CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Coach Cindy Blodgett had hoped her University of Maine women’s basketball team might catch Boston College taking a pre-Christmas nap Saturday afternoon.

The Black Bears made a decent showing, but they were no match for the Eagles’ potent inside game.

Freshman post players Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords combined for 31 points and 19 rebounds, leading the Eagles to a 68-56 victory in front of 1,108 fans at Conte Forum.

UMaine dropped to 2-9, but continues to show signs it should be a solidly competitive ballclub by the time America East play begins next month.

“I think if we had played BC a month ago, it probably wouldn’t have been very close, but I think especially in the last couple weeks we’ve made a lot of progress,” said UMaine freshman guard Emily Rousseau of Biddeford.

The Bears have three days off before a Dec. 26 evening workout in preparation for a Dec. 29 game against Miami in the Hurricane Holiday Classic.

Freshman Tanna Ross of Newburgh tossed in a team-high 17 points on the strength of five 3-pointers, in the process becoming the Bears’ leading scorer (10.3 points per game) this season. She also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.

Rousseau scored 11 points and added three assists, while sophomore center Sandra Vaitkute posted nine points. Senior guard Kris Younan chipped in with seven points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Blodgett continues to see growth from her team.

“There is a tremendous amount of heart and fight in every one of these kids,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is foster that so that everyone brings it on the same day, preferably game days.”

The 6-foot-4 Murphy was a powerful paint presence for Boston College (9-3). She finished with a game-high 21 points along with nine rebounds, four assists and four steals before leaving with a right ankle injury seven minutes into the second half.

Swords, at 6-6, provided 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles, who also received 11 points from Ayla Brown. The Eagles outscored the Bears 34-12 in the paint and grabbed a 36-28 rebounding edge.

“They certainly looked for one another. They play off each other well,” Blodgett said of Murphy and Swords.

It was the Bears who got caught napping at the outset as Boston College scored the first 12 points of the contest.

“We had a tough start,” Rousseau said. “We didn’t get back in transition very well and they got a lot of easy shots. Most of them were layups.”

The funk didn’t last.

Rousseau and Colleen Kilmurray scored six points each during a 21-4 surge that gave UMaine a 24-18 lead with 6:18 left in the first half.

The Bears turned up the defensive intensity, bottling up the middle in their active 1-2-2 matchup zone and cashing in on seven of the Eagles’ eight turnovers during that span.

“I think our defense sparked our offense, definitely,” Rousseau said. “We were able to get some stops, force them to turn the ball over and we were able to get some easy shots.”

UMaine led 36-33 at halftime, but Boston College resumed pounding the ball inside and regained control of the contest after the break.

The Bears took a 41-40 lead on Amanda Tewksbury’s nifty eight-foot runner with 16:18 left, but the hosts answered with a decisive 13-2 run.

Murphy opened the run with a scoop shot from close range, then answered two Vaitkute free throws with two of her own. Brittany Johnson hit a 13-foot jumper off an inside-out pass from Swords, then Brown drained a 3-pointer to put BC ahead 53-43 with 12:21 to play.

“I don’t think we were as patient the first half,” said BC coach Cathy Inglese, who was born in Presque Isle. “We really emphasized in the second half to play together as a group, to be patient from the perimeter for the posts to cut and if we move the ball, I think we’ll get them inside.”

UMaine’s Vaitkute broke the skein with a three-point play, but the Bears then went scoreless for nearly 81/2 minutes as the Eagles extended their advantage to 66-46. UMaine, which shot 57 percent in the first half and made five 3-pointers, shot only 19 percent after intermission with two 3’s.

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

990-8240

EAGLES 68, BLACK BEARS 56

Maine (2-9) Boston College (9-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Boser 0 6 0 0 0 Brown 5 11 11

Kilmurray 3 7 0 0 6 Murphy 8 11 21

Younan 2 5 2 2 7 Swords 3 7 10

Rousseau 3 9 4 6 11 Jones 3 5 6

Tewksbury 1 1 0 0 2 Johnson 3 5 9

Baker 0 1 0 0 0 Thoman 0 5 1

Ross 6 13 0 0 17 Prat 0 1 0 0

Mosher 0 1 4 4 4 Kentish 0 1 0

Vaitkute 2 5 5 5 9 Whitehrst 0 0

Picco 3 8 0 8

Wilson 0 0 0 0

Miles 1 1 0 2

Totals 17 48 15 17 56 Totals 26 55 12 16 68

Maine 36 56

Boston College 33 68

3-pt. goals – Maine (7-15): Ross 5-8, Younan 1-2, Rousseau 1-3, Kilmurray 0-2; Boston College (4-12): Picco 2-7, Brown 1-1, Johnson 1-1, Jones 0-1, Thoman 0-2

Attendance: 1,108