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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – The University of Maine women put it all together Sunday afternoon to defeat St. Francis College 58-47 and snap a seven-game losing streak.
The hot-shooting Black Bears shot a scalding 63.6 percent from 3-point range and 50 percent overall from the field in the game while holding the Terriers to 32.1 percent shooting and a season-low 47 points.
“As well as we shot, I think the reason we won today is defense, holding them to 47,” said Maine head coach Cindy Blodgett. “Offense is going to be sporadic game in and game out.
“You can’t bank on your shooting, at least not that kind of shooting. You can count on your defense though.”
The Bears, now 2-7, got a balanced scoring effort from their lineup. Guard Emily Rousseau led the way with 15 points.
“Emily Rousseau played great, handling the point position very well,” Blodgett said. “She played pretty much flawlessly with her shot selection and ball distribution.”
Rousseau had three assists in the course of hitting three of four 3-pointers and six of 10 shots overall. She formed half of a deadly 1-2 punch with freshman Tanna Ross of Hampden. Ross finished with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting (4-for-6 from 3-point range) and also led the Bears with eight rebounds.
The Bears had four players finish with nine or more points.
“I think that’s the makeup of our team,” Blodgett said. “I don’t think we’ll have one or two players having 20-25 a game, but I think this kind of effort is what we can get and should expect, especially for us to be successful.”
Blodgett wasn’t about to downplay the importance or significance of Sunday’s victory.
“To be honest, just getting a win in general is big for us right now. Having it be on the road is just added value,” she said. “I think from a psychological standpoint, it’s helped them believe a lot more in what we’re doing on a daily basis. I think they’re more confident in what we’re doing.”
While Blodgett was happy with the team’s offensive flow and production, there were still a couple things to be unhappy about.
“We had 15 assists, which shows they’re really looking for each other and creating open shots,” Blodgett explained. “That’s what you’re looking for and that’s how you gain an advantage, creating some mismatches and taking advantage of them.
“And while I was happy with our overall rebounding, but I’m a little concerned with their [St. Francis’] 18 offensive rebounds.”
Maine had nine offensive rebounds and St. Francis held a 38-31 overall rebounding advantage. And while the 3-6 Terriers turned the ball over 21 times, Maine had 17 of its own.
The Terriers got off to a quick start with a 10-4 lead five minutes into the game, but the Bears responded by scoring eight of the next nine points and taking their first lead (12-11) of the game.
“At the very beginning, we had three quick turnovers and that put us back on our heels a little bit, but we fought back and regrouped and went on that run,” Blodgett said. “I really felt like we played with a lot of guts. We didn’t back down.
“They went on a run and we didn’t take a step back. As a matter of fact, we responded by creating a run of our own.”
Cecelia Herald had 11 points and seven rebounds to lead the Terriers while Tiffany Hill had 11 points.
BLACK BEARS 58, TERRIERS 47
Maine women (2-7) St. Francis (3-6)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Boser 4 10 1 2 9 Ayers 3 12 9
Kilmurray 4 8 3 6 11 Warringtn 3 9
Younan 1 5 1 2 3 Herald 4 9 11
Rousseau 6 10 0 0 15 Miah 0 0 0
Tewksbury 2 2 0 0 4 Hill 4 14 11
Baker 0 0 0 2 0 Petrucci 0 0
Ross 5 7 0 2 14 Williams 0 2 1
Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 Bavendm 3 7 6
Vaitkute 1 4 0 1 2
Totals 23 46 5 15 58 Totals 17 53 14 47
Maine 25 58
St. Francis 23 47
3-pt. goals – Maine (7-11): Ross 4-6, Rousseau 3-4, Kilmurray 0-1; St. Francis (7-19): Ayers 3-6, Hill 3-10, Warrington 1-3
Attendance: 102
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