Strong defensive effort guides Maine to fourth-straight win – University of Maine Athletics

ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine women’s basketball team (12-9, 8-1 AE) continued its recent trend of strong defensive play as the Black Bears continued with a 66-43 victory over Bryant (7-7) Fourth victory. 16, 1-9 AE) on Wednesday evening.

The contest marked the fourth-straight game in which Maine held its opponent to 50 points or fewer, as the Bulldogs mustered only 43 points, a season-low defensive effort by the Black Bears. Bryant, who shot just 28.3 percent (15 of 53) from the floor, was unable to score more than 12 points in a quarter all evening as Maine forced 12 turnovers with nine steals. For the 10th time in their last 11 contests, the Black Bears won by rebounding as the hosts grabbed 43 boards compared to Bryant’s 30.

led by Maine, who was never behind in the game Adriana Smith who recorded his conference leading 12th double-double behind 14 points and 13 rebounds. sera hodgson And Olivia Rockwood Each added 11 points in the win.

An evenly played first quarter led Maine to an 11–10 advantage entering the second period.

The Black Bears turned it around in the second, outscoring the Bulldogs 22–10 in a 10-minute stretch. Maine, leading by six midway through the second, finished the first half on an 11–4 run. Rockwood started the stretch with a triple before back-to-back buckets from Smith gave Maine its first two-point lead of the night, 29–18. lead reached 14 Jesse Christopher Maine entered the half with a 33–20 advantage before three.

The Black Bears continued to charge in the third. With the hosts up by 14, Maine will move into third place on a 6-1 run. Hodgson’s triple put Maine ahead by 17. Sarah Tallon Brown slid through the lane for a pair at the buzzer, stretching the lead to 51–32 after three.

Maine’s lead never went below 18. Smith’s bucket early in the fourth came as part of an early 4-0 swing. abbe lawrence The layup gave Maine its biggest lead of the night, 60–37.

The Black Bears cruised through the fourth, locking up their eighth conference win with a 66–43 decision over Bryant.

Maine returns to work on Saturday, February 4 when it travels to meet UMBC at 2 p.m.

-Umen-