On the frigid night of Monday, Feb. 5, the University of Maine women’s basketball team extended their win streak to seven in a gritty battle with the University of Hartford Hawks, tallying the victory 59-56. Redshirt third-year guard Tanesha Sutton would score the go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds left. After crossing over her defender, Sutton slashed to the rim and finished strong to put Maine up by three. On the defensive end it was second-year guard and potential America East Player of The Year Blanca Millan who had a clutch block that fell into the hands of Sutton to seal the victory.

“We have been playing pretty good basketball the last month. We were fortunate to get the win against Hartford, but we had players step up and make big plays — specifically Blanca, Dor [Saar], and Tanesha,” Maine Head Coach Amy Vachon said.

Maine would come out of the gates with 8 unanswered points against the Hawks as they found their mojo early and often, going up by 12 just five minutes into the game. The 16-4 run was led by Millan,  second-year guard Julie Brosseau and Saar. It started when Brosseau and Saar drained back-to-back threes, following it up with a good layup from Brosseau to give Maine an 8-point advantage before Hartford would respond with a two of their own. Maine’s mojo would run out after the 16-4 start and the Hawks finished the quarter on a 6-0 run that would overlap into the second quarter.

Led by fourth-year forward Darby Lee, who finished with a game high 24 points, Hartford rattled off a 19-0 run to take the lead. Millan would stop the run and score the last 7 points after banging a 3-pointer and swishing a mid-range jumper to keep the Black Bears in striking distance. Maine committed 15 of a season high 28 turnovers in the game in the first half and shot an uncharacteristic 39 percent from the field, but only trailed 28-25.

“We needed to take better care of the ball. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that over the course of the game but made the plays we needed to to come out with the win,” Vachon said.

Maine may have been cold in the second quarter, but they came out of halftime just as hot. Brosseau was up to the task of leading the Black Bears after they were outscored 18-9 in the second quarter, hitting back-to-back 3-point buckets that put into motion a 14-0 run as the team would outscore the Hawks 20-6 in the third quarter.

“Blanca [Millan] and Julie [Brousseau] are playing great. They are fantastic scorers and shooters and lead us on the offensive end,” Vachon said of her two players who came up big in the second half.

Maine would continue its dominance into the fourth quarter until the rhythm went missing. Lee and third-year guard Lindsey Abed gave it a true effort as they helped orchestrate a 20-7 run that cut the Black Bears’ lead to just one with a minute and a half left in the contest. Maine would buckle down — led by Sutton’s go-ahead bucket and Milian’s clutch block, the Black Bears found a way to win a game of runs.

The Black Bears are now tied atop the America East standings with a 9-2 conference record and are 16-8 overall.

Millan and Brosseau each finished with 19 points and Saar finished with 11. Sutton and Brosseau tied with the team high three assists. Millian led the way with eight rebounds and fourth-year forward Kirsten Johnson tallied up seven, helping Maine outrebound the Hawks 34-28. Maine will stay at the friendly confines of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, looking to win its eighth straight Thursday over its rival, the University of New Hampshire.

Maine women beat rivals for eighth straight

Thursday night featured one of the oldest rivalries in college sports as the University of New Hampshire Wildcats traveled to the Cross Insurance Center to take on the University of Maine Black Bears. UMaine would have four different Black Bears in double figures as they won their eighth straight in impressive fashion, dismantling UNH on both ends of the floor for a 77-46 rout. Brosseau, Millan, second-year Fanny Wadling and Sutton willed Maine on the offensive end, and Saar led the team with eight assists, showing great court vision all game. On the defensive end Wadling showed she was worth more than points, having a block party against UNH with four blocks on the night.

The Black Bears, like they did against Hartford earlier this week, came out of the locker room ready to make plays. Maine started off on a 9-0 run, as Brosseau would get the first bucket for the Black Bears on a silky jumper and the Black Bears followed it up with a Sutton 3-pointer. Unlike the Hartford game, Maine had its mojo going all game and never let up the lead, finishing the quarter up 18-8.

The second half started much like the first. Johnson, Sutton and Millan would each score buckets in an early 6-0 run to extend the lead to 24-8. UNH’s fourth-year forward Kat Fogarty would collect a tough offensive rebound and earn the put back for the first bucket of the second quarter for the Wildcats. The bleeding wouldn’t stop there for the Wildcats as Maine kept its its foot on the gas, extending their lead to 19 at one point on an impressive 8-12 from the field in the second quarter. Maine would hold UNH to 27 percent shooting from the field and behind the arc while Maine shot 55 percent from the field and 33 percent from three.

Halftime helped the Wildcats regroup as they came out in a rhythm on the offensive end in the third quarter. UNH chipped away at the deficit with a 7-4 run to cut the lead to 13, led by fourth-year center Carlie Pogue’s two buckets in the paint and a three from first-year guard Amanda Torres. Before the momentum could totally shift, Brosseau would hit a pair of threes during a Maine 8-2 run that would bring the lead back to 19 and Maine would be in control the rest of the way.

“Tonight’s game against UNH was a great overall team performance. Defensively we wanted to make them beat us from the outside and limit their paint touches, which we did. Offensively we moved the ball and had 25 assists,” Coach Vachon said. Maine outscored UNH in the paint 28-22 Thursday night.

Sutton earned her fourth double-double of the season in a dominant performance for the redshirt third-year. Sutton finished with 12 points, 11 boards and four assists. Brosseau led the way with a game-high 19 points, hitting 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Millan, who has been the go-to for the Black Bears this season, finished with her 24th consecutive double-figure performance with 16 points. Wadling went 7-for-9 from the field for 15 points to go along with six rebounds and a career-high four blocks.

