Women’s basketball

MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE

Time, site: Saturday, noon; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 7-15 (3-8 America East); UNH 13-10 (5-7)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 41-20, UNH 63-59 on 1/18/06

Key players: Maine – 6-1 G/F Bracey Barker (13.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, .816 FT pct.), 5-8 G Ashley Underwood (12.2 ppg, 2.6 apg, .800 FT pct.), 6-3 Abby Schrader (11.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg), 5-6 G Margaret Elderton (5.6 ppg, 2.2 apg), 6-1 F Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa (3.7 ppg); UNH – 6-0 F Danielle Clark (14.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, .417 3-pt. pct.), 6-0 F Ray Williams (11.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg), 5-10 G Ashley Cerniglia (7.9 ppg, .824 FT pct.), 5-6 G Whitney Edwards (7.5 ppg, 3.3 apg), 5-11 F Ashley Adams (7.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

Outlook: The Bears hope to improve their AE tournament seed, but their main mission is to get better. UMaine has dropped five of its last six and sits in eighth place. UNH is sixth, one game out of fourth. The Wildcats present a tough matchup in point guard Edwards while Corinna’s Clark, AE’s No. 3 scorer (15.4 ppg), is coming off a career-high 27 points in a loss to Stony Brook. UMaine continues to lack depth as senior forward Katie Whittier (stress fracture) remains sidelined. The Bears likely will mix man-to-man and zone defenses, but must contend with a balanced UNH team that has launched 21 3-pointers per game. The Wildcats also boast a league-best .766 FT percentage. UMaine needs to rebound aggressively and receive strong inside play from Schrader.

Men’s basketball

MAINE vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE

Time, site: Sunday, 1 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 9-15 (4-9 America East), UNH 10-15 (7-7)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 106-61; Maine 57-43 on 1/19/06

Key players: Maine – 6-2 G Ernest Turner (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg), 6-6 F Philippe Tchekane Bofia (9.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), 6-1 G Jon Sheets (9.7 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 rpg), 5-10 G Rashard Turner (9.4 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.6 rpg), 6-10 C Olli Ahvenniemi (6.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg), 6-4 F Chris Bruff (6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg); UNH – 6-8 F Blagoj Janev (14.6, 4.7), 6-8 F Mike Christenson (8.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), 6-1 G Jermaine Anderson (8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.1 rpg), 5-8 G Chris Vetrano (7.2 ppg, 2.6 apg), 6-2 G Tyrece Gibbs (6.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Outlook: The Black Bears are reeling after four straight losses and desperately need a win to recapture some momentum and stay away from the eighth or ninth playoff spot and a conference tournament first-round game before the quarterfinals. Maine must rebound from a disappointing game on the boards and on the line. The Bears must also regain their shooting touch after missing 18 of 21 3-pointers last game. Maine is being outscored by an average of 4.2 points (68.2 to 64.0) per game. Maine is also one of AE’s less successful rebounding teams with 34.4 rpg for and 38.0 against. The Wildcats aren’t doing much better, averaging 58.6 points and 28.9 rebounds for while yielding 64.6 points and 32.2 rebounds per game. Control of the boards is the most crucial factor in this matchup.