Orono, Maine -- In a quick turnaround from Saturday's contest, the Black Bears return to the road for a trip to New Hampshire in the 101st Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, on Monday at noon. Maine, which has won each of the last four meetings in the series, is 23-16 all-time at New Hampshire since 1985.
The game can be seen live on
ESPN+ and heard locally on 92.9 The Ticket and nationally at
GoBlackBears.com.
LAST TIME OUT:
Orono, Maine -- In a game which featured seven lead changes and six ties, the University of Maine women's basketball team (12-12, 8-4 America East) came up short in a 56-54 decision to visiting NJIT (12-12, 7-5 AE) on Saturday afternoon.
Adrianna Smith finished in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game as she poured in a game-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. Olivia Rockwood added her seventh double-digit scoring effort of the season with 10 points and a career-high matching three steals while Paula Gallego added eight points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Maine's defense forced 17 Highlander turnovers on the afternoon. The Black Bears finished the contest 21-of-55 (38.2) from the field, 5-of-17 from three point range, and 7-for-10 at the free throw stripe.
The loss marks Maine's first three game losing skid in conference play since the 2012-13 season.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Adrianna Smith, the America East leader in scoring (17.0) and rebounding (9.1), ranks 13th in the country with 13 double-doubles on the season. Smith has now scored double-figures in each of her last 15 games after a game-high 23 points on Saturday against NJIT. Smith is averaging a double-double (23.3 points/10.5 rebounds) against league competition. Caroline Bornemann, who has nine double-digit scoring performances on the season, checks in ninth among league leaders in rebounding (6.0) and 20th in scoring (9.5). Her 1.3 triples per game are good for 10th among league leaders. Paula Gallego is on her best stretch of the season, averaging 10.5 points and 2.0 assists with just three turnovers in her last two games (64 minutes). The Black Bears have held four of their last seven opponents to 50 points or fewer and have won the rebounding battle in 10 of their last 13. The Black Bears rank sixth in the league in scoring (58.7) and fourth in scoring defense (60.5). Maine continues to rank at the top of the America East with 6.5 triples made per game.
A LOOK AT NEW HAMPSHIRE:
The Wildcats have split each of their last four outings, most recently suffering a 75-53 loss at Binghamton on Feb. 8. UNH is 3-7 at home this season. The Wildcats have struggled to score the ball this season, checking in 329th in the nation out of 350 Division-I teams at 54.8 points per game. UNH, which gets to the free throw line more than any other team in the America East, check in sixth in scoring defense, allowing 62.3 points per game. Brooke Kane paces the Wildcat offense at 13.1 points per game with a team-leading 6.5 rebounds. Avery O'Connor is adding 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds while Breezie Williams is averaging 10.2 points and a team-best 2.8 assists.
SERIES WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Maine and New Hampshire will meet for the 101st time in their storied history. The Black Bears enter play with a 64-36 advantage in the series and have matched up against UNH more times than any of its other opponents. Dating back to 1985, Maine is 23-16 on the road against the Wildcats and won the most recent meeting in Durham, 53-45, back on Jan. 26, 2022. That contest was also the latest meeting in the series. In the game, Anne Simon (16 pts) and Caroline Bornemann (14) led the scoring efforts as Maine forced 23 turnovers in the win. The two teams first met in 1920, a 15-13 victory by the Wildcats.
Tale of the Tape
| Maine |
Category |
UNH |
| 58.7 |
Points Per Game |
54.8 |
| 60.5 |
Opponent Points Per Game |
62.3 |
| -1.8 |
Scoring Margin |
-7.5 |
| 41.7 |
FG Pct. |
35.1 |
| 33.4 |
3-PT FG Pct. |
28.2 |
| 70.7 |
FT Pct. |
72.6 |
| 33.2 |
Rebound Per Game |
35.7 |
| +0.3 |
Rebound Margin |
-3.5 |
| 13.1 |
Assists Per Game |
8.7 |
| 15.7 |
Turnovers Per Game |
16.1 |
| 13.2 |
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
14.6 |
| 5.7 |
Steals Per Game |
6.5 |
| 2.8 |
Blocks Per Game |
2.7 |
-UMaine-
