Bears’ depth tames Bulls UMaine returns home for 6th win

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ORONO – In the past, allowing an opponent to shoot 53 percent from the field would have meant almost certain defeat for the University of Maine women’s basketball team.

Saturday afternoon, the Black Bears demonstrated that even when their defense is a bit more forgiving than usual, they have developed some offensive firepower of their own.

UMaine exhibited tremendous balance, placing four players in double figures on its way to a 78-72 victory over the University at Buffalo.

An estimated 500 fans braved the stormy weather to watch coach Sharon Versyp’s 6-4 Bears play their first home game in more than a month. UMaine responded with a solid all-around performance.

“RPI [Rating Percentage Index] in women’s basketball means everything and they’re [Buffalo] about 85 and we were 198, so this win was really huge,” Versyp said.

The strategy for 7-3 Buffalo was to make UMaine beat it from the perimeter. The Bulls’ 2-3 zone was successful at times, but the Bears were able to take advantage of their transition game and hit enough outside shots to emerge with a victory.

“Their perimeter players, I think, up until this game had struggled a little bit from hitting the three and the long ball a little bit, but today they knocked them down when they needed them,” said Buffalo coach Cheryl Dozier.

Junior guard Melissa Heon scored 12 of her team-high 19 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UMaine. She also contributed five assists without committing a turnover and made five steals.

“We definitely need that, three or four players at least in double figures every game,” Heon said. “As long as some people step up every single game, we’ll be on top.”

Junior forward Heather Ernest of Temple posted 18 points and nine rebounds, sophomore guard Missy Traversi hit four 3-pointers en route to 14 points, and junior swing player Julie Veilleux of Augusta chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Bears shot a healthy 48 percent from the floor.

“We have a very balanced team,” Ernest said. “Everybody can score in double figures on any given night, which is something we haven’t had in the past couple years.”

Heady point guard Kate McMeeken-Rusco sparked the Bulls with a game-high 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting and handed out 10 assists. Jessica Kochendorfer provided 17 points and seven rebounds, and Hollie Cooke added 12 points, five assists, and three steals.

UMaine established its scoring balance early, then slowed the Bulls with a cohesive 1-2-2 matchup zone. As Buffalo tried to solve the 1-2-2, the Bears put together a 13-2 scoring run that put them ahead for good.

With Buffalo leading 25-22, Heon rattled off seven straight points. She converted a baseline drive, hit a layup off her own steal and buried a 3-pointer, all during a span of a minute, nine seconds.

Veilleux’s driving layup then made it 31-25 with 7:13 left in the half as UMaine went on to build a 43-35 halftime lead.

“We were able to box out, make them take some hard shots, and that’s what really helped us,” Versyp said.

While the Bears’ outside shooting cooled a bit in the second half, their transition game enabled the hosts to push the lead to 68-51 with 5:48 to play.

Buffalo countered with a late charge, led by McMeeken-Rusco, that cut the deficit to five, but the Bears patiently won it with an 8-for-8 effort from the foul line.

“I knew that they were going to come back, but we did a good job managing the clock [and] still attacking at times,” Versyp said. “We knocked down our free throws, which is a key.”

UMaine outrebounded Buffalo 38-27 and the Bears committed only 15 turnovers.

“They took care of the basketball,” Dozier said. “We couldn’t force them into turnovers like we’re used to doing with teams.”

BLACK BEARS 78, BULLS 72

Buffalo (7-3) Maine (6-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Martin 2 5 0 0 4 Heon 7 15 19

McMeeken 10 14 0 0 22 Ernest 7 13 18

Bennett 1 5 0 0 2 Jay 0 2 0

Cook 6 8 0 0 12 Corbitt 1 4 0 2

Kochendorfer 7 12 3 4 17 Veilleux 5 10

Burd 1 1 0 0 2 Traversi 4 9 14

Kilpela 3 9 0 2 6 Geraghty 0 0

Lawrenson 3 8 0 0 7 Peterson 3 7

Meunier 0 0 0 0 0 Schrader 4 8

Granger 0 0 0 0 0

Hedges 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 33 62 3 6 72 Totals 31 64 10 14 78

Buffalo 35 72

Maine 43 78

3-pt. goals: Buffalo (3-10): McMeeken-Rusco 2-4, Lawrenson 1-6; Maine (6-16): Heon 1-2, Ernest 1-2, Corbitt 0-2, Veilleux 0-3, Traversi 4-7

Attendance: 500 (est.)