Box Score Orono, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team had its 15-game win streak snapped by New Hampshire as the Wildcats escaped with a 58-57 victory on Saturday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium.
In a game which featured nine ties and six lead changes, Maine, which previously had not suffered a loss since Jan. 26, 2020 and had won nine-straight against the Wildcats, falls to 5-1 on the season, 2-1 in America East play. With the victory, New Hampshire improves its mark to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in league action while scoring its first win over the Black Bears since Feb. 15, 2017.
Blanca Millan led the Black Bears in scoring for the fifth time in Maine's first six games as she was able to record her seventh career double-double, and third of the season, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Millan, who tallied her 500th career rebound in the contest, now stands at 1,695 career points, just one point shy of tying Emily Ellis for sixth on Maine's all-time scoring list. The fifth-year guard also picked up two steals in the game, giving her 282 for her career to move into a tie with
Liz Wood for third all-time at Maine.
Anne Simon added 15 points with eight boards while
Kelly Fogarty chipped in a season-best nine points.
Maeve Carroll returned to the court for the first time this season, registering five points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
The difference came at the free throw line as Maine was whistled for its largest amount of fouls on the season (22). New Hampshire capitalized, going 22-of-29 from the free throw stripe. The Black Bears also struggled from the floor, going 20-of-67 from the field with a 11-for-35 mark from distance. The 67 attempts from the floor and 35 from downtown were both season-highs for Maine.
With UNH leading by four early in the fourth, Maine got hot from downtown. A triple by Simon trimmed the lead to one before Fogarty's first of a span of three big treys gave Maine the lead with 5:32 remaining in regulation.
Shortly later, Fogarty broke a 48-48 tie with another bucket from 3-point land. The deep three started a 6-1 Maine run as
Dor Saar's three put Maine up five with 2:36 on the clock. A jumper from New Hampshire was answered by Fogarty's third triple of the quarter, putting the Black Bears on top 57-51. However, Maine was unable to score for the remainder of the contest. A 7-0 run by the Wildcats closed things out as New Hampshire clawed its way to a 59-58 victory.
The two teams closed out the Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, on Sunday at 1 p.m. live on ESPN+ and heard on the radio at 96.1 WGUY-FM and on GoBlackBears.com.
-UMaine-
