The University of Maine womens basketball returned to the friendly confines of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Wednesday night looking for some payback against the Vermont Catamounts.
Sigi Koizar and Laia Sole both scored 13 points to lead Maine to a 59-43 win, avenging a loss to the Catamounts in the conference opener back on January 4th in Burlington.
Maine has not lost a home conference game in over two years, and improved to 4-0 this year in America East games at the Cross Center. Maine is 7-1 at home overall, with the only loss coming to the current #4 team in the country Mississippi State.
Maine (12-12, 5-4 America East), only trailed once in this game by a score of 6-4 early in first, before taking an 11-8 lead after one quarter, and 32-23 at halftime.
The Bears held the Catamounts to just 20 points in the second half and 26 percent shooting for the game, and led by as many as 19 at 44-25 early in the third quarter. Koizar also became just the seventh player in Maine womens basketball history to reach 1,500 points. She came into the game six points shy of the mark.
Koizar added four rebounds and three assists, while Sole had a double double adding 10 rebounds, three assists, and a steal to go along with her 13 points. Tanesha Sutton also had a double double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, an assist, and a block. Sophomore guard Maddy McVicar from Calais High, had a career high six points off the bench in eight minutes. Maine shot only 33 percent from the floor, but knocked in eight three pointers (8-28), while Vermont was only 2-21 from downtown.
Vermont (6-15, 3-6), was led by Hanna Crymble, who was the only Catamount in double figures with 15 points and six rebounds.
Maine returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Baltimore, Maryland to battle UMBC at 1 p.m. The Black Bears knocked off the Retrievers 72-40 back on January 7th at the Cross Insurance Center. Maine is just 1-4 in road conference games so far this season. The game can be seen live on ESPN 3.
VER (6-15, 3-6) 8 15 15 5- 43
UME (12-12, 5-4) 11 21 21 6- 59