Maine will be hitting the road this weekend after back-to-back home victories to extend the win streak. The Black Bears will try to collect their ninth consecutive victory Sunday, Feb. 11 when they travel to take on Stony Brook for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

On the frigid night of Monday, Feb. 5, the University of Maine women’s basketball team extended their win streak to seven in a gritty battle with the University of Hartford Hawks, tallying the victory 59-56. Redshirt third-year guard Tanesha Sutton would score the go-ahead bucket with 22 seconds left. After crossing over her defender, Sutton slashed to the rim and finished strong to put Maine up by three. On the defensive end it was second-year guard and potential America East Player of The Year Blanca Millan who had a clutch block that fell into the hands of Sutton to seal the victory.

“We have been playing pretty good basketball the last month. We were fortunate to get the win against Hartford, but we had players step up and make big plays — specifically Blanca, Dor [Saar], and Tanesha,” Maine Head Coach Amy Vachon said.

Maine would come out of the gates with 8 unanswered points against the Hawks as they found their mojo early and often, going up by 12 just five minutes into the game. The 16-4 run was led by Millan,  second-year guard Julie Brosseau and Saar. It started when Brosseau and Saar drained back-to-back threes, following it up with a good layup from Brosseau to give Maine an 8-point advantage before Hartford would respond with a two of their own. Maine’s mojo would run out after the 16-4 start and the Hawks finished the quarter on a 6-0 run that would overlap into the second quarter.

Led by fourth-year forward Darby Lee, who finished with a game high 24 points, Hartford rattled off a 19-0 run to take the lead. Millan would stop the run and score the last 7 points after banging a 3-pointer and swishing a mid-range jumper to keep the Black Bears in striking distance. Maine committed 15 of a season high 28 turnovers in the game in the first half and shot an uncharacteristic 39 percent from the field, but only trailed 28-25.

“We needed to take better care of the ball. Unfortunately, we didn’t do that over the course of the game but made the plays we needed to to come out with the win,” Vachon said.

Maine may have been cold in the second quarter, but they came out of halftime just as hot. Brosseau was up to the task of leading the Black Bears after they were outscored 18-9 in the second quarter, hitting back-to-back 3-point buckets that put into motion a 14-0 run as the team would outscore the Hawks 20-6 in the third quarter.

“Blanca [Millan] and Julie [Brousseau] are playing great. They are fantastic scorers and shooters and lead us on the offensive end,” Vachon said of her two players who came up big in the second half.

Maine would continue its dominance into the fourth quarter until the rhythm went missing. Lee and third-year guard Lindsey Abed gave it a true effort as they helped orchestrate a 20-7 run that cut the Black Bears’ lead to just one with a minute and a half left in the contest. Maine would buckle down — led by Sutton’s go-ahead bucket and Milian’s clutch block, the Black Bears found a way to win a game of runs.

The Black Bears are now tied atop the America East standings with a 9-2 conference record and are 16-8 overall.

Millan and Brosseau each finished with 19 points and Saar finished with 11. Sutton and Brosseau tied with the team high three assists. Millian led the way with eight rebounds and fourth-year forward Kirsten Johnson tallied up seven, helping Maine outrebound the Hawks 34-28. Maine will stay at the friendly confines of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, looking to win its eighth straight Thursday over its rival, the University of New Hampshire.

Maine women beat rivals for eighth straight

Thursday night featured one of the oldest rivalries in college sports as the University of New Hampshire Wildcats traveled to the Cross Insurance Center to take on the University of Maine Black Bears. UMaine would have four different Black Bears in double figures as they won their eighth straight in impressive fashion, dismantling UNH on both ends of the floor for a 77-46 rout. Brosseau, Millan, second-year Fanny Wadling and Sutton willed Maine on the offensive end, and Saar led the team with eight assists, showing great court vision all game. On the defensive end Wadling showed she was worth more than points, having a block party against UNH with four blocks on the night.

The Black Bears, like they did against Hartford earlier this week, came out of the locker room ready to make plays. Maine started off on a 9-0 run, as Brosseau would get the first bucket for the Black Bears on a silky jumper and the Black Bears followed it up with a Sutton 3-pointer. Unlike the Hartford game, Maine had its mojo going all game and never let up the lead, finishing the quarter up 18-8.

The second half started much like the first. Johnson, Sutton and Millan would each score buckets in an early 6-0 run to extend the lead to 24-8. UNH’s fourth-year forward Kat Fogarty would collect a tough offensive rebound and earn the put back for the first bucket of the second quarter for the Wildcats. The bleeding wouldn’t stop there for the Wildcats as Maine kept its its foot on the gas, extending their lead to 19 at one point on an impressive 8-12 from the field in the second quarter. Maine would hold UNH to 27 percent shooting from the field and behind the arc while Maine shot 55 percent from the field and 33 percent from three.

Halftime helped the Wildcats regroup as they came out in a rhythm on the offensive end in the third quarter. UNH chipped away at the deficit with a 7-4 run to cut the lead to 13, led by fourth-year center Carlie Pogue’s two buckets in the paint and a three from first-year guard Amanda Torres. Before the momentum could totally shift, Brosseau would hit a pair of threes during a Maine 8-2 run that would bring the lead back to 19 and Maine would be in control the rest of the way.

“Tonight’s game against UNH was a great overall team performance. Defensively we wanted to make them beat us from the outside and limit their paint touches, which we did. Offensively we moved the ball and had 25 assists,” Coach Vachon said. Maine outscored UNH in the paint 28-22 Thursday night.

