Junior point guard Asta Blauenfeldt scored a game-high 16 points and graduate students Caroline Bornemann and Olivia Rockwood each contributed 12 points as the University of Maine women’s basketball team opened defense of its America East championship with a 54-39 win over UMass Lowell in Lowell on Thursday night.
UMaine is now 6-8 overall while UMass Lowell is 2-11.
The Black Bears used 3-pointers from Jaycie Christopher and Blauenfeldt to close out the third quarter and turn a four-point lead into a 10-point advantage.
The River Hawks closed to within 39-33 with 7:24 left on a layup by Maddie Rice.
But Blauenfeldt responded with a 3-pointer off a Paula Gallego assist 15 seconds later and Rockwood converted her steal into a layup to make it 44-33 with 5:53 remaining.
The River Hawks got within seven with 3:21 to go but Paula Gallego hit a pair of jump shots to sew up the win with 1:56 left.
Blauenfeldt, a transfer from Seattle University, has now scored in double figures in six of her last seven games.
She hit four of her eight 3-point attempts and also contributed four rebounds.
Bornemann pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go with her 12 points and Rockwood had six rebounds and four steals.
Gallego contributed nine points, a game-high seven assists and three rebounds.
Junior guard Sarah Talon, who missed the last two games due to an ankle injury, had four rebounds, a blocked shot, an assist and a steal in 15 minutes of playing time.
Sydney Watkins paced the River Hawks with 12 points, a game-high six steals, four assists and four rebounds.
Abbey Lindsey had 10 points and four rebounds and Rayne Durant chipped in with nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
UMaine shot 46.5 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc compared to UMass Lowell’s 36.2 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
UMaine outrebounded UMass Lowell 32-24.
Both teams will return to conference action on Saturday.
UMaine will host Bryant University (Rhode Island) at 1 while UMass Lowell will entertain Albany at 2.
