Orono, Maine -- The Maine and New Hampshire Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, rolls on when the two teams clash for the 99th all-time meeting on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center. Maine, which holds a 62-36 all-time edge in the series, has won each of the last two meetings and enter play with a 27-9 mark at home against the Wildcats.
Tickets are available for Thursday's game at
TicketMaster.com or at the Cross Insurance Center box office. Thursday's game will be broadcast live on
ESPN3. The game can also be heard worldwide on the
Black Bear Sports Network and locally in Maine on 92.9 F
M.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Anne Simon, who has scored in double-figures in 12 of Maine's first 14 games including each of the last seven, enters ranked second in the league in scoring at 15.9 points per game. Simon, who is 125 points away from 1,000 in her career, sits atop the America East leaders in steals per game at 2.6 per game. Simon's 37 steals are 17 more than the next closest ranked player in the league, as Simon has posted three or more steals in seven games this season.
Alba Orois leads the league at 4.9 assists per game, good for 52nd nationally. Orois has posted double-digit scoring in two of Maine's first four conference games, posting nine points in the other two, and enters play at 10.1 points per game.
Maeve Carroll, who has tallied double-digit rebounding five times this season, ranks second in the league at 8.9 rebounds per game. Carroll, with double-digit scoring in three of her last four, is averaging 10.8 points per game on the year and ranks third-best among league leaders at 1.1 blocks per game. As a unit, Maine continues to showcase impressive ball security as it leads the America East and ranks 63rd nationally with just 14.4 turnovers per game. Three times this season Maine has been at or below 10 turnovers in a single game.
A LOOK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE:
The Wildcats enter play on an eight-game losing streak and stand winless (0-6) on the road this season. The Cats have started America East play 0-2 with losses to Vermont (60-37) and at UAlbany (50-39) and are averaging just 38.0 points per game in their first two league contests. Despite its offensive struggles, checking in last in the America East at 52.4 points per game, ninth in field goal percentage (33.8), and 10th in rebounding (31.9), UNH has been impressive defensively. The Wildcats rank fourth in the league in scoring defense (61.1), first in steals (9.8), and first in turnovers forced (21.3). Individually, Amanda Torres leads the way for the Wildcats at 11.5 points per game with a team-high 3.0 assists. Ivy Gogolin checks in with 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while Helena Delaruelle leads the Cats in rebounding at 5.8 per game.
SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Maine and New Hampshire will meet for the 99th time in their storied history. The Black Bears enter play with a 62-36 advantage in the series and have matched up against UNH more times than any of its other opponents. Dating back to 1985, Maine is 27-9 at home against the Wildcats and have won five-straight at home in the series. Maine went 2-1 last year against UNH, taking the most recent meeting 82-53, in the America East quarterfinal round. Maine has won 11 of the last 12 meetings in the series. The two teams first met in 1920, a 15-13 victory by the Wildcats.
Anne Simon has registered double-digit scoring in four of her five outings against New Hampshire and enters play averaging 15.6 points and 7.0 rebounds against the Cats.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine (5-9, 2-2) |
Category |
UNH (3-10, 0-2) |
| 55.4 |
Points Per Game |
52.4 |
| 65.3 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
61.1 |
| -9.9 |
Scoring Margin |
-8.7 |
| 37.2 |
Field Goal Percentage |
33.8 |
| 25.3 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
23.5 |
| 59.6 |
Free Throw Percentage |
68.8 |
| 33.4 |
Rebounds Per Game |
31.9 |
| -6.5 |
Rebound Margin |
-3.9 |
| 12.8 |
Assists Per Game |
10.6 |
| 14.4 |
Turnovers Per Game |
18.2 |
| 14.8 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
21.3 |
| 7.3 |
Steals Per Game |
9.8 |
| 2.4 |
Blocks Per Game |
1.5 |
-UMaine-
