The University of Maine men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams travelled to Bryant University to compete in a dual meet on Bryant’s senior day. The women’s side had a strong day, taking down Bryant 134-128, while the men’s team struggled, falling 184-78.

Men’s team comes up short

Third-year Matt England continued his season of dominance, taking first place in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events. He also captured second place in the 200-yard backstroke.

Fourth-year Ryan Fahey competed well in his last meet, taking first in the 200-yard butterfly and third in the 200-yard breaststroke.

The Bulldogs were led by fourth-year Graham Beck, who took home a pair of victories in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke. Second-year Pierre Le Guyader, first-year Ben Schulte and third-year Joshua Bjonberg each won two events for Bryant as well.

The big event for Bryant was the 50 meter freestyle, which they took the top three spots in, led by Le Guyader.

Harvey, Murray come up big for UMaine

The women’s team was able to come away with a big win by a slim margin. The Black Bears were led by fourth-year Naja Harvey, who took first in two individual events and was part of two first-place relay teams.

The 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays were strong points for the Black Bears, as they took first in both races. The 200-yard freestyle relay was one of the closest races of the day, with the Black Bears pulling out a victory by less than half of a second. The freestyle relay team was comprised of Harvey, second-year Katerina Mosquera-Cardi, second-year Tessa Lindsley and first-year Emily Borger.

Second-year UMaine swimmer Emily Dowd took first in an otherwise Bulldog-dominated 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:51, edging out Bryant first-year Nicole Salzano by under four seconds.

The Bulldogs got strong contributions from fourth-year Mara Valenzuela, who won a pair of events for the third meet in a row. Salzano also took a pair of first-place finishes in addition to her second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle.

University of Maine second-year guard Sigi Koizar isn’t the loudest or biggest player on the team, but she’s one of the most talented.

Koizar is enjoying a fantastic sophomore campaign, much of which is due to a summer of training and competitive play overseas.

Ever since playing for the Austrian national team last summer, Koizar has been noticeably more aggressive on the court.

“I think Sigi really had a breakthrough moment this summer when she was playing for her national team back home in the women’s division,” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said. “She had 35 points in the small country championship.”

Her newfound aggressiveness started before the summer, at the end of her first year at UMaine.

Koizar believes that her confidence on the court goes hand-in-hand with her play this season.

“[Confidence] started at the end of last year,” Koizar said. “The seniors were leaving and all of a sudden I wasn’t a freshman anymore, so it was a different mindset this year.”

The interesting thing is Koizar had a good first year, averaging 4.9 points per game and seing action in all 32 games.

This year, the change in her approach and improved play is evident in every game. Koizar hasn’t missed a start and is averaging 13.3 points per game in conference play, good enough for ninth in the America East. She is also just under five rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

The women’s basketball team has strong upperclassman leadership from fourth-year guard Courtney Anderson and third-year forward Liz Wood, but that doesn’t mean that Koizar isn’ta leader in her own right. She is described by her coach as a “leader by example,” whose consistency and work ethic help set the tone for her team.

Koizar came to the United States from her home country of Austria as an exchange student in her junior year of high school. She stayed with her host family in Millinocket, Maine and, after returning to Austria for her senior year, decided to attend UMaine to play basketball.

“I like the landscape of it,” Koizar said. “I don’t like the cold, that’s for sure. But it’s nice, rural. Quiet.”

While many European basketball players struggle with being away from their family, Koizar has found a home with her host family in Millinocket. Her host family attends every home game and their three-year-old can often be seen on the court after the game dancing with the team.

“Whenever people go home, I go home to Millinocket,” Koizar said.

After her time as a biology student at UMaine is done, it is likely that Koizar will return to Austria. As much as she has been enjoying her time in Maine, travelling will likely be her next move.

“I thought it would be cool to play overseas in Europe,” she said. “I still want to go to school after this but probably somewhere in Europe. It would be fun to go to school there and play basketball at the same time.”

When pressed for her favorite moment from her time at UMaine, Koizar doesn’t talk about the 23 points she had at Stony Brook University or the double-double she recorded when the Black Bears hosted Binghamton University last week. Instead, her favorite moments come from when she sees her team play together.

