Toppers topple Bears> Lack of consistency plagues Maine in sixth loss

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Consistency is the name of the game in basketball, especially against high-caliber opponents. It’s a critical element the University of Maine women’s team lacked during the University of Florida’s State Farm Tournament.

The Black Bears played well at times, not so well at others Wednesday night. The result was Western Kentucky’s 68-61 victory over UMaine in the consolation game at the O’Connell Center.

UMaine, now 4-6, was unable to sustain its play throughout, suffering from occasional lapses that proved costly.

“We played with a lot more intensity [but] we played in spurts, which is what really cost us,” said UMaine coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie. “It’s a matter of playing with urgency and we did so in the second half. The big thing for us now is consistency instead of playing spurts.”

The Lady Toppers (5-4) shot 48 percent from the floor – including 53 percent in the second half – and knocked down five 3-pointers after intermission while holding off the Bears. Western Kentucky complemented its perimeter shooting with a strong inside game, which yielded high-percentage shots and a 19-4 advantage in free throws.

The Toppers placed five players in double figures, led by Natalie Powers’ 15 points and 14 each from Jamie Britt and Jamie Walz, who hit four of nine 3-pointers.

“I think the concern is our interior defense has struggled too much and it’s unfortunate because we have a senior-laden lineup with a bunch of veterans,” Palombo said.

Jamie Cassidy set the pace for the Bears with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Kristen McCormick broke out of her recent scoring slump with 17 points, including 5-for-11 accuracy from beyond the 3-point line.

“We’ve been good against both defenses [man-to-man and zone] with good post passers and shooters, but the only shooter we had tonight was Kristen.”

Martina Tinklova contributed 10 points and seven rebounds, while Amy Vachon added eight points, six rebounds and four assists. She broke the previous America East career assists record of 605 held by Hartford’s Maureen DiJulia, and now has 609.

The Bears trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, but put on a late charge.

With Western Kentucky leading 61-50, McCormick hit her fifth 3-pointer of the contest with 2:55 remaining. Vachon followed with a 3-pointer, but Britt’s foul shot kept WKU’s lead at six with 1:58 left.

Lady Toppers 68, Black Bears 61

Maine women (4-6) 61 W. Kentucky (5-4) 68

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

Lopez 0 0 0 2 0 Britt 4 10 6 8 14

Tinklova 5 10 0 0 10 Mansfield 4 6 5 10 13

Cassidy 8 18 3 3 19 Chastan 1 3 0 2 2

McCormick 6 13 0 0 17 Powers 5 10 2 2 15

Vachon 3 7 0 0 8 Walz 4 9 2 2 14

Clark 1 3 0 0 2 Johnson 3 5 4 6 10

Guerrette 1 4 1 2 3 Hutcherson 0 0 0 0 0

Stone 0 5 0 0 0 Wulf 0 1 0 0 0

Geraghty 0 1 0 0 0

James 1 1 0 0 2

Grover 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 25 65 4 7 61 Totals 21 44 19 30 68

Maine 23 61

Western Kentucky 31 68

3-pt. goals: Maine (7-25): McCormick 5-11, Vachon 2-5, Cassidy 0-1, Geraghty 0-1, Guerrette 0-3, Stone 0-4; W. Kentucky (7-20): Walz 4-9, Powers 3-8, Britt 0-3

Attendance: 221