In typical NBA action, the beginning of the 2019-20 season has already delivered several overtime games, buzzer-beaters and even a few record-setting performances. Through four games, the Philadelphia 76ers stand atop the league as the only undefeated squad. Although four games out of the 82 in the season may not seem like much, the amount of action that can take place within that span can have drastic effects.

Case in point, injuries have already wiped out the league’s greatest threat for the past half-decade: the Golden State Warriors. Head coach Steve Kerr announced that shooting guard Klay Thompson will be kept on the shelf for this year, eyeing a return to the hardwood for the 2020-21 season. To make matters worse, point guard Steph Curry is out for at least three months after he broke his left hand in Golden State’s loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Oct. 30. With a purge of talent in the offseason to clear cap space, the Warriors sport only guard D’Angelo Russell and center Draymond Green as their true starters, with the remainder being unproven bench players. With the Warriors out of the way, the league shakes up quite a bit.

A rematch of the eastern conference divisional-round game from this past NBA postseason, the Boston Celtics played host to the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 30. Boston found themselves down the majority of the game, with Bucks’ stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton scoring 22 and 26 points with ease throughout the first 45 minutes of action. Boston found their rhythm late in the third quarter though, rattling off multiple buckets to turn the tide heading into the fourth. After being down by 13 points in the third, the Celtics held a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Boston didn’t look back, continuing to roll on offense to their eventual 116-105 victory. 

The Celtics moved to four straight wins after a tough loss to the 76ers in the first game of the regular season, and appear to be quite the formidable opponent in the eastern conference. In this game against the Bucks, offseason acquisition and former All-Star point guard Kemba Walker paced Boston on offense with 32 points. Both shooting guard Jayson Tatum and small forward Gordon Hayward turned in solid performances of their own, scoring 25 and 21 points respectively. If Boston’s deep bench can continue to come together under head coach Brad Stevens, this squad could be reminiscent of the late 2000s San Antonio Spurs.

The main event, though not everyone was prepared for it, came in a showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, Nov. 1. Point guard Luka Doncic and power forward Kristaps Porzingis made quick work of the Lakers’ defensive scheme through the first quarter, building a steady lead through 15 minutes of action. However, the chemistry between power forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis on the other end of the floor outshined the Mavericks’ duo. On the opening play of the night, James caught the ball off the tip-off, drove to the basket, and laid up a beautiful lob for Davis, who slammed the ball home for two. 

The Lakers caught up by halftime, and the whole second half saw both teams trade the lead consistently. In the final seconds with the Mavericks up by three, James drove to the basket and dished a pass out to shooting guard Danny Green, who made the three-point shot at the sound of the buzzer, sending the game into overtime. In the extra minutes, Los Angeles rode their momentum to overpower the young Dallas squad. James and Doncic each carried their squads, finishing with eerily similar stat lines, including at least 30 points and 15 assists each.

Across the locker room in Los Angeles, the Clippers continue to be a quiet but strong presence in the western conference. With such a plethora of talent and depth on their bench, stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George can take nights off as they trust their team to get the victory. Don’t look for the Clippers to have the best record in the West, but look for them to be the team that steamrolls in the playoffs. James and Doncic may have the capability to carry their squad past the Clippers in the regular season but in a seven-game series Leonard and George will take over. 

With all of that being said, this season is still quite young, and as Golden State has shown, injuries can turn an annual contender into one of the worst teams in the league. The Clippers’ resting strategy will leave them the healthiest at the end of the regular season, outside of Boston, and the two deepest rosters in the league could be the last two standing come next summer.

The University of Maine women’s soccer team has had a wild beginning to their season already, facing off against three teams this week, resulting in three victories. The Black Bears played the Bryant University Bulldogs on Sunday, Sept. 1, the Saint Peter’s University Peacocks Wednesday, Sept. 4, and the Merrimack College Warriors Saturday, Sept. 7. 

The first game of the week was played at home and saw little action in terms of scoring. Both teams played extremely hard defense, with some action seen by both keepers. The Bulldogs had more shots on net in the first minutes of the game, however, this soon evened out. About 35 minutes into the game, Maine scored off a penalty kick. Fourth-year midfielder Emilie Andersen took the shot and found the back of the net. The rest of the game saw Maine lockdown on defense, limiting Bryant’s shots on goal to a single attempt in the second half. Maine came out of the second half with a 1-0 win.