“There were times when our defense works really well and the other team can’t score or when your offense comes together and gets an easy layup with five seconds left on the shot clock,” Koizar said. “That’s when I feel the best.”

As for the team, Koizar credits them with helping her adjust to the different style of basketball played in the United States. With the Black Bears sitting at third in the conference, Koizar knows that they have a chance to do something special.

“We’ve just got to give it everything we’ve got and whatever happens, happens.”

Depth and consistency have been key factors in the University of Maine women’s basketball team’s early success this season. These factors were highlighted in their fourth straight victory, this time against Binghamton University by a score of 70-48. The Black Bears improve their record to 12-6 and 4-1 in the America East Conference.

Second-year guard Sigi Koizar paced the Black Bears with a game-high 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Third-year forward Liz Wood had a double-double as well, chipping in 16 points and taking down 11 boards of her own.

The Bearcats were led by a youthful backcourt. First-year guards Imani Watkins and Jasmine Sina both had a team-high 14 points. Binghamton also received a strong contribution from fourth-year forward Sherae Swinson, who chipped in 10 points and brought down 10 boards.

UMaine got off to a fast start with a 7-0 sprint to start the game. The Bearcats battled back thanks to solid play by third-year guard Kim Albrecht, who finished the game with ten points.

The Black Bears took an 11-point lead late in the first frame, largely thanks to the efforts of third-year forward Mikaela Gustaffson. Gustaffson chipped in 12 points off of the bench for UMaine, including a couple of big jump shots in the end of the first half.

UMaine shot the ball well, connecting on 49 percent of their shots from the field as opposed to 36 percent from the Bearcats.

UMaine went into the half with a 33-24 advantage.

Offense was not hard to come by in the beginning of the second half, with both teams coming out of the locker rooms firing. Third-year guard Sophie Weckstrom knocked down two of her three three-pointers in the game to extend the UMaine lead to 12.

UMaine dominated on the boards, outrebounding Binghamton 38-31. They were also efficient from beyond the arc, shooting a healthy 39 percent.

The Black Bears locked down defensively, holding Binghamton scoreless for two three-minute droughts down the stretch to lock up their twelfth victory of the season.

UMaine now sits at third in the America East Conference, trailing just the University at Albany and the University of New Hampshire.

They return to action Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. when they host the University of Vermont at the Cross Insurance Center.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team has gotten off to a slow start this season and most recently dropped a pair of contests against the University of Massachusetts and Sacred Heart University last week. The Black Bears fall to 3-3 on the season.

Minutemen take down UMaine

Despite a quick start Wednesday night, the Black Bears fell 68-60 to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Minutemen got their first win of the season, moving to 1-2.

The Minutemen shot an efficient 57.1 percent from the field, while the Black Bears got 39 percent with 17 more shots.

Third-year forward Bella Swan got the UMaine offense going, scoring four early points to give the Black Bears a 9-2 lead.

The Minutemen responded when first-year guard Leah McDerment hit a momentum changing layup and was fouled on the play. McDerment’s and-one start jump-started the UMass offense,

UMass went on a 12-0 run after the and-one to take a 21-13 advantage. Third-year UMaine guard Sophie Weckstrom stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark. Weckstrom struggled from the field, going 2-10 for six points and a team-high four assists.

UMaine shot a season-high 36 three-pointers, connecting on 11 of them.

The Black Bears kept the score close for the rest of the first frame and cut the lead down to four when second-year guard Sigi Koizar nailed a three pointer to make it 29-25. Second-year UMass guard responded seconds later with a three of her own to send UMass into halftime up by seven points.

Koizar led the Black Bears with eight of her 12 points coming in the first half for her third double-digit scoring game in a row.

The Minutemen started out the second half with six quick points before the Black Bears could score. They continued to extend their lead, reaching a game-high 16-point lead at 5:38, 58-52.

Fourth-year UMass forward Kim Pierre-Louis and Rashida Timbilla were the stars of the game for the Minutemen. Pierre-Louis dropped a game-high 19 points and pulled down seven boards while Timbilla chipped in 14 points on six of eight shooting and grabbed five rebounds with six assists.

