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ORONO – University of Maine coach Ann McInerney has been stressing the need for her bench players to make more of an impact.
Freshman Brittany Bowen and sophomore Margaret Elderton gave the Black Bears what McInerney was looking for Saturday afternoon.
Bowen scored all nine of her points in the first half and Elderton tallied eight of her career-high 11 in the second half to help UMaine earn a 73-56 America East women’s basketball victory over Maryland Baltimore County in front of 1,914 fans at Alfond Arena.
The Bears (6-10, 2-3 America East) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Bowen, a shooting guard who had scored 11 points all season, hit two 3-pointers against UMBC (8-8, 0-5 AE). She came up with three steals and had two assists in 25 minutes.
“[Bowen] was a great spark to us in the first half, especially, and really has been coming on nicely as of late,” McInerney said.
Elderton came off the bench at point guard for the fourth consecutive game and was solid. She grabbed four rebounds and made a couple of steals in 22 minutes.
“She’s a tough competitor, she hit some big free throws late and she always helps spark some wins,” McInerney said.
Their contributions may prove even more important in the long run as UMaine junior guard Ashley Underwood of Benton went down with an injury to her left foot or ankle at the 15:13 mark of the second half and did not return.
“She’s one of our emotional leaders and when something like that happens, your heart kind of stops,” Bracey Barker said, “but she’s a tough kid and she was up walking [with crutches] and she was on the bench yelling for us at the end of the game, so she’ll be fine.”
Despite spotting the Retrievers (8-8, 0-5 AE) an 8-0 lead in the first 21/2 minutes, UMaine responded with some of its best team basketball of the season. The Bears took advantage of their transition chances and executed well in the half-court.
Barker was among the catalysts. The junior from Bar Harbor scored 16 points, snared nine rebounds, handed out seven assists, made two steals and blocked two shots.
“You see from the beginning why Bracey Barker is so valuable to us across the board with points, assists, rebounds,” McInerney said, “and she really held our team together once Ashley Underwood went down.”
Senior center Abby Schrader posted 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Underwood and senior forward Katie Whittier of New Gloucester added nine points each.
UMaine’s bench accounted for 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
“When we play as a team, when we’re together and move the ball and we do the little things, which we’re getting back to, we’re successful,” Schrader said.
Brittnie Hughes led the Retrievers with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Sharri Rohde scored 11 points and Amanda Robinson provided 10 points and seven rebounds.
Whittier’s defensive efforts were instrumental in limiting UMBC top scorer Matea Pender to two points (1-for-7 shooting).
The Retrievers’ Princeton offense wasn’t sharp. The Bears, playing man-to-man defense, were able to fight through screens and contest many of UMBC’s 18 3-point attempts.
Whittier scored five points to fuel an 8-0 run that jumpstarted UMaine early, then Schrader scored two baskets during a 7-0 spurt that gave the Bears the lead for good at 16-12 with 9:21 left in the first half.
Bowen then sparked the hosts, scoring all nine of her points in the last 7:25 of the half to send UMaine into the locker room with a 38-28 lead.
“As a freshman, you’re always going to be kind of nervous and stuff coming in, but I’m just trying to be consistent and shoot the ball,” Bowen said. “It was definitely a good team win.”
The Bears put the contest out of reach with a decisive run to open the second half.
BLACK BEARS 73, RETRIEVERS 56
UMBC (8-8) Maine (6-10)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Rohde 4 12 2 2 11 Whittier 4 9
Luttrell 3 7 0 0 9 Barker 5 13 16
Robinson 5 11 0 0 10 Schrader 7 16 0 0 14
Hughes 6 15 1 1 13 Younan 0 2 0
Pender 1 7 0 0 2 Underwd 3 8 9
Hunt 0 0 0 0 0 Hgstd-Va 1 2 3
Drabyn 1 2 0 0 3 Elderton 2 11
Butler 0 0 0 0 0 Bryant 1 1 2
Book 0 0 0 0 0 Bowen 2 4 3 9
Hatten 1 5 0 0 2 Kilmurray 0 0
Totals 23 61 5 5 56 Totals 25 56 16 22 73
UMBC 28 56
Maine 38 73
3-pt. goals – UMBC (5-18): Rohde 1-3, Luttrell 3-4, Robinson 0-1, Hughes 0-2, Pender 0-4, Drabyn 1-1, Hatten 0-3; Maine (7-12): Barker 2-5, Underwood 2-3, Elderton 1-1, Bowen 2-3
Attendance: 1,914
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