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 Women's Basketball Announces 2008-09 Non-Conference Schedule
Aug. 21, 2008
ORONO, Maine - Four home games, a contest in Augusta, and the regular season-opener at national power Duke, highlight the 2008-09 University of Maine women's basketball non-conference schedule, which was released on Thursday by head coach Cindy Blodgett. The Black Bears open the regular season on Nov. 16 at Duke in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils are coached by former Black Bear coaching great Joanne Palombo-McCallie, who led Duke to a 25-10 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in her first season at the school last year. Palombo-McCallie coached at Maine from 1992-2000, and led the Black Bears to four America East tournament championships and six trips to the NCAA Tournament. Maine heads to New Britain, Conn., for a game versus Central Connecticut State of Nov. 20. Following that contest, the Black Bears will play four-straight games in the state of Maine, beginning on Nov. 23 in Augusta versus Massachusetts. The game will be played at the Augusta Civic Center. The annual Dead River Company Classic over Thanksgiving weekend will be held from Nov. 28-29 in Alfond Arena. West Virginia, NJIT and Brown join Maine in the event. Friday's competition begins with WVU facing NJIT at 3 p.m., followed by Maine playing host to Brown at 6 p.m.. The consolation and championship will take place on Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m., respectively. Maine will close out its homestand on Dec. 3, when it plays host to Robert Morris. The Colonials won the Northeast Conference last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Black Bears hit the road for three-straight contests beginning on Dec. 7 at Delaware in Newark, and continuing on Dec. 9 in Hempstead, N.Y. versus Hofstra. The road swing concludes on Dec. 14 at Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.
Maine will play host to Fairfield on Dec. 21 in Orono before taking a short break for the holidays. The Black Bears will return to action in the St. Joseph's Classic in Philadelphia on Dec. 28 and 29. Maine will face Saint Joseph's, Pa. and Drexel in the two-game event. The Black Bears close out the non-conference portion of their schedule on Jan. 2 at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
"The non-conference schedule has been designed to challenge our team and get them ready for the America East schedule," said Blodgett, who is entering her second season at the head of the program. "This schedule sticks with my philosophy of competing against strong competition because it will help you to get better as the season goes on. We believe the team will be better as the non-conference schedule wraps up and the conference schedule begins." Prior to the beginning of the regular season, Maine will host a Blue/White Scrimmage on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 12 p.m., in Alfond Arena. The Black Bears will then play host to New Brunswick (Nov. 2) and Husson College (Nov. 7) in a pair of exhibition games in the Alfond. For more information on Maine women's basketball, please visit the team's page at www.GoBlackBears.com(.) --UM-- |