The Minutemen dominated down low, outscoring the Black Bears 34-16 in the paint while pulling down 32 rebounds to the Black Bears’ 24.

The Black Bears pulled within eight points with first-year Christiana Gerostergiou hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left but it was not enough.

Sacred Heart outlasts Black Bears

Third-year center Anna Heise had her most successful game of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing three rebounds Sunday in a tight 59-58 loss to Sacred Heart Sunday afternoon.

Redshirt junior forward Hannah Kimmel led all offensive players with 28 points, six boards and five assists in the winning effort. Kimmel used a combination of deadly outside shooting, 5-10 from beyond the arc, and dominant post play to stymie the Black Bear defense.

Both teams traded leads for much of the first half, with neither side able to muster more than a four point lead until there were three minutes left to play in the frame.

Third-year sharpshooter Lauren Bodine nailed back-to-back three pointers to put UMaine up 28-21 in the first half. Bodine finished with 12 points on 4-14 shooting and a pair of assists.

Sacred Heart finished the first half with a 6-0 run that was punctuated with a three from Kimmel, closing the Black Bear lead to 28-27 at halftime.

Kimmel picked up where she left off in the second half, scoring five points on a 9-0 Sacred Heart run to take a 36-29 lead.

Heise got the Black Bears back into the game, hitting a free throw and following it up by a 3-pointer. Bodine knocked down a transition three just 1 minute later, cutting the Sacred Heart lead to one with 12 minutes left to play.

“We’ve certainly felt that she has been capable of having this kind of game for quite a while,” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said.

Sacred Heart extended their lead to five with 7 minutes left on a pair of Kimmel free throws. Koizar took control shortly after, stepping up and nailing a 3-pointer and driving past her defender for a layup to tie it up at 50-50. Koizar had another strong showing, scoring nine points and bringing down four rebounds.

Sacred Heart was down 59-58 with 5 seconds left when Kimmel was left alone under the basket, where she converted a layup to take the lead.

The Black Bears called a timeout and inbounded it to Koizar near half court, who drove past three defenders and got a good look at a layup that rolled off of the rim as time expired.

UMaine will take to the court when they host Brown University Nov. 28 at 3 p.m.

In the first of two road games for the week, the University of Maine men’s basketball team fell to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders in a hotly contested contest, 86-90 on Monday night. Friday night, the Black Bears fell again, albeit in a dramatically different kind of game as Central Michigan stymied the Black Bear offense, cruising to a 48-76 victory. UMaine fell one last time Sunday morning vs. Valparaiso University 90-73. With the three losses, the Black Bears fell to 0-4 on the season.

Highlanders outlast Black Bears

Monday night reflected what is expected early in the season: up and down, high-tempo, sloppy basketball. Both teams were able to find the basket with relative ease but also proved turnover prone. This especially hurt the Black Bears who gave the ball away 18 times.

The teams battled fairly evenly throughout the game, with neither team pulling away by much. In the first half Maine managed to establish its largest lead of the half at 35-31 after a three pointer from fourth-year forward Zarko Valjarevic as the half was nearing an end, but six straight points by the Highlanders to end the first half gave them a slight 36-35 halftime advantage.

The game continued to be a seesaw contest, though NJIT enjoyed the upper hand in the second half. The Highlanders established their largest lead of the night with 3:18 left, 81-73.

The Black Bears responded, and closed the half to two at 86-84 with 41 seconds to play after a 3-pointer by third-year guard Shaun Lawton. Nevertheless, NJIT was able to make its free-throws and escape the late-game scare.

Lawton scored 20 and third-year forward Ethan Mackey chipped in 18 to lead the charge for the Black Bears. Both players also shot well, with Lawton going 8-9 from the field and Mackey shooting 7-9. Fourth-year forward Zarko Valjarevic also put up strong numbers for the Black Bears, nearly recording a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Third-year guard Winfield Willis, who scored 20 points and went 7-10 from the field, led the NJIT offense. He received strong contributions from fellow third-year guard Ky Howard, who registered an impressive 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals on the night.

UMaine struggles at Central Michigan

The Black Bears were plagued by poor shooting — quite the opposite from Monday’s game. UMaine shot a disappointing 20-54 from the field, a woeful 3-18 from deep and struggled from the charity stripe, 5-13. Though other aspects of their play improved, notably turnovers, the Black Bears cut down their turnovers and actually won that battle 13 to 16.

