Maeve Carroll scored a career high 24 points on Sunday afternoon, while Anne Simon added 23 and Dor Saar 21 to lift the Maine Black Bears to a 75-65 overtime America East women’s basketball win over Binghamton at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The game featured 13 lead changes and 16 ties. Both teams held as much as a four point first quarter lead with Binghamton coming out ahead 16-14 after the opening 10 minutes. The Bearcats held the biggest lead of the first half when Carly Boland knocked down a second quarter jumper to make it 21-16. Maine took the lead 24-21 on a Saar three-pointer, but Kai Moon regained the Binghamton lead with a three of her own and the Bearcats led 34-33 at the break.
The leads were swapped back and forth for a good portion of the third quarter, before the visitors pushed it to five again 49-44 on a Denai Bowman layup with 1:54 left. Binghamton led 51-47 headed to the fourth. It was quite a fourth quarter as both teams went back and forth again. The Bearcats led 57-53 on a 1-2 effort from the line by Bowman with 3:51 left, but Simon also hit 1-2 from the charity stripe and then Saar tied it with a three-pointer nine seconds later after the Black Bears got the offensive rebound on the missed free throw. Bowman and Simon traded baskets to make it 59-59, before Simon scored again to make it 61-59 Maine with two minutes left. Moon eventually tied the game from the line with 52 seconds remaining, and then a Carroll turnover gave the Bearcats a chance to win it with 27 seconds showing on the clock. Moon fired a shot just before the buzzer that was off though and the game moved to the extra session.
Maine (11-14, 7-4 America East) dominated the overtime on a Carroll three point play, a three-pointer from Anna Kahelin, and a Simon layup on consecutive possessions. The Black Bears then got a layup by Carroll and a jumper by Simon for a 10 point lead with 1:43 left, which was the final margin of victory outscoring the Bearcats 14-4 in the extra period.
Maine forward Maeve Carroll goes up for a shot over Binghamton defenders Karly Boland (32) and Kaylee Wasco (50) during America East women’s basketball action in Bangor on February 9, 2020. The Black Bears won 75-65. Photo by Anthony DelMonaco
Carroll added 15 rebounds for her seventh double double of the season in the Maine win. Simon added four rebounds, while Saar added four rebounds and 13 assists. Saar had five 3-pointers in the game, passing Lauren Bodine for sixth all time (172). With the 13 assists she passed Liz Wood, Cathy Nason, and Sigi Koizar for seventh all time (366). The junior guard is two away from passing Chrissy Strong for sixth all time in assists. Moon had 17 points and five rebounds to lead Binghamton in the loss. Boland had 13 points and six rebounds, while Annie Ramil contributed 11 points. The Bearcats drop to 16-7, 5-5 in America East. Maine who is in third place in America East, will host second place UMass-Lowell on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Black Bears are just one game behind the Riverhawks in the standings.
Maines Anne Simon reaches to grab a rebound during Sundays game against Binghamton at the Cross Insurance Center. Karlee Krchnavi (21) looks on for the Bearcats. Photo by Anthony DelMonaco
Maine point guard Dor Saar shoots over Binghamton defender Olivia Ramil during America East action in Bangor on Sunday. Saar moved up to sixth in career three-pointers and seventh in assists in the Black Bears win. Photo by Anthony DelMonaco
