Blanca Millan had a game high 27 points and also blocked a game winning shot at the buzzer Sunday afternoon, as the Maine Black Bears held off the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks 53-51 in America East women’s basketball action at Memorial Gym in Orono on Senior Day.
Both teams started slow, but Maine held the lead until late in the contest. A combined 8-30 (26%) shooting start in the first quarter did see the Black Bears up 12-6 after the first 10 minutes. The teams did heat up in the second, and the hosts had their biggest lead of the day at 24-12 on a Anne Simon jumper with 6:26 left in the second. UMass-Lowell though also came alive, and 12 points from Denise Solis keyed a 14-6 Riverhawks run to cut the deficit to 30-26 at the break. Maine was able to keep their lead thanks to 17 from Millan. UML (9-8, 8-6 America East) scored the first basket of the third quarter to cut it just two, before the Bears used a 8-2 run later in the period to take a 43-33 lead and had an eight point advantage headed for the fourth. The visitors though kept fighting back and took a pair of two point leads, their first of the game. With UML leading 51-50, Millan regained the lead for good with two free throws with 1:45 left. The guests had two chances to take the lead late. Millan came up with a steal off an inbounds pass with 15 seconds remaining, however Dor Saar would miss two free throws on the other end. Fanny Wadling then came up with a steal and made one of two from the line for the two point lead with 1.6 seconds showing on the clock. The Riverhawks got the ball to one of their top players after a timeout, but the three-point attempt by Kharis Idom in the corner was cleanly blocked by Millan as the horn sounded to give Maine the win and a nine game win streak improving to 14-1 overall and 11-1 in AE.
Millan continues her stellar senior season adding eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks to her point total in the win and playing all 40 minutes. Saar had nine points with five rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Simon also chipped in eight points and four rebounds. The Black Bears finish off a home schedule that only allowed them four games in their own building this season. Solis finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in the loss for UMass-Lowell. Maine travels to Stony Brook for a two game series and a battle for the top spot in the conference next Saturday and Sunday in the final regular season series of the year. One win would seal the top spot in the upcoming America East playoffs for the Bears.