Maine played their second game of the season in Jersey City, New Jersey against the Peacocks. Maine came out dominating the field, finding many opportunities, but failing to land a shot on goal. That was until the 20-minute mark when Andersen crossed the ball into the box off a corner kick to find second-year defender Susannah Gaines. Gaines placed the ball off of an expertly timed header into the net. This put Maine up 1-0. Maine scored their second goal just minutes into the second half. The goal was scored by second-year midfielder Hannah Bamford. The assist came from second-year forward Emma Donovan who saw an open Bamford for the well-placed goal.

Maine faced Merrimack College in their third game of the season at home. In an exciting contest, the Merrimack Warriors led the entire first half despite the 3-1 final score. The first half saw the Black Bears take more shots; however, they couldn’t get past fourth-year goalkeeper Erin Fulton. The lone goal for the Warriors was scored by third-year forward Taylor Robertson at the 30-minute mark. The score remained for the rest of the half, with Merrimack going into halftime on top. During halftime Maine pulled together and returned to the field ready for a come back. The first goal of the second half was made by fourth-year forward Kayla Brace. Brace’s goal tied the game and started the momentum that would win Maine the game. The goal was scored at the 69-minute mark by second-year forward Gaby Panagakos and assisted by fourth-year Forward Nicole Bailey. This goal was then followed by another just two minutes later to put Maine up by two goals with 20 minutes left. This goal was scored by second-year midfielder Julia Mahoney and assisted by Bamford. The huge goal put Maine in a comfortable spot and ended the scoring for the night with Maine walking away with a third straight win. 

The next game will be away in Poughkeepsie, New York on Thursday, Sept. 12. The team will be playing Marist College and will be looking for a fourth straight win. Marist College is 2-2, with a home-field advantage, making exciting stakes for the contest.

On Saturday, April 6, the final four faced off to determine the final two teams for college basketball’s March Madness. First-seeded Virginia faced off against fifth-seeded Auburn, while second-seeded Michigan State played third seed Texas Tech. Both games lived up to the NCAA excitement, with the first game going down to the buzzer.

The most exciting upset was Michigan State’s win over Duke. The consistently strong Blue Devils were predicted by many to go all the way with their seemingly overpowered bench and star first-year player Zion Williamson. Despite this, the already weakened Michigan State team played their hearts out in a game that will go down in NCAA history. The entire game went back and forth, but with 30 seconds left, fourth-year forward Kenny Goins drained a bucket from beyond the arc for Michigan State, giving them the two-point lead. Duke struggled to get the ball in the basket in these last seconds, and Duke’s first-year forward R.J. Barrett was forced to take foul shots to tie the game. Unfortunately, he missed both shots, and the Spartans outrebounded the Blue Devils to snag the ball and run out the clock.

Sadly, this win streak didn’t last long, however, as they struggled in their game against Texas Tech. The Spartans couldn’t stop the hot hands of the Red Raiders. Texas Tech had just gone through two upsets, defeating the former first seed, Gonzaga, and the second seed, Michigan University. The momentum pushed Texas Tech through to the finals beating the Spartans 61-51.

Before this game, Auburn and Virginia faced off in a talented matchup. Auburn, seemingly on a path to defeat all in their way, had blown past fourth-seeded Kansas, first-seeded University of North Carolina and second-seeded Kentucky. Virginia, however, faced multiple low seeded teams, and faced their only true opponent in third seeded Perdue. Riding the momentum from their multiple upsets, Auburn charged onto the court against Virginia. However, Virginia proved their easy path to the Final Four didn’t overlook their first seed status and talent level, playing down to the wire against Auburn.

In an incredibly close contest between evenly matched opponents, Virginia was finally able to start building a lead in the second half. Auburn rallied late in the half, slashing Virginia’s lead and eventually leading by four points themselves. Virginia’s fourth-year guard Kyle Guy stole the game with a clutch shot from behind the arc to lower the deficit to one. With little time, Virginia fouled Auburn’s third-year guard Jared Harper forcing free throws. Harper made the first but missed the second, giving Virginia a chance not only to tie, but to win as well. With just a second left Guy pulled up from beyond the arc once more to win the game, but ultimately missed. He was fouled on the shot, sending him to the foul line to take three shots. Guy pulled through for the Virginia Cavaliers, draining all three shots, leaving no time on the clock as Virginia advanced to the national championship game.

