Orono, Maine -- Maine opens the home portion of its America East slate when it hosts the reigning America East Champion Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymasium. It's a Blue Out at The Pit as all fans are encouraged to join the Black Bears in wearing blue for the game.
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 locally in the Bangor market on 92.9 FM.
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LAST TIME OUT:
Lowell, Mass. --
Adrianna Smith posted her 10th double-double of the season as the Black Bears used a 21-8 second quarter scoring surge to defeat UMass Lowell by a final of 55-43 in Thursday evening conference opener.
Smith, who entered the game third in the country in double-doubles, finished the evening with 23 points and a season-high 15 rebounds.
Anne Simon added 12 points and seven rebounds to run her double-figure scoring streak to nine in a row.
Maine's defense held the River Hawks to single digits in both the second (8) and third (6) quarters, holding the hosts to just 14 points in the 20 minute span. The 43 points marked a season low for points surrendered by the Black Bears while Maine also won the rebounding battle, 48-36.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine wrapped up a recent four-game road swing with a 55-43 victory at UMass Lowell. The Black Bears are led by the America East leader in scoring,
Anne Simon, who enters action averaging a league-best 19.3 points per game. Simon, who ranks 34th in the nation in scoring average, has poured in 289 points this season. Her 289 points scored are 15th highest in the nation. Simon, who is riding a nine-game double-digit scoring streak, ranks ninth on Maine's all-time scoring list just 25 points away from moving into eighth. The graduate guard has been a force on the boards where she checks in second among America East leaders at 7.5 rebounds per game to go along with a second-best in the conference 2.2 steals.
Adrianna Smith, coming off her 10th double-double of the season, ranks third in the nation in double-doubles on the year. Smith has posted double-digit scoring in 34 of her last 36 outings while recording a double-double in eight of her last 10 games. Smith ranks in the top-10 among league-leaders in eight categories including points (7th - 14.6) with a league-leading 10.9 rebounds and a second ranking 4.7 assists. On the national level, Smith checks in 10th in rebounds per game and fourth in total rebounds at 163. Over her last four games, Smith is averaging 18.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. The Black Bears lead the league and sit 25th in the country with 26.0 attempts from three-point range per game and rank second among America East leaders with 7.4 triples made per game. Maine has been superb with ball protection, ranking second in the league at 13.7 turnovers per game, also check in as the runners-up in America East at 37.3 rebounds per game. The Black Bears have outrebounded their opposition 11 times this season, going 8-3 when they win the rebounding battle.
A LOOK AT VERMONT:
The Catamounts won the America East regular season and postseason crown a year ago and were selected as the top team in the 2023-24 America East Coaches Poll. Vermont is 7-1 at home this season and 2-2 on the road. The Catamounts are 3-1 in their last four outings including a 67-58 victory at home over New Hampshire in Thursday's conference opener. Vermont is led by Emma Utterback who ranks second in the league in scoring (15.6) and third in assists (4.6). Anna Olson is adding 11.0 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds while Delaney Richason adds 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. Vermont boasts one of the top defenses in the nation, ranking 22nd in the country and second in the America East in scoring defense (54.1). The Catamounts check in 37th nationally and tops in the league with a slim 13.5 turnovers per game. Offensively, Vermont is averaging 57.5 points per game.
SERIES WITH VERMONT:
This meeting will mark the 102nd all-time meeting between the two teams. Vermont won both games a year ago, scoring a 61-52 victory in Orono before a 68-60 win in Burlington to cap the season series. In the last meeting,
Adrianna Smith led all scorers with 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Maine trailed in the contest by as many as 17 before clawing back to tie it in the second half.
Anne Simon missed the game due to injury. Prior to the two losses last season, Maine had won 10-straight with Vermont. The Black Bears currently hold a 65-36 advantage in the all-time series, having won 17 of the last 20 meetings. Since 1985, Maine is 25-12 at home against the Catamounts. Maine last win against Vermont came on Jan. 20, 2022, a 57-37 win at home.
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