March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Deacons hold off Black Bear rally in second half

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Inconsistent rebounding and frequent turnovers have been recurring problems for the University of Maine women’s basketball team so far this season.

Those were the key elements that kept the Black Bears from overcoming a 10-point second-half deficit Sunday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.

RaeAnna Mulholland scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the second half and Wake Forest took advantage of its physical play on the boards while grinding out a 69-62 victory over Maine in the second round of the Big Four Classic.

The Black Bears return to Orono today with a 4-6 record afte The Black Bears return to Orono today with a 4-6 record after losing 68-52 to 20th-ranked North Carolina in Saturday night’s game.

Maine threatened to pull the upset in the late going Sunday, cutting a nine-point deficit to three with 1:17 to play.

The Bears shot 49 percent from the field.

“It was a great game, but Wake played very well,” said Maine coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie. “I thought we fought back and were in a great position to win the game. It was very much an NCAA atmosphere, and we want this kind of experience, only we want a different result.”

Wake Forest took the lead for good with a 10-2 flurry four minutes into the second half. Lindsay Seawright got loose inside for six of those points. The Bears chipped away, but had trouble containing Mulholland in the last 11 minutes.

“We had a tough time with Mulholland in transition,” Palombo said. “She had a great shooting touch.”

Facing a 61-52 deficit, Maine mounted a final challenge. Amy Vachon scored off a Klara Danes steal, Cindy Blodgett connected from the lane, and Jamie Cassidy made two foul shots to make it 61-58 with 2:37 to play. Wake’s Cynthia Kelley pushed the lead to five with two free throws.

Sandi Carver made a short jumper for Maine, but Mulholland scored off a miss to make it 65-60. Blodgett hit two foul shots with 1:17 left to get the Bears within three again, but she failed to hit the front end of a bonus after making a steal several seconds later.

Wake Forest outrebounded Maine 43-32 behind eight by Kelley. The Demon Deacons pulled down 23 offensive rebounds.

“They were definitely aggressive,” Palombo said. “They did get a lot of tipped balls. We did get in foul trouble, and that hurt us. It was a very physical game.”

Blodgett scored a game-high 19 points, 14 of those in the second half. She added five rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Cassidy finished with 17 points and six rebounds, Stacey Porrini added seven points and eight rebounds, and Kristen McCormick had eight points.

Mulholland paced Wake Forest with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Tracy Connor netted 15 points. Heidi Coleman provided nine points and eight assists.

Despite committing 16 turnovers, the Bears were within three points (30-27) at halftime.

The Deacons pulled out to a 17-10 lead behind a 12-4 run that spanned more than four minutes. Stacey Hawes scored five points, including a 3-pointer, and Connor added four during the spurt.

Maine responded behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Cassidy and Blodgett. Mulholland connected on a jumper for Wake Forest, but a Porrini foul shot, a basket from underneath by Cassidy, and Carver’s close-range hoop gave the Bears a 21-19 edge with 5:31 remaining in the half.

Wake Forest then scored eight unanswered points to regain the lead heading into intermission.

In Saturday’s game, Tracy Reid sparked two North Carolina runs, including a critical 12-1 spurt in the second half Saturday night, leading the Tar Heels to victory.

North Carolina, now 8-1, limited the Bears to 23 second-half points on 23 percent shooting while pulling away. Maine committed 27 turnovers in absorbing its most lopsided loss of the season.

The Bears held the high-scoring Tar Heels in check most of the way. North Carolina, which is averaging more than 88 points per game, put together enough offensive spurts to build an advantage.

“North Carolina’s talented,” Palombo said. “They were very quick and athletic, but it was a good game for us because of the pressure they were able to apply. We held North Carolina to their lowest point total of the year.”

North Carolina led 41-37 when it put together a key 12-1 spurt. Sheneika Walker scored off an offensive rebound, then Marion Jones laid one in off her own steal to make it 47-37 with 12:34 to play. Reid connected from the paint before Cassidy made the second of two free throws to break a scoreless span of nearly three minutes for Maine.

However, Chanel Wright scored on a spin move in the lane and Reid hit a turnaround jumper to push North Carolina’s lead to 53-38. The Tar Heels extended the bulge to as many as 26 points.

Reid paced North Carolina with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jones provided 16 points, six rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Wright netted 16 points.

Cassidy led the way for Maine with 17 points and five rebounds, but had her string of consecutive free throws snapped at 31 when she missed the first of two with 11:45 left. Blodgett contributed 16 points, a team-high seven rebounds, five steals, and three assists.

Porrini added nine points.

Tar Heels 68, Black Bears 52 (Saturday Night)

Maine women (4-5) North Carolina (8-1)

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

Danes 0 3 0 0 0 Reid 10 20 0 0 20

Carver 0 3 0 0 0 Wright 6 16 1 2 16

Porrini 4 8 1 3 9 S. Walker 3 5 0 0 6

Blodgett 7 21 1 2 16 Gear 3 9 0 0 8

Vachon 1 6 0 2 4 Jones 8 11 0 0 16

A. Clark 1 2 0 0 2 Gaspar 0 3 0 0 0

McCormick 2 3 0 0 4 Johnson 0 4 2 2 2

Stubbs 1 2 0 0 2 N. Walker 0 1 0 0 0

Cassidy 4 6 8 9 17 Clay 0 4 0 1 0

DeShong 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 20 55 10 16 52 Totals 30 73 3 5 68

Maine 29 52

North Carolina 34 68

3-pt. goals: Maine (2-11): Blodgett 1-7, Vachon 0-2, Cassidy 1-2; North Carolina (5-21): Reid 0-1, Wright 3-8, Gear 2-6, Jones 0-2, Gaspar 0-3, Clay 0-1

Demon Deacons 69, Bears 62 (Sunday Night)

Maine women (4-6) Wake Forest (8-3)

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

Blodgett 5 12 8 10 19 Connor 5 12 5 7 15

Cassidy 7 15 2 2 17 Kelley 1 7 2 2 4

Porrini 3 7 1 2 7 Coleman 3 8 2 2 9

Carver 2 5 0 0 4 Seawright 4 9 0 0 8

Vachon 2 2 0 0 5 Mulholland 8 17 0 0 16

DeShong 0 0 0 0 0 Miklic 0 2 2 2 2

McCormick 4 5 0 0 8 Hawes 3 8 0 0 7

Stubbs 0 0 0 0 0 Mosley 0 4 0 0 0

Danes 0 1 2 2 2 Walker 0 0 0 0 0

Clark 0 0 0 0 0 McMillan 1 3 6 9 8

Totals 23 47 13 16 62 Totals 25 70 17 22 69

Maine 27 62

Wake Forest 30 69

3-pt. goals: Maine (3-8): Cassidy 1-2, Blodgett 1-5, Vachon 1-1; Wake Forest (2-16): Mulholland 0-1, Kelley 0-1, Coleman 1-6, Mosley 0-2, Hawes 1-6


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