Orono, Maine -- Maine is making its conference leading 21st appearance in the America East championship game, and seventh in the last seven years, as it looks for its conference leading 10th title when it takes on UAlbany at Memorial Gymnasium on Friday at 5 p.m. live on ESPNU. Limited tickets remain available for Friday's championship contest and can be purchased at
GoBlackBears.com/tickets, by phone at 207.581.BEAR, or at the UMaine Athletics box office.
The Black Bears enter play riding the nation's fourth longest win streak (14) and have won 12 of their last 13 conference postseason contests. A win for the Black Bears would be their third title in the past five seasons. Maine has won 11 in a row against UAlbany including eight-straight on its home court.
Friday's championship game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and can be seen on the
ESPN app. The game can also be heard on the
Black Bear Sports Network or locally at 92.9 FM.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
The Black Bears, who have won 12 of their last 13 postseason contests, recently ran their active win streak to 14 in a row with a semifinal win over NJIT. The Black Bears enter play winners of each of their last 14 games, including each of their last seven at home during the stretch. Over the past 14 games, Maine has held its opponent to just 47.6 points per game, including limiting the opposition to 45 points or fewer in six games. Maine, outscoring its opponent by a +14.5 margin during the streak, has limited its turnovers to only 12.8 per game while forcing 17.7 takeaways through the 14 games. Simon is averaging 15.4 points during the win streak while
Maeve Carroll is adding 12.1 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Alba Orois is averaging 11.5 points per game and 5.9 assists during the stretch. Simon, the league's Player and Defensive Player of the Year, leads the America East in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Simon has registered double-digit scoring efforts in 29 of Maine's 30 games, including reaching double-digits in each of her last 21. Defensively, Simon leads the league at 2.8 steals per game, 14th best in the nation. Carroll, a three-time All-Conference Second Team selection, leads the league in rebounding at 8.5 per game after pulling down double-digit rebounds in 13 games while featuring six double-doubles during the season and 18 for her career. Orois, who received her first All-Conference accolade with a spot on the league's third team, is the league's leader in assists at 5.8 per game. Orois, who has posted six or more assists in 17 games this season including eight of her last nine, checks in 13th best in the nation in assists per game.
A LOOK AT UALBANY:
The Great Danes earned a spot in the title game after wins over New Hampshire (49-44) and Vermont (67-54). UAlbany, 16-1 at home this year and 6-8 on the road, features the second ranked defense in the nation as it has limited opponents to just 48.6 points per game. Offensively, the Great Danes rank fifth in the league in scoring at 57.4 points per game. UAlbany checks in second in three-point shooting (33.0) with a third-best 5.9 triples per game. UAlbany, which turns it over 16.5 times per game, has also been impressive on the boards as it checks in third in the league at 35.6 rebounds per game with a league-leading +6.7 margin on the boards. Individually, Helene Haegerstrand leads the Great Danes in scoring at 12.2 points while Kayla Cooper checks in second at 11.2 points to go along with a team-leading 7.1 boards.
SERIES/POSTSEASON SERIES WITH UALBANY:
Maine and UAlbany will square off for the 50th time in history, and the eighth time in the postseason. Maine holds a 30-19 edge in the all-time series and has won 11-straight against the Great Danes. Maine is 4-3 in the postseason against UAlbany and have won two-straight playoff match-ups in the series. Maine swept the regular season series with UAlbany, defeating the Great Danes at Memorial Gymnasium, 64-55, before earning a 49-45 road win. Maine is 13-6 at home all-time against UAlbany and has won eight in a row on its home court against the Great Danes. Simon has posted double-figures in each of her last six outings against UAlbany. This will mark the third time in which the two teams have met in the championship game, both previous meetings won by UAlbany (2016, 2017.)
POSTSEASON OVERVIEW:
Maine, winners of 12 of its last 13 conference postseason games, are averaging 67.5 points per game while featuring a +19.0 scoring margin through two postseason games this year. The Black Bears are averaging 20.5 assists per game and just 9.5 turnovers, while forcing 19.5 takeaways. Bornemann leads Maine in postseason scoring at 16.5 points while Carroll is adding 15.0 points and 8.5 boards. Simon is chipping in 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while Orois is adding 12.5 points and 6.5 assists.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine (20-10, 15-3) |
Category |
UAlbany (22-9, 13-5) |
| 59.2 |
Points Per Game |
57.4 |
| 56.4 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
48.6 |
| +2.8 |
Scoring Margin |
+8.8 |
| 41.1 |
Field Goal Percentage |
41.0 |
| 29.4 |
3-Point Field Goal Percentage |
33.0 |
| 67.8 |
Free Throw Percentage |
66.0 |
| 32.7 |
Rebounds Per Game |
35.6 |
| -1.4 |
Rebound Margin |
+6.7 |
| 14.6 |
Assists Per Game |
12.9 |
| 13.4 |
Turnovers Per Game |
16.5 |
| 16.3 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
16.4 |
| 8.7 |
Steals Per Game |
8.3 |
| 2.6 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.6 |
-UMaine-
