ORONO, Maine -- After snapping Stony Brook's 22-game win streak, the Black Bears now hold the league's longest active win streak at six-straight. Maine hits the road for its final two, beginning with a Border Battle showdown, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings at New Hampshire on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Maine is 59-35 all-time against the Wildcats and have won eight in a row against UNH. The Black Bears are 20-15 at UNH since 1985 and have came away victorious in each of their last two trips to Durham.
For those unable to make it to Sunday's contest, the game will be streamed at
ESPN+ and also broadcast via radio on 94.1 WGUY-FM and worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
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TALE OF THE TAPE:
Maine |
Category |
New Hampshire |
14-14, 10-4 |
Record |
10-16, 7-7 |
61.2 |
Points Per Game |
57.1 |
61.8 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
62.6 |
-0.6 |
Scoring Margin |
-5.5 |
40.3 |
Field Goal Percentage |
36.6 |
32.5 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
26.9 |
75.1 |
Free Throw Percentage |
71.3 |
30.9 |
Rebound Per Game |
32.5 |
-6.7 |
Rebound Margin |
-5.5 |
13.8 |
Assists Per Game |
11.7 |
13.3 |
Turnover Per Game |
13.7 |
7.1 |
Steals Per Game |
8.3 |
1.3 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.1 |
OVERVIEW:
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine enters play with the league's longest active win streak as the Black Bears have strung together six-straight wins. Along the streak, Maine has put together three consecutive road wins and will be looking to end the season strong on the road with each of its two final games away from the Cross Insurance Center.
The Black Bears continue to rise on offense as they now ranked third in the league overall at 61.2 points per game. Through 14 league games, the Black Bears are pacing the rest of the league by averaging 67.3 points per game against league competition. Individually, Maine features four scorers averaging double-figures, led by
Anne Simon at 12.2 points per game. Simon, a six-time America East Rookie of the Week and the leading scorer among America East Rookies, has posted double-digits in each of her last six outings and 14 of her last 16. Simon leads the Black Bears in steals (1.7) while averaging 15.3 points per game in league play.
Maeve Carroll is nearly averaging a double-double in league play, posting 15.2 points per game against league competition and league-high 8.9 rebounds against America East foes. Overall, Carroll has posted eight double-doubles, seven in league play, and is averaging 11.7 points and 7.8 rebounds on the season.
Dor Saar recently moved into fifth on Maine's all-time assists list (390) and ranks second among America East leaders at 4.9 helpers per game. Saar ranks second on the Black Bears at 11.7 points per game and is among the league-leaders from outside, ranking fourth from 3-point range (34.4) and second at 2.6 three point field goals per game.
Maddy McVicar, the reigning America East Player of the Week, posted a career-high 28 points in a win over Stony Brook and enters action averaging 10.0 points per game on the year. McVicar is among the league-leaders from the free throw line, shooting 89.4-percent this season (42-47).
Maine continues to be one of the top shooting teams in the league. The Black Bears lead the America East and rank 37th in the nation from the free throw line (75.1) while ranking 23rd in 3-point attempts (664), 26th in 3-point field goals made (216) and 46th in 3-point field goals made per game (7.7), all tops among America East leaders. Maine has posted double-digit assist totals in each of their last eight outings and currently lead the America East at 13.8 assist per game.
A LOOK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE:
The Wildcats enter with a win streak of their own having been victorious in each of their last three outings including a most recent 56-53 victory over UAlbany on Saturday. New Hampshire, currently fifth in the league at 7-7, is led by Ashley Storey who ranks fourth in the league in scoring (15.7) and 12th in rebounding (5.8). Caroline Soucy is also adding double-digits at 10.9 points per game while Amanda Torres rounds out the Wildcats' trio of double-figure scorers, averaging 10.2 points.
New Hampshire has struggled to score this season, averaging just 57.1 points per game while allowing 62.6 on the defensive end. The Wildcats rank eighth in the league in rebounding (32.5) but do not give it away, currently checking in with the fewest total turnovers among America East leaders (356) while ranking fourth in the league at 13.7 turnovers per game and first in turnover margin (+3.5).
SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Maine and New Hampshire will meet for the 95th time in their storied history. The Black Bears enter play with a 59-35 advantage in the series and have matched up against UNH the second most times of any of its opponents (Vermont-96). Dating back to 1985, Maine is 20-15 on the road against the Wildcats. Maine has won eight-straight in the series, including a 67-50 decision in the first meeting this year back on Jan. 8. In that game, the Black Bears featured four double-digit scorers, led by
Maddy McVicar's 17 points and
Maeve Carroll's double-double (13 pts/10 rebs).Maine has won in two-straight trips to Durham. The two teams first met in 1920, a 15-13 victory by the Wildcats. Maine has held UNH to 50 points or fewer in each of the last seven meetings.
AMERICA EAST QUARTERFINAL:
The Black Bears will host an America East quarterfinal game on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center. Tickets for that game are on sale now and may be purchased in advanced at TicketMaster.com, in-person at the Cross Insurance Center box office or by phone at 207-561-8333. Season members can reserve their tickets by calling the UMaine box office at 207-581-BEAR. Season tickets will be reserved until Thursday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m.
-UMaine-