Blanca Millan had 30 points and a double double in her return from a serious season ending knee injury last season, and the University of Maine Black Bears women’s basketball team returned to action for the first time in 277 days by defeating the Providence College Friars 62-48 in non-conference play and season opener at Alumni Hall in Providence, Rhode Island Thursday afternoon.
Millan, the fifth year senior who suffered an ACL injury in the teams sixth game last season, started off hot with five early points and a quick 8-0 Maine lead in the first three minutes of the game. Providence (3-4) took their only lead of the contest on a Alyssa Geary layup with under a minute to go in the first, but a late three pointer at the horn from the Black Bears Anne Simon gave the visitors a 19-16 advantage. Maine extended the lead back to 11 with the first eight points of the second, and later to 13 which is where it was at the break 33-20. The Bears would score eight in a row again coming out of the locker room, capped off by a Millan three-pointer for the biggest lead of the day at 41-20. PC chipped into the deficit and hit a pair of three-pointers in the last 25 seconds to cut it to 48-39 headed to the final period. For the fourth time in as many quarters, a layup by Kelly Fogarty made it yet another 8-0 run for Maine starting the fourth to push it back to a 17 point cushion. The Friars never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Millan (13-25 from the floor) added 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block in the win. Laurence added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Simon had nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists and Dor Saar also chipped in eight points, two rebounds, and four assists. Maine played without Maeve Carroll, Fanny Wadling, and Anna Kahelin. Chanell Williams led Providence with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. In the first meeting in women’s basketball between the two schools since 1988, the Black Bears get their first ever win over the Friars out of the Big East Conference (now 1-6). Maine (1-0) is at Rhode Island to face the URI Rams (0-3) Friday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN Plus. That is now 11 straight wins dating back to the America East semifinal win over UMass-Lowell in March for Amy Vachons club.
