The University of Albany’s Great Danes ended the University of Maine’s 19-game home winning streak against America East opponents, overcoming an early six-point deficit to deal the cold-shooting Black Bears their fourth straight conference loss 56-40 at the Memorial Gym in Orono on Thursday night.
Albany improved to 21-5 overall and 11-2 in America East while UMaine fell to 12-14, 7-6.
The Great Danes used a 14-0 run spanning the first and second quarters to build a 20-12 lead that they never relinquished.
UMaine pulled to within three in the third period but Albany closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run to take a 35-35 lead into the fourth quarter and UMaine couldn’t get any closer than eight the rest of the way.
UMaine shot just 31.1 percent from the floor including a woeful 17.9 percent showing beyond the 3-point arc. Albany shot 44.2 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
During its four-game losing streak, UMaine is shooting 33.7 percent from the floor, 26.4 percent from long distance and is averaging only 46 points per game.
“We need to score and we’re really having a hard time doing that,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon to Van Wagner and UMaine Sports Properties play-by-play announcer Don Shields after the game. “When you hold a team to 56 points, you should be in the basketball game and we weren’t. That’s not good.”
The Black Bears also turned the ball over 20 times enabling Albany to finish with a 19-7 edge in points off turnovers.
“We talk about it every day. We need to take care of the basketball. Twenty turnovers is not going to do it. It’s not good right now,” said Vachon.
Albany graduate student guard and Mount St. Mary’s transfer Jessica Tomasetti produced 17 points and 12 rebounds, both game-highs, along with four assists. Graduate student guard and Monmouth University transfer Kaci Donovan had nine points and two rebounds.
Lilly Phillips and Delanie Hill had seven points apiece for Albany and Kayla Cooper and Martina Borrellas had six each. Cooper also had a game-high five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Borrellas had four rebounds.
Sophomore forward Caroline Dotsey was UMaine’s only double-figure scorer with 14 points and she also had six rebounds. Graduate student guard/forward Caroline Bornemann had seven points and eight rebounds and graduate student guard Olivia Rockwood garnered six points and five rebounds.
Sera Hodgson had five points and two rebounds, Asta Blauenfeldt had four points and a game-high four steals and Sarah Talon also had four points to go with three assists and two rebounds.
Dotsey shot 6-for-11 from the floor and the rest of the team went 8-for-34 (23.6 percent).
Albany outscored UMaine 32-12 in the paint.
UMaine will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Black Bears host Binghamton.
Albany will visit New Hampshire for a noon game on Saturday.
