UM awaits word on White’s knee

As it transpired, the play looked innocent enough. A day later, it may be just the latest in a string of misfortunes that have beset John Giannini’s University of Maine men’s basketball team.

Early in the second half on Sunday, a Stony Brook defender stepped in front of UMaine’s Derrick Jackson, drew an offensive foul, and several players ended up on the court.

Jackson stumbled back onto teammate Rickey White’s left knee and White collapsed to the floor with 15:01 to go in UMaine’s 68-65 loss and didn’t return.

UMaine coach John Giannini said Monday that White’s injured knee will be evaluated, but that he’s “not overly optimistic.”

Giannini’s pessimism is well-founded. White’s injury is just the latest in a string of events that have plagued the Bears. Star Huggy Dye was suspended before the season began and newcomer Ricky Green also left school before the Bears played their first game. Then Clayton Brown and Jackson missed a month after being injured in a car accident Thanksgiving weekend.

Giannini said a doctor at the scene said he suspected a second-degree tear of the medial collateral ligament, but Giannini said without an MRI or further testing, he wasn’t willing to comment further on the injury.

Inconsistency plagues UM women

Inconsistency continues to slow the youthful UMaine women’s basketball team, which returned to Maine early Monday morning after Sunday’s 60-52 America East loss at Stony Brook (N.Y.).

Even though the Black Bears have won three of their last four and six of eight, coach Sharon Versyp continues to search for more predictable and effective play from a squad dominated by sophomores and freshmen.

Up-and-down UMaine – which had taken a 17-0 lead in a Dec. 22 win over Rhode Island, then overcame a 19-point deficit in last Thursday’s overtime win over Binghamton – didn’t demonstrate much cohesiveness at Stony Brook.

The Bears, who have outrebounded opponents all season, grabbed 10 fewer rebounds than did the Seawolves. Sophomore forward Heather Ernest of Temple led the way with 10 boards, but foul-plagued Monica Peterson (8.3 per contest) grabbed only four and soph Julie Veilleux (6.5) of Augusta managed two in the contest.

UMaine also had difficulty running its half-court offensive sets and was unable to rebound well enough to fuel its preferred fast-break game. Freshman point guard Missy Traversi, the team’s leading scorer going into the game with 12.0 points per game, finished with four.

Soph guard Melissa Heon (9.8 ppg) tallied only two points and Veilleux (8.1) was held scoreless, severely hampering the Bears’ offensive output. UMaine shot 36 percent from the floor and committed 18 turnovers.

On the plus side, Ernest was a workhorse inside even though she didn’t get a lot of help. She tossed in a game-high 23 points.

And freshman point guard Kim Corbitt did a nice job jump-starting the Bears coming off the bench with her defensive quickness and her ability to penetrate off the dribble. She finished with seven points.

Also, junior Anna James saw her first action of the season Sunday, playing four minutes.

James, a 6-foot forward, has been struggling with an undiagnosed illness that sidelined her the entire first semester. Her return in a more significant role would be a most welcome addition to the Bears’ post game, particularly because of her defensive skills.