Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team begins a three-game homestand when it welcome Vermont to the Cross Insurance Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Maine will be looking for the season sweep of the Catamounts after scoring a 65-47 victory in Burlington back on Jan. 22. Maine has won each of its last nine home games against Vermont, having not lost to the Catamounts at home since Feb. 3, 2010.
Tickets are still available for Wednesday'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 Wednesday's contest, the game will be streamed at
ESPN+ and also broadcast via radio online only worldwide at
GoBlackBears.com.
TALE OF THE TAPE:
| Maine |
Category |
Vermont |
| 9-14, 5-4 |
Record |
10-12, 4-5 |
| 59.2 |
Points Per Game |
61.5 |
| 63.0 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
63.9 |
| -3.8 |
Scoring Margin |
-2.4 |
| 39.6 |
Field Goal Percentage |
40.8 |
| 32.1 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
32.6 |
| 72.6 |
Free Throw Percentage |
71.3 |
| 30.0 |
Rebound Per Game |
34.1 |
| -7.5 |
Rebound Margin |
-5.1 |
| 13.0 |
Assists Per Game |
12.8 |
| 13.7 |
Turnover Per Game |
13.0 |
| 6.8 |
Steals Per Game |
5.0 |
| 1.2 |
Blocks Per Game |
4.6 |
OVERVIEW:
The Black Bears, 21-1 in their last 22 home conference outings, are fresh off a convincing 69-52 road victory at Hartford on Saturday.
Anne Simon led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with five rebounds. For her efforts, Simon was awarded the America East Rookie of the Week honor for a conference leading fourth time this season.
Maine has featured balanced scoring efforts all season and enter action with three players averaging double-digits on the year.
Dor Saar paced the team, ranking 11th in the league at 11.6 points per game. As much as she scores it she also dishes it out, ranking second best among America East leaders at 4.3 assists per game. Saar has proven to be a threat from outside where she ranks fifth in the league at 33.9-percent from 3-point range and second-best in the conference at 2.6 triples made per game. The Black Bears have relied heavily on Saar's leadership on court this season as she checks in second in the nation in minutes played (881:10) averaging a conference-high 38.31 minutes per game, including playing all 40 minutes in each of her last eight outings. Simon, averaging 14.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in league play, has registered double-digit scoring totals in nine of her last 11 outings and enters play ranked second among America East rookies in scoring at 11.2 points per game.
Maeve Carroll has been a force in league play, nearly averaging a double-double against league competition at 14.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. Overall, Carroll 10.5 points and ranks fourth in the league at 7.2 rebounds.
Kelly Fogarty, who is shooting a league-best 40.6-percent from 3-point range against league competition, has hit two or more triples in each of her last five outings and ranks fourth overall in the league from beyond the arc (36.9) and fifth in 3-point field goals made per game (2.3).
Maddy McVicar (10.9) joins Fogarty (10.1) in double-digits against league competition as Maine is the only team with all five starters ranked in the top-25 among America East scoring leaders against league competition.
Maine continues to pace the field offensively in league-only scoring, averaging a conference best 65.7 points per game. Through nine league games, Maine ranks first in the conference in field goal percentage (42.7) and ranks second from 3-point range at 36.1-percent. Overall, the Black Bears rank 15th nationally in 3-point attempts (545), 19th in 3-point field goals made (175) and 53rd in 3-point field goals made per game (7.6); all league-highs.
A LOOK AT VERMONT:
Vermont, just 2-8 on the road this season, enters action just 1-3 over its last four games. The Catamounts recently snapped a three-game losing skid with a 52-36 victory at home against UAlbany. Vermont is led by Hanna Crymble who ranks second among league-leaders in scoring (17.0) while leading the conference at 8.5 rebounds per game. Josie Larkins is adding 12.6 points while ranking third in the league at 37.2-percent from beyond the arc. Freshman Emma Utterback leads all rookies in scoring, narrowly edging out Maine's Simon at 11.5 points. Utterback leads Vermont in helpers, offering 3.2 assists per game.
Vermont's strong suit is taking care of the ball as it ranks first in the league in limiting its turnovers at just 13.0 giveaways per game. The Catamounts are also tops in the league in blocks per game (4.6) and rank second from the field at 40.8-percent. Despite the blocking effort, Vermont is last in the league at 5.0 steals per game and also struggle at defending the three, allowing opponents to strike at a league-worst 34.9-percent from downtown.
SERIES WITH VERMONT:
Maine has competed against Vermont more than any of its other opponents as this will mark the 96th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Black Bears currently hold a 61-34 advantage in the all-time series, having won 13 of the last 14 meetings and six in a row. Since 1985, Maine is 23-11 all-time at home against the Catamounts, nine-straight on its home court in the series. Earlier this season, Maine captured a 65-47 win at Vermont.
Maeve Carroll registered a double-double with career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (15) to lead four Black Bears in double-digits.
PLAY4KAY:
The Black Bears will host their annual 'Play4Kay' Pink Game on Feb. 9 when they host Binghamton at 1 p.m. Maine will be sporting its special edition pink jerseys for the game. The Black Bears have set a goal of raising $500 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. To donate to the cause, please click
HERE.
-UMaine-
