Durham, N.H. -- Adrianna Smith posted her 14th double-double of the season to help guide Maine to a 56-45 victory at New Hampshire in the Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, on Monday afternoon. The win marked Maine's fifth-straight over the Wildcats.

Smith finished the contest with a game-high 24 points to go along with 14 rebounds, one off her career-high, and three assists. For Smith, it marked the 16th consecutive game in which she's registered double-figure scoring and the 11th time in which she's tallied 20 or more points, including in each of her last four outings. 

Olivia Rockwood added 12 points after netting four consecutive triples in the second half while Jaycie Christopher contributed nine points off the bench in the win.

Maine controlled the boards, finishing with 41 rebounds, and hit double-digit triples (10) for the third time this season. The Black Bears finished the day 21-of-61 (34.4) from the field and 4-of-5 at the free throw stripe. 

Strong endings to the second and third quarters, with runs of 9-0 and 6-0 respectively, helped propel Maine to its ninth conference win of the season.

The first quarter featured five lead changes and two ties as the Wildcats clung to a 14-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.

A 9-0 run for UNH, spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the afternoon, 18-12.

Maine responded with a 9-3 run, keyed by a triple from Christopher and four points by Smith, to tie the game at 21-21 with 3:46 left in the opening half.

UNH ran its lead back out to three before the Black Bears responded, ending the half with a 9-0 run. After cutting the deficit to one, Sera Hodgson's three off a turnover gave Maine a two point edge. Paula Gallego followed with a triple of her own before Smith tracked on a free throw, sending Maine into the break wit ha 30-24 advantage.

The Wildcats began the third quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 34-30 lead midway through the quarter.

Maine trimmed the lead to a pair before Rockwood ended the period with back-to-back triples to regain a four point lead. 

Rockwood kept the hot streak rolling as she opened the fourth with two more triples, giving Maine a 12-0 swing and a 10-point lead, 49-39.

UNH could not close the gap any further than eight the rest of the way. A 5-0 run, started with a triple from Christopher and ending with a bucket by Smith, gave Maine its largest lead of the contest, 56-43. 

The Black Bears cruised the rest of the way, capping the afternoon with a 56-45 victory.

Maine is back in action when it travels to meet UAlbany on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.

-UMaine-