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 Women's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season Saturday
March 3, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Opening Tip The University of Maine women's basketball team will close out its 2005-06 regular season on Saturday when it plays host to Stony Brook at 12 p.m., at Alfond Arena. The game is important for several reasons, including senior day, as senior center Abby Schrader will be honored before the game for her time here in Orono. Maine is also still jockeying for position for seeding in the upcoming America East Tournament. A Black Bear win on Saturday, coupled with a Vermont loss, would give Maine the seventh seed in the conference tournament and put it into a quarterfinal matchup on Friday with the Seawolves. Stony Brook has locked up the second seed in the tournament, which will be held March 9-12 in Hartford, Conn. The Black Bears (9-17 overall, 5-10 America East) are coming off a thrilling 69-66 victory over Boston University on Wednesday night in Alfond Arena. Stony Brook downed UMBC in Baltimore, 62-46, on Tuesday night. Saturday's game is being broadcast by WABI-5 in Bangor and world wide on the internet at www.watchmainesports.com(.) Maine leads the all-time series with Stony Brook by a count of 7-3. The Seawolves downed Maine, 65-49, back on Jan. 25 in Stony Brook, N.Y. Scouting Stony Brook Stony Brook enters Saturday's regular-season finale with an 18-8 overall record and an 11-4 mark in America East play. The Seawolves, who defeated Maine 65-49 back on Jan. 25, are already locked into the second seed for the America East Tournament on March 9-12 in Hartford, Conn. The Seawolves are led in scoring by Mykeema Ford, who ranks second in the league at 15.7 points per game. Jessica Smith is fourth in the league at 14.9 points per game. Stony Brook is the only school in the league to have two players among the top-five leaders in scoring. Dana Ferraro is the leader in rebounds for the Seawolves, as she tops America East with an average of 11.3 a game. She is the only player in the conference to average double-figure rebounds a game. Stony Brook has some impressive wins on its resume this season. The Seawolves are the only team in the conference this season to defeat regular-season champion Hartford. Stony Brook also took down nationally ranked Temple back in December. Maine Going For Program's 600th Win Saturday Maine will be going for its 600th win in program history on Saturday versus Stony Brook. Research done in the offseason by former Black Bear Athletic Director Stu Haskell found that women's basketball was a varsity sport at the school from 1920-31. Maine's first official win in the sport was a 27-15 victory over New Hampshire back in the 1922-23 season. Schrader To Be Honored On Senior Day Center Abby Schrader will be playing her final game at Alfond Arena on Saturday and will be honored before the game as part of senior day festivities. Schrader will be accompanied by her parents, Robert and Wanda, out to midcourt prior to the tipoff. She has scored 810 points in her career and was named the America East Co-Player of the Week back on Feb. 13 of this season for her 19-point, 15-rebound performance in a road win at Albany. Schrader turned in a dazzling performance in Wednesday night's 69-66 victory over Boston University, as she poured in a career-high 30 points (10-of-16 shooting from the floor) and pulled down nine rebounds. Maine-Vermont In The Standings Maine and Vermont are still battling for the seventh seed for the America East Tournament next week in Hartford, Conn. The playoff scenario is a simple one heading into the final day of regular season action for both teams. A Maine win on Saturday, coupled with a Vermont loss, would put the Black Bears into the seventh-place spot and a quarterfinal matchup with second-seed Stony Brook next Friday at 12 p.m., at Chase Arena. If both teams win, Maine would get the eighth seed for the conference tournament and face Albany next Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner of that contest would face America East regular-season champion Hartford the following day in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Black Bears Facing Another High-Scoring Team This Week After facing Boston University on Wednesday, which at the time was the second-highest scoring team in the league, Maine will take on Stony Brook, the top-scoring team in the conference, on Saturday. The Seawolves are tied with the Terriers for the top spot in America East with an average of 67.2 points a game. Three-Point Shooting Key To Stony Brook Win In Last Meeting The statistic that jumps off the page in Stony Brook's 65-49 win over Maine back on Jan. 25, was the fact the Seawolves knocked down 9-of-16 three-point field goals (.563). Maine, on the other hand, only converted 2-of-15 treys for a .133 clip. Both Jessie Boylan and Kelly Watson were 3-of-4 from behind the arc in the contest for Stony Brook. Regular-Season Final Winning Streak
Maine has won three-straight regular season finales and 12 of 20 dating back to the 1985-86 season.
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