Sutton earned her fourth double-double of the season in a dominant performance for the redshirt third-year. Sutton finished with 12 points, 11 boards and four assists. Brosseau led the way with a game-high 19 points, hitting 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Millan, who has been the go-to for the Black Bears this season, finished with her 24th consecutive double-figure performance with 16 points. Wadling went 7-for-9 from the field for 15 points to go along with six rebounds and a career-high four blocks.

Maine will be hitting the road this weekend after back-to-back home victories to extend the win streak. The Black Bears will try to collect their ninth consecutive victory Sunday, Feb. 11 when they travel to take on Stony Brook for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

The University of Maine Women’s basketball program (14-8) traveled to the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts to take on the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks (3-19). An unorthodox 11:00 a.m. start time for a Wednesday’s game didn’t slow down the Black Bears as they cruised past the River hawks 69-51 for their fifth straight win.  UMaine is now 7-2 in conference play. The Black Bears lit it up from behind the arc led by second-year guard Blanca Millan who finished with 22 points, 18 of those in the first half.

The Black Bears’ shooting, especially from 3-pointers, was key in their victory over the River Hawks. Millan and first-year guard Saar Dor got things going early in the first quarter each hitting a 3 in the opening minutes to give Maine a 6-0 advantage before Brianna Rudolph hit a 3 for UMass-Lowell to settle things down. The Black Bears took a 17-10 lead into the second.

Maine scored 22 in the second quarter to break open the game but UMass-Lowell kept it close early with a 6-0 run to tie it up. Back-to-back Maine turnovers gave the River Hawks two easy layups by third-year forward Oda Shackelford and first-year guard Katie Mckie. These easy buckets forced Maine to take a 30-second timeout out the gate. Coming out of the timeout a missed 3 by second-year forward Fanny Wadling led to another chance for the River Hawks who capitalized in the paint with a bucket by Paula Lopez to tie the game at 17-17.

Millan, who has done it all year for the Black Bears, responded to the 6-0 run with a 3 to give Maine a 20-17 lead, and the team wouldn’t look back. They would trade a few shots after the 3, but Maine would break open the game with a 12-0 run to close out the half. The run started at 3:14 on a Wadling lay up and she followed it up by making a sweet mid range jumper. During the run Millan also hit back to back 3-pointers. Maine would finish the half up 39-26 on 7-11 shooting from behind the arc (63.6 percent) and 16-31 from the field (51.6 percent).

The Black Bears continued their offensive rhythm in the second half. Third-year guard Parise Rossignol would come out of the locker room with the hot hand. After only scoring two first half points, Rossignol would score on back to back buckets each assisted by Julie Brosseau to extend the Maine lead to 17. The closest the Hawks would make the game is 10 points the rest of the way as Maine had a day on the offensive end, the Black Bears scored just 14 of their 69 from inside the paint and scored 18 points off turnovers.

Millan, Dor and Rossignol all finished with double-digit points and Brosseau finished with 9. Dor led the team with six assists on the day and Brosseau finished with four. As a team the Black Bears shot 55 percent from behind the arc, 43.1 percent from the field and hit 80 percent of their free throws in an impressive offensive showing.

Maine extends winning streak to six

The Maine women looked to continue their winning ways and win a sixth straight game, Saturday afternoon in Vestal, New York against the Binghamton University Bearcats. They did just that, and in an impressive fashion, after suffering a tough OT loss at the Cross Insurance Center on Jan. 6 with a final of 66-62. Saturday afternoon the Black Bears would avenge the loss in a big way Saturday afternoon, trouncing Binghamton 61-38. Led by Millan, redshirt third-year Tanesha Sutton and Brosseau, who all scored in double-digits, Maine’s win over the Bearcats was never in question.

The first half was all Maine, with Sutton leading the way by scoring 11 of her 15 in the first half to pace the Black Bears. The Black Bears would break it open in the first quarter after burying three shots from behind the arc, two of them back-to-back by Rossignol, that would give them a 17-5 advantage. Brosseau would help Maine finish the first quarter on a high note, hitting a big 3 with 4 seconds left to extend the lead to 20-7. Maine would never look back after that.

Maine’s shooting was impressive in the first half, from 3 the Black Bears were 62 percent (5-8) and 52 percent (13-24) from the field. The Black Bears also played suffocating defense, capping the half with four blocks and four steals, holding Binghamton to a dismal 29 percent (8-27) from the field in the first half. Maine would finish the half up 14 on Binghamton 34-20.

The second half wasn’t as friendly to the Black Bears as they shot 1-6 from three, the lone shot hit by Brosseau, and shot 40 percent from the field overall. They still managed to get the job done and not give up the lead at any point during the game. The defense, who forced four steals in the first half, forced six more in the second half for an impressive final total of 10 steals on the game. Millan, who finished with 20 points and two blocks, had five of the steals, proving she can do it on both ends of the floor. The Black Bears defense contained and controlled the pace forcing Binghamton to take difficult shots. Clearly, Binghamton was uncomfortable and couldn’t find an offensive rhythm. The Bearcats would finish the game shooting an ugly 25 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc as the Black Bears dominated.

It was a successful week for the Maine women’s basketball team, as they walked away winning both contests. Now they head into next week’s matchups with University of Hartford and the University of New Hampshire, looking to add to their six game winning streak. They start the week of with Harford on Monday, Feb. 5 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Binghamton will also return to the court Monday at 7 p.m. against Stony Brook

The men’s hockey team returned home after an abroad trip to Ireland that saw the team drop a tough one to Providence and bounce back the next day in a win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Their first weekend series back in the United States, the University of Maine Black Bears (6-7-1, 4-4-1) took on the University of Vermont (UVM) Catamounts (4-10-2, 1-6-2), tying in Friday’s game 2-2 after a third period collapse, but winning Saturday’s matchup with a convincing  6-2 score at home.

