Maine wins on the road > Bears turn to defense to stifle league opponents

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Jan. 2 Maine 78, Delaware 61

NEWARK, Del. – Cindy Blodgett poured in 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bears pulled away in the second half.

The two teams were tied, 33-33, at halftime before Maine outscored the Blue Hens 45-28 in the second half, led by Blodgett’s

19 points. Maine shot 61 percent from the floor in the second half after a poor shooting performance in the first half of 39 percent.

Maine didn’t pull away until late in the game when it outscored Delaware 25-5 over the last 6:07 of the contest.

“We were able to shut them down defensively in the second half,” said Maine head coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie. “In the first

half we weren’t contesting their shots and we were a little sluggish on defense.”

Jan. 4

Maine 81, Towson State 67

TOWSON, Md. – A little bit of good defense and a whole lot of Cindy Blodgett went a long way for the Bears.

Blodgett scored 15 of her game-high 31 points in the second half, and Maine stepped up its defensive pressure to limit Towson State to only five baskets in the last 13 minutes on the way to the victory.

The Tigers twice sliced the lead to two in the second half, but Maine then turned up the heat defensively. The Black Bears began putting full-court pressure on Towson State. They trapped the Tigers and it paid off. The Black Bears also held the Tigers without a point for stretches of 3:03 and 4:31.

Jan. 12

Maine 89, Hofstra 54

ORONO – An enthusiastic crowd of 3,279 welcomed the Bears back for their first home game since Dec. 12.

The Bears showed their appreciation as they dazzled the crowd with tenacious, full-court defense, which helped the hosts unleash the often flashy, open-court play that formed the basis of the win.

Maine’s transition chemistry produced plenty of sparkle. Cindy Blodgett was the key ingredient, regulating the right mix of winning ingredients with sharp passing and smooth scoring.

Blodgett sparked Maine with a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds, handed out seven assists and made three steals. Senior forward Steph Guidi continued her gritty comeback from a nagging ankle injury, scoring 15 points.

Jan. 14

Maine 107, Drexel 53

ORONO – Cindy Blodgett scored her 1,000th career point on a 3-point shot as the Bears tamed the Dragons.

Blodgett’s basket with 5:15 left helped put an exclamation point on the victory as shet torched the Dragons for a 41 points while reaching 1,000 career points faster than any UMaine women’s player.

She finished one point shy of the NAC single-game scoring mark set by Hope Linthicum of Central Connecticut in 1987.

Blodgett’s 1,004 points in 46 games passed former Bears star Rachel Bouchard, who scored No. 1,000 in her 51st game.

Jan. 16

Maine 86, Vermont 67

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Cindy Blodgett scored 13 of her 41 points in the final seven minutes to lift Maine past rival Vermont in front of 2,100.

The Bears held off several comeback attempts by the Catamounts to take the victory.

“I felt we held off every charge in a variety of ways. That’s really the first time this year we held off so strongly, so consistently,” Palombo said.

The Catamounts never got any closer than six points in the final 20 minutes.

Jan. 20

Maine 80, UNH 64

ORONO – New Hampshire almost avoided getting into a fast-paced game against Maine.

For 26 minutes, the Wildcats succeeded in dictating a half-court game with steady man-to-man defense and aggressive rebounding.

In the last 14 minutes, swarming defense by Stacia Rustad and Cindy Blodgett and heady rebounding by Trisha Ripton helped the Black Bears work their transition magic.

Blodgett and Rustad scored four points each to spark a momentous 10-2 flurry as Maine pulled away for the win.

The Bears broke loose six minutes into the second half, scoring 40 points in the final 14 minutes.

Jan. 28

Maine 71, UNH 56

DURHAM, N.H.- The University of Maine proved again that it takes its defense seriously, especially in the second half.

The Black Bears held New Hampshire to 20 points on 24-percent shooting after intermission, bouncing back for the win.

Cindy Blodgett rolled up 32 points, grabbed six rebounds and made four steals.

Trisha Ripton continued her versatile play with 12 points, four assists and three steals. Stacey Porrini battled her way to 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, while Steph Guidi finished with 11 points.

Jan. 30

Maine 90, Hartford 41

ORONO – The Maine women’s basketball team got off to a sluggish start, but then it applied the remedy it usually uses to wake up its offense: Cindy Blodgett.

The sophomore sank 16 straight points in the final four minutes of the half to power Maine to a 44-16 halftime lead.

The run fueled the Bears on to the romp and their eighth straigh win as Blodgett finished with 29.

Feb. 2

Maine 87, Hofstra 54

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The University of Maine Black Bears went on scoring runs of 10-0 and 11-0 in the first half’s last 10 minutes en route to the rout.

Cindy Blodgett poured in 31 points, 20 in the first half. She surpassed the NAC single-season scoring mark of 329 set in 1993-94 by Vermont’s Sheri Turnbull in 16 games.

“I was patient in my shot selection and let the game come to me. They tried to slow me down by face-guarding me and double-teaming me,” Blodgett said, explaining a Hofstra player attempted to get a hand in her face when she was shooting.

