WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Maine women’s basketball team tried to prepare for Saturday’s America East championship game as though it were any other game.

In spite of all the pressure, expectations and emotions, the Black Bears made sure it was, instead, the most memorable game of their lives.

Top-seeded UMaine stifled the league’s most potent offense with suffocating defense and broke down No. 3 Boston University’s 1-1-3 zone defense via determined rebounding and attacking transition offense while claiming the America East title with a dominating 68-43 victory at Chase Family Arena.

“I know that our kids were very focused, very intense,” said fourth-year UMaine coach Sharon Versyp. “We understood the process and we knew how to focus. I think these young ladies deserve this.”

The 25-6 Bears, who won UMaine’s first conference championship since 1998, earned a No. 13 seed and advance to face 10th-ranked Texas Tech, the No. 4 seed, in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in the Mideast Regional at the University of Montana in Missoula.

“Wonderful. Indescribable. It’s awesome,” said Julie Veilleux of Augusta, one of three seniors who have been the nucleus of the ballclub for four straight seasons.

For the past year, senior Heather Ernest of Temple has displayed in her locker a newspaper photo of she and classmates Veilleux and Melissa Heon crying on the bench after the Bears lost to BU in the 2003 America East title game.

On Saturday, the tears were the happy kind and the feeling was one of great pride and accomplishment.

“I don’t even think there are words to describe it,” said Ernest, who scored a game-high 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made three steals on her way to tourney Most Outstanding Player honors.

“This has been our dream since a year ago when we lost,” she added. “It was all heart for us. That’s the reason why we won. Losing wasn’t an option.”

Ernest is joined on the all-tourney squad by Heon, who provided 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals Saturday, along with BU’s Adrienne Norris and Katie Terhune, and Alicia Learn of Albany.

All season, UMaine built its success around defense. The Bears saved their best for last.

“It is a little nerve-wracking knowing this is our last time, but we know we’re the best in this conference and we just had to prove it,” Heon said. “That’s all that we had to focus on.”

The Terriers (19-11) averaged 69.1 points per league game this season, but were hapless Saturday. The Bears opened in man-to-man, then switched to a cohesive 1-2-2 matchup zone midway through the first half.

BU shot an abysmal 15 percent (4-for-27) from the floor, a tournament record for shooting futility, and was outrebounded 27-13 in the first half.

“We had a lot of energy,” said juinor guard Kim Corbitt (5 points, 4 assists, 4 steals), who explained the Bears were well-rested because of their bench contributions in the first two rounds.

“Everyone knew this is it. If we don’t play well tonight, we’re going home,” Corbitt said.

UMaine struggled a bit early, committing 10 turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Even so, they went 7-for-13 from the field and led 14-8 when junior Missy Traversi and Heon spearheaded the game-breaking surge.

Heon and Traversi (12 points, 5 rebounds), who re-entered the game when Corbitt picked up her second foul at the 7:50 mark, were the catalysts. Traversi hit two foul shots, then made a layup and foul shot off a steal by Heon.

Heon then turned her own steal into a layup, Traversi buried a 3-pointer and Ashley Underwood knocked down a 27-foot bomb to cap a 13-0 run that gave the Bears a 27-8 lead with 3:57 remaining.

“Our defensive intensity just carried our offense,” said Corbitt, who admitted joking with Ernest that Versyp might leave them on the bench. “We got the steals, started to run, started to knock down some shots.”

Two Larissa Parr foul shots ended a BU scoreless drought of 4 minutes, 40 seconds, but Traversi canned four free throws as UMaine ended the half with a 6-2 run that built its advantage to 33-12 at halftime.

“We had to attack and every time we got the ball we just had to run on them and we did that very well,” said Traversi, who scored 12 points in a six-minute span. “I think we are the best and played like that tonight. We were calm and we were poised and we had to be.”

The Bears’ balanced effort also included key contributions from Monica Peterson (10 points, 11 rebounds), Veilleux, Underwood, Hugstad-Vaa and Abby Schrader.

Nadia Bibbs led the Terriers with 10 points, while Norris provided five points and 10 rebounds. Terhune managed nine points on 4-for-14 shooting.

The second half was a formality. UMaine missed its first 11 shots after the break, but got to the foul line and still led 43-22 when Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa hit a short jumper with 12:55 left. BU, which was 2-for-15 from 3-point range, never got closer than 19.

“The bottom line is, they’re a great basketball team,” said BU coach Margaret McKeon. “They came out and played well and we played like doo-doo.”

BLACK BEARS 68, TERRIERS 43

Boston Univ. (19-11) Maine (25-6)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Moseley 1 8 0 0 2 Heon 5 11 12

Onson 0 1 0 0 0 Ernest 4 9 15

Terhune 4 14 1 2 9 Corbitt 1 3 5

Bonner 3 8 1 2 8 Veilleux 2 4

Norris 2 7 1 2 5 Peterson 3 10 4 4 10

Kovach 0 1 0 0 0 Traversi 2 12

Bibbs 4 8 1 2 10 Underwood 2 8

Petranoff 0 0 0 0 0 Hugstad-Vaa 1 2

Vanderwal 2 6 3 3 7 Whittier 0 0

Parr 0 4 2 2 2 Schrader 0 1 0

Totals 16 57 9 13 43 20 56 23 28 68

Boston Univ. 12 43

Maine 33 68

3-pt. goals ? BU (2-15): Terhune 0-8, Bonner 1-3, Kovach 0-1, Bibbs 1-2, Parr 0-1; Maine (5-15): Heon 2-6, Veilleux 0-2, Traversi 1-2, Underwood 2-5

Attendance: 1,101