UMaine got off to a strong start, with an early lead and control of the contest. But the last ten minutes of the first half defined the game as Central Michigan exploded. They finished the half up 44-21.

The second half saw a more competitive Black Bears squad that kept the game from completely spiraling out of control. It was a back and forth contest, with the Central Michigan outscoring the Black Bears just 32-27 in the final 20 minutes of play. Still, the damage had been done and the Black Bears fell 48-76. Besides shooting woes, the Black Bears also had to deal with an unproductive bench which chimed in just 14 points.

Second-year forward Marko Pirovic led the Black Bears with 11 points and six rebounds, the only UMaine player to score in single-digits. Lawton contributed nine points, four steals, and three rebounds.

Central Michigan was led by an impressive performance from third-year forward John Simmons who scored a game-high 17 points thanks to a perfect night from the field, shooting 6-6 from the field including 5-5 from deep. He also snagged five rebounds.

UMaine plays Valparaiso next on Sunday morning to close up its participation in the Central Michigan Tournament.

UMaine falls to Crusaders

The Black Bears struggled Sunday morning, falling to the Valparaiso Crusaders. Second-year forward Alec Peters stole the show, dropping 31 points and grabbing six boards to lead all scorers.

The lone bright spot for the Black Bears was Lawton, who led the team with 16 points and dished out a pair of assists.

The Crusaders jumped out to an early 13-2 lead before missing a shot. They extended their lead to 17-2 before the Black Bears could respond.

First-year guard Kevin Little stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer. Little had a career-high 15 points including 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc with four rebounds.

Valparaiso cruised to an easy 53-28 halftime advantage.

Calixte got UMaine started in the second half by hitting a lay-up and getting fouled for a three-point play. Peters responded with a three-pointer to kill the UMaine momentum,
The Black Bears kept pace for the second half, outscoring the Crusaders 42-40 in the second frame though it would not be enough to make a game of it.

UMaine returns to the hardwood Nov. 30 when they travel to Northern Illinois University.

The University of Maine football team gave No. 1 University of New Hampshire everything they could handle Saturday afternoon, but fell 20-12. The Black Bears finish out their season at 5-6 and 4-4 in Colonial Athletic Conference play, while the Wildcats finish atop the CAA with a 10-1 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in conference.

The UMaine defense forced six UNH turnovers in three fumbles and three interceptions, constantly bailing out a Black Bears offense that couldn’t get any momentum going. UMaine first-year quarterback Drew Belcher dealt with a struggling offensive line, going 11-25 for just 92 yards, an interception and a rushing touchdown.

The UMaine offense was inefficient, gaining just 11 first downs and 179 total yards of offense.

On the other side of the ball, third-year quarterback Sean Goldrich threw for 169 yards and a score while rushing for 26 yards and a touchdown and tossing three picks.

The Black Bears got on the board first when third-year linebacker Giovanni Goncalves picked off a poor throw from Goldrich on the first offensive play for the Wildcats, giving the Black Bears field position at their own 41 yard line.

First-year tailbacks Jerickson Fedrick and Nigel Beckford led the Black Bears down the field, resulting in a 31-yard from third-year kicker Sean Decloux for an early 3-0 UMaine advantage. Fedrick led the UMaine offense with 42 rushing yards on six carries.

Special teams, a huge strength in the UMaine upset of Richmond University two weeks ago, came up big on the ensuing kickoff when first-year Benjamin Davis forced a fumble that was recovered by fourth-year Khari Al-Mateen, keeping the high-powered UNH offense off of the field.

The Black Bears were unable to convert on the turnover, missing the 45-yard field goal.

The Wildcats took the lead on their first drive of the second quarter, marching 53 yards for a 5-yard touchdown run from fourth-year running back Nico Steriti. The two-point conversion failed, giving UNH a 6-3 lead.

UMaine didn’t give themselves a chance to responded, as fourth-year wide receiver Damarr Aultman fumbled on an end-around that was picked up by UNH on the first play of their drive. Aultman struggled, failing to record a catch and later in the quarter watching a long pass that would have been a sure touchdown fall through his hands.

