ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine women's basketball team (18-12) advanced to the semifinal round of the Air Force Reserve America East Playoffs with a 77-58 victory over No. 7 New Hampshire (10-20) in a quarterfinal showdown on Thursday evening.Â
Maine will appear in the semifinal round for the 12th consecutive season.
The Black Bears will host No. 3 Binghamton in semifinal action on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available and can be purchased at
GoBlackBears.com/Tickets, by phone at 207-581-BEAR, or in-person at the Alfond Arena ticket office.
Adrianna Smith posted her 56th career double-double and ran her double-double streak to nine games after finishing with 35 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Her 35 points were the most in an America East playoff game since 2011.
Sarah Talon added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting while
Lala Woods finished with 11 after hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter to aid Maine's hot start.
The Black Bears, who turned the ball over just one time in the first half, finished the game with just five turnovers while shooting 25-of-52 (48.1), including 8-of-19 from three-point range, to go along with a 19-of-27 showing from the free throw line.Â
Leading by one after the first quarter, the Black Bears would go on to outscore New Hampshire 45-21 in the second and third quarters.Â
Maine, which hit 9-of-13 in the second quarter, opened the stanza with a 22-4 run on 12 points from Smith.Â
Olivia Alvarez's triple extended Maine's lead out to nine. Leading by 12, Smith would put together nine unanswered points as her triple with 2:29 left in the half put the Black Bears on top by 21.
The lead woulds stand at 16, 46-30, at the half.
Maine's defense clamped down in the third, holding New Hampshire to just one field goal in the 10 minute span. Leading by 19 with just over two minutes gone in the quarter, the Black Bears put together a 9-1 run to take their largest lead of the evening, 59-32, late in the third.
The lead would not dip below 19 the rest of the way as the Black Bears cruised to the quarterfinal victory by a final of 77-58.
-UMaine-
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