Feb. 4

Maine 78, Drexel 47

PHILADELPHIA – Maine breezed by Drexel behind 23 points, five steals and four assists from Cindy Blodgett.

Blodgett helped the Bears get off to a good start, scoring 14 of her points in the first 10 minutes. She hit back-to-back jumpers

to kick off a 17-2 first-half sput that gave Maine a 29-12 lead with 7:36 left.

After Maine’s Steph Guidi and Tiffany Davis of Drexel traded baskets, Stacey Porrini scored on a lay-in and Guidi nailed a jumper. The Bears answered a DU timeout with six straight points to take command.

Feb. 9

Maine 90, Delaware 48

ORONO – The Black Bears prepped for the playoffs showing off its intensity and strong play as they rolled past the Blue Hens.

Maine treated its fans to a fun-filled game, one the Bears dominated from start to finish. The hosts established their running game early and took advantage with crisp transition play.

Junior swing player Trisha Ripton helped Maine mesh in the open court, handing out a career-high 11 assists. She also tied a UMaine single-game record, hitting five 3-pointers on her way to 19 points.

“When we played them at Delaware, we had a lot of easy baskets in transition, so we knew that we could run them,” Ripton said. “Cindy and Russ [Stacia Rustad] and the guards did a great job of getting me the ball. They were wide-open shots half the time.”

Blodgett finished with 30.

Feb. 11

Maine 80, Towson State 48

ORONO – Maine remained focused as it beat up another conference opponent.

Maine’s defense sealed off the interior with a cohesive first-half performance that paved the way for a sizeable lead.

Maine raced to a 24-3 advantage eight minutes in, and was never challenged.

Led by Sandi Carver, Cindy Blodgett, Trisha Ripton and Stacia Rustad, the Bears’ matchup zone played tight on the perimeter. That forced the Tigers to look inside, where they were equally restricted by Catherine Gallant, Stacey Porrini and Steph Guidi.

Feb. 15

Maine 75, Hartford 62

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Cindy Blodgett scored 23 of her game-high 33 points in the second half to carry Maine past the Hawks.

Blodgett took charge down the stretch to help the Bears fend off a valiant upset bid by the Hawks, who slipped to 12-11, 8-7 in the NAC. Maine’s sophomore star converted on 16 of 18 free-throw attempts, making all 10 of her second-half foul shots.

Free throws were crucial for the Bears, who cashed in on 33 of 39 (85 percent) on the night. Trisha Ripton went 8-for-8 from the line in the second half, 10-for-10 for the game en route to 15 points.

Stacey Porrini contributed seven points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Feb. 18

Maine 87, Vermont 66

ORONO – Cindy Blodgett didn’t have her ususal scoring touch from the field, but nailed 14 of 17 free throws, including 11 of 13 in the final 10 minutes, to spark the Bears.

While Blodgett struggled from the perimeter, teammate Sandi Carver contributed 12 big points on 6-for-8 shooting to help pick up the slack.

The Bears attacked the basket in the last 10 minutes and were rewarded with 14 trips to the foul line. Maine made 21 of 25 and hit 33 of 40 (83 percent) for the game.

“I didn’t shoot very well and that was my fault, not the way they were playing defense,” said Blodgett, who posted 25 points, six rebounds, six assists, five steals and two blocked shots. “I knew it shooting was off in the first half, so I tried to rebound a little better and try to find our post players.”

Feb. 22

Maine 77, BU 51

ORONO – Stacey Porrini and the University of Maine women’s basketball team turned Boston University inside-out at Alfond Arena.

The Black Bears’ junior center put on a one-woman show in the low post, knocking down 10 consecutive first-half shots on her way to a career-high 28 points.

Maine’s opponents are accustomed to Cindy Blodgett being virtually unstoppable, but the Terriers didn’t have an answer for Porrini. The 6-foot-4 post player poured in 22 points on 10-for-12 accuracy, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked three shots in only a half.

“At halftime, you don’t want to go back to the second half, you want a week of practice and then go back to the second half,” joked cordial BU coach Chris Basile. “When you have a player Porrini who has as many points as your team does and it’s not Cindy Blodgett… It’s not a good sign.”

Feb. 24

Maine 69, Northeastern 49

ORONO – Seniors Steph Guidi, Catherine Gallant and Stacia Rustad each turned in solid games in their final regular-season games as the Bears beat the Huskies.

Maine’s three seniors made their first curtain call Saturday in front of a record Alfond Arena sports crowd of 5,663, helping the Bears a NAC win over Northeastern.

Cindy Blodgett tossed in 24 points as coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s team tied a school record for wins, improving to 24-4.

Maine completed the NAC regular season at 18-0, becoming only the third team to finish unbeaten in NAC play and the first to do so under the 18-game schedule.

“We’ve been at both ends of the stick, and it makes it all the more sweet for us, because we’ve worked really hard over these past

four years,” Guidi said. “You can compare this year to four years ago, and there’s a tremendous difference.”