In the first game of the double header fourth-year forward Canon Pieper and second-year forward Peter Housakos netted third period goals for the University of Maine, but UVM second-year winger Ross Colton scored two of his own to spoil Maine’s return home. First-year goaltender Jeremy Swayman did amazing things in overtime to salvage a 2-2 Hockey East tie on Friday night at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears came out of the gate with a full head of steam, peppering UVM second-year goaltender Stefanos Lekkas, who stood on his head at times to keep the Catamounts within striking distance. One of his best moments came when second-year forward Chase Pearson for Maine sent a pass across the ice to first-year forward Eduards Tralmaks. Tralmaks fired a one timer at the right of the circle but Lekkas was there to slam the door shut. Swayman flashed his leather a few times too, making some great saves throughout.

Things didn’t pick up until the third after two scoreless periods. It was Housakos who got things started for the Black Bears, scoring his second goal of the season at 5:36 into the third to provide Maine with a 1-0 lead . The turnover in the neutral zone was picked up by fourth-year center Cedric Lacroix who carried into the Vermont end. Lacroix fired the puck on net and Housakos was in the right place at the right time to tip the puck out of the air and into the back of the net to light the lamp for the first time on the night. The goal ignited the crowd and gave Maine momentum.

Moments later (four minutes to be exact) Pieper joined the two-goal club, finding the back of the net for his second of the season to extend Maine’s lead to 2-0. First-year forward Tim Doherty battled on boards, gaining possession of the puck and finding Pieper, who had it on his stick at the right faceoff dot. Pieper put a nifty move on his defender walking in and sending a beautifully placed shot past Lekkas with 9:11 left in the game.

Unfortunately, Maine struggles to hold two goal leads late in games, and this one was no exception. Vermont’s Colton, who entered Friday’s action with five of his eight goals coming on the power plays, added to his resume 13:26 into the third. Third-year forward Craig Puffer sent a pass across ice to O’Donnell who found Colton at the top of the faceoff circle for a one-timer that found its way past a screened Swayman.

The Catamounts weren’t done and with 1:48 to play, they pulled Lekkas to add an extra attacker. The move paid off for Head Coach Kevin Sneddon as Colton tied the game on his 10th goal of the season. Third-year forward Brian Bowman won the faceoff to Swayman’s left. Second-year forward Derek Lodermeier sent a fancy backhanded pass to Colton, who lined up the puck to fire a one-timer from the top of the right faceoff circle, tying the game with 1:43 remaining.

The Black Bears and Catamounts showed their fatigue in the overtime, but managed to take a combined nine shots in the five minute overtime period. Neither team could get the game winner and the final horn sounded with a score of 2-2.

Maine outshot Vermont (43-24) but Vermont held a slight advantage in faceoffs (37-31). Swayman, a fourth round pick by the Boston Bruins in this year’s draft, finished with 22 saves while Lekkas, who played out of his mind all game, finished with 41.

Maine Bounces Back, down Catamounts 6-2

The Black Bears were seeking redemption after squandering the first game versus the University of Vermont. After a slow start the team came alive. Scoring from five different Black Bears and an amazing showing by Swayman, who finished with 39 saves on the night, helped down the University of Vermont, 6-2, in a Hockey East match on Saturday evening at Alfond Arena.

Second-year forward Mitchell Fossier had a career night, dishing out a career-high three assists, while fourth-year forward Nolan Vesey found the back of the net twice and second-year defenseman Patrick Holway notched three points on one goal and two assists in a dismantling of the Vermont Catamounts.

The Catamounts, who were looking to get a second within Hockey East conference play, took advantage of an early power play and found themselves with an early 1-0 lead on a Bowen goal at 4:19 of the first period. The Black Bears, who were looking to be over .500 in Hockey East, responded just three minutes later with a power play goal of their own. Fossier slid the puck to third-year defender Rob Michel, who sniped a shot that found its way inside the left post. Vermont found themselves back in the penalty box to give the Black Bears a power play that led to another goal for Maine thanks to Doherty grinding his way to a fourth goal of the season when he stuffed the puck past Lekkas. The first period would end 2-1 in favor of the Black Bears.

Three minutes into the second period, first-year defenseman Brady Keeper scored what would be the eventual game winner after he had his shot blocked, but second-year forward Brendan Robbins collected the puck and flicked a wrist shot in from the right circle.

Vermont wouldn’t go away and kept themselves alive when Puffer took advantage of the man-advantage. But the Black Bears defense led by Swayman made at least 10 saves in each period — 20 in the second period of action — to keep the Black Bears in the lead. It wasn’t just Swayman making the saves, unselfish play was key to the Black Bears’ success. The Black Bears finished with 16 blocked shots, including four from third-year defender Keith Muehlbauer who put his body on the line to help his star goaltender.

A good defense is one’s best offense, some say, and the Black Bears offense was far from finished with Vermont. Two minutes to go and Holloway had the puck on his stick coming out of the Maine zone and with great vision up ice found Fossier for a one-time shot at the right dot. Fossier waved on the shot, but was able to get just enough on it to find Vesey. Vesey circled around the zone toward the blue line, then turned and sent a firecracker of a wrist shot through traffic and found the top right corner of the net.

Vesey wasn’t finished either as he scored Maine’s next goal. Fossier dangled and dropped the puck back through his legs to Pearson at the bottom of the circle and Pearson passed the puck across the crease to to Vesey, who buried the puck top left.

Maine was whistled for a penalty with 2:10 to play and Lekkas made his way to the bench. The Black Bears were up against a 6-on-4 but withstood the UVM onslaught before the inevitable happened thanks to Holway’s empty-net finish with 21 seconds to play. Maine earned the victory 6-2.