The final game will be played Monday, April 8, at 9:20 p.m. between Virginia and Texas Tech. Both teams are sure to give it their all, and hopefully it will be just as much of a nail biter as the rest of the games in the tournament.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team added more wins to their conference record this week as they faced off in back to back away games against the University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks and the Binghamton University Bearcats. The women’s team has a record of 15-1 against teams in the America East Conference, giving them the first seed heading into the America East Tournament.

Their first contest of the week was against the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Black Bears struggled in the first half of the game, letting their opponents score 50 percent of their shots from the field for a total of 18 points. Maine only shot 31 percent from the field and shot 11 shots from beyond the arc, only sinking three shots from deep. Despite this struggle, Maine still only trailed by five points with a score of 13-18 after the first 10 minutes of action. The next quarter saw the Black Bears turn things around, as they scored a strong 17 points while limiting Lowell to just 10. Heading into halftime with a 30-28 lead, the Black Bears intended to keep up their effort in the close contest.

Maine went back onto the court after the half with plenty of confidence in their shooting. Locking down on defense, the Black Bears limited Lowell to five points in the third quarter while putting up 18 points of their own. Maine’s shooting averages skyrocketed as well, hitting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc this quarter. The last quarter saw Maine ease up slightly, however they still dominated the court to end the game at a score of 60-41. Fourth-year guard Tanesha Sutton led the women’s team in both rebounds and points this game with a double–double, consisting of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Second-year guard Dor Saar also scored in the double digits this game contributing 12 points.

After streaking out of their contest against Lowell with confidence, Binghamton came as a great challenge for Maine on Saturday, March 2. After dominating through the first three quarters of play, the Black Bears looked to be wrapping up the contest with a game high 21 point lead over the Bearcats. Binghamton refused to take the substantial loss, and thanks to multiple substitutions to begin the fourth quarter they were able to make a run, shrinking Maine’s lead to just seven by the time the final buzzer sounded. The first and second quarters had identical box scores, with Maine scoring 17 points and Binghamton scoring 13 points. In the first half the opponents couldn’t buy a basket from out deep, shooting 0-10 from beyond the arc. Maine fared slightly better, hitting 2-12 from three. The true difference maker for Maine came at the foul line, hitting 12 foul shots from the line in the first half alone.

The second half saw dominated quarters by both teams. In the third quarter, Maine outscored the opponents 22-10. Binghamton fought back in the final quarter scoring 22 points compared to Maine’s 10. This run by the Bearcats was largely due to first-year guard Rebecca Carmody. In the end, the Black Bears won 67-60, with four players scoring double digits. Third-year guard Blanca Millan led the scoring with 23 points. Saar and Sutton scored 11 points themselves, along with third-year forward Fanny Wadling also scoring 11 while collecting 12 rebounds.

Wednesday, March 5, the women’s team will play their first game of the playoffs against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. In the last game that Maine played against New Hampshire, the Black Bears won with a solid score of 69-45. With the home crowd and it being a heavily anticipated rival game, there is no better way to go further in the playoffs than knocking off your rival in the first round.

The University of Maine’s men’s basketball team struggled this week in home games against the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Binghamton University. Both games were against fellow American East teams. The first game was Wednesday, Feb. 27 against Lowell, where the Black Bears worked to outscore their opponent for the second time of the season.

In a rematch similar to their first contest of the season, both teams went back and forth for the entire first half. Maine started off with the lead, but were unable to increase the deficit by any more than five points. As the half went on, the River Hawks were able to come back and take the lead. Both teams shot impressively and evenly during the quarter with Maine going 43 percent from the field, 70 percent from the free throw line and 36 percent for from behind the arch. Lowell had similar shooting abilities on the night, with 42 percent from the field, 83 percent from the free throw line and 33 percent from in deep.

At the end of the half, Maine had quite the spread of scorers and a strong 31 points and 18 rebounds. Lowell also ended the half with 31 points, however most of the teams scoring went through third-year guard Christian Lutete. Lutete scored 17 points but for the second half the Black Bears stopped the scoring threat, only allowing four more points to come from him.

The second half started out just as evenly as the first half and by the 10 minute mark, both teams were again tied. This changed very quickly due to a sudden run made by Lowell. Lowell jumped up to a 10 point lead with five minutes left and during this time Maine couldn’t seem to find their shot. As the final buzzer sounded, the Black Bears walked off with a 70-61 defeat at the hands of Lowell. The leading scorers for this game were third-year forward Vincent Eze with 15 points, third-year guard Dennis Ashley with 11 and second-year center Vilgot Larsson with 10 points.

