GOLETA, Calif. – Defense and rebounding win championships.

That is the mantra of University of Maine women’s basketball coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie, whose mission this season has been to convince her Black Bears how important those two aspects of the game are to their potential success.

The very same words are screen-printed onto the backs of the white 2000 NCAA Women’s Final Four T-shirts worn by North Carolina players during Friday afternoon’s practice at the “Thunderdome” on the campus of the University of California-Santa Barbara.

Defense and rebounding will be among the keys tonight when 12th-seeded Maine takes on No. 5 seed North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament West Region first-round game. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:35 p.m.

The 20-10 Black Bears meet the 18-12 Tar Heels for only the second time in school history with a sellout crowd of 6,000-plus expected to be on hand. Fourth-seeded host Cal-Santa Barbara takes on No. 13 seed Rice in the late game.

UMaine will put its 1-2-2 matchup zone up against UNC’s aggressive man-to-man. The Bears’ tenacity on defense and determination on the boards may determine whether they can give the Tar Heels a tussle.

“They’re very athletic and can jump,”‘ said UMaine center Jamie Cassidy. “It’s very important for us to box out. Because they’re so athletic, hopefully we’ll be able to get some over-the-back calls. If we make contact and box them out, we should be all right.”

This marks the sixth consecutive NCAA tourney appearance for UMaine. Once again, the Bears appear to be decided underdogs. If they rebound effectively, it could help the Bears dictate a half-court game.

“They’re definitely one of the quicker and faster teams that we have played,” Palombo said. “The important part about controlling the tempo is being smart offensively and moving the basketball and making sure that they play a lot more defense than offense.”

On paper, the Tar Heels may have more talent. And UNC has been in the Sweet 16 each of the last six years. But emotion and intensity are two crucial intangibles.

“This time of year, it’s about emotion,” Palombo said. “Now we have an opportunity to exhibition emotion and play together.”

North Carolina guard Nikki Teasley, who realizes the ‘Heels are prohibitive favorites, knows talent alone won’t win tonight’s game.

“I just take for granted that anybody in the NCAA Tournament deserves to be there and they obviously have a good basketball team,” Teasley said. “It’s all going to come down to who wants it more. Everybody has the same goal; everybody wants to win a national championship. Who has the most heart and who goes after it the hardest is going to get it.”

Tonight could be the fourth and final opportunity for Bears seniors Cassidy, Amy Vachon, Kristen McCormick and Katie Clark to help UMaine finally play up to its capability.

“I think that we can really focus and bring it together,” said Vachon, who ranks 22nd in NCAA career assists with 751.

Even freshman forward Anna James knows the Bears have yet to play their best this season.

“I’m so excited that this team is getting another opportunity to continue on with their season and prove to everyone the quality of team that we really are,” James said.

The contest pits a talented, quick North Carolina ballclub with tourney experience, depth sand plenty of athleticism against a UMaine squad that likely will have to play by far its best game of the season to have a chance to win.

Vachon knows UMaine must concentrate on its own game.

“We can’t get caught up in what North Carolina will be doing,” Vachon said. “They’re going to take a lot of chances and they’re very aggressive and athletic, so we just need to take care of the ball and work with each other. We have a lot of experience, we know what to expect, we just need to go out there and relax.”

Lopez has stomach ailment

UMaine junior Kizzy Lopez was feeling a bit under the weather Friday, but did take part in the Bears’ afternoon practice at the facility affectionately known as The Thunderdome.

Lopez, a 5-11 guard/forward from Pierrefords, Quebec, apparently had been sick to her stomach late Thursday. She sat out during a few short periods during Friday’s workout, but drank water and participated most of the time.

A familar NCAA role

The UMaine women are decided underdogs for tonight’s NCAA Tournament first-round game, something that’s pretty much routine for the Bears.

Senior Jamie Cassidy said the Bears, especially the younger players, showed some jitters during their Thursday practice. However, she is confident the upperclassmen can call upon their extensive NCAA experience to help calm things down.

“Experience is definitely going to help us and I think it’s real important for us to spread that to our teammates who haven’t been here before,” Cassidy said. “I think it’s important for us not to be intimidated and to play with confidence.