PREVIEW: Women’s Hoops continues conference play Saturday at Bryant

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ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine women’s basketball team looks to start conference play 2-0 for the fourth consecutive year when it travels to take on Bryant in the 16th all-time meeting between the two programs on Saturday at 2 p.m. live on ESPN+.

Sunday’s game can be seen nationally on ESPN+. Additionally, Sunday’s game can be heard on the Black Bears Sports Network at GoBlackBears.com and on 92.9 FM in the Bangor region.

Game 15 | Maine at Bryant

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2025 | 2:00 P.M. | ESPN+ | 92.9 FM

Chace Athletic Center | Smithfield, R.I.

LAST TIME OUT:

LOWELL, Mass. — Adrianna Smith poured in a career-high 37 points to help Maine erase an 11-point deficit and earn a 73-65 victory at UMass Lowell in the America East opener for both teams.

Smith finished the evening 16-of-23 from the floor with 21 of her 37 points coming in the second half. Smith added six rebounds and two assists to her career-high night. Lala Woods added a career-high 17 points off the bench with three triples including a pair in the final minutes of the game to help seal the win. Asta Blauenfeldt ran her double-digit scoring streak to four with a 13 point effort.

Maine, which has now won nine-straight conference openers and nine consecutive over UMass Lowell, outscored the River Hawks 24-12 in the final quarter. The Black Bears shot a season-high 52.8-percent (28-53) from the floor and forced 20 UMass Lowell turnovers with eight steals.

The victory, Maine’s third in a row, marks the third consecutive time in which the Black Bears have battled back to earn a win.

A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:

The Black Bears enter play on a three-game win streak with all three wins being comeback fashion. Maine trailed by as many as 11 at Quinnipiac and at UMass Lowell and trailed by six at Harvard before coming back to win all three. Adrianna Smith, who posted a career-high 37 points in the win at UMass Lowell, continues to guide the Black Bears as she leads the America East in both scoring (19.7) and rebounding (9.7) and checks in third with 4.4 assists. Smith’s 37 point outing at UMass Lowell is tied for the 14th highest scoring output in the country this season. Her seven double-doubles rank seventh in the country as she has posted double-figure scoring efforts in 13 of Maine’s 14 outings and each of the last nine. Smith, who posted 18 points and 20 rebounds for her seventh double-double in the win at Quinnipiac, recently moved into 11th on Maine’s all-time scoring list at 1,435 career points. Smith, who ranks 20th in the nation in scoring and 34th in rebounding, is only the second player in Maine history to eclipse 1,300 points, 800 rebounds, and 300 assists in a career. Asta Blauenfeldt carries a four-game double-figure scoring streak into Thursday evening and ranks 17th in the league in scoring (11.6) while checking in seventh among league leaders in triples per game (1.9). Blauenfeldt has hit 20-of-21 (95.2) free throws. After not appearing in Maine’s first 11 games, Lala Woods has provided a recent spark off the bench as she is averaging 11.3 points in her last three outings with eight triples. Maine, which has won the turnover battle in nine games this season, rank second in the America East at just 13.7 giveaways per game.

A LOOK AT BRYANT:

The Bulldogs, 6-1 at home this season, are off to one of their best starts in history at 11-3 after starting conference play with a 45-31 win over New Hampshire. Bryant, riding a four-game win streak, is led by Mia Mancini who ranks seventh in the league at 14.5 points per game. Mancini’s 2.4 triples per game rank second in the conference while she checks in second-best among league leaders at 4.6 assists. Nia Scott is adding 12.3 points and ranks second in the league in rebounding (9.1) and third from the floor at 53.2 percent. Bryant, which enters with a +16.3 scoring margin on the year, boasts the conference’s top-ranked defense allowing just 51.9 points per game and a league-high 38.1 rebounds.

SERIES WITH BRYANT: 

Maine, which had its nine-game win streak over the Bulldogs snapped back in March, and Bryant will meet for the 16th time. Maine currently holds an 11-4 edge in the all-time series and have nine of the last 10, including an 87-64 triumph last year in Orono. Maine fell in its last trip to Smithfield, 68-57. Maine is 4-3 on the road against the Bulldogs and have won in four of its last five trips to Bryant. The two teams first met in 2010, a 75-66 road victory for the Black Bears. The teams split the first six meetings of the all-time series. In four career games against Bryant, Adrianna Smith is averaging 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds.

-UMaine-