventh double-digit rebound showing, and the fifth double-double of her career. Millan, who ranks seventh on Maine's all-time scoring list and 32nd among all-time America East scoring leaders, opened the season by shooting 52.0 percent (13-25) from the floor. The following night, Millan added 12 points and seven boards in a victory at Rhode Island.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL:
For the third consecutive season, the Black Bears were selected first in the America East Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the league on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Maine also received three selections to the America East Preseason All-Conference team with
Maeve Carroll,
Blanca Millan, and
Dor Saar each earning a spot on the squad. The Black Bears received six of the league's 10 first place tallies, positioning them at the top of the league with 78 total votes. Maine, which earned three of the five Preseason All-Conference slots, is the first school since Boston University in 2010-11 to earn three or more selections to the Preseason All-Conference team.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25:
The Black Bears climbed eight spots to No. 13 in the latest College Inside Mid-Major Top 25 poll, released on Dec. 15. Maine is the lone America East team represented in the top-25. The No. 13 ranking is Maine's highest mark since it was ranked No. 12 on Dec. 5, 2018.
12-GAME WIN STREAK:
Maine closed the 2019-20 season riding a 10-game win streak. Currently, Maine's 12-game win streak ranks tied for the fourth (UConn) longest active win streak in the nation.
MILLAN CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME CHARTS
Blanca Millan, who in 2018-19 became just the fourth player in history to earn both the America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors, continues to climb the all-time charts both at Maine and in the America East record books.
Millan currently ranks 8th on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,589 points. She stands 82 points behind
Sigi Koizar (1,671) for 7th all-time.
Millan currently ranks 32nd on the America East all-time scoring list. Millan stands three points behind Aaron Yantzi (Vermont, 2000-04, 1,592) for 31st and 13 points behind Laura Seiden (UNH, 1989-93, 1,602) for 30th.
Defensively, Millan ranks fifth on Maine's all-time steals list (270), nine behind Coach Vachon (279) for fourth all-time.
Millan is currently tied for fourth on Maine's career 3-point list (184), with
Sigi Koizar (184). Millan now trails Saar (196) and Ashley Underwood (210) for third and second all-time, respectively.
On Dec. 4, 2018, Millan became the 7th fastest in Black Bear history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark, and just the third-ever to do it in her third season.
Millan's 14.7 points per game average currently ranks 7th all-time at Maine.
BLANCA ON THE BOARDS
We all know Blanca can score it, but rebound too?? Through two games, Millan leads the America East in defensive rebounding (9.5) and checks in second in total rebounds per game (10.5) after a career-high 14 board effort in the season opener at Providence. Millan's defensive rebounding efforts rank her fourth in the nation thus far.
SAAR FOR THREE
Dor Saar currently ranks third on Maine's all-time 3-point field goals made at 196. Saar is 14 makes away from tying Ashley Underwood (210) for second.
-UMaine-