Their next game was played Saturday, March 2, against Binghamton. After losing to the Binghamton Bearcats 66-78 earlier in the season, Maine looked to level the score in this contest. The team was able to keep the game interesting for the first half of the contest, ending with a score of 29-33. Maine’s disadvantage came from beyond the arch, where the Bearcats shot 42 percent to the Black Bears’ 22 percent.

The Bearcats’ shooting only improved as the game went on, hitting an astounding 65 percent. Entering the second half both teams went back and forth, but after a few minutes Binghamton found its groove. The Black Bears increased their outside shooting to 43 percent, but were unable to keep up with Binghamton’s onslaught. Not only that, but they brought their shooting from the field to 64 percent and shot 100 percent from behind the foul line. Their explosive offense caught Maine off guard, overwhelming the Black Bears’ defense by dropping a whopping 50 points in the second half. While Maine managed to put up 31 points of their own, their offense was no match for the Bearcats’ attack, losing by a final score of 83-60. Eze had a double-double for the game with 22 points scored and 11 rebounds, while also contributing three assists. Outside of Eze, only Ashley was able to put up double digits in scoring for Maine, contributing 11 points of his own.

The next and final game for the Black Bears this regular season will be against rival University of New Hampshire Wildcats. The game against the Wildcats will be played in Durham, New Hampshire on Tuesday, March 5. After defeating the Wildcats 62-53 earlier in the season, Maine looks to finish the season strong with a final win to send them into the offseason.

The University of Maine Men’s Basketball team played two games this week. The team pulled out a double OT win at home over 7-2 Fordham University, as well as being defeated on the road by Dartmouth College. This win would be the first of the season for Maine giving them a record of 1-9. Despite their poor record, it was just about time. With the team having two other games being pushed into overtime.

Maine played Fordham Tuesday, Dec. 4, in a game that started out looking like another loss for Maine. The Rams came firing out of the gate, scoring 17 points to Maine’s six just over five minutes into the game. Maine’s third-year forward Andrew Fleming, attempting to lift his team out of their deficit, scored 18 of the Black Bears 23 first quarter points.  Fleming was perfect beyond the arc, draining three shots, and went 7-8 on his field goal attempts. The remaining five points scored by Maine in the first half belonged to third-year guard Isaiah White. This strong effort on offense, as well as an increased focus on defense, sent both teams into the locker room with Fordham holding the lead 24-23.

Maine’s shooting prowess continued into the second half, however their turnover rate continued to heighten as well, allowing Fordham to keep pace. As the half progressed, the Black Bears started to move ahead of the Rams. Fleming was able to score another 11 points this half, giving him 29 points on the night. Second-year forward Vilgot Larsson scored eight points in the half as well. Maine managed to keep a constant lead for the final 10 minutes of the game, until White fouled Rams’ first-year guard Jalen Cobb. Cobb went to the line for his two shots with three seconds on the clock, attempting to close Maine’s 55-53 lead. Draining both buckets, Cobb sent the contest into its first over time.

Third year guard Sergio El Darwich and third-year center Vincent Eze carried the offensive effort for Maine in over time. Down by one with 10 seconds left, Eze was sent to the line for a pair of free throw attempts. Eze, unable to make the first basket, tied the game by sinking his second attempt. With their potential first victory on the line, Maine headed into double overtime. Foul shooting, which sent the game into both of its over time periods, eventually won the game for Maine, as they brought home their first victory of the season by a final score 75-68.

Maine traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire to face off against the Dartmouth Big Green. The Black Bears weren’t able to find their shot in the first half, going a collective 11-28 from the field and 2-11 from beyond the arc. The Big Green were more accurate, shooting 16-28 from the field and 5-8 from beyond the arc, allowing them to take the 41-27 lead heading into the half.

The second half reflected the first. With both looking like an even matchup to start, and slowly turning into a game dominated by the Big Green’s Offense. Despite three Black Bears scoring in the double digits (White 18, Fleming 10, and Larsson 10), the Black Bears weren’t able to pull together defensively, allowing 37 points in the second half. Both teams locked down their defenses for the final two minutes, and Big Green sent the Black Bears home with a final score of 52-78.

