Orono, Maine -- For the second consecutive season, Maine (5-8) opens its conference schedule against UMass Lowell (2-10) when the two teams meet at the Costello Athletic Center on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m.
Maine, the defending America East champs selected first in the America East preseason poll, has won seven-straight conference openers and eight of its last nine. Maine is 17-10 in conference openers dating back to the league's start in the 1996-97 season.
Broadcast Details: Thursday's game will be live streamed on ESPN+. The games can also be heard on 92.9 FM in the Bangor region and worldwide on the Black Bears Sports Network.
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LAST TIME OUT:
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team showcased impressive offensive execution and a strong defensive effort in a 66-55 win over Coppin State (9-7) to conclude the FDU Christmas Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Maine continued its hot shooting with 15 of its 22 made field goals coming from beyond the arc as
Caroline Bornemann and
Caroline Dotsey each tallied 17 points in the victory. For Dotsey, the scoring performance marked her third straight game in double-digits.
Olivia Rockwood added 11 points with three triples.
Defensively, the Black Bears forced 22 turnovers and held Coppin State to 18-of-47 from the floor and just 2-of-11 from three point range. Maine posted 36 points off turnovers.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Maine begins conference play in search of its 20th America East regular season title a year after capturing the crown with a conference mark of 14-2. Maine is led by
Caroline Bornemann who ranks 10th in the league in scoring at 10.9 points per game, with double-figures in seven of Maine's 13 outings. Bornemann, who ranks fifth in the league at 7.2 reboundfs per game has tallied seven or more rebounds in seven games with four double-doubles. Bornemann stands just eight rebounds why of 600 for her career.
Caroline Dotsey has provided a spark of the bench for the Black Bears with double-figure scoring in six of her last seven, including each of her last three. Dotsey ranks 18th in the league in scoring at 10.0 points per game and is averaging 15.2 points over her last seven.
Asta Blauenfeldt has posted double-digit scoring and at least three triples in four of her last five outings, averaging 13.4 points over the span. Her 3.1 assists rank fifth among league leaders while she leads Maine with a 48.7 percent clip from three-point range. Â
Maine has hit 40 triple in its last three outings, averaging 13.3 per game over the stretch, including a school record 19 in the win over Bates. Maine ranks 22nd in the country and tops in America East at 9.1 triples per game and 20th in the country with 27.3 attempts per game. Maine's 33.2 percent mark from beyond the mark is second best in America East.
A LOOK AT UMASS LOWELL:
The River Hawks have dropped each of their last two meetings and enter play 1-4 on their home court. UMass Lowell, in the midst of a five-game homestand, is led by Rayne Durant who is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Abbey Lindsey is adding 10.3 points while Maddie Rice is chipping in 7.8 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds. The River Hawks as a unit have struggled to score the ball, ranking last in America East and 348th out of 353 Division-I teams at 48.4 points per game. Defensively, the River Hawks rank eighth out of nine in the conference allowing 63.1 points per outing.
SERIES WITH UMASS LOWELL:
Maine and UMass Lowell are meeting for the 25th time in history. Maine, 22-2 all-time against the River Hawks, won the first 13 games of the head-to-head series. Maine has won six-straight in the head-to-head series. Since the River Hawks joined the America East in 2013, Maine is 9-1 on the road in the all-time series. The first-ever meeting between the two teams came on Jan. 23, 2014, a 75-66 victory by the Black Bears in Lowell. Maine and UMass Lowell have met twice in the America East postseason, with Maine winning each meeting. The Black Bears bested UMass Lowell by a final of 49-43 in the quarterfinals a year ago and took down the River Hawks in the 2020 semifinals.
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