Adrianna Smith wasted no time reminding people why she’s a two-time all-conference player.
The redshirt senior forward missed all of last season for the University of Maine women’s basketball team with a knee injury. She took the floor once again for the Black Bears in Friday night’s opener, and she looked like she never left.
Smith led all scorers Friday night with 25 points and 13 rebounds, securing a double-double and adding an exclamation point to her return.
The 6-foot forward from Reston, Virginia nearly willed the Black Bears to a come-from-behind victory against visiting Saint Joseph’s University from Philadelphia. But even Smith’s 13 points in the fourth quarter weren’t quite enough to close out the spirited comeback.
UMaine lost 63-62. But the Black Bears have clearly gained back their leader on the floor.
“She’s worked really hard, and it’s just nice to see her back doing what she loves to do,” UMaine head coach Amy Vachon said about Smith after the game.
Smith was disappointed in the loss but thought UMaine showed “a lot of potential and a lot of fight” in the opener, and felt the team could work to execute better on defense and make more shots moving forward.
“I was just happy to be out here at home,” Smith said about her return.
She acknowledged having some nerves being back out on the floor for the first time — not because of the basketball action itself, but more the emotions and hype surrounding the situation.
“So yeah, it’s good to get that under my belt and just keep going on with the season,” Smith added.
Smith went 10-25 from the floor Friday night, including 3-5 from behind the 3-point arc. Six of her 13 rebounds were on the offensive end, and she also tallied three assists, two steals and two blocks.
“She just plays so hard,” Vachon said. “And she’s worked on her shot. Her three-point shot looks good. Teams have to guard that.”
Smith was named to the America-East preseason all-conference team, and was America East player of the year in 2023.
