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ORONO – Binghamton University gives opponents fits because of its exceptional overall height and quickness.
UMaine coach Ann McInerney countered by utilizing America East’s tallest player – freshman Sandra Vaitkute.
The 6-foot-6 center from Lithuania provided a strong two-way post presence during a key stretch of the first half Saturday to help the Black Bears regain their confidence on the way to a 59-56 women’s basketball victory over the Bearcats.
“Coach has been working with me and making me use my left hand more. I’m trying to be stronger on the block,” said Vaitkute, who scored a career-high 10 points, going 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line, and also grabbed five rebounds as UMaine (12-10, 6-5 AE) pulled out its second straight win, delighting a crowd of 2,180 at Alfond Arena.
“When you see a kid like that have success like she did today, especially in a very meaningful game, that’s what pays off for us,” said Bears coach Ann McInerney.
Freshman point guard Abby Greene (four rebounds, four assists, three steals) secured the victory, swiping the ball from Binghamton guard Laura Sario inside the midcourt stripe with three seconds left.
UMaine appeared a step slow early as Binghamton (8-15, 4-6 AE) made eight of its first nine shots en route to a nine-point lead. The Bears settled down after switching to a 1-2-2 zone defense and re-establishing their post game with Vaitkute.
The hosts held the Bearcats to 12 points over the last 14 minutes of the half and went into halftime down by a point.
“We came back and I think that shows a lot about our team that we didn’t give up,” said Ashley Underwood of Benton, who led UMaine with 19 points, including a 10-for-13 effort from the foul line. “I think it shows a lot of character for our team.”
Rather than settle for 3-pointers, the senior co-captain took the ball to the basket aggressively as she had done in Wednesday’s win over Albany. She added five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
“We’re playing her for the 3, but now she’s got that added weapon of going to the basket, right or left, and she’s a great free-throw shooter,” Binghamton coach Rich Conover said of Underwood.
UMaine controlled play early in the second half. With the Bears trailing 34-32, Underwood threw in a runner on the front end of a conventional three-point play.
Vaitkute hit a short turnaround off a Greene feed, then Underwood sank two free throws to give the Bears a 39-34 edge with 14:58 remaining.
Binghamton committed a handful of turnovers, some in the face of UMaine’s 2-2-1 and 1-2-2 full-court pressure, and suffered through a scoreless drought of almost six minutes.
Two foul shots each by Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa and Vaitkute pushed the advantage to 43-34 with 11:40 left, but the Bearcats hung around thanks to Sario (18 points).
She scored eight straight points in 1:23 to spark an 11-0 flurry that turned an eight-point deficit into a 52-49 lead with 4:15 left.
UMaine responded. Kris Younan sped past the defense for a key transition layup at the 3:36 mark, then Underwood pulled up for a clutch 3-pointer in transition with 1:32 left to give the Bears the lead for good.
“Ashley Underwood steps up and hits a huge 3. She’s hit some big ones in her career,” McInerney said.
Younan cashed in a Binghamton turnover with another layup to put the Bears up 56-52 with 46 seconds left.
Bracey Barker of Bar Harbor provided 13 points and nine rebounds for UMaine, which outscored Binghamton 24-4 from the foul line and grabbed a 34-31 rebounding edge.
Brianna Thompson and Laine Kurpniece netted 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bearcats.
BLACK BEARS 59, BEARCATS 56
Binghamton (8-15) Maine (12-10)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Thompson 6 11 0 0 12 Whittier 2 4
Franceski 2 7 0 0 4 Barker 3 13 13
Sario 7 11 1 2 18 Younan 2 8 4
Kenny 3 8 0 0 8 Underwd 4 9 10 13 19
Lindgren 1 5 0 0 3 Greene 1 3 3
Jahilo 0 1 1 2 1 Hgstd-Va 1 6
Carter 0 2 0 0 0 Vaitkute 3 10
Kurpniece 4 9 2 4 10 Colon 0 0 0
Tewksbry 0 0 0
Totals 23 54 4 8 56 Totals 16 45 24 28 59
Binghamton 29 56
Maine 28 59
3-pt. goals – Binghamton (6-15): Thompson 0-3, Sario 3-4, Kenny 2-4, Lindgren 1-2, Carter 0-1, Kurpniece 0-1; Maine (3-10): Barker 1-3, Younan 0-1, Underwood 1-3, Greene 1-3
Attendance: 2,180
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