The second-seeded University of Maine women’s basketball team is looking to do something rare on Friday when it takes on top seed and defending champ Vermont in the America East championship game.
The Black Bears have just one win in 12 conference tournament games against top seeds.
That occurred on March 7, 1998, when the Black Bears edged the Catamounts 81-80 in the title game. Current UMaine head coach Amy Vachon had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in the victory.
Vermont is seeking its third America East tournament title in four years while Maine is seeking its second in three years and fourth in nine years. The winner of Friday’s game will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
UMaine and Vermont meet at 5 p.m. Friday at the Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington.
Vermont comes into the game with a 26-7 record while UMaine is 19-12. Vermont has won its last four games and seven of its last eight while UMaine had a five-game winning streak and victories in nine of its last 10 contests.
The teams split regular season games with each winning on the road.
Vermont triumphed 64-53 in Orono on Jan. 15 before UMaine earned a 55-46 victory in Burlington on Feb. 5.
It was one of just two home losses suffered by the Catamounts in 15 games.
“Vermont has been the best team all season. I think everyone has said and I think they have been,” Vachon said. “We’re just really excited to be in the championship game and excited for a great game.”
In order to upset the Catamounts, Vachon said her team is going to have to match its defensive performance the last time they met in Burlington.
“We have to replicate that as much as we can,” Vachon said. “Defensively, we played a really good game. They have five kids on the court who can score all the time so defense is going to be really important.”
Transition defense will be especially important, she said.
In the first meeting, Vermont outscored UMaine 14-3 in fast break points and 13-2 in second chance points. In the second meeting, Vermont’s edge in fast break points was just 5-4 and UMaine had a 7-5 advantage in second chance points.
“Our transition defense in the first game was atrocious. We did a lot better in the second meeting and that was big,” Vachon said.
Offensively, Vachon said the Black Bears will “try to exploit some things we think we can” but noted that the Catamounts are a “really good defensive team” as well.
“It’s going to be a possession-by-possession game and whoever executes the best will probably come out on top,” Vachon said.
UMaine fifth-year senior forward Adrianna Smith said Vermont is a great team with a bunch of great playmakers.
“It’s about locking in and making it difficult for them,” Smith said. “Winning a championship on the road isn’t easy but we know we can do it.”
UMaine senior guard Sarah Talon from Windham also said Vermont is a great team and said the Black Bears are going to have to play their “best basketball” against the Catamounts and work.
And if they do that?
“Everything will take care of itself,” Talon said.
The game will feature a battle between the 6-foot Smith, who was named the America East Player of the Year for the second time in her career, and 6-foot-2 center Nikola Priede, who was chosen the conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“She’s a great player and defender,” Smith said about Priede. “We make each other work hard every time we play each other and that’s what you want. You want to work for what you get.”
Both were All-America East first team selections.
Priede was the conference tournament’s Most Valuable Player last year.
Smith enters the game averaging 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists, all league-highs. Priede is fourth in scoring (17.5 ppg) and the leader in blocked shots (49) while also averaging 7.7 rebounds.
Smith is the only player in the country averaging 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 4-plus assists. She is one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Award which goes to the nation’s top Mid-Major player.
UMaine senior guard and All-AE third team pick Asta Blauenfeldt is averaging 11.2 points per game along with 1.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals. Talon is at 9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.8 apg. Talon has a career-high five games in double digits in scoring.
Freshman guard Lala Woods is at 8.5 ppg and 2.5 rpg.
Complementing Priede is All-AE first team guard Keira Hanson (13.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 steals), redshirt senior guard and Binghamton transfer Jadyn Weltz (11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 spg) and junior guard Malia Lenz (7.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.3 spg).
Vermont has the nation’s fourth stingiest defense, allowing just 51.9 points per game, thanks to a third-ranked 3-point percentage defense (25.1 percent).
