ORONO – University of Maine women’s basketball head coach Ann McInerney apologized Friday for an incident during which she allegedly gave a false name to a state trooper as her top assistant was being arrested for drunken driving last month.

McInerney, of Bangor, who was a passenger in associate head coach Kathy Karlsson’s car, said she “learned a valuable lesson from this situation.”

“As the head coach, I have a serious responsibility to model good behavior and to lead this program in a way that reflects the values and ideals of the University of Maine,” McInerney said in a statement released by the university.

Karlsson, of Stillwater, was suspended for three games by UMaine athletic director Blake James after her arrest Nov. 5 and missed the Bears’ season opener and a Thanksgiving holiday tournament in Minneapolis.

There was no punishment disclosed for McInerney, who was not charged in relation to the incident. However, she said James and UMaine president Robert Kennedy “made clear their displeasure and disappointment.”

“I have a responsibility to them to act and lead in the best interests of the university,” McInerney said. “I accept the consequences and pledge to conduct myself in the most professional and responsible manner possible.”

Karlsson was behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Jetta when it was spotted crossing the center line on Hogan Road in Bangor just after midnight, according to a report by Trooper Christopher Hashey. She failed field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol content of .15 percent, according to the report.

Karlsson’s attorney, Larry Lunn, on Thursday entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf in 3rd District Court in Bangor.

During the incident, McInerney spelled her last name as “Martin” when questioned by the trooper, according to the report.

The Black Bears are off to a 5-1 start for first time since the 1997-98 season. Both McInerney and Karlsson are in their second season at Maine after spending the previous six seasons coaching at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass.