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It’s been a tough season for the University of Maine women’s basketball team. After starting their season 2-4, the Black Bears have yet to win another game. Their last win came at the beginning of December, and they have yet to win a game against an America East Conference opponent. They will attempt to stop their slide against the University of New Hampshire on Thursday, Feb. 12.
In order to accomplish the resurrection of their season, the Black Bears will have to get the ball to the offense so they can get more shots off. In comparison to their opponents throughout the season, the Black Bears have taken at least 200 fewer shots, obviously curbing their scoring which has been an issue. Rebounding has also been a problem for the team, as they pull down an average of 34.1 per game, compared to their competitors 38.5. In addition, the fact that they have trouble getting steals, generally about half of those taken by their opponents, is not helping their cause. By not keeping up with the other teams, the Black Bears will find it incredibly hard to notch their first win of 2009.
However, the season hasn’t been all dark clouds for Cindy Blodgett’s squad. They have remained competitive in most of their contests and are just looking for that one win that will get them back on track for the final stretch of their season. Two of the team’s forwards are the leading scorers for the Black Bears: junior Brittany Boser and freshman Samantha Baranowski accounting for an average of 10.7 and 7.6 points, respectively. Boser is also leading the team in blocks, with 21 on the season and is 19th in the country in free throw percentage with an impressive 87.5 percent from the line.
Leading the defense and hoping to improve the teams steal average, is junior guard Kristin Baker. She leads the team with 35 points while also contributing 61 defensive rebounds this season. Baker also plays her part on the offensive side chipping in 6.9 points per game and leading the team in 3-pointers.
With seven games left to play this season, UMaine will have to dig in to finish strong. Yet, they have a good chance to do so as they start their final stretch with a three-game home stand against a struggling UNH team, University of Albany and University of Maryland Baltimore County, all of whom are at or below .500 in conference play. Their true test will come in their final games against Boston University, undefeated in the America East as well as the No. 1 team in the conference, and the University of Vermont, currently sitting in third place. When the Black Bears return to the Alfond Arena for their game on Thursday, they hope to gain some momentum for the harder games down the road, but it’s UNH that needs to be the priority in the meantime: Following a 86-51 loss to Wildcats in January, the Black Bears have something to prove.
