Bears get eagerly awaited rematch UM looks to rule over Hawks’ roost

It would be easy for the University of Maine women’s basketball team to get caught up in the excitement of today’s game against Hartford.

The Black Bears, 15-8 overall and 11-2 in conference play, head into the 2 p.m. contest at Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford, Conn., leading the America East standings by a slim game over the Hawks.

Hartford is 16-6, 10-3 in league play.

UMaine has plenty of motivation for the contest, especially since the Hawks beat the Bears 53-49 in Orono back on Jan. 19.

“We’re chomping at the bit right now, very excited,” UMaine senior co-captain Missy Traversi said after UMaine’s Tuesday night win over Northeastern. “We’re excited to get back there.”

The Bears are hoping their enthusiasm will counteract the fatigue that has begun to set in on teams from all over the country as they enter the home stretch of the regular season.

Coach Sharon Versyp simply wants her players to remain focused on improving and getting ready for the America East Tournament, which runs March 9-12 on Hartford’s home court.

“We want to redeem ourselves, and I told them, ‘It’s not about winning and losing, it’s about playing at Hartford and feeling comfortable,'” Versyp said. “We know if we want to do what we want to do, we have to go back to Hartford and win some games at the end.”

UMaine has a good track record playing at Hartford in recent years. This season’s senior class boasts a 10-2 overall record at Reich Pavilion, including a 4-1 mark against the Hawks, counting both regular-season and tournament games.

“It’s kind of like our home court, too,” joked senior co-captain Kim Corbitt.

Versyp wants her crew to be rested and ready once the tournament rolls around.

“They should be champing at the bit as players, but we’re just going to stay as focused as normal as coaches,” she said. “We’re not making that game any more important than the rest.”

Feisty Corbitt banged up

UMaine senior point guard Kim Corbitt is nursing a few injuries as the Bears prepare to battle Hartford.

The 5-foot-7 defensive catalyst, who was originally bothered by a sore right shoulder, compounded her woes by banging her right elbow during the Boston University game on Feb. 2.

Then, in Tuesday night’s victory over Northeastern at Alfond Arena, Corbitt hit the floor hard and suffered another injury.

“I kind of fell, slid, twisted, but I’m fine,” Corbitt said of the injury to her right thumb, which was swollen. “I’ll be all right.”

While Corbitt may be bothered a bit by the injuries, Versyp doesn’t expect them to keep her out of the lineup.

“It’s her senior year. She’s going to play, no matter what’s wrong with her hand,” Versyp said. “I think she’ll be fine.”

Corbitt leads the team and the conference in field-goal percentage (.507). She ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9.5 points per game) but leads the Bears in assists (4.4 per game) and 3-point percentage (.609).

In fact, Corbitt has moved into third place on UMaine’s career assists list with 413. With seven assists against Northeastern, she passed Cathy Iaconeta, who had 412 from 1986-1990.