Maine women earning high chemistry marks Teamwork, execution key

Anyone who has seen the University of Maine women’s basketball team in action recently may have noticed the chemistry appears to be improving.

The Black Bears hope to continue polishing their execution and teamwork Sunday when they go after their 24th consecutive America East regular-season victory in a 1 p.m. game against Stony Brook at Alfond Arena in Orono.

Coach Sharon Versyp’s 11-5 Bears, who have won seven straight, appear to be cashing in on their extensive experience as they near the halfway point of the conference season.

UMaine’s three seniors and a trio of juniors have been logging the majority of court time in America East play. Their intensity and hustle on the defensive end, coupled with unselfishness on offense, have been instrumental in the team’s continued success.

“That’s the great thing about this team is you can’t just shut one person down,” said senior forward Heather Ernest of Temple who, having been the focal point of opposing defenses for the last three seasons, has watched her teammates take the pressure off her of late.

“We’re too talented [to get shut down] and we’re too experienced, too mature,” Ernest said. “We have a lot of juniors and seniors who are kind of leading the way right now. It’s not one person that’s going to get it done for us, it’s everybody.”

The Bears have been potent in their open-court mode. UMaine has rebounded well and forced the tempo, scoring lots of transition baskets and getting to the foul line often.

The Bears also have implemented offensive schemes that have allowed each of their players to capitalize on their individual abilities. Never was that more evident than Wednesday night at Northeastern, when three players scored in double figures at four others had at least six points.

“I think that our kids are disciplined,” Versyp said. “They know their strengths. They know who to get the ball to.”

While Ernest’s scoring average is 15.0 points per game in league play, down 1.8 points from her overall average, other players are cashing in. Melissa Heon, who has scored in double figures seven straight games, has pushed her output to 14.2 ppg in conference games, while Julie Veilleux of Augusta (10.9 ppg), Missy Traversi (8.0) and Abby Schrader (4.9) all have increased their scoring in AE contests.

Schrader’s recent emergence has been important because her rebounding efforts and the fact she represents another offensive threat in the paint have helped keep opponents from ganging up on Ernest.

“I think Abby’s playing great right now. She’s really coming into her own,” Versyp said of the 6-foot-3 sophomore.

Ernest really appreciates Schrader’s emergence.

“Abby’s an extremely talented player,” Ernest said. “It’s very beneficial to have her playing well right now and have her in there, because if you double-team me, I’m going to give it to Abby and she’s going to score, or if you double-team Abby, she’s going to give it to me and I’m going to score.”