Swayman finished with 39 saves to 28 for Lekkas while Vermont held the final edge in shots on goal (41-34). The Black Bears will close out the fall semester with some non-conference action when they travel south to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9. The University of Vermont will return home to play Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 9. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Bryant University Bulldogs (0-3) have had bad luck this year against the University of Maine. That trend continued Tuesday night at the Cross Insurance Center where the Black Bears women’s basketball team (3-1)  grinded out a 70-68 victory. The Black Bears were led by second-year guard Blanca Millan from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, who recorded her first career double-double finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

The Black Bears came out of the gate slow Tuesday night as the Bulldogs got off on a 10-4 run that featured a lot of second-year guard Sydney Holloway. Holloway scored six of the Bulldogs’ 10 during the run, while blocking two shots and pulling down three rebounds in a span of 3:49.

Maine would battle back after two baskets from Milan and first-year guard Dor Saar. The Black Bears would tie the game up at 16 on a jumper by first-year forward Maeve Carroll, and end the first quarter knotted up.

Maine would start the second quarter on a 7-2 run thanks to Millan and redshirt third-year Tanesha Sutton. Millan would score the first five thanks to rebounds and a great assist by Sutton and Millan returned the favor pulling in the rebound to find Sutton in the paint to put the Black Bears up 27-20. Bryant wouldn’t go down without a fight, clawing back into the game to tie it up 29-29 at the half.

Holloway did it all for Bryant, leading the way for the Bulldogs in the first-half, scoring 12 of her 19 points and hitting the glass hard for 11 rebounds. On the Maine side Millan finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

The second-half featured a power struggle that featured five lead changes between the two teams, but neither team could get the upper hand and the game was sent to overtime after regulation ended 63-63

Overtime featured a new hero for the Black Bears, Millan got it done for Maine all game but in clutch it was Saar. Saar came up huge for Maine scoring five of the seven points scored for Maine in the overtime. Bryant came up short and with one second left, when Carroll sealed the game with a steal of the defensive end.

“A lot of lessons learned, one of them was bring the energy from the top, the start, from the tip. I don’t think we did that. I think we had spurts of energy but it wasn’t consistent, and we were fortunate to come out with the win,” Interim Head Coach Amy Vachon said on the OT victory over the Bulldogs.

The Black Bears face off against University of Maine Fort Kent on Thursday evening at the Cross Insurance Center for the final game of the homestand.

Black Bears demolish Fort Kent

The University of Maine Black Bears came into Thursday’s game searching for their third straight victory and they didn’t have to look far. The Black Bears demolished the University of Maine Fort Kent Bengals (0-3) 100-40 at the Cross Insurance Center. Every Black Bear scored points and Maine scored 100 points for the first time since 1997. UMFK was handed their third loss of the season while the Black Bears extended their win streak to three with the win Thursday night.

This was a game that featured a team from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, so many expected a Maine victory. The fashion game was won was a beautiful site for fans who attended. In the first half Maine got out on a 24-7 run which saw them open up the game and finish the first half 50-20.

The Black Bears also outscored the Bengals in the paint 40-6 in the first half and finished the game outscoring their opponents 64-14 under the hoop. Maines transition offense was stellar running the floor and turning the game into a track meet at times that UMFK couldn’t keep up with. Maine outscored UMFK 24-0 in fast break points forcing 25 turnovers on the defensive end.

“Doesn’t matter who you play you gotta bring that energy all the time. I was proud of our kids you know? They did right from the start and I think it continued throughout the whole game and I thought that was good,” Vachon said.

The third quarter was very kind to the Black Bears who shot 13-18 from the field for an incredible 72.2 percent. First-year guard Kelly Fogarty was a big part of that third-quarter hitting three from beyond the arc and getting to the rim for a couple baskets. She scored 13 of her 16 in the quarter as Maine outscored the Bengals 32-11 in Maine’s best offensive quarter of the game. Maine entered the final quarter leading 82-31.

“Kelly’s a shooter you know? The kid can can shoot,” Vachon said. “She can shoot from anywhere. I mean she was 4-10, 40 percent from three is very good, she can shoot better than that as well. She’s a fun one and I was happy to see those shots go for her tonight.”

Maine would finish strong after three straight from behind the arc for Carroll that would put Maine at the century mark for the first time since 1997, when they beat Drexel University 117-72. With the win Maine’s defensive numbers will improve, they already hold the No. 1 spot in America East for opponents PPG at 50.3 for the season.

The Black Bears will travel south to play The University of Miami on Nov. 24. Maine suffered a 76-51 loss last season, but is looking to get revenge next week and extend the win streak to four. Fort Kent returns home to take on the University of New Brunswick-St. John on Saturday. Tip off is set for 5 p.m.

She found her way to Maine and has made it a home away from home since. After being highly recruited out of Ss. Neumann and Goretti, Tanesha Sutton has become the cornerstone of the Maine Black Bears Women’s Basketball team. Sutton hails from the “City of Brotherly Love,”  aka Philadelphia. She was a three-year captain in high school and helped earn her High School back to back PIAA District 12 titles. In the New Jersey vs Philadelphia All-Star Game she dropped 22 points, collected 10 rebounds and added five assists to earn the MVP of the game.

All these accolades garnered plenty of attention from various programs, one of them being the University of Maine. Unfortunately for Maine, the highly recruited Sutton chose Duquesne, but after 25 games with the Dukes it wasn’t the right fit and Maine was still waiting, willing to welcome her with open arms.

