ORONO – Cindy Blodgett is “on fire.” Not only that, the University of Maine’s star guard is “in the zone,” and she’s “feeling it” every time she shoots the ball.

But ask Blodgett how she perceives her recent scoring spree and she’s almost afraid to talk about it.

Even the greatest players are a little bit superstitious. And after throwing in 39 points Wednesday night, the Black Bears’ junior doesn’t want to say or do anything that might jinx her shooting.

Blodgett picked up where she had left off in Sunday’s record-setting, 52-point performance, toasting the Dragons with 29 first-half points as Maine coasted to a 110-68 America East semifinal victory at Alfond Arena.

Coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie’s Black Bears rattled off 13 unanswered points in the game’s first three minutes. Blodgett then poured in 18 of the next 20 points during a span of 5:46 as the hosts pulled away in front of a season-low 3,298 fans. The 110 points tied Maine’s own America East record.

Top-seeded Maine, which boosted its record to 21-7 with its eighth straight win, advances to Saturday’s 1 p.m. conference championship game in Orono against No. 2 Vermont. The Catamounts beat No. 3 New Hampshire 63-60 in Wednesday’s other semifinal.

Drexel, the No. 5 seed, ended the season at 12-16.

Blodgett burned Drexel for 21 points as the Bears bolted to a 25-point lead and an easy win. She also provided six assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Blodgett credited her teammates for busting the Dragons’ junk defense and giving her plenty of room to score.

But she didn’t want to discuss the mental aspect of her shooting success.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Blodgett said quietly.

“Because they were all attacking, [Drexel] really had to worry about everyone, not just myself,” she said. “As soon as they had to start worrying about everyone, I got looser and got good looks.”

Jamie Cassidy maximized her size advantage inside, scoring 21 points on 8-for-8 shooting, a tourney record. Klara Danes, Stacey Porrini, Katie Clark, and Kristen McCormick chipped in with 10 points apiece for the Bears.

Amy Vachon dished out six assists and made three steals. Danes had five steals.

Laura Lyons led Drexel with 15 points, while Tiffany Davis provided 11 points and eight rebounds.

Coach Kevin Murphy’s Dragons were helpless trying to defend the Bears, who took advantage of several early Drexel turnovers and built an insurmountable lead. Maine scored an America East-record 60 points in amassing a 60-26 halftime advantage.

Drexel attempted to play a combination zone/man-to-man set, but failed miserably.

“Cindy Blodgett is a treasure, our conference should appreciate that,” Murphy said. “I want Cindy to play 40 minutes against us. As crazy as that may sound, she deserves to play because she’s that special of a player.”

Blodgett played 34 minutes.

The first three minutes were a blur for the Dragons, who watched as the hosts picked them apart with a well-honed transition attack. Porrini got it started, scoring off a lob from Sandi Carver, then Danes hit from the paint in response to Drexel’s second straight turnover.

Carver’s fast-break layup, courtesy of a Vachon pass, forced Murphy to take a 20-second timeout. But the Dragons came out and turned the ball over against Maine’s 1-2-2 matchup zone and Porrini converted from down low.

Porrini’s rebound basket and a Blodgett 3-pointer, in response to Drexel’s fourth miscue, made it 13-0 with 16:58 left. Blodgett then went on a tear, which included three consecutive 3-pointers from well beyond the arc.

Maine eventually put on a back-breaking 22-3 burst that pushed the lead to 35-8 with less than 9 1/2 minutes gone. The Bears led by as many as 41 points in the half.

Black Bears 110, Dragons 68

Drexel women (12-16) Maine (21-7)

Name G AG F AF TP Name G AG F AF TP

Totals 21 53 22 32 68 Totals 43 72 18 23 110

Drexel 26 68

Maine 60 110

3-pt. goals: Drexel (4-10): Mix 1-1, McGovern 1-1, Michaels 1-2, Vebrosky 1-5; Maine (6-11): McCormick 2-3, Blodgett 4-7, Vachon 0-1

Attendance: 3,298