Maddie Fitzpatrick (Cheverus) hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:59 left in the fourth quarter on Sunday afternoon, as Maine women’s basketball grinded out a 53-48 non-conference victory over Brown in a defensive battle on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono.
It wasn’t a pretty game shooting, but you have to also credit the defenses for that. After an early 8-0 run by Maine for a six point lead, Brown would lead by as many as five (16-11) as there would end up being five ties and seven lead changes on the afternoon. The Black Bears had a 26-23 edge at the break. The struggle continued into the second half, as the teams combined to shoot 15-70 (21.4%) from the floor. After the visiting Bears jumped back ahead 39-36 on a three-pointer by Olivia Young early in the fourth quarter, the hosts responded with an 8-0 spurt to lead it 44-39 capped off by a three-pointer from Kaliyah Sain with 4:19 remaining. Brown evened it back up when Young hit a layup, and after a missed jumper by Olivia Alvarez, hit another three-pointer. Not to be outdone, Fitzpatrick put her team ahead to stay 28 seconds later with a three-pointer from the corner off an assist from Lizzy Gruber (Gardiner). Maine iced the victory by hitting 6-8 from the foul line over the final 1:05.
Gia Powell led Brown in the loss with 10 points. Young would finish with eight points, while Aima Ofunrein also put in eight points. The Bears, who beat Maine by 31 in Rhode Island last season, fall to 1-4. Fitzpatrick recorded a double double for the Black Bears with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. She is now averaging 18 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the early season. Lala Woods added 11 points in the win, while Gruber also recorded a double double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots, and one steal. Sain chipped in seven points and eight rebounds. For the game, the two teams combined to hit 33-123 from the floor (25%), that included 20% from the three-point arc (10-50). Maine is now 3-1 and will host Atlantic 10 opponent Virginia Commonwealth University on Thursday night at 6 p.m.
Photo of Maddie Fitzpatrick during a game vs Oregon on November 13th