“We recruited her hard out of high school and we thought we had her; she ended up going to Duquesne and that didn’t work out how she wanted. We were really really thankful she wanted to come back,” Interim Head Coach Amy Vashon said.

Due to NCAA transfer rules Sutton was forced to sit out for a season, but even during her time not playing Vashon saw her work ethic and it has not stopped this season.

“Tanesha [Sutton] is our rock, she’s our hardest worker. You know what she’s going to bring every game. Since she came back even her first year when she wasn’t playing, just practiced so hard and it was our big senior class at that time they kept saying ‘why didn’t you just come!?’ because they wanted to play with her so we’re very fortunate to have her on our team,” Vashon added.

Once Sutton finally got her opportunity she never looked back, leading Maine in the 2016-2017 season in rebounding (4.8) and assists (2.6) and also scoring her career high 18 points against Binghamton on Feb. 26, 2017. She also recorded her first double-double against Vermont, scoring 10 and pulling down 13 boards.

Off the court she’s had to go through changes. Moving from the city to a rural area may scare some players off, but for Sutton it has been embraced.

“It was different,” Sutton said while laughing.

“Big change up, you know? When you have the city everything is active all through the night like here everything closes around 6 p.m. Even weather wise and things to do, but it was a good switch up. I’m so used to the city and to be able to experience something different, different culture, different area, scenery is better it’s good,” Sutton said.

In her free time she has found a hobby in cooking, where she likes to freestyle it. Whether it be salmon or steak she’s always willing to try new spices. Often times, she likes to practice her cooking while jamming out to her favorite artist Meek Mill. Unfortunately for Tanesha, she hasn’t been able to enjoy her favorite restaurant T.G.I. Fridays since there aren’t any around Orono. Despite not finding her favorite dining spot, Tanesha is smiling after Maine’s 3-1 start to the season.

“Very excited, 3-1 that’s a good start for us especially giving us momentum heading into Miami and they teams we’ve played Tulane, Harvard and Bryant was great competition and great experience for us to play them,” Tanesha said.

Sutton will look to help her Black Bear teammates avenge the loss last season at Miami and with the leading defense in America East Maine doesn’t look to change things up.

“I think we’re going to stick to the script, keep our ferocious defense. We played Miami last year so we got a little taste of what they like to do, the way they run their offense and what the defense looks like. We’re looking forward to playing them,” Sutton said

Sutton found her way to Maine and has made it home and embraced everything the university and area has to offer. Ask anyone, her kind ways off the court and work ethic on the court have earned her a great reputation with individuals on campus, her teammates. Sutton is everything that Vashon could’ve asked for and more.

You can see her back in action Nov. 24 when Maine looks to avenge their loss to the Hurricanes.

The Black Bears men’s basketball team returned to action this weekend in the Memorial Gym against in-state opponent St. Joseph’s College of Maine Monks. In the final preseason game of the year UMaine took care of business, winning 66-54. It was Maine’s second straight victory after an 84-63 win over Husson University last Saturday and the Black Bears finish the preseason 2-0. Sunday’s action saw Maine struggle to find a rhythm early, but once it was found they never looked back and physically dominated St. Joe’s, who shot the ball well in the first half, but proved to be no match down the stretch for the Black Bears.

The Black Bears were able to fight their way back into the lead before halftime thanks to second-year forward Andrew Fleming and third-year guard Vernon Lowndes Jr. in the first half as they combined for 19 of the Black Bears’ 35. Lowndes Jr. was 3-3 for the period, making both shots from behind the arc for 100 percent from three. Fleming bullied his way to 11 points and five boards shooting 5-7, making the most of his time in the paint finishing strong at the rim, not phased by Monk defenders. Maine entered halftime up by 2 points 35-33.

On the St. Joe’s side, third-year guard Darian Berry finished the first half 5 for 8 from the floor overall, including two of three from three point territory for 12 points. Another impact player for the Monks in the first half was third-year Ian Mileikis, who finished the first half with 7 points and two rebounds.

St. Joe’s came out firing scoring a quick three points, but Maine followed that up with a run of their own, led once again by Fleming in the first five minutes of the second half. Fleming was able to score and also pass the rock, finding fourth-year guard Ilker Er cutting to the basket for the first few of Maine’s points on the run. Maine found themselves in a rhythm extending the lead on third-year Trae Bryant’s three pointer to go up 49-38 lead.

The Black Bears opened things up with 12:32 left after first-year forward Miks Antoms put his big man moves to work in the post, finishing with a soft jump hook that only found the bottom of the net. Maine would force the turnover on defense and get out on the fast break where third-year guard Dusan Majstorovic finished the easy transition lay-up to extend the Maine lead 56-39. Maine wouldn’t look back as they dominated the second half with strong defense and tough rebounding in the post to help cap the preseason.

“We settled down in the second half, we became more of who we are offensively and defensively and we found away to win, and it wasn’t pretty,” Maine Head Coach Bob Walsh said.

“I like playing really well coached good programs like Husson and St. Joe’s. They’re going to expose you. They won’t let you do what you want to do. The preseason is over, and we’ll learn a lot about our guys and what we need to do to get better,” Walsh said.

Fleming, who had an impressive preseason putting up a line of 13 points, 4-5 FG, 4-4 FT, five boards and four assists in the win over Husson, continued his success against St. Joe’s scoring 17 points on 7-12 shooting. He added 11 rebounds and five assists on his stat line.

“He’s been rock solid, we’re still trying to get him to the point where he’s comfortable being our go to guy and you know he’s still just a sophomore, he’s got a really really high ceiling,” Walsh said of Fleming.

Lowndes Jr. also had an impressive final preseason game, adding 12 points on 5-6 shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc and five boards on the day.

