ORONO- Five players scored nine points or more on Friday evening, in leading the top seeded University of Maine to a 64-48 win over #3 Vermont in the America East Women’s Basketball Championship game played inside a soldout Pit at Memorial Gymnasium. The Black Bears, after losing the prior two times in the title game, advances to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
After being beaten by Albany the last time they were in the championship matchup also at the Pit in 2022, Maine would not be denied on this night as they would never trail. Olivia Rockwood drained a three-pointer on the games first possession just 16 seconds into the action (two from long distance in the first quarter), and Adrianna Smith put in 10 points in the opening 10 minutes with eight in a row at one point that included three long range jumpshots.
They led by as many as nine, and 18-11 heading to the second. Vermont cut the lead to 18-15 early in that second period on a pair of free throws by Delaney Richason, and a second chance jumper just outside the paint by Emma Utterback (6-0 run). But that is as close as the Catamounts would be the remainder of the evening. Maine would miss their first five shots, but a jumper by Anne Simon took the lid off the basket again. With UVM down 24-20 and 2:30 to before the break, the Black Bears would go on a 10-2 spurt started by a three-pointer by Paula Gallego. She also made a steal seconds later for a fastbreak layup by Sarah Talon. The run was capped off by a very long desperation three-pointer right at the shot clock buzzer that was nothing but net by Talon at least a foot behind the arc for their biggest advantage to that point at 34-22.
Andjiela Matic would answer for the guests at the second quarter buzzer with a three-pointer to make it 34-25 at halftime.
Maine turned up the defensive effort in the third quarter, and continued where they left off offensively to extend their lead. Vermont shot just 2-13 (15.4%) from the floor, and the Black Bears outscored the Catamounts 17-8 to take a commanding 51-33 edge. Gallego stepped up and came back off the bench after Smith picked up her third foul just 21 seconds into the period. The junior from Spain played with confidence and would score six points including a three-pointer once she re-entered the lineup to help her team shoot 53.8% (7-13), also setting up an easy layup by Rockwood on a beautiful backdoor pass.
Smith made her presence felt once again to start the final 10 minutes, collecting an offensive rebound and scoring underneath the hoop off a Simon jumper that was missed in the paint. After Talon drew an offensive foul on Utterback, it was Smith collecting a Simon three-point misfire and putting in another layup with the offensive board for what was the biggest lead of the night 55-33 with 7:50 remaining. Vermont, the defending champion, wouldn’t go down without a fight. The Catamounts went on a run of 13-3 finished off by a driving layup by Keira Hanson to slice it to 58-46 with 3:53 left quieting down the capacity crowd. They wouldn’t stay silent for long though, as Maine iced the victory on a layup by Smith off an assist from Caroline Bornemann, a Talon offensive rebound and layup, and two free throws from Simon. The Black Bears, who shot just 31% and 38% respectively in their quarterfinal and semifinal wins over UMass-Lowell and Binghamton, would do a much better job at converting on the offensive end finishing at 45% and outscored Vermont 16-2 on points off turnovers. Maine is now 6-0 all-time in the playoffs against the Catamounts when they are the #1 seed.
Smith led four players in double figures in the Maine win with 16 points (8-15 from the floor), and eight rebounds (six offensive). Simon had 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Talon finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Rockwood (2-3 three-pointers) rounded out the double digit scoring with 10 points and six rebounds. Gallego had one of her better games of the year, coming up big when Smith was out of the contest as she had nine points, two assists, and two steals and made both of her three-point attempts. She only had three games this season where she scored more than eight points entering play on Friday. Those five players combined for 62 of the 64 points for the Black Bears, as Bornemann had the only other hoop. They also won the rebounding battle 37-27. Anna Olson led Vermont in the loss with 21 points (9-15) and seven rebounds. Matic chipped in nine points. The other four Catamounts starters- Utterback, Richason, Hanson, and Bella Vito were held to a total of 18 points and shot 6-26 from the field (0-7 three-pointers). UVM, who was seeking a back to back appearance and eighth trip overall to the NCAA Tournament, is now 22-11 and will get an invite to the WNIT. Maine is now 24-9 and on a six game win streak, and will find out the opponent, time, and location for their NCAA Tournament trip when those are announced Sunday night at 8 p.m. during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Show on ESPN. It is a league record 10th conference championship for the Black Bears, with their last regional appearance back on March 23, 2019 in a 63-51 first round defeat at the hands of North Carolina State.
During the postgame ceremonies, the America East Conference also announced the Most Outstanding Player, Elite 18 Award winner, and the All-Championship Team for the 2024 Women’s Basketball Tournament:
Most Outstanding Player- Guard Anne Simon, Maine
Elite 18 Award (highest GPA for student athlete competing in the playoffs)- Guard Anna Kahelin, Maine 3.98 GPA
All-Championship Team- Anne Simon, Maine/Forward Adrianna Smith, Maine/Guard Emma Utterback, Vermont/Forward Anna Olson, Vermont/Guard Denai Bowman, Binghamton
Recap/photos/videos by Chris Lessner
