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Women's Basketball Plays Host To Vermont Wednesday
Feb. 14, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Opening Tip After two weeks away from Alfond Arena, the University of Maine women's basketball team returns home Wednesday night to play host to Vermont at 7:30 p.m. The Black Bears enter the contest with a 7-14 overall record and a 3-7 mark in America East. The Catamounts come in with an indentical 7-14 record, but are 3-8 in the league. One of Vermont's wins was a 73-60 victory over the Black Bears back onJan. 15 in Burlington. Wednesday night's contest will be a battle for sole position of seventh-place in America East, as every team in the league battles for position for the upcoming America East Tournament on March 9-12 in Hartford, Conn. The Black Bears, who are coming off a 61-52 road win at Albany on Sunday, lead the all-time series with Vermont by a count of 46-20. Scouting Vermont Vermont enters Wednesday's game with a7-14 overall record and a 3-8 mark in America East -- good for seventh place. The Catamounts come into Orono riding a six-game losing streak, with three of those losses coming by double-digit margins. The Catamounts handed Maine a 73-60 setback earlier this season in Burlington, as Alexis Castro poured in a career-high 34 points. Castro leads the league in scoring at 16.5 points per game. She is also tough on the boards, as Castro is averaging 7.0 rebounds a night. Castro's scoring has increased in conference play, as she is averaging 17.8 a game. Vermont is 1-10 on the road this season, including a 1-5 mark in conference play. The Catamounts' lone road win was a 67-38 victory at Albany on Jan. 18, which was their last win before the six-game slide. Black Bears Back Home For The First Time In Two Weeks Maine may have to get used to Alfond Arena once again, as the Black Bears have not played a home game in two weeks. Their last performance in front of the home fans came back on Feb. 1 versus Hartford. Maine will play four of its final six regular season games at home, as the Black Bears jockey for position in the upcoming America East Tournament in Hartford, Conn. Maine Could Move Into Seventh Place Wednesday A Maine win against Vermont would move the Black Bears into sole possession of seventh place in America East. The Catamounts currently stand in seventh with a 3-8 league record, while the Black Bears follow in eighth at 3-7. Castro Leading America East In Scoring Alexis Castro leads America East in scoring at 16.5 points per game. She is the only player in the league to be averaging over 16 points a contest. Versus Maine back on Jan. 15, Castro poured in a career-high 34 points, which is the most by any player in America East this season. Score Of Last Game Can Be Misleading Vermont's 73-60 win over Maine back on Jan. 15, can be a bit misleading. Trailing by as many as 11 midway through the first half, Maine clawed its way back into the contest and took a 44-42 advantage with 16:10 remaining in the contest. However, the Catamounts responded by going on an 8-0 run to take the lead and never relinquish it. Elderton Looking To Extend Double-Figure Scoring Streak Margaret Elderton will look to extend her streak of double-figure scoring games to four, which would be the longest of her career. She scored a career-high 13 points versus Hartford on Feb. 1, followed with a 10-point performance at Binghamton on Feb. 4, and netted a career-high tying 13 at Albany on Sunday. Elderton Setting Career-High In Points In Consecutive Home Games Margaret Elderton has recorded career-highs in points in each of Maine's last two home games -- both were also her first-career double-figure scoring games. She netted 11 points against UMBC (Jan. 21) and followed with 13 versus Hartford (Feb. 1). Schrader Enters Wednesay's Game As Reigning Co-Player Of The Week For the first time this season, a Black Bear will enter a game as the reigning player of the week in America East. Abby Schrader was named the conference's Co-Player of the Week for her 19-point, 15-rebound performance in Sunday's win at Albany. Vermont First Of Back-To-Back Conference Home Games
The Vermont contest will be the first of back-to-back conference home games for Maine -- the Black Bears will play host to New Hampshire on Saturday. The two games mark the first time all season Maine has played consecutive conference games at home.
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