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 when the Black Bears have battled back to earn a win.
The Black Bears would lead early, 4-3, and then not again until late in the fourth quarter as UMass Lowell led for much of the first half and all of the third quarter.
Maine trailed by as many as nine in the first quarter before Blauenfeldt’s triple at the buzzer sent the Black Bears into the second quarter down by six, 22-16.
The visitors closed the gap to a pair in the second quarter but were unable to force a tie or take the lead as the River Hawks’ lead would be seven, 39-32, at the break.
UMass Lowell opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets to take its largest lead of the night, 43-32.
Trailing by 10, the Black Bears put together a 10-0 run on six points from Smith and four from Blauenfeldt. Blauenfeldt’s jumper with 3:52 on the clock knotted the game at 47-47.
UMass Lowell rebuilt a lead, carrying a 53-49 edge into the fourth quarter.
The lead would reach six before Maine answered with a 12-4 run to take the lead. Trailing by three, Smith drove the lane hard for a bucket while drawing a foul. Her free throw tied the game at 59-59 with just over five minutes remaining.
Once again tied, this time at 61-61, Smith again cashed in a driving bucket to put Maine on top before back-to-back triples from Woods gave the Black Bears a 69-63 cushion with just over a minute to play in regulation.
Maine would cash in on its free throws down the stretch to secure the road win, 73-65.
The Black Bears continue conference action when they travel to meet Bryant at 2 p.m. Saturday.