The next game will be played at the Cross Insurance Center Arena on Monday, Dec. 10. Maine will face off against the University of Maine at Machias. After that Maine will go back on the road to play Duquesne University in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Dec. 16.

The University of Maine Black Bears continued to struggle this week, losing to Quinnipiac, Princeton and Saint Peter’s University. Although Maine didn’t grab a single win this week, they had a few close games against Quinnipiac and Saint Peter’s University.

The first game saw the Black Bears head back out on the road for their sixth consecutive away game. The team traveled to Connecticut on Sunday, Nov. 25. There the Black Bears faced off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats, coming out strong in the first half, leading by seven heading into halftime.

Maine’s drastically improved shooting accuracy paved the way for the team. Draining 43 percent of their shots from beyond the arc as a unit, Maine comfortably controlled the offensive aspect of the game. Quinnipiac didn’t fare nearly as well, scoring only 25 percent of the shots that they put up.

Opening up the second half with the score at 26-19, Maine’s lead was diminished in the first four minutes, as the Bobcats scored nine unanswered points. Just 10 minutes into the half, Quinnipiac had driven up the score and found themselves up 41-34. The Bobcats hit three consecutive  3-pointers in a row, and their improved accuracy tore apart Maine’s defense.

The game ended with a score of 50-58. Unable to stop the Bobcats’ second half charge, Maine walked off the court, unable to capture their first victory of the season. The leading scorers for the game were third-year Isaiah White with 19 and third-year Vincent Eze with 10. Second-year Vilgot Larsson led the team in rebounds with nine, followed by third-year Andrew Fleming contributing seven boards.

Following a quick break, Maine hosted the Princeton Tigers on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Although the Black Bears had the home court advantage, they were unable to recapture their marvelous shooting from the first half against the Bobcats, allowing the Tigers to run up the score in the eventual loss.

White led the Black Bears scoring 15 points in the first half, including all three of Maine’s successful shots from beyond the arc. Princeton knocked down eight of their 14 3-pointers to challenge Maine and bring the Tigers’ lead to 36-25 by half time.

The Black Bears came out of the locker room with renewed energy and spirit, locking down their defense and improving their offensive efforts. Princeton’s fourth-year guard Devin Cannady still cut through the Black Bears’ defense, scoring a total of 20 points in the second half, and 28 points overall. Maine’s Fleming attempted to match Cannady, putting up 15 points himself in the half. This effort was still not enough to outscore the opponents. In the end, the Black Bears lost 59-73. White and Fleming both ended the game with 19 points.

The last game of the week was on Saturday, Dec. 1. The team travelled to New Jersey to compete in their closest matchup of the season against the Saint Peter’s University Peacocks. Each team fought hard, forcing the game into overtime.

Both teams came onto the court strong, scoring several quick baskets. Maine’s Fleming and fourth-year forward Ilija Stojiljkovic led the offensive charge, scoring eight points and 10 points respectively. The Peacocks were able to put themselves up by seven during the first half, yet a strong offensive surge from the Black Bears diminished the lead swiftly.

The second half was more of a defensive battle, with both teams striving to pull ahead. Going shot-for-shot as the clock ticked down, neither team was able to gain a sizeable lead. At 51-51 as time expired, Maine went into their second overtime of the season.

The Peacocks found their rhythm in overtime, outscoring Maine 12-8 for the win. Much like in their game against University of North Texas, the Black Bears were unable to maintain energy going into the extra five minutes of action.

Maine’s next contest will be at home on Tuesday, Dec. 4 against Fordham University. The Black Bears will then travel to New Hampshire on Saturday, Dec. 8 to face off against Dartmouth College. Despite Maine’s poor record the team has yet to play a team within its conference, giving hope to an otherwise weak season.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team played their first game of the regular season Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Cross Insurance Center against the University of Toledo Rockets. With the Black Bears looking strong heading into this season,  coming off of their America East Title late last winter, the team was highly anticipated to win their first game. This goal was easily achieved as the Black Bears ran away with a 73-59 win.

The Black Bears started off slow, as both teams were scoring back and forth in the first few minutes of the game. That changed when fourth-year guard Parise Rossignol’s made three consecutive 3-pointers and the Black Bears took a seven-point lead. These three-pointers were just a few of the eight that were tallied for the half.