Maine will travel to ACC-foe Boston College on Friday, Nov. 10 to open the regular season. The Black Bears face the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass. St. Joe’s will travel Nov. 15 against Maine Maritime starting at 7:30 p.m.

The University of Maine Black Bears (11-4) started off on the right foot this weekend, defeating the UMass Lowell River Hawks (8-9) 2-1 in the friendly confines of the UMaine Field Hockey Complex in Orono. Maine’s No. 6 offense struggled against the stingy UMass Lowell defense but managed to outshoot the River Hawks 14-8 in the game and collect the win.

The first half of action started with a bang as the Black Bears found themselves on the board 7:21 into the game after third-year midfielder Casey Crowley, who played well all day, found the ball on her stick. After showing some dazzling moves, Crowley was able to sweep a pass to third-year midfielder Libby Riedl, a British Columbia native, who buried the shot in the right side of the net for her seventh goal of the season and give Maine the early lead.

It wasn’t long before the River Hawks found an answer to Maine’s early goal. After Maine committed a foul in the circle, UMass Lowell was awarded a penalty corner. First-year midfielder Katie Lynes found third-year forward Torrie Huk, who lit off a firecracker of a shot that deflected off the pad of redshirt fourth-year goaltender Emma Cochran and into the left corner of the net at 16:27 of the first half to knot the game up at 1-1. After UMass Lowell tied the game each team struggled to find a rhythm. A lot of midfield play had the game in limbo with both teams struggling to hold possession. Only a total of eight shots by both teams were taken in the half, with Maine firing off five of those eight to end the first half.

The second half, once again, started fast for the Black Bears offense when second-year forward Brianna Ricker found herself on the counter attack. Ricker was able to thread the needle on a beautiful cross-field pass that landed on the stick of second-year forward Brittany Smith, who was one-on-one with UMass Lowell second-year goalkeeper Eva Berkhout. Smith got the better of her with a fantastic finish.

“It felt really good to put us up one and bring the energy back up because we started off quite low and we really needed that,” Smith said of her game-winning goal.

The goal came 39:41in putting Maine up 2-1. They would hold strong despite a flurry of attacks from the visiting UMass Lowell River Hawks. That flurry led to a scary moment for the Black Bears as Huk found herself one-on-one with Cochran. Cochran aggressively came off her line to make a play of the on the forward but Huk was able to chip just over and it grazed Cochran’s stick. That contact was enough to slow the ball down and as it trickled toward the goal line. Third-year defender Samantha Wagg came to the rescue, clearing the ball just off the line with a faithful swing of her stick, to keep Maine in the lead.

Maine Head Coach Josette Babineau would call a timeout to settle her Black Bears down with just under four minutes to go in the game and it worked to Maine’s benefit. The River Hawks, with under 20 seconds left, had the ball in the circle but Maine’s team defense laid their bodies on the line, blocking shots in what was a chaotic scene until the final buzzer.

“They’re a lot more skillful than in the past and we knew that last time we played them and I find it a more enjoyable game because there is more control and stuff but it’s a good team that’s had some success and are progressing well as a program,” Babineau said.

Head coach of UMass Lowell Shannon Hlebichuk would not comment on the game.

Maine has swept the season series with UMass Lowell this season winning the first meeting at UMass Lowell 3-2 in overtime. The Black Bears will head to Albany to take on the Great Danes who escaped the Black Bears in a 1-0 victory in Orono. The Black Bears will travel to Albany on Sunday, Oct. 22 to take on No. 20 University at Albany in a battle for first place in the America East Conference.

UMaine guts out a victory at Albany

For the first time since 2005 Black Bears defeated the ranked No. 20 University at Albany Great Danes (10-6) 1-0, spoiling the Danes’ Senior Day. Maine also extending their win streak to four in a row. The Black Bears avenged a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in their first meeting at the UMaine Field Hockey Complex earlier this season. With the victory Maine is now tied for first in the America East Conference with Albany.  

The Great Danes kept Cochran busy throughout the game. She was more than up to the task of leading the defense for the Black Bears, earning her second shut out of the season. Cochran was a brick wall, making fantastic saves all contest and finishing with seven total on the day. Maine was constantly pressured by Albany, who totaled nine corners throughout the match. At 64:53 in the game a shot by first-year midfielder Ghislaine Beerkens forced Cochran to make an incredible pad save that helped give the Black Bears some momentum.

Soon after the save a foul deemed a penalty stroke that was given to Maine and who else but the Wagg to take the shot. All season Wagg has been known for her hard shot that takes off her stick like a rocketship, and she didn’t disappoint today. At minute 60:23 Wagg buried her penalty stroke and gave Maine the go ahead and eventual game winning goal.

The Black Bears are back in action for more America East Conference play on Friday, Oct. 27 at Vermont. They then return to the friendly confines of The UMaine Field Hockey Complex on Sunday, Oct. 29 for Senior Day against New Hampshire at 1 p.m. Albany will try to end the regular season on a high note taking by taking on New Hampshire at 3 p.m. on Oct. 27.

The University of Maine Black Bears (1-1) opened up at home in a big way Saturday afternoon, led by second-year running back Josh Mack’s 276 all purpose yards and a defense that intercepted Bryant University (1-1) third-year quarterback Price Wilson five times, including two that were returned for touchdowns as the Black Bears steam rolled the Bulldogs 60-12.

It all started in the first quarter for Maine thanks to second-year wide receiver Ernest Edwards, who caught two touchdown passes from redshirt first-year quarterback Chris Ferguson. On the opening drive, Edwards caught a pass from Ferguson and dove in for the score, bringing the score to 7-0. It would be Ferguson to Edwards from 31 yards out on a circus catch to run the score to 14-0.  Maine had a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter with no intention of letting up.

