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The University of Maine women’s basketball team took to the court Friday night with the intent of making a statement in front of a sizeable home crowd. They did just that, in crowd-pleasing style. Senior Amanda Tewksbury buried a long 3-pointer with just under six seconds to play, as the Black Bears earned a 61-58 home win over the Central Connecticut State University in their season opener.
In what turned out to be a defensive chess match in the first half, UMaine (1-0) seemed to out-work the Blue Devils, forcing 13 turnovers. Neither team, however, seemed able to get the offensive wheels turning in the half as the Black Bears led the way shooting just 37 percent from the floor compared CCSU’s effort of 20.7 percent. By holding their opponent to a poor shooting half, the Black Bears took a 28-17 lead into the locker room.
Out of the gate in the second half, the pace was markedly different, with both teams pushing the tempo and opening up more long-range shots. Central Connecticut (0-1) made a game of it, tying the game at 36 with 11:58 to go in the half. From that point on, the teams continued to trade baskets and short scoring runs all the way until there was under a minute to go. In a climactic finish, Central Connecticut buried a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play to tie the game at 58, but UMaine had one final play with 18 seconds to go, and they in-bounded from directly in front of their own bench.
After some initial confusion on UMaine’s sideline out-of-bounds play, the ball came to senior guard Kristen Baker who found Tewksbury, who had separation directly above the top of the key. The senior guard spotted up and found the bottom of the net, to the elation of 1,284 fans. CCSU’s ensuing desperation heave fell short, and Alfond Arena erupted as the Black Bears pulled a dramatic win against a team that returned its top six players from a squad that advanced to the Women’s NIT last season.
“I just shot the ball,” said Tewksbury, a Clinton, N.J., native who was quick to praise her compatriots. “People will talk about the last play, but it was a whole team effort.”
She also described the team’s mindset when battling back from a number of momentum swings, including twice in the second half when the Black Bears watched their lead evaporate and found themselves tied with the Blue Devils.
“I think it really shows how much we’ve grown [as a group], and I think staying together as a team was the biggest thing on that one.”
“[It’s] obviously a big win for this team, but it’s so much more than just the stats,” said Cindy Blodgett, third-year head coach and former UMaine star. “Kristen Baker played great defense all night.”
Baker finished the night with seven points, five assists and a steal. Blodgett also praised center Samantha Baranowski who, despite a limited offensive role, was a key element inside for the Black Bears, recording seven of her nine rebounds on the defensive side of the ball and posting a game-high three blocks. Freshman point guard Katelyn Vanderhoff impressed both the fans and her coach, finishing the night with nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
When asked about her early success with the point guard position, Vanderhoff cited preparation. “We’ve gone over it a lot in practice, and we just knew what we had to do,” she said.
Leading the way in scoring for the Black Bears were Tewksbury, who poured in a game-high 20 points in addition to her nine rebounds, and forward Samantha Wheeler, who added 12 points of her own. UMaine finished the game shooting 40.4 percent from the floor to Central Connecticut State’s 33.3 percent.
The Black Bears return to action on Nov. 17 when they travel to take on the Harvard Crimson.
Bangor Daily News