Adrianna Smith scored a game high and career high 30 points on Wednesday night, including 18 of those between the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Maine Black Bears to a 70-63 win over the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks in the America East women’s basketball home opener at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono.
Maine never trailed in the first half. A Caroline Bornemann three-pointer set the tempo to open up the game. Bornemann nailed four from downtown over the first 20 minutes and had 14 points, as the Black Bears would finish the second quarter on a 8-0 run to take a 29-18 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The visitors from UMass-Lowell (1-11, 0-2 America East) caught fire in the third quarter and the script totally changed outscoring the Bears 29-13. The Riverhawks scored the first eight points of the period to slice the deficit to three, and then after the hosts went back up by five UML took their first lead of the night on a layup by Amaya Dowdy at 36-35. Maine took back a momentary lead at 42-40, but the guests scored the final seven including a Dowdy jumper in the closing seconds to make it 47-42 heading to the fourth. UMass-Lowell would have as much as an 10 point lead in the final quarter of regulation, but that is when Smith began to take over. Smith scored the first eight points in the fourth for Maine. Her 10th and 12th point pulled the Black Bears within 57-56 with three minutes to go. After several failed possessions by both teams with no points being put up on the scoreboard, Anne Simon would drill a three-pointer to restore a 59-57 advantage in favor of the hosts with 1:04 remaining. Ivory Finley forced overtime for the Riverhawks with a basket with 30 seconds left. Maine had one more chance but a turnover by Simon who never got a shot up sent it to the five minute extra session. Sera Hodgson nailed a three-pointer to put the Black Bears up for good 1:29 into overtime, and Smith scored six more points as they outscored UML 11-4 in the fifth period to take the win.
Smith would add 10 rebounds to her point total for the double double, and also had five assists. It was the seventh double double on the season for Smith in 14 games. Simon filled up the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Bornemann finished with her 14 points all in the first half and four rebounds. Finley had 14 points to lead UMass-Lowell in the loss. Kaylen Banwareesingh and Dowdy both had 13 points, with 11 and seven rebounds respectively. Jaini Edmonds chipped in with 11 points. The Black Bears hit seven three-pointers on the night (7-22), while the Riverhawks only hit two (2-14). Maine improves to 6-8, 2-0 in America East and will travel to NJIT to battle the Highlanders on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
UML (1-11, 0-2) 10 8 29 12 4- 63
UME (6-8, 2-0) 16 13 13 17 11- 70
Rebounds- UML 37, Maine 40
Free throws- UML 9-13, Maine 15-22
Turnovers- UML 15, Maine 13
Three-point goals- UML: Banwareesingh, Sanchez/Maine: Bornemann 4, Simon 2, Hodgson
Recap written by Chris Lessner
