Orono, Maine -- Adrianna Smith posted her conference leading ninth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds to guide Maine to its fourth-straight win with a 71-54 decision over UMBC on Saturday afternoon. The victory moves Maine to 4-0 in league play, its best start to conference action since the 2018-19 season, while evening up the overall record at 8-8.

Smith, who posted her fifth double-double in as many games, stretched her double-digit scoring streak to seven in a row while adding five assists. Anne Simon, who moved into 12th on Maine's all-time scoring list in the game, posted 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting while Caroline Bornemann added 13 points with a trio of triples. 

The Black Bears, who had struggled of recent in the third quarter, outscored UMBC 19-10 in the third while shooting 9-of-15 (60.0) in the quarter. Maine won the rebounding battle for its sixth consecutive game, outrebounding the Retrievers 36-29.

Maine finished the contest 30-for-57 (52.6) from the floor including an 8-of-18 mark from three point range.

In a game which finished nine ties and seven lead changes, Maine took its largest lead of the first half with a five point edge in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. With the game tied, Smith broke a 11-11 tie with a bucket in the paint before Bornemann's triple off a feed from Simon put Maine up five. 

UMBC would the first quarter on a 5-0 run, tying the game at 18-all after one.

Neither team would lead by more than three for the remainder of the first half.

Six ties and four lead changes were featured in a back and forth second quarter. UMBC grabbed its largest lead of the game on a free throw and a bucket from Ashia McCalla with 4:09 remaining in the first half. 

The Retrievers would not lead again. 

Maine respond to the short UMBC run with a 5-0 sprint on a Sarah Talon triple and a bucket from Simon off a turnover, flipping the script to put Maine back on top, 31-29.

The Black Bears entered the half with a 35-32 advantage.

Maine clung to a three point edge early in the third before staging another 5-0 run to start to pull away. Bornemann hit Paula Gallego for a corner triple before Simon's bucket, again coming off a UMBC turnover, put the Black Bears up by eight in the third.

The lead shrunk to six before Maine ended the third with a 6-0 run. Simon began the run with a layup before Bornemann's bucket gave Maine its first double-digit advantage of the afternoon. Talon's bucket off an offensive board by Abbe Laurence gave Maine a 54-42 after three.

The 6-0 run extended to an 11-0 run early in the fourth when Gallego's layup came before a bit Bornemann triple. Maine kept charging and would take its largest lead of the afternoon, 63-45, on Smith's layup with 7:35 remaining.

Maine cruised the rest of the way as the lead would not shrink under 13. The Black Bears capped its fourth-straight win with a 71-54 decision.

Maine looks to move to 5-0 in America East play when it hosts Vermont on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.

-UMaine-