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ORONO – With its top point guard coming back from a knee injury and other untested ballhandlers in the guard rotation, the University of Maine fully expects to get pressed hard this season.
What better test than to take on a team such as Kennesaw State (Ga.). The Fighting Owls came at the Black Bears with full-court pressure, aggressive man-to-man defense, and some quick athletes.
UMaine handled it all, with only occasional struggles, and ran its way to an 88-56 victory Friday night in the first game of the Dead River Co. Classic.
“We knew they were going to be scrappy and we knew they liked the fast-paced game, but we were trying to control the game and work our offense,” said Bracey Barker of Bar Harbor, who led the Bears’ balanced offense with 16 points plus six rebounds and four assists.
“It was a good test for us,” she added.
The Bears gave coach Ann McInerney a win in her Alfond Arena debut, which came in front of 1,616 fans, and improved to 2-0 heading into today’s 4 p.m. tourney finale against Dartmouth (2-0).
“They’re coming in fresh; we’re coming off of a game,” said senior Katie Whittier of New Gloucester, who posted her second straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. “We’re going to have to focus on the little things.”
It was UMaine’s ability to take advantage of its superior frontcourt height and depth that was Kennesaw’s undoing. The Bears’ starting front line accounted for 44 points and 27 rebounds.
“We knew we were going to have some problems with their height. We just couldn’t match up with that,” said Kennesaw coach Colby Tilley. “They’re a lot quicker than I thought they were.”
Abby Schrader contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds for UMaine, while Ashley Underwood of Benton chipped in with 10 points and four assists. Ameshia Bryant added eight points and eight rebounds for the Bears. Point guard Margaret Elderton had six points, six assists, and two steals.
UMaine emerged with a commanding 62-31 rebounding advantage.
“We did a great job on the boards,” McInerney said.
Shavonder Clarke and Nikki Gurley tallied 17 points each for Kennesaw State (0-2), which is playing its first season in Division I.
The Bears built an 18-point lead in the first half, only to watch the Owls claw their way back within seven. The hosts put the game away early in the second half.
UMaine led 50-39 with 16:20 to play before embarking on a game-clinching, 19-4 scoring run.
Schrader got things rolling with an 8-footer off an inbounds play, and Elderton fed Whittier for a close-range basket. Whittier then passed to Barker for a hoop from underneath that made it 56-39.
“They got us a little bit out of our rhythm early, and then when we got back to the game plan in the second half, I thought we did a much better job executing,” McInerney said.
Clarke threw in a scoop shot from the paint, but two Whittier foul shots and five straight points by Schrader on an offensive rebound basket and a three-point play extended the lead to 63-41 with 11:43 left.
UMaine, which utilized all 11 players for at least eight minutes apiece, maintained its continuity even with a youthful lineup in the late going while pulling away.
“We’ve been talking ‘team first’ and I think [it showed with] the unselfish play of our leaders and our scorers and just making that extra pass and getting the best percentage shots that we can get,” McInerney said.
The Bears shot 53 percent from the floor and outscored the Owls 15-2 from the foul line. UMaine committed 22 turnovers, but Kennesaw had 19 miscues of its own.
The Owls attempted 36 3-pointers, with Gurley hitting five of their 10 long-range shots. UMaine went 1-for-6 on 3-pointers.
The Bears spent the first half dealing with the Owls’ quickness and tenacity on defense.
UMaine committed 11 turnovers, but responded with solid man-to-man defense at the other end that helped lead to 12 miscues by the visitors.
The Bears got their transition offense into gear during the last eight minutes of the half. The result was a 12-0 scoring spurt that turned a six-point edge into a 32-14 advantage with 5:02 remaining in the half.
BLACK BEARS 88, FIGHTING OWLS 56
Kennesaw State (0-2) Maine (2-0)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Clarke 7 22 0 1 17 Whittier 5 12 3 4 13
Bates 4 12 2 3 11 Barker 7 14 16
Mieszkowska 0 5 0 0 0 Schrader 6 12 3 3 15
Robinson 1 6 0 0 2 Underwood 4 10
Baker 3 10 0 2 7 Elderton 3 6
McKenzie 0 1 0 0 0 Younan 2 2 6
Galbiati 0 0 0 0 0 Hugstd-Vaa 3 6
Gurley 6 12 0 0 17 Boser 0 1 0
Gaye 0 3 0 0 0 Bryant 4 4 0 8
Johnson 1 3 0 0 2 Bowen 1 3 6
Martin 0 2 0 0 0 Kilmurray 1 2
Anderson 0 1 0 0 0
Totals 22 77 2 6 56 Totals 36 68 15 18 88
Kennesaw 30 56
Maine 39 88
3-pt. goals – Kennesaw (10-36): Gurley 5-11, Clarke 3-9, Bates 1-5, Baker 1-5, Mieskowska 0-4, Robinson 0-1, Martin 0-1; Maine (1-6): Underwood 1-3, Barker 0-1, Elderton 0-1, Bowen 0-1
Attendance: 1,616
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