UMaine eager for 2nd half Bears’ conference play begins today

A year ago today, the University of Maine women’s basketball team had struggled to a 4-7 record and appeared to be in for a long season.

Coach Sharon Versyp turned that undermanned Black Bear squad into a formidable unit.

Tonight, a deeper, more talented UMaine team goes into its America East opener against Binghamton looking to re-establish itself as a championship-caliber team.

UMaine emerged from its nonleague schedule with a solid 7-4 record that includes wins over Xavier, Kent State, and Rhode Island.

“This is exactly where I thought we would be,” Versyp said Wednesday. “And that’s without Anna [James] and Ellen [Geraghty], two experienced players at the post and guard positions.”

James, who started 19 games last season, is coming off an undisclosed illness while Geraghty, who averaged 20 minutes per game, has been sidelined by back spasms. Neither has played this season.

Sophomore guard Pam Cruz, who had a second knee surgery, has logged only 27 minutes all season, and freshman shooting guard Kelly Manning has been bothered by a bad knee. She is scheduled for arthroscopic surgery Friday.

James is back practicing and will be available on a limited basis, while Cruz is expected to see increased playing time during the conference season.

“Right now we have six guards and four posts,” Versyp said. “Hopefully, we won’t wear down as quickly and as easily [as last season].”

This season’s youthful squad features three sophomores and three freshmen, but Versyp is pleased with the chemistry they are establishing.

“We’re playing unselfish and now I hope things will really starting clicking,” Versyp said.

Rebounding and defense have been the Bears’ best attributes. UMaine leads America East with 28.7 defensive rebounds per game and a plus-5.2 rebounding margin.

Freshman Monica Peterson (7.7 rebounds per game) and soph Heather Ernest of Temple (6.6) rank sixth and eighth, respectively, among league rebounders. Soph Julie Veilleux of Augusta is 11th at 6.3 rpg.

“We’re averaging about 42 rebounds a game. For us, that is really important,” Versyp said.

Defensively, UMaine has showed numerous looks. The Bears like to play man-to-man, but also have found success with a 1-2-2 matchup zone and a 2-3 zone at other times.

UMaine, which limited its last two opponents to 39 points each, has held its foes to 36 percent shooting, tops in America East.

Sophomore Melissa Heon is the Bears’ catalyst with her intense on-the-ball defense. She has a team-leading 23 steals, while freshman guard Missy Traversi has 22.

The Bears’ early success has come in spite of the young lineup that includes two first-year point guards in Traversi and Kim Corbitt, along with frosh power forward Peterson. They continue to mesh with Ernest, Heon, Veilleux, and seniors Tracy Guerrette and Eva Moldre.

“I think that we are coming together at the right time,” Ernest said recently.

This year’s UMaine team has demonstrated improved scoring balance. The ability of Traversi, Heon, and Corbitt to create off the dribble has been another key in forcing opponents to defend everyone on the floor.

Traversi’s 11.9-point average leads the squad while Ernest is on her heels at 11.6. Heon (9.9 ppg), Veilleux (8.0), Peterson (7.4), and Corbitt (6.7) provide enough balance to keep teams honest.

“We need to do a better job attacking offensively, period,” Versyp said. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball and handle full-court pressure.”

The Bears look to step up their fast-break game and take the ball to the basket whenever possible in the hope of drawing fouls and getting to the line. Versyp wants UMaine to improve its .693 free-throw percentage.

Other areas of concern are post play and turnovers. Moldre and 6-foot-6 freshman Nicole Jay, the Bears’ two centers, need to become better rebounders and provide offensive support to take some pressure off Ernest and Peterson.

But improvement is evident and UMaine plans to be peaking come tournament time in March.

“There’s not gonna be one easy conference game,” Versyp said. “I think there’s a lot of parity.”