Cassidy’s 41 sends Black Bears into tourney final

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NEW ORLEANS – Jamie Cassidy poured in a career-high 41 points and pulled down 13 rebounds Monday night, powering the University of Maine to a 92-78 victory over Middle Tennessee State in the first round of the Tulane/Doubletree Tournament.

Coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s 5-3 Black Bears advance to tonight’s 9 p.m. tournament championship game against 8-1 Tulane. The Green Wave routed Furman 92-56 in Monday’s first game.

The Blue Raiders had no defensive answer inside for Cassidy, who connected on 18 of 26 shots (69 percent) en route to her best offensive outing in a UMaine uniform.

“It was a great performance. I’m sorry the Maine fans back home didn’t get to see it,” Palombo said. “Jamie played very mature basketball.”

Maine committed 22 turnovers, but was able to survive Middle Tennessee’s relentless defensive pressure over the long haul. The Bears’ ability to slow the pace of the game in the second half against the agile Blue Rsteals) was instrumental in the victory.

“We did a good job in the second half containing the tempo better,” Palombo said. “In the first half, it was more of and up-and-down game with a lot of quick shots.”

Kristen McCormick also had a career night for the Bears. The junior guard tossed in 24 points, hitting some clutch 3-pointers to help Maine hold onto its fluctuating lead.

“Kristen was aggressive, played very strong defense, and was very balanced in her shooting,” Palombo said. “She really played within herself.”

Amy Vachon scored nine points and handed out nine assists, while Kelly Bowman contributed 10 points for the Bears.

Maine extended a four-point halftime lead with a 12-3 run to open the second half. Cassidy and McCormick scored four points each during the rally and the Raiders never got closer than six the rest of the way.

The Bears outrebounded the Raiders 42-30, with Martina Tinklova grabbing eight. Maine also shot 57 percent from the floor

The contest also marked the collegiate debut of Maine’s Eva Moldre. The freshman center missed the first seven games while recovering from a preseason knee injury.

Kelly Chastain led Middle Tennessee with 17 points and four steals, while Cortney Neeley netted 14, Bama Burrell 13 and Jamie Thomatis 10.

In the first half, Maine took advantage of its height advantage underneath. Cassidy connected on 10 of 14 shots on her way to 22 points as the Bears forged a tenuous 43-39 halftime lead.

Maine, which had trailed 21-18 midway through the half, moved in front on the strength of a 12-0 scoring run. McCormick provided a pair of short jumpers as bookends to the spurt, which included three close-range hoops by Cassidy and a steal-layup combo by Vachon.

The Bears, who shot 55 percent from the field, held a 30-21 advantage with six minutes left in the half. But Middle Tennessee crept back behind its aggressive man-to-man defense and overall quickness.

After being fouled by Kizzy Lopez with one second to play in the half, Kelly Chastain hit three free throws to get the Blue Raiders back within four.

McCormick connected for 12 first-half points for the Bears, who outrebounded Middle Tennessee 20-12.

Black Bears 92, Blue Raiders 78

Middle Tennessee (5-3) Maine (5-3)

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

Burrell 5 11 3 6 13 Tinklova 1 4 1 2 3

Buck 2 3 0 0 4 Cassidy 18 26 5 8 41

Neeley 5 8 2 2 14 Vachon 3 4 3 8 9

Chastain 4 12 7 10 17 Lopez 0 1 0 0 0

Elder 2 7 3 7 8 Stone 1 4 1 2 3

Lufkin 1 3 0 0 3 Macream 0 1 0 0 0

McClure 2 4 0 0 4 McCormick 10 16 1 1 24

Perkins 0 0 0 0 0 Bowman 3 4 3 3 10

Thomatis 2 3 6 6 10 Guerrette 0 0 0 0 0

Ainsworth 1 2 0 0 2 Moldre 1 3 0 0 2

Winfree 1 3 1 2 3 Pardilla 0 0 0 0 0

A. Clark 0 2 0 0 6

Totals 25 56 22 33 78 Totals 37 65 14 24 92

Middle Tennessee State 39 78

Maine 43 92

3-pt. goals: Middle Tenn (6-16): Burrell 0-1, Buck 0-1, Neeley 2-4, Chastain 2-5, Elder 1-2, Lufkin 1-3; Maine (4-10): Cassidy 0-1, Lopez 0-1, Stone 0-1, McCormick 3-6, Bowman 1-1

Attendance: 232