MAINE vs. VERMONT

Time, site: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono

Records: Maine 7-19 (4-9 America East); Vermont 19-7 (10-3)

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 46-25, Vermont 82-62 on 1/26/08

Key players: Maine – 6-0 F Brittany Boser (9.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .503 FG pct.), 6-0 F Colleen Kilmurray (9.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), 5-11 F Tanna Ross (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg), 5-9 G/F Amanda Tewksbury (8.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), 5-6 G Kris Younan (5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.1 spg), 6-4 F/C Christina Mosher (4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Vermont – 6-1 G Courtnay Pilypaitis (16.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.6 spg, .815 FT pct.), 5-9 G Amy Rosenkrantz (13.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg), 5-10 G May Kotsopoulos (12.4 ppg, 2.1 spg), 6-2 F Tonya Young (5.4 ppg), 6-1 F Kelli Poles (4.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Outlook: Despite having dropped four of their last five games, the Black Bears maintain a tenuous half-game lead over New Hampshire for seventh place in the league standings. UMaine has tried to reconfigure the lineup with freshman Emily Rousseau (right knee) out indefinitely and classmate Ross (right knee) playing fewer than 20 minutes a game. The Bears, whose depth is limited, faltered in the second half of Saturday’s loss at Binghamton, again struggling with turnovers. The Catamounts, winners of five straight, are a serious threat to win the title. Pilypaitis may be the league’s most dynamic player since Cindy Blodgett, and Vermont features plenty of other offensive weapons and considerable depth.