The University of Maine split their first two games over the weekend, losing to Bryant University Friday night before returning home to earn their first win of the season against Long Island University at Brooklyn.
Bulldogs take down UMaine in season opener
The Black Bears had their season opener spoiled on a trip to Bryant, falling 65-52. First-year Bryant guard Ivory Bailey had a terrific collegiate debut, scoring a game-high 24 points with seven boards and a pair of steals. Second-year Bulldogs center Morgan Olander recorded a double-double, chipping in 12 points and 10 boards.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 7-2 lead due to four points from third-year guard Tiersa Winder.
Third-year UMaine forward Liz Wood recorded the first five UMaine points, bringing the score to 7-5 with a 3-pointer. Wood finished with 11 points and six assists.
Wood’s three preceded a 4-minute scoring drought for the Black Bears that was brought to an end by a layup from second-year guard Sigi Koizar. Koizar had a team-high 16 points with an assist and a steal.
The Bulldogs used a combination of rebounding and tough defense to cruise to a 36-20 halftime advantage that ended with a 4:40 scoreless streak for the Black Bears.
UMaine opened the second half on a 6-2 run that brought the score to 38-26. It was as close as the Black Bears were able to get for the rest of the game. UMaine was able to outscore the Bulldogs in the second half and scored the final five points of the contest with a layup from Wood and 3-pointer by first-year forward Christiana Gerostergiou.
The Black Bears struggled shooting the ball from beyond the arc, which was a major strength last year, connecting on just 16.7 percent Friday night. The Bulldogs had success from long range, shooting 41.7 percent.
The Bulldogs led the Black Bears 40-31 in rebounds, converting their 13 offensive boards into 14 points.
Black Bears earn first win
The Black Bears took to the court at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Sunday afternoon to take on Long Island University (LIU), winning in overtime 65-59.
Koizar led all scorers with 22 points, pulling down four rebounds and dishing out four assists in 44 minutes of play.
“I think we are being more aggressive on offense and even in our zone defense where we got some steals,” Koizar said.
Turnovers plagued both teams throughout the contest, with the Black Bears committing 33 turnovers while LIU committed 36. The Black Bears were able to take advantage of the giveaways in the first half, scoring eight points to UMaine’s four off of turnovers.
Both teams came out in full-court presses, leading to sloppy offensive play for the first 10 minutes in which both teams struggled to retain possession.
The Blackbirds jumped out to an early 16-13 advantage but third-year forward Mikaela Gustafsson drove the lane and was fouled, making her shot and the free throw to knot things up at 16-16 with 12:36 left to play in the opening stanza.
The Black Bears experienced a 7-minute scoreless streak following Gustafsson’s and one during which the Blackbirds scored four points to take a 20-16 advantage.
Third-year guard Sophie Weckstrom ended the drought by blowing past her defender for an easy layup before being fouled on the next possession and hitting a pair of free throws to tie the game once again at 20-20.
Koizar took over for the Black Bears for the rest of the half, scoring five points in the final 4:30 to lead the Black Bears to a 29-25 halftime lead.
“I thought that Maine played hard from start to finish and I thought that they really never gave up,” LIU head coach Gail Striegler said.
LIU second-year guard Shanovia Dove jump-started the offense in the offense in the second half, scoring six points in the first 5 minutes to give LIU a 34-32 advantage.
Weckstrom hit the lone 3-pointer of the game for the Black Bears 6:03 into the half to take back the lead for UMaine. The Black Bears struggled again from three point range, going just 1-12.
The Blackbirds grinded to a 49-44 advantage with just over 5 minutes left before Wood took over, scoring six straight points to put the Black Bears on top.
The Blackbirds showed tenacity near the end of the game, possessing the ball for 2:15 during which LIU pulled down seven offensive rebounds to keep their hopes alive. A technical foul by Wood allowed second-year Brianna Farris to convert a free throw before third-year forward Jolanna Ford sliced through the lane and hit a layup to tie it at 52-52.
Weckstrom converted a pair of free throws with under a minute left to give UMaine the advantage but third-year guard Sophie Bhasin hit a layup to send the game to overtime.
“There were a lot of times when something bad happened and we could have just shut down and I think our team did a really good job today with fighting back,” Wood said.
Koizar opened the overtime period with an and-one layup, knocking down the free throw for a three point lead. The Blackbirds took a 59-58 lead thanks to a 3-pointer from Brianna Farris but the UMaine free throw shooting was solid down the stretch. A 3-pointer from Dove that would have knotted things hit off the back iron and ensured the UMaine win.
“I thought there was some toughness that we hadn’t showed two nights before and I told them I was going to be a mean, ugly coach today,” Barron said. “And I was.”
The Black Bears travel to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for their third game of the season Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.