UM rediscovers defense vs. Drexel

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PHILADELPHA, Pa. – The University of Maine bounced back from a sluggish first-half defensive effort, holding Drexel to 22 second-half points Friday night while posting a 67-55 America East women’s basketball victory at the Physical Education Athletic Center.

Senior point guard Amy Vachon made sure UMaine maintained its offensive presence, hitting five of seven 3-pointers on her way to a career-high 20 points.

Coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s Bears improved to 10-6, 6-1 in conference play, with their sixth straight victory. UMaine now travels to Hempstead, N.Y., for Sunday’s noon contest against Hofstra.

The Bears opened the second half with a 10-0 scoring run and maintained the lead the rest of the way behind a strong defensive performance.

“Holding them to 22 points in the second half was really a great effort all the way around,” Palombo said. “The team really picked up the intensity and forced Drexel into some shots they probably didn’t want to take.”

Palombo addressed the issue of defense during her halftime speech, after the Bears surrendered 33 points and trailed by three at intermisthe Bears surrendered 33 points and trailed by three at intermission.

“We were really focusing on the shooters,” Palombo said. “We had given up four 3’s [3-pointers] in the first half without much contesting. We wanted to recognize the shooters better and clamp down on them.”

Drexel, which slipped to 8-9 overall, 4-3 in America East, was held to 35 percent field goal shooting in the second half.

Vachon’s presence was particularly important during the final five minutes of the first half, when teammate Jamie Cassidy was forced to leave the game after bruising her left knee.

“Amy played an incredible game,” Palombo said. “She really was a great leader for us, definitely the key to the game. She kept a very cool head and directed her teammates.”

Cassidy finished with 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out six assists. The senior center also registered four blocked shots, pushing her career total to 186. That surpasses the previous UMaine record of 185 held by Stacey Porrini (1993-97).

UMaine clicked offensively during its 10-0 spurt early in the second half. Cassidy scored a layup off a Martina Tinklova feed, then tied it with a foul shot a minute later.

Vachon hit a 3-pointer that put the Bears ahead for good at 36-33 with 17:24 to play, then Tinklova followed with two baskets 42 seconds apart. Drexel eventually got within a point at 42-41, but Vachon answered with a 3-pointer to keep the Bears on top.

Kizzy Lopez contributed 11 points for UMaine, which shot 58 percent in the second half. The Bears also received key bench contributions from freshmen Pam Cruz and Christy Grover.

Cruz played 16 minutes, providing three steals, while Grover bolstered UMaine’s post play.

Meghan McIntyre led the Dragons with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Mikki Miller provided 13 points and nine rebounds. Maureen Michaels added 12 points.

Drexel outrebounded UMaine 44-33, grabbing 19 on the offensive end. The Bears committed only 12 turnovers to 21 for the hosts.

The Dragons trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but ended the half with a 16-5 scoring run that sent them into the locker room leading 33-30.

Black Bears 67, Dragons 55

Maine women (10-6) Drexel (8-9)

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

Lopez 3 7 5 8 11 Mix 2 9 0 2 6

Tinklova 4 7 0 1 8 Miller 4 11 5 7 13

Cassidy 9 15 2 5 20 McIntyre 8 18 3 5 19

McCormick 1 4 0 0 3 Frysinger 0 1 0 0 0

Vachon 6 12 3 4 20 Michaels 4 8 2 4 12

James 0 2 0 0 0 Welborn 1 6 0 1 3

Cruz 0 4 2 2 2 Connors 1 3 0 0 2

Moldre 0 2 2 2 2 McGinty 0 1 0 0 0

Guerrette 0 0 0 0 0 Scanlan 0 0 0 0 0

Grover 1 1 1 2 3 Bono 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 24 54 13 22 67 Totals 20 57 10 19 55

Maine 30 67

Drexel 33 55

3-pt. goals: Maine (6-12): Lopez 0-2, McCormick 1-3, Vachon 5-7; Drexel (5-15): Mix 2-3, Frysinger 0-1, Michaels 2-4, Welborn 1-5, Connors 0-2

Attendance: 332