Third-year guard Blanca Millan was the only other player to score in the first quarter for the Black Bears, totaling 6 points herself. This included a buzzer beater to end the quarter with a score of 18-13.

The true domination on offense kicked into action in the second quarter, with the Black Bears scoring 25 points while the Rockets were only able to muster 15. This quarter saw a different offensive threat from the Black Bears with second-year guard Dor Saar lighting up the scoreboard with 12 points throughout the quarter. Saar found her rhythm behind the arc, putting up 9 points to pair with a strong drive inside the paint, drawing a foul. Successfully draining her free throw to pair with the rest of the offensive onslaught, Saar kept the Black Bears’ momentum going.

In this half the Black Bears were very successful with forcing turnovers. The team was able to force eight turnovers and converted on nine. The Rockets weren’t as fortunate, only taking away five possessions. With the score at 43-28, Maine was quite confident going into the locker room for halftime. The Black Bears were dominant in every portion of the game, except for their rebounding. Millan and fourth-year guard Tanesha Sutton each grabbed four rebounds, helping Maine keep possession.

The third quarter started off slow with only one basket in the first three minutes by either teams, though it was a 3-pointer from Maine’s third-year forward Fanny Wadling. Wadling continued to score throughout the quarter alongside Millan, who was able to put up nine more points for the Black Bears. Winning the quarterly point differential once more, the Black Bears were able to outscore the Rockets 17-13.

The fourth quarter saw a more relaxed and less aggressive offense from Maine. Up by 19 points, the Black Bears locked down their defense to prevent a Rockets comeback. The team came out strong in the first minutes with both Saar and Rossignol drilling 3-pointers to bring the lead to 25 points. After this the team let eased their foot off the gas, allowing the Rockets to lead the quarter in scoring 18-13. But the effort was all for naught, as Maine came out on top.

With an impressive performance showing the Black Bears’ ability to drive to the hoop, as well as the team’s efficiency beyond the arc and lockdown defense, Maine showed the America East Conference that it will be a tough competitor once again this year.

Maine’s next game will be played Tuesday, Nov. 13, in Smithfield, Rhode Island, against the  Bryant University Bulldogs. Following this game, the team will come back Thursday, Nov. 15, to play against Duke University at 7pm at the Cross Center.

The University of Maine Black Bears’ men’s basketball season has begun. The University of Maine at Presque Isle travelled to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor to play the Black Bears on Thursday, Nov. 1. The Black Bears scored an impressive 82 points for a final score of 82-40.

This win was a great start to the season, and although it was against a much smaller university, it was made clear that the team is ready for a great season. The American East preseason poll puts the Black Bears at a tie with the University of New Hampshire in seventh place out of nine teams. This is a slight improvement from last year’s placement of eighth in the poll.

The higher placement may be a result of the hiring of a new coach Richard Barron. Barron is the former Black Bear women’s basketball coach. He replaced former Coach Bob Walsh who had a 24-100 record overall, and a record of 12-52 for American East games.

Thursday started Barron with an easy first win as the new head coach, with a first half score of 38-13. The offensive charge was led by second-year guard Mykhailo Yagodin who scored 10 points, and third-year guard Sergio El Darwich who scored seven points, had four steals and five rebounds. Third-year guard Isaiah White scored seven points as well.

The Black Bears scored 11 points before the UMPI Owls were able to get their first shot in, with the Black Bears showing impressive accuracy throughout the first half of the game. After the first half they came out with a field goal percentage of 51.6 and a three point percentage of 30.8. This is compared to the Owls low 16.7 field goal percentage and 3-point percentage of 18.3.  The Black Bears also turned over the ball less than the opposing team, with nine turnovers compared to the Owls 17.

Command of possession continued in the second half in the form of rebounds. First-year forward Stephane Ingo led the rebounding with an impressive nine rebounds in only seven minutes on the court. The Black Bears accuracy improved in the second half, with a field goal percentage of 56.7 percentage and a 3-point percentage of 55.6. This half saw two new leading scorers as well with third-year forward Andrew Fleming and second-year forward Vilgot Larsson, scoring seven points each and ending the game with double digit point totals, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Two other Black Bears were able to score double digit totals, as Yagodin led the team with 14 points off the bench, and White finishing with 12 points of his own. The total shooting percentages for the Black Bears were 54.1 percent from the field (33-61), and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc (9-22).

The Black Bears next game will be played in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, Nov. 6 against the University of Denver.