UNH had a chance to score on their next possession, earning first-and-10 and the UMaine 3-yard line. Goldrich passed for no gain and an incompletion before getting it to the UMaine 1-yard line. On fourth down, Steriti rushed it up the middle but was stopped as the UMaine “Black Hole” defense held.

Goldrich showed his playmaking ability with 7:05 left when he hit fourth-year Jimmy Giansante for a 41-yard run and catch for a touchdown. They converted the two-point conversion for a 11-point lead.

The Wildcats threatened again at the end of the half but Goldrich was intercepted by third-year linebacker Cabrinni Goncalves at the UMaine two-yard line to send UNH into the half with a 14-3 advantage.

Neither offense could gain much momentum in the third quarter. Decloux connected on a 28-yarder before Goldrich led the Wildcats on a methodical 5-minute, 88-yard drive that he capped off himself with a 1-yard rush. The extra point missed, keeping the Black Bears at arm’s length through three quarters.

The Black Bears would not go down without a fight. Belcher led them on a 56-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run that brought the score back to a 20-12 UNH lead.

The UNH defense stepped up late, when fourth-year safety Nick Cefalo picked off Belcher on the final drive of the game to ensure the 20-12 victory for the Wildcats.

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.

The University of Maine men’s basketball team started their season out on a sour note, dropping their first game 99-57 to Butler University. The Black Bears were embarrassed by the University of Southern Maine in their first exhibition game before taking down Husson University to round out their preseason.

Butler has been a perennial contender in college basketball, making it to the NCAA Tournament Final Four twice and earning 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Bulldogs shot an efficient 71.9 percent from the field and dominated the paint, where they scored 64 of their 99 points.

The Black Bears could not keep pace with Butler offensively, shooting just 38.9 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers to Butler’s 12.

UMaine fourth-year forward Zarko Valjarevic led the way for the Black Bears, pouring in 12 points and pulling down six rebounds. First-year guard Aaron Calixte played well, matching Valjarevic’s 12 points and dishing out a pair of assists while recording two steals.

Four Bulldogs recorded double-digits points. Fourth-year guard Kellen Dunham led all scorers with 18 points while third-year Roosevelt Jones facilitated the offense, dishing out nine assists and chipping in 14 points with four rebounds.

The score stood at a 7-4 Butler lead 4 minutes into the contest before the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run led by six points and a steal from Jones.

Valjarevic was fouled on a 3-point shot as time expired in the first half and hit all three of his free throws, but Butler cruised to a 43-27 halftime advantage.

Dunham jump-started the Bulldogs offense in the second half, hitting two straight 3-pointers. A pair of Butler dunks gave the Bulldogs a 10-point run and 53-27 advantage.

The Black Bears fought back, scoring seven straight points highlighted by a Calixte steal that led to a Valjarevic transition 3-pointer that brought the score to 53-34 Butler lead.

Butler’s defense locked down, holding the Black Bears scoreless for 3 minutes, during which time Butler scored 10 straight points.

The Black Bears couldn’t get any closer, with second-year guard Trey Pettus ending the game with a  3-pointer.

The game in Indiana was a good learning experience for a young UMaine team that is looking to find a way to be a competitive Division I basketball team.

The Black Bears will travel to the New Jersey Institute of Technology for their second game of the year Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.

First-year tailback Nigel Beckford had the best day of his young collegiate career Saturday as he rushed for 104 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns to lead the University of Maine to their third-straight victory over Elon University, 24-17.

UMaine’s offense was humming, out gaining the Phoenix 387-177. The defense was stout, allowing just 1.2 yards per rush and 4.4 yards per pass attempt.

Elon took an early 7-0 lead when first-year quarterback Drew Belcher was picked off by second-year defensive back Adrian McClendon, who returned it 30 yards for the score.

The Black Bears responded with 5 minutes left in the first quarter with a 14 play, 73-yard drive that was punctuated by a two-yard Beckford run to tie things up at 7-7.

Fourth-year wide receiver Damarr Aultman gave the Black Bears the lead at the beginning of the second quarter, hauling in a short four-yard pass from Belcher to give UMaine the 14-7 advantage. Aultman caught a game-high seven passes for 47 yards and a touchdown, moving him up to third all-time on the University of Maine receiving yards leaderboard.

