Coming off an America East championship, an NCAA tournament appearance, and a very exciting and successful 23-10 season in 2017-18 the University of Maine Black Bears women’s basketball team faces another tough non conference schedule this upcoming season as the schedule was released on Thursday afternoon.
One of the highlights of the new season will be a visit to Bangors Cross Insurance Center from ACC power Duke University on November 15. The Blue Devils are coached by Joanne-Polumbo McCallie, a former bench boss at Maine. Duke won last seasons meeting in Raleigh 69-39. Duke won a pair of games in the NCAA tournament last season, before bowing out to UConn in the sweet 16.
Maine also faces NCAA tournament teams on the road in North Carolina State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and North Carolina. The Black Bears could also face tourney team North Carolina AT&T in the Naval Academy Tournament at Navy November 24th and 25th. Also on the road are some WNIT teams from last season in Navy, Penn, Fordham and Harvard. Maine also travels to Northeastern, but will get Brown and Bryant both at home as well as Toledo, who stopped the Bears by one point in overtime at Ohio last year.
Maine, who returns four of five starters from last years conference title winning team and first NCAA tourney appearance in 20 years, begins the season on November 3rd with an exhibition against Stonehill College. Stonehill toppled the Bears 68-49 in Bangor in the exhibition opener last season, and made it all the way to the Divsion II Elite Eight with a record of 29-4. Maine ended up hosting and winning the conference title on the Cross Center floor over Hartford, but bowed out in the first round of the big dance at Texas against the Longhorns 83-54.
Below is the full schedule release with times to be announced at a later date. Note: Light Blue is home games, dark blue away, two other colors are road tournaments. (click to enlarge)
