UMaine women seek improvement Belcher named FCS All-American

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The University of Maine women’s basketball team still has a lot of issues to work out as it heads into the home stretch of the first semester.

Coach Cindy Blodgett’s Black Bears (1-7) are mired in a seven-game losing streak, the longest since former coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s team dropped the first nine games of the 1992-93 campaign.

While the results haven’t been positive on the scoreboard, the Bears are gaining valuable experience as they try to establish on-court chemistry.

“I think it’s the players, individually, trying to figure out what their strengths are,” Blodgett said after Saturday’s loss at Massachusetts.

Gauging progress can be difficult, because UMaine has been mistake-prone almost across the board while averaging 23.9 turnovers per outing.

“I can’t measure after every game how much we’ve grown as a team,” Blodgett said. “The only thing we can see right now is all the work we need to do. And we’re trying to move forward.”

The Bears’ next opportunity to get better comes Friday and Sunday with road games in New York at St. John’s and St. Francis, respectively.

There were some bright spots at UMass, including more aggressive inside play by 6-foot-6 sophomore center Sandra Vaitkute. She finished with career bests, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

“I expect her to improve every day and I think she is,” Blodgett said. “She’s 6-6 and that presents a challenge for her sometimes with [defensive] matchups. I try to get her focused on the other end of it, it’s also very hard to match up against her.”

Freshman Tanna Ross of Newburgh also showed off the kind of shooting prowess that could make her a key weapon in the UMaine arsenal.

Ross went 6-for-8 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 20 points on her way to her second America East Rookie of the Week honor of the season.

“The kid who was 6-for-8 from the 3, the kid from Maine, she’s a great shooter,” said UMass coach Marnie Dacko. “She shoots very well. She’s an outstanding player.”

Emily Rousseau also continues to show improvement and versatility in UMaine’s guard rotation. The freshman from Biddeford scored 13 points at UMass, providing an offensive spark during a stretch when the Bears appeared a bit stagnant in the first half.

“She understands the game,” Blodgett said of Rousseau. “She knows what her strengths and weaknesses are. She doesn’t try to do too much.”

Rousseau has been steady playing the point coming off the bench, but she also is effective at shooting guard, if needed.

Blodgett said the Bears must continue to work hard and try to work through their growing pains.

“We can’t spend the whole season talking about how young and how inexperienced we are,” Blodgett said. “They’re gaining the experience, they just have to increase the productivity.”

Belcher named All-American

Jovan Belcher of the University of Maine has been named to The Associated Press Football Championship Subdivision All-America second team.

The honor for the junior defensive end from West Babylon, N.Y., comes on the heels of his selection to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team and the New England Football Writers Association FCS All-Star Team.

Belcher, a 6-foot-2, 235-pounder, excelled this season after making the switch from outside linebacker to end. He ranked second on the team with 85 total tackles, including 17 for a loss among which there were 10 quarterback sacks.

Belcher led the CAA in sacks per game (0.91) and tackles for loss per game (1.5), finishing seventh and 15th, respectively, in the FCS national rankings.

UMaine Super Suppah set Jan. 27

The University of Maine Black Bear Board of Advisors is again offering a $10,000 cash prize as part of its fifth annual Super Suppah.

The fundraising dinner, the proceeds from which support student-athlete scholarships at UMaine through the Black Bear Fund, is scheduled Jan. 27 at the Bangor Civic Center. The event opens with a social hour at 5 p.m., with dinner slated for 6 p.m.

Maine Savings, RBC Dain Rauscher and Darling’s Auto are among the major sponsors for the Super Suppah, which in the last four years has raised almost $110,000 for the Black Bear Fund.

The second grand prize for the dinner is a week’s vacation in Puerto Rico provided by Bangor Travel.

More than $12,000 in other prizes are up for grabs, including a framed Vitz Knuble painting, a golf-and-stay package at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, a one-year membership to Gold’s Gym, a Howard Miller clock from Tuffy Bear Furniture, airline tickets from Main 1 Travel, a diamond pendant from G.M. Pollack and Sons, a custom-designed item from Quality Jewelers, a leather chair from Merrill Furniture, a fishing trip to First Settler’s Lodge, a guitar from Mark’s Music, gift certificates to Hannaford, Newland Nursuries and Coastal Interiors, a getaway package to the Grand Summit Resort, and a weekend car rental from Darling’s.

Tickets for the event are $300, which provides dinner for two and a 1-in-125 chance of winning the grand prize. Tickets are available by calling the Black Bear Club at 581-1130 or from a member of the Black Bear Board of Advisors.

For further information, contact Pat McBride at patmcbride@maine.edu.

Pete Warner may be reached at pwarner@bangordailynews.net or 990-8240.