The Black Bears came out on fire in the second quarter, scoring 29 points to put the game out of reach. Mack, who totaled 151 yards and 3 touchdowns in what was a comeback win against the Bulldogs a season ago took it upon himself to get the job done again this season as he turned the corner for a 66-yard house call to start the second quarter.

“I just saw green grass in front of me you know, trusted my line in front of me, Jamil [Demby], the rest of them, I was patient and let my blocks develop and hit the hole that opened up,” Mack said.

Mack added another 60-yard touchdown with 3:57 left in the second quarter to put the Black Bears up 43-5 before the halftime mark. Mack finished the game with 255 rush yards and 3 touchdowns, becoming the first Black Bear to top the 200-yard mark on the ground since Marcus Williams posted 246 rush yards in 2003. Redshirt second-year running back Joe Fitzpatrick also contributed in the run game with 103 yards on the day.

The Maine offensive line dominated the game by not giving the Bulldogs an inch as Ferguson, who had an impressive debut against the University of New Hampshire, continued his success at home. The line didn’t concede a sack and allowed the young quarterback to throw for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns while going 8-17 on the day.

The offense wasn’t the only side of the ball that impressed Saturday. The defense that’s known as “The Black Hole” didn’t let Bryant get comfortable. Right after a 66-yard TD from Mack, redshirt third-year safety Darrius Hart made some noise with a 35-yard pick six, one of two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Hart and third-year linebacker Sinmisola Demuren each returned an interception for a score as the Black Bears racked up eight takeaways with five interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Maine will enjoy this bounce back win but heading into the bye week Head Coach Joe Harasymiak made it clear this team is not done impressing us yet.

“I truly believe we’re a good football team but good means .500, we’re trying to change that around here. It’s been a goal of ours to be great that’s why these guys are saying that. It’s kind of become maybe a little bit of a slogan so far you know? We want to be great. We’re tired of being good and we’re tired of being .500,” Harasymiak said.

The program hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2013, but this team has fans excited. Many believe the loss to UNH should have been a Maine win and with this 60-point explosion Black Bear Nation is buying in.

Maine will have a bye week before traveling to take on defending Football Championship Subdivision National Champions James Madison on Sept. 23 for a 1:30 p.m. kick off in Harrisonburg, Va. Bryant will return home next week to take on the Brown Bears at 12:30 on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Thursday, April 27 marked a day many college athletes only dream of, the 2017 NFL Draft. Many wondered whose name would be called first and what their teams would do to improve their rosters.

Some teams were winners and others losers.

The “winners” of the 2017 NFL Draft began with the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina, after struggling to find the winning attitude that led them to a Super Bowl appearance the year prior, drafted a young playmaker out of Stanford by the name of Christian McCaffrey.

Carolina lacked a playmaker to compliment the 2015 NFL MVP, Cam Newton. McCaffrey came into the draft underrated, after not making much noise last year, but if it’s possible to have a quiet 1,639 rushing yards, McCaffrey did it.

McCaffrey is also is one of the best pass catchers out of the backfield in this loaded 2017 draft class. Look out for him to help boost Carolina back into contention for the NFC South title this coming season.

The Los Angeles Chargers came in needing to get a WR, with Keenan Allen injured in back-to-back seasons. Drafting Mike Williams with the seventh overall pick filled that need. The second-team Walter Camp All-American and first-team All-ACC pick caught 84 passes for 1,171 yards and 10 scores, putting up highlight-reel plays on several occasions.

The next round, the Chargers went and found a player to protect their QB Philip Rivers. Forrest Lamp, from Western Kentucky, was drafted 38th overall; the past two years, Lamp was a first-team all-conference selection, starting every game on the blind side. He was a third-team Associated Press All-American as a senior. Expect good things in L.A. this year, in what will be a close and competitive battle for the AFC West crown.

But, then, there are the “losers” this year.

The Chicago Bears traded up one spot to get the second overall pick and to the dismay of their fanbase, decided to draft a QB by the name of Mitchell Trubisky. Many videos that went up the next day were reactions of Bears fans’ hopes and dreams being crushed, one fan even saying, “It’s Doug McDermott all over again.” Trubisky is a high-end quarterback prospect, who possesses NFL size, a big arm and the ability to throw with accuracy from the pocket or on the move. Chicago though, who just lost star WR Alshon Jeffery to the Eagles, should have looked to rebuild with defense first, rather than snagged a QB; only time will tell if this move pays off for the Bears.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who had a good year in the 2016-2017 season, didn’t need to make a splash in the draft, but with what picks they had, they didn’t make the best choices.

Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech is considered inconsistent in his approach and that’s something the Chiefs don’t need. Their offense was strong, but what carried them through the season was a tough defense.  

Tanoh Kpassagnon, a DE from Villanova, was drafted 59th overall and really didn’t address the question marks on offense. Kpassagnon is a great player — the Pennsylvania native took his game up a notch last fall, garnering first-team Associated Press FCS All-American honors, ranking sixth in the FCS with 21.5 tackles for loss and tying for fifth nationally with 11 sacks. With how well the defense was last year performed, it left fans wondering who would be a playmaker. Jamaal Charles has shown he can’t be relied on to stay healthy and the Wide Receiving core is far too inconsistent.

Overall, it was a talented draft that saw many talented, young athletes achieve their dreams of being in the NFL. It is yet to be seen what will come of this year’s draft class, but what is for sure is each player drafted will have a chance to make an impact in training camp. Some of these players will become household names and some will be quickly forgotten; it’s what keeps us fascinated each year and why we tune in to watch.