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The light at the end of this tunnel isn’t getting brighter anytime soon.
After their worst loss this season and the fourth in as many games, the University of Maine women’s basketball team has gone back to the fundamentals to find answers.
“As the girls have heard me say often in the last couple of days, 28 turnovers against any team is not going to get wins,” said head coach Ann McInerney. “We need to have them understand the difference between when we have a fast break situation and when we need to be more patient and let the offense flow.”
The Black Bears dropped an 80-55 decision against Mississippi State Sunday, committing 28 turnovers that were converted in large part to 32 Lady Bulldog points. MSU’s starting lineup of five freshmen out scored the Bear’s entire team by four points, 59-55.
Junior forward Bracey Barker and junior guard Ashley Underwood provided the only offense for UMaine. Barker recorded her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Underwood chipped in with 16 points. Senior Abby Schrader’s four game streak of double-doubles was snapped as well. Schrader got into foul trouble and finished with two points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
Ameshia Bryant has proved to be a consistent presence off the bench for the Black Bears. Against Mississippi State, she contributed six points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes and has emerged as one of the Bear’s most tenacious defenders.
“She has been steadily getting better each day. Her work ethic has improved and her minutes have improved because of it,” said McInerney. “She has been a great spark off the bench.”
UMaine will tip-off against George Washington University in Washington, D.C. at noon on Saturday. The Colonials, ranked 23rd in the nation at the beginning of the season, have the third toughest strength of schedule in the country.
Sophomore guard Kimberly Beck, last season’s A-10 rookie of the year, will be running the offense for the Colonials. Jessica Simmonds, senior forward and an A-10 second team all-conference selection last season, averaged a double-double of 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in a loss over the No.1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers and a 77-55 win over Stony Brook.
“We are really going to focus on our transition defense and taking care of the ball and keeping our turnovers down,” said McInerney. “We are playing against more athletic teams and quicker guards so that’s been challenging defensively but we need to make sure we do a good job taking care of the ball.”
The Colonials were ahead for the first 10 minutes against the Lady Vols, longer than any other team has led Tennessee and held them to a season-low 59 points. Simmonds led all GW scorers with 13 points while getting a team-high seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
George Washington marks the halfway point of a month long road trip, including an upcoming holiday tournament in Miami, Fla. and a game against Holy Cross in Portland to open the New Year.
“We’ve been saying it’s more like a football schedule,” said McInerney. “We travel and play on the weekend, and then we come back, go to class, prepare and take off again.”
Bangor Daily News