Second-half surge carries Bears to win

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ORONO – Good players know when their team needs a lift. The great ones take it a step further, providing timely leadership and execution to overcome adversity.

With floor leader Cindy Blodgett in early foul trouble Saturday, Sandi Carver boosted the University of Maine with a critical first-half scoring outburst.

Once the Black Bears’ confidence was restored, Blodgett unleashed a second-half onslaught that carried Maine to a 92-70 victory over Vermont in the America East women’s basketball championship game at Alfond Arena.

Coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s 22-7 Black Bears clinched the league title and an NCAA Tournament berth for the third straight season. Maine, winner of nine in a row, has been seeded 13th and will face No. 4 LSU in Saturday’s first-round game at the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rogue, La.

Blodgett rained in six 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 37 points, earning America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for the second year in a row. Blodgett, who contributed seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, set tourney records for total points (128) and 3-pointers in a game (six).

Carver tied a season high with 15 points, joining Blodgett and teammate Jamie Cassidy (11 points) on the all-tourney team. Alex Lawson and Karalyn Church of Vermont and New Hampshire’s Sheila Danker also were selected.

Carver, the proverbial knife clenched between her teeth, took charge for the Bears when they needed it most. The rugged junior guard used penetration moves while reeling off 12 points during a three-minute stretch of the first half, when Blodgett was relegated to the bench with three fouls.

“Every time I got the ball, I was just thinking `take it to the basket, take it to the hole,’ ” Carver said. “We were down, and I was getting a little frustrated with that.

“I was taking it to the hole and couldn’t understand why they weren’t stepping in front of me. Since they weren’t, I figured I’d take advantage of it.”

Maine went from down six points to up by one, preventing Vermont from carrying the momentum into the second half, when the Bears reasserted themselves.

“We came out and we were a bit tentative and we weren’t as aggressive, and Maine took advantage of that,” said Vermont’s Lori Taylor. “We started to get tired, and our play really deteriorated.”

Carver passed the “knife” back to Blodgett, who wielded it furiously in the second half. The Bears wounded the Catamounts with a 12-0 charge, then Blodgett subdued Vermont with 3-pointers.

“I think after halftime everyone kind of calmed down a little bit and relaxed,” Blodgett said. “I think we focused more on each other and kind of forgot Vermont and what they did.”

Stacey Porrini added 11 points for the Bears, Kelly Stubbs added nine, and Vachon had five assists.

Lawson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace Vermont, while Harris netted 16 points, Cronin 13, and Church 12. Taylor added eight points and seven assists.

Coach Pam Borton’s Vermont squad quieted the crowd of 5,438 with an inspired first-half effort. The Catamounts found some holes in Maine’s matchup zone, mounting an emotional 13-3 scoring run.

Lawson scored twice from inside, the latter eight seconds after Blodgett picked up her third foul at the 8:37 mark. Blodgett touched the ball only once in five possessions during Vermont’s spurt.

Three-pointers by Kate Cronin and Taylor eventually pushed Vermont’s lead to 32-26 lead with 7:45 left in the half.

Maine’s underclassmen showed their inexperience at times, but followed the lead of Carver and Blodgett while regaining control.

“What I’m so proud of the team for is we’ve never been in that situation before as a team and you really can’t coach for that,” Palombo said of Blodgett’s foul-induced rest. “You talk about everybody contrbuting and going to their strengths.”

Maine had gone nearly five minutes without a field goal when Carver asserted herself. She split the Vermont defense, converting on back-to-back conventional three-point plays while igniting the crowd and forcing a ‘Cats timeout.

Church scored the next six points for Vermont, which retook the lead, but a driving lefthanded layup led to another Carver three-point play. Blodgett returned for the final 3:37 of the half, helping Maine take a 44-42 halftime lead.

Vermont led by three when Blodgett’s three-point play set off a 12-0 burst. Freshman Katie Clark provided the defensive spark, scoring two free throws and a rebound basket off her own steals.

Cassidy’s foul shot, Carver’s rebound basket, and a nine-foot baseline runner by Blodgett gave Maine a 58-49 lead with 14:36 left.

Blodgett eliminated any hopes of a comeback, swishing three straight fast-break 3-pointers during a span of 1:11 to make it 79-61 with 6:15 remaining.

Black Bears 92, Catamounts 7

Vermont (21-8) Maine (22-7)

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

Taylor 3 9 0 0 8 Danes 1 4 0 0 2

Church 4 11 4 5 12 Blodgett 15 27 1 1 37

Cronin 4 7 4 5 13 Vachon 0 3 1 2 1

Lawson 8 21 3 3 19 Carver 6 8 3 3 15

Zornow 1 6 0 0 2 Porrini 5 7 1 1 11

Harris 6 12 4 4 16 K. Clark 2 5 2 2 6

Conrad 0 0 0 0 0 Cassidy 3 6 5 7 11

Burke 0 0 0 0 0 Stubbs 1 1 7 8 9

Monday 0 0 0 0 0 McCormick 0 0 0 0 0

Dodge 0 1 0 0 0 DeShong 0 1 0 0 0

A. Clark 0 0 0 0 0

Bruyere 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 26 67 15 17 70 Totals 33 62 20 24 92

Vermont 42 70

Maine 44 92

3-pt. goals: Vermont (3-12): Harris 0-3, Taylor 2-6, Church 0-2, Cronin 1-1; Maine (6-11): Blodgett 6-10, Vachon 0-1

Attendance: 5,438