BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont women’s basketball team won its first-ever league championship here Saturday evening, beating two-time defending North Atlantic Conference champion University of Maine 70-50 before a full house of 3,228 at Patrick Gym.

Coach Cathy Inglese’s 29-0 Vermont team (16-0 in NAC play) is the only undefeated NCAA Division I basketball team in the country and has been offered an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Catamounts, seeded No. 9 in the 12-team East Region, will travel to No. 8 George Washington University of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, in a first-round game. The winner will play 29-1 Virginia, the No. 1 seed and the No. 1 team in the country.

The common opponent is Rhode Island. Vermont beat the WRams by 30, but GW beat them by 39 at home and 14 on the road, without their leading scorer.

Maine, meanwhile, finished at 20-9, 12-3 in the conference.

The title and tournament bid is a tribute to the work of sixth-year head coach Inglese, who turned this program from a losing one to a winner.

Vermont put three players in double figures: 5-foot-11 sophomore center Sheri Turnbull (17 points); NAC tourney Most Valuable Player Stacy Bay, a 5-foot-11 junior from Portland (16); and 5-6 junior all-tournament guard Jen Niebling (12). Added to that were the nine points and five steals from All-Tourney pick Missy Kelsen of Portland, the NAC Co-Player of the Year.

Maine’s senior All-Tournament selection Tracey Frenette had 16 points, but 12 of those came in the first half. Plaqued by foul trouble, Frenette went to the bench with 11:26 remaining in the game.

Heather Briggs, a 5-10 junior forward, picked up the slack both offensively (12 points) and defensively while Turnbull was playing a tough game on Maine center Jess Carpenter, limiting her to six points.

The Catamounts’ run-and-gun approach never allows a player to hold the ball more than two seconds if they can help it.

“We knew we couldn’t play a half-court game with Maine, and we didn’t,” Inglese said.

Bay, who admitted she was surprised with the MVP award, knew her team had to control the boards.

“With Sheri out (resting), we had to contain their big people and we were able to do that,” she said.

Bay and Turnbull agreed it was nice to be undefeated.

“We wanted it, we wanted to do that,” Turnbull said. “It’s a great feeling.”

With a bench so deep three can sub in without missing a step, Vermont took the lead, 5-2, on a Kelsen 3-pointer at 16:01 of the first half. The Catamounts were not in serious difficulty from then on.

UM Coach Trish Roberts believed Vermont had the momentum, aided by “the hoopla of being undefeatead.” She said Maine was ready to play, but turnovers proved costly. With 16 in the first half and 28 overall (to Vermont’s total of 13) the Cats stole the Bears blind, 16-3.

“And we had no depth inside,” Roberts said. “With Tracey, out we were in trouble.”

Frenette said Vermont “is a very physical team” and that Maine had to stop the penetration, which it didn’t.

Roberts felt Vermont deserved a bid to the NCAA’s, but expects the Catamounts to have problems inside.

With 12 of 24 points, Frenette was Maine’s offense in the first half, hitting turn-around jumpers, off the inbounds pass, and driving the lane for two and turning it into a 3-pointer at the foul line.

Frenette was not displeased with the outcome, however, feeling content with her final game.

“It’s hard to lose,” said Frenette, “and I’m sorry it’s all over. But at least I know I played well. The fouls got me. When I had four, I didn’t quite believe it.”

In the meantime, Turnbull was getting the second or third rebound to fall, and Bay was hitting at will. Left alone by the Vermont clear-out, Bay would swish 15-footers from the left or right, or stop and pop over everyone.

Vermont led 38-24 at the half and had three runs of six unanswered points (and one of five) in the second, while Maine managed just one 6-point streak (Briggs, Erin Grealy and Frenette) to make it 50-35 Vermont before Frenette went to the bench.

Catamounts 70, Bears 50

Vermont Maine women

Name AG G AF F TP Name AG G AF F TP

Kelsen 10 3 1 0 9 Briggs 12 5 3 2 12

McCarthy 3 1 2 1 3 Frenette 14 7 3 2 16

Turnbull 11 6 6 5 17 Carpenter 10 3 3 2 6

Niebling 13 5 2 1 12 Bradstreet 11 3 0 0 8

Marsland 6 4 2 1 9 Goodhue 4 1 4 2 4

Bay 18 7 4 2 16 Buetow 1 0 0 0 0

LaPine 2 0 0 0 0 Strong 0 0 0 0 0

Greenbaum 3 1 0 0 2 Philbrick 0 0 0 0 0

Brothers 1 0 0 0 0 Grealy 3 1 2 2 4

Desmarais 1 1 0 0 2

Sears 0 0 0 0 0

McCuin 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 68 28 17 10 70 Totals 55 20 12 8 50

Vermont 38 70

Maine 24 50

3-pt. goals: Vermont (4-8): Kelsen (3-5), Niebling (1-3); Maine (2-12): Briggs (0-2), Bradstreet (2-7), Goodhue (0-3)