Orono, Maine -- It came down to the final shot on Sunday as Blanca Millan blocked UMass Lowell's attempt at the final horn, securing a 53-51 victory for the Black Bears on Senior Day. The win, Maine's ninth in a row, moves the Black Bears to 14-1 overall and 11-1 in America East play.

Millan finished the contest with her tenth 20-plus point scoring performance, and her fourth in her last five outings, after pouring in a game-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Dor Saar added nine points, six assists and five rebounds while Anne Simon finished with eight points.

Maine forced 17 UMass Lowell turnovers while holding the River Hawks to just 16-of-51 shooting (31.4), including a 5-of-24 mark from downtown. The Black Bears went 22-of-61 from the floor (36.1) and hit just four of 22 attempts from beyond the arc.

Defensively, Maine held UMass Lowell to single-digit scoring in both the first and third periods while nabbing 11 steals and four blocks on the afternoon.

After the teams went a combined 8-for-30 in the first period, Maine began to settle in a bit on offense in the second. The Black Bears were able to build a double-digit cushion midway through the quarter. Leading by five, Maine staged a 9-2 run which led to a 12 point advantage. Simon worked her way inside for two to start the run before two free throws from Millan and a triple from the fifth-year guard pushed the lead to 10. Saar pulled down a defensive board on the ensuing position and hit the court running, finding Simon for two more to give Maine its largest lead of the game, 24-12.

The River Hawks trimmed the lead down to a pair after closing the half on a 7-2 run before hitting a bucket early in the third, bringing the Maine advantage to 30-28.

Maine responded with a 5-0 run as Millan, working off a steal, forced her way into the paint for a bucket and a foul. The made free throw completed the three-point play to give Maine a 35-28 lead with 7:34 left in the third.

UMass Lowell cut the lead back down to four before Maine staged a 6-0 run, with four points coming from the free throw line, to once again run the lead out to double-digits at 43-33.

The River Hawks continued to charge in the fourth. With Maine leading by nine on a triple by Saar, UMass Lowell answered with an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 48-46, with 3:33 to play in regulation.

Maine knotted the score at 50-50 when Saar found Simon inside for a layup. A UMass Lowell free throw put the visitors back up by one before Millan worked her way inside to draw a foul. Millan knocked down both free throws to put Maine up by one, 52-51, with just 1:44 on the clock.

Neither team was able to score on the next seven collective possessions until Fanny Wadling came up with a steal before drawing a foul. Her free throw put Maine up two with 1.6 seconds on the clock but a miss on the second free throw, and a rebound and quick timeout by UMass Lowell, gave the River Hawks a chance. However, the inbound play went to the corner where Millan was able to block the last second attempt, securing the two point victory for the Black Bears.

Maine continues league play tomorrow when it travels to Stony Brook for a rematch between the two teams who were scheduled to play in the America East title game a year ago. Saturday's contest is set for 3 p.m. with the Sunday series finale set to begin at 2 p.m.

-UMaine-