Underwood helps ignite sluggish UMaine

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Over the years Ashley Underwood hasn’t been told many times that she needed to shoot more often. The sharp-shooting guard has pretty much always had a green light.

But after the University of Maine women’s basketball team came out a bit sluggish in Thursday’s America East Conference quarterfinal – and as she was coming off a 7-for-15 effort from 3-point range in the Black Bears’ last two regular-season games of the year – Maine coach Sharon Versyp had a message for the freshman guard from Benton.

“The first time I came off the bench, she was like, ‘I’m not going to play you if you don’t shoot,’ ” Underwood said. “She’s been telling me that all year, and I don’t know why I don’t. The next time I went in I just wanted to concentrate on my shooting. That’s my role, 3-point shooting.”

Underwood didn’t shoot 75 percent from the arc like she did in a March 3 game against Stony Brook, but her two 3-pointers late in the first half sparked the No. 1 Bears to a 10-point lead at the break and a 66-40 victory over No. 8 New Hampshire at Chase Family Arena.

“She’s someone that if she has a wide-open shot, we’ve got to get her the ball … when you’re hot we need to make sure you do that,” Versyp said. “I think that opened [things] up and gave people a lot of confidence.”

The former Cony High of Augusta star admitted to some big-time nerves in facing the Wildcats, just like she felt every year before a tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium.

Underwood, who’s been averaging 10.6 minutes per game going into Thursday’s contest, entered the game with 13:23 left in the first half. She didn’t take her first shot until about 11 minutes later, but she drained the attempt from about 23 feet out near the top of the key, lifting the Bears to a 23-16 lead. Fifty-five seconds later she hit another, this time from the left side. Maine had a 26-18 edge, and a Missy Traversi basket made it 28-18 at halftime.

“We didn’t hit our first couple of shots and our outside shot wasn’t falling we realized we had to take it to the basket and that’s exactly what we did,” UMaine senior Heather Ernest said. “Once we started knocking down shots, life got a little bit easier.”

Underwood would log 19 minutes in the game. It wasn’t her season-high of 20 minutes, but enough to finish with eight points on 3-for-7 shooting in addition to two rebounds.

Underwood said she’s been surprised at the role she has this year. She wasn’t expecting to play much, maybe about five minutes a game because of the returning players. The Bears use her as a spot shooter, somebody who can toss in a 3-pointer or two and spark the team.

It’s a bit different than she was used to in high school, when she started most of her career with the Rams.

At Maine she’s hit 33-of-66 perimeter shots this year for a sparkling 45.5 shooting percentage from 3-point range. Underwood’s 6-for-8 shooting against Stony Brook was part of an effort that set a team record of 158 3-pointers this year, breaking the previous mark of 153 in 1998-99.

“I think I moved into my role pretty well,” she said. “I can go in, be an offensive threat, play some good defense.”

Indeed, Underwood provided key defensive minutes, especially in the second half, and allowed Versyp to rest her starters, including starting shooting guard Melissa Heon. The Bears are back Friday at 6 p.m. to face the winner of Thursday night’s quarterfinal between No. 4 Albany and No. 5 Hartford.

“I think our whole defense in the second half was collectively a lot better,” Versyp said. “I thought Ashley really, she has a lot of quickness, she brings a lot of intensity to the game and I think that through her experience as a freshman she realizes that anybody can shoot but you better be able to play defense for me first and then you can shoot later. … Right now she’s not playing like a freshman, which is very helpful.”

And now, she’s not feeling as much like a freshman.

“It kind of felt like pressure was lifted off my shoulders,” Underwood said. “I was so nervous before the game. We got the first game out of the way and we can focus on our next opponent.”