Some late heroics by Adrianna Smith on Thursday night would push Maine past Albany 60-59 in America East women’s basketball action on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono. Smith would put in a layup off her own miss with 3.2 seconds left to give the Black Bears the victory.
After Albany had several first quarter leads, Maine would go on a 9-0 run stretching from the first and into the second quarter to take a seven point advantage. The Great Danes fought back and jumped back ahead 35-34 early in the third, before the Black Bears regained control and took their biggest lead at 56-47 on a three-pointer by Sarah Talon with 5:19 left to play. Albany grabbed the advantage for the final time (59-58) when Martina Borrellas grabbed an offensive rebound and found Delanie Hill for a wide open three-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to cap off a 12-2 run. On the last possession for Maine, Smith got a pass downlow from Lala Woods but pushed her shot too hard and long. Smith collected her miss and in one motion banked it in off the glass. The final desperation chance from just inside halfcourt by the Great Danes would fall short as the buzzer sounded.
Four players scored in double figures in the win for the Black Bears, led by Smith who had 20 points to go along with 12 assists, eight rebounds, and three steals. It is her sixth consecutive double double performance. Asta Blauenfeldt put in 13 points, Talon had 12, and Woods chipped in 10 points. Talon and Woods also grabbed six rebounds each. Maine is now 16-12 and 11-4 in America East. Borrellas had a game-high 23 points and also contributed 11 rebounds and four assists in the loss for Albany. The Great Danes drop to 15-14 and 5-11 in the conference. The Black Bears finish the regular season on Saturday by hosting Binghamton at 1 p.m. The winner will get the #2 seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
Photo from a game earlier this season