The University of Maine Women’s ice hockey team put on a clinic Friday and Saturday night against the visiting Sacred Heart University Pioneers. The Black Bears shut down the Pioneers on defense while easily navigating the opponent’s goal. Both games resulted in a score of 8-0, giving the women’s team an impressive 4-0 record, a promising start which will hopefully continue through the season.

The team’s first game against Sacred Heart University started off quickly with plenty of shots on the Pioneers’ goal in just the first few minutes. It wasn’t until 12 minutes had passed that Maine scored its first goal. This goal was scored by first-year forward Ali Beltz as she raced to split the defense and have a one on one with Pioneers’ goalie Sarah Erban. This was the first goal of Beltz’s college career.

The second goal of the night, and last of the first period came from first-year forward Liga Miljone. Miljone pushed towards the right side of the goal as she took a shot but had it deflected. First-year forward Celine Tedenby chased down the puck and masterfully passed back to Miljone for a shot on an off guard Erban.

The second period is when the Black Bears’ offense really came to life. Just 26 seconds after the puck was dropped, third-year Tereza Vanisova maneuvered her way down the ice before sending a shot into the back of the net, pushing the Black Bears to a 3-0 lead. The assist for the goal was thanks to Miljone, who crossed the puck through traffic and directly into Vanisova’s stick.

This goal was followed by first-year Ally Johnson, who got the puck off a turnover and took off down the ice before finding her way past Erban for the score. This was also Johnson’s first collegiate goal. Shortly after Johnson’s goal, UMaine found the back of the net again thanks to second-year Daria Tereshkina. Tereshkina was assisted by Miljone and scored with precision.

The Black Bears didn’t give the Pioneers much time to react after this fifth goal, with third-year defender Brittany Colton showing her versatility and scoring. The fifth and final goal of the period was by far the most exciting to watch however. Second year forward Maddie Giordano passed the puck, behind the Pioneers’ net, to fourth-year Cailey Hutchison, which Hutchison then wrapped around the net to pass the puck right through the goalie’s legs.

With such a large lead going into the third period, the Black Bears began to ease off the offensive slaughter. The Black Bears concentrated on an already formidable defense, not allowing the Pioneers to make any real plays on net, and only allowing one shot for second-year goalie Loryn Porter to save. The only goal from the period was scored by Tereshkina off of a power play and assist by Vanisova.

The dominant performance gave the Black Bears confidence going into game two, allowing them to repeat the following night. With the Black Bears at home, they were able win 8-0 again to close the series 2-0. Much like Friday’s game, UMaine’s offense went out onto the ice strong with a total of 42 shots on goal. While unable to match the previous night’s shot total, the Black Bears proved to be more efficient with their shooting Saturday night, scoring eight goals on 42 shots in comparison to eight goals on 52 shots the previous night.

The game started out much faster for the Black Bears, who scored less than 4 minutes into the first period. The goal was scored by Miljone who scooped up a rebound from a shot fired by fourth-year defender Alyson Matteau. The next goal was scored just a few minutes later by third-year forward Vendula Pribylova off a pass by Tedenby. Pribylova scored again in the last minute of the period off of a power play.

As the Black Bears entered the second period it was clear that they were taking over the game. This was made clear by how busy the Pioneers’ defense had become. In the first few minutes of the game the Pioneers couldn’t stop the Black Bears from shooting on their net, but it wasn’t until 2:33 that the puck made its way in. This was thanks to a break away from Vanisova on a Pioneers turnover, who proceeded to send the puck sailing past Erban, reminiscent of the previous night for both players.

Colton, Tedenby and third-year forward Lydia Murray all scored in the second period to bring the Black Bears to an overwhelming 7-0 lead going into third period. This was deja vu for the Black Bears as they sat comfortably in the lead with the 4-0 record in their grasp.

The third period was a carbon copy of the previous night, with the exception of SHU’s offense sputtering to life. Although the Pioneers had many chances, they weren’t able to sink one in to get on the board. The Black Bears were able to score one more off of a power play. Beltz was able to fend off the Pioneer defense as she took the puck from in front of the goal and sent it in.

With an undefeated record and three clean sweeps in a row, the Black Bears hit the ground running to start the season. UMaine will travel to Boston this week to play against Northeastern University in back-to-back games on Friday at 2 p.m. and Boston University Saturday at 4 p.m.