Orono, Maine -- Maine concludes its two-game homestand on Saturday when it plays host to NJIT inside Memorial Gymnasium at 1 p.m. The Black Bears, 4-0 in league play, look to begin the conference slate 5-0 for the first time since 2004.
Tickets remain available for the game and can be purchased at GoBlackBears.com/tickets or in-person at the gates.
Broadcast Details:
Saturday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on the Black Bears Sports Network and on 92.9 FM (Bangor), 100.5 FM (Portland), and 1160 AM (Augusta).
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LAST TIME OUT:
Orono, Maine --
Adrianna Smith posted a season-high 33 points to go along with 12 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season to lead Maine in a 76-47 victory over UMBC on Thursday evening. The win improves Maine to 4-0 in America East action.
The Black Bears, who posted a season-best 32 field goals and a 50.8 percent mark from the floor, finished the night with a decisive 42-23 advantage on the boards in the win. Maine's efficient offense posted 21 assists on its 32 makes.
Maine, which entered the game allowing just 47.7 points per game in league play, has now held three of its last four opponents under 50 points.
Smith finished the evening just one point shy of her career high scoring as she went 14-of-20 from the floor including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Anne Simon stretched her double-digit scoring effort to 12 in a row with 10 points to go along with a career-high nine assists while
Sarah Talon and
Olivia Rockwood each also added 10 point efforts.
Caroline Bornemann chipped in a solid effort with eight points and 10 boards.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine is off to a 4-0 start in league play for the second consecutive season and have been tremendous defensively through the first three games of league play. Maine is holding its conference opponents to just 47.5 points per game and have yet to surrender more than 52 point to a conference foe this season. Maine has limited three of its four conference opponents to 48 points or fewer.
Anne Simon (18.3) and
Adrianna Smith (16.4) rank first and second, respectively, among the conference scoring leaders. Smith, who recently moved into eighth on Maine's all-time scoring list with 1,687 points, is just nine points away from moving into seventh on the all-time scoring list and has posted double-digits in each of her last 12 outings. Simon posted a career-high nine assists in Maine's win over UMBC. Simon, who checks in fourth among league leaders in rebounding (7.1), has been equally impressive on the defensive end where she ranks second in the league at 2.6 steals per game including a league-high 3.5 steals per game mark in league competition.
Adrianna Smith, who was named America East Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, ranks among the top-3 on the America East leaderboard in scoring (2nd - 16.4), rebounding (1st - 10.9), and assists (3rd - 4.3). Smith, who posted a new season-high in scoring for the second game in a row (33) and added 12 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season, has posted a double-double in 10 of her last 13 games. In league play, Smith sits atop the leaderboard in both conference scoring (24.8 ppg) and rebounding (12.3). Smith is the only player in the nation averaging over 10 points, over 10 rebounds, and over four assists on the season. Maine has won the rebounding battle in all four of its conference games, and six of its last seven overall, and league the America East in rebounding (37.7).
A LOOK AT NJIT:
The Highlanders have lost their first four conference games and are coming off a 56-50 loss at New Hampshire on Thursday evening. NJIT, 2-6 on the road this season, checks in sixth in the conference in scoring (59.1) and fifth in scoring defense (61.9). NJIT leads the conference in offensive rebounding (12.8) and check in 15th in the country with 5.4 blocks per game. The Highlanders downfall comes in the turnover category where they rank last in the America East with a conference high 18.6 giveaways per game. Alejandra Zuniga leads NJIT in scoring at 15.1 points per game, seventh-best among league leaders, with a 38.5 percent clip from three-point range. Trinity Williams is adding 9.6 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds.
SERIES WITH NJIT:
Maine and NJIT meet for the 10th time in history after the Highlanders joined the America East in the 2020-21 season. Maine owns the all-time series, 5-4, and split the season series a year ago. The Black Bears defeated NJIT, 69-63, on the road before dropping a 56-54 decision at home in the most recent meeting. The Black Bears have won three of the last four meetings. Maine is 3-3 all-time at home in the series. A year ago,
Adrianna Smith poured in a career-high 34 points to go along with 10 rebounds in the road win for the Black Bears and added 23 in the most recent contest. Prior to NJIT joining the league, the two teams met in 2009, a contest won by NJIT in Newark by a score of 63-50. The first-ever meeting came in 2008 where the Black Bears were defeated on their home court, 68-60.
-UMaine-