Belcher was efficient in the contest, completing 18 of 27 passes for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His two interceptions were the only turnovers of the game for the Black Bears.

Elon blocked a Black Bear punt on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Phoenix field position on the UMaine 18-yard line. The UMaine defense stood strong, holding Elon to a field goal to send the Black Bears into halftime with a 14-10 lead.

UMaine third-year kicker Sean Decloux connected on a 42-yard field goal on UMaine’s first possession of the second half to push the Black Bear advantage to 17-10 for the only scoring of the third quarter.

Belcher added 92 yards on the ground, carrying 22 times for 92 yards. The Black Bears outgained the Phoenix 196-24 on the ground.

Beckford had a beautiful catch-and-run off of a screen pass from Belcher to ice the game for the Black Bears at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The gain went for 29 yards and gave UMaine a two-score lead, 24-10.

Elon wouldn’t back down, with fourth-year quarterback Mike Quinn completing a 17-yard touchdown pass to fourth-year wideout Kierre Brown to make it a one-score game. Brown completed just 13 of 35 passes for 153 yards and a score, throwing two interceptions.

Brown had a game-high 88 yards on five receptions and the Phoenix’ lone touchdown reception.

The Phoenix had one last opportunity when Belcher threw an interception with just  more than 6 minutes left. Elon began to drive down the field when fourth-year Axel Ofori Jr. intercepted a deep pass thrown by Quinn.

The Black Bears’ defense held one more time when Elon took over on its own 17-yard line with just over two minutes left to give UMaine the 24-17 win.

UMaine will play their final game of the season when they host the University of New Hampshire Saturday, Nov. 22 for Senior Day.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team had their final tune-ups Monday night when they hosted the University of New Brunswick for an exhibition. The Black Bears won their second exhibition contest 80-34 of the season and appear ready for the 2014-2015 season to begin.

Defensive pressure highlighted the first half for UMaine in which they put full-court pressure on the Varsity Reds, forcing 18 of their 31 turnovers.

Third-year forward Liz Wood led the way for the Black Bears, scoring a game-high 15 points and swiped five steals while pulling down four boards.

Second-year guard Sigi Koizar had a terrific game, scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists with a pair of steals.

The Black Bears never trailed Monday night and jumped out to an early 9-0 lead. At one point UMaine led 23-8 but saw New Brunswick crawl back to make it a 11 point game, though it was the closest they would get for the rest of the game.

Wood made a pair of layups and Sigi Koizar, followed by a 3-pointer from third-year guard Sophie Weckstrom to open things up. Weckstrom scored eight points off the bench and chipped in an assist and a steal.

The Black Bears took a commanding 42-18 lead into the second half, punctuated by a 3-pointer from third-year sharpshooter Lauren Bodine.

UMaine head coach Richard Barron called off the full-court press in the second half, opting to let his defense get set. The results were 13 turnovers and holding New Brunswick to a 27.3 percent field goal percentage. New Brunswick finished with a 31.7 percent on field goals, while the Black Bears shot 48.5 percent and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc.

“I think we played well in the half-court zone,” Wood said. “I thought we forced a lot of shot clock violations in the first half that we can really start to take advantage of.”

The Black Bears featured five young players in their final 10 minutes of play, including third-year transfer Bella Swan and second-year forward Sheraton Jones.

“Of course, there were things that made me want to pull my hair out,” Barron said. “But I thought they did well and thought they did well playing together.”

Jones led the way, scoring 10 points and showing a nose for the ball, pulling down seven rebounds and recording a steal in just 8 minutes of play.

UMaine outscored the Varsity Reds 38-16 in the second half, cruising to their 46-point victory.

Second-year New Brunswick guard Laura Kaye led the scoring for the Varsity Reds, chipping in seven points and pulling down five boards but committing a game-high seven turnovers.

Turnovers were the story of the game, with 27 of UMaine’s 80 points coming off of New Brunswick miscues. The Black Bears, on the other hand, committed just 11 turnovers and saw the Varsity Reds convert them into seven points.