Orono, Maine -- Maine and Vermont square off at The Pit in the 100th meeting between the two programs on Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the Black Bears look to remain undefeated in America East play and also run their win streak against the Catamounts to 11 in a row. A win for Maine would mark its best start to league play (5-0) since 2003-04.
The game can be seen live on
ESPN+Â and heard locally on 92.9 The Ticket and nationally at
GoBlackBears.com.
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LAST TIME OUT:
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.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine, off to its best start to league play since the 2018-19 season, averaged 56.3 points per game in non-conference action but is averaging 71.0 points per game against league competition. A Maine win would move the league record to 5-0 which would mark Maine's best start to league play since 2003-04. Adrianna Smith, who has earned back-to-back America East Player of the Week honors, is averaging 27.0 points per game, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in conference play while shooting 60.0 percent from the floor against league opponents, has a conference leading nine double-doubles on the season. Smith, who has stretched her double-double streak to five games and double-figure scoring streak to seven in a row, ranks in the top three among league leaders in rebounding (1st-8.5), assists (2nd-3.9), scoring (3rd-14.8), field goal percentage (2nd-52.5) and free throw percentage (3rd-81.1). Anne Simon, who recently moved into 12th on Maine's all-time scoring list, is adding 10.8 points. Caroline Bornemann, who has tallied double-digit scoring in two of her last three outings, ranks seventh in the league in rebounding (6.2), eighth in three pointers made per game (1.6), and 15th in scoring (10.6). Maine, which ranks fourth in the league in scoring (59.9), continues to sit atop the league ranking in three-pointers made per game at 7.2 while posting a league-leading 14.0 assists.
A LOOK AT VERMONT:
The Catamounts come to town riding a three game win streak after reeling off wins against Bryant, New Hampshire, and UMass Lowell. Vermont, 7-2 at home and 4-4 on the road this season, feature the top ranked scoring defense in the America East, checking in 22nd nationally in the category after allowing just 55.6 points per game. The Catamounts, who force a league best 13.9 turnovers per game, rank second in the league in scoring at 61.7 points per game while featuring the league's top ranking three-point mark at 37.0 percent. Senior guard Emma Utterback leads the Catamounts at 14.1 points per game, good for fourth in the America East. Utterback's 4.2 assists lead AE. Catherine Gilwee is adding 11.8 points and leads the AE in three-point shooting at 42.1 percent while making a league-high 2.8 triples per game. Anna Olson rounds out Vermont's double-digit scorers at 11.2 points with a team-high 6.8 rebounds.
SERIES WITH VERMONT:
This will mark the 100th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Black Bears currently hold a 65-34 advantage in the all-time series, having won 17 of the last 18 meetings and 10 in a row. Since 1985, Maine is 25-11 at home against Vermont.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
Vermont |
| 59.9 |
Points Per Game |
61.7 |
| 62.8 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
55.6 |
| -2.9 |
Scoring Margin |
+6.1 |
| 43.0 |
FG Pct. |
42.3 |
| 34.1 |
3-Pt FG Pct. |
37.0 |
| 71.3 |
FT Pct. |
68.4 |
| 32.5 |
Rebound Per Game |
34.4 |
| -1.0 |
Rebound Margin |
-0.1 |
| 14.0 |
Assists Per Game |
13.1 |
| 16.7 |
Turnovers Per Game |
13.9 |
| 13.1 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
14.5 |
| 5.7 |
Steals Per Game |
6.1 |
| 2.5 |
Blocks Per Game |
3.0 |
-UMaine-
