Underwood guides Bears to easy win UMaine uses exhibition to help build confidence

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ORONO – There is no such thing as too much confidence.

For that reason, the members of the University of Maine women’s basketball team came away from Tuesday night’s resounding exhibition win over the National Women’s Basketball League Elite All-Stars feeling as though they had built on last week’s efforts against No. 2 Louisiana State and Virginia.

Sophomore guard Ashley Underwood of Benton buried five 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 28 points as the Black Bears cruised to a 90-47 victory in front of several hundred fans at Alfond Arena.

“It’s a real confidence-booster, so that’s good going into our game on Sunday against SMU,” Underwood said. “We needed this game, I think, as a stepping stone.”

Coach Sharon Versyp’s team, 0-2 in regular-season play, had too much talent and depth for the six-person squad made up of former college players.

The Bears shot 53 percent from the floor, connecting on 10 of 17 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, and piled up a 52-19 rebounding advantage in a game that was never in doubt.

“Like I told our team today, this is a quiz and we start our tests this Sunday [at SMU],” Versyp said.

Underwood was one of several offensive standouts for UMaine. She hit 10 of 13 shots, including five of eight 3-pointers. She also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists.

Junior post player Abby Schrader dominated inside, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Bracey Barker of Bar Harbor provided 11 points and four assists. Missy Traversi scored 13 points, all in the first half, Nicole Jay chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds, and Kim Corbitt handed out nine assists.

“Our goals for tonight were to rebound and play tenacious defense,” said Schrader, who pointed out the value of playing such an exhibition game.

“It gets everyone involved, which is so key for us building everyone’s confidence.”

Judy Clark and Zahra Williams tossed in 10 points each for the outmanned and overmatched NWBL contingent. The Bears’ man-to-man pressure effectively kept the visitors from getting into any sort of offensive flow.

“I think you saw that the intensity of our defense was really high. That’s what we have to work on,” Versyp said.

The game did provide Versyp with an opportunity to give some of her younger players some valuable court time.

“Those who don’t have a lot of experience, they have to learn how to play through mistakes and when you’re ahead by a [large] quantity, you can deal with that,” Versyp said.

Traversi scored eight points, including two 3-pointers in the first 1:20, as UMaine pulled out to a 19-4 lead. The hosts built the advantage to as many as 30 points in the half.

Underwood helped the Bears put the game out of reach, pouring in 16 of her team’s 23 points during an 81/2-minute span of the first half. She opened the run with a 3-pointer, a runner from the lane and a loose-rebound basket from the paint.

Underwood capped the rally, which left UMaine leading 51-24, with nine straight points that included two 3-pointers.

“It’s kind of to get into the flow,” she said. “It’s cold in Alfond and we don’t get to practice here.”

UMaine exploited the NWBL’s zone defense, which was necessitated by its limited roster, by connecting for eight 3-pointers in the first half. Traversi and Underwood hit three each amidst 8-for-11 accuracy.

The Bears got a bit of a scare with 5:10 left in the half when Traversi was undercut by Judy Clark on a layup and suffered a back/hip injury. She did not return to action.

Sophomore Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa sat out the game with a sore ankle.

BLACK BEARS 90, ALL-STARS 47

NWBL Maine

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Walton 2 7 2 2 6 Barker 5 8 11

Williams 5 14 0 0 10 Peterson 3 6

Miller 3 13 2 2 9 Traversi 5 13

Reese 3 11 0 0 6 Corbitt 1 2 2

Clark 3 7 2 2 10 Schrader 5 10 3 4 13

Eleazer 2 3 2 2 6 Younan 0 3 0

Underwd 10 13 3 28

Jay 4 9 0 8

Whittier 0 1 0

Elderton 1 2 3

Pullen 2 5 2 6

Bryant 0 1 0 0

Totals 18 55 8 8 47 36 68 12 90

NWBL 26 47

Maine 55 90

3-pt. goals – NWBL (3-12): Clark 2-4, Miller 1-2, Walton 0-2, Reese 0-4; Maine (10-17): Underwood 5-8, Traversi 3-4, Elderton 1-2, Barker 1-2, Younan 0-1

Attendance: 1,284