The University of Maine Memorial Gym hasn’t necessarily been kind to the University of Maine women’s basketball team of late.
The Black Bears have lost the last two America East championship games at The Pit.
But UMaine head coach Amy Vachon is looking for their luck to change in announcing that they will play all of their home games at the Memorial Gym this coming season instead of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
The men’s team, however, under first-year coach Chris Markwood, will be playing most of their home games at the Cross Insurance Center.
The UMaine women have been trending toward playing more games at the Memorial Gym, where both teams practice.
The women played six games there last season, going 4-2, including the 56-47 loss to Albany in the final. They went 5-5 at the Cross Insurance Center.
Two years ago, as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they played all of their games at The Pit and went 6-1 with the only loss being in the championship game to Stony Brook 64-60.
UMaine had played only four games at the Memorial Gym the previous three seasons while going 32-6 at the Cross Insurance Center.
“It is extremely important that we put our players in the best situations to be successful,” said Vachon in a press release. “Playing every home game in the same facility, in contrast to playing in multiple venues, gives our team the best chance to be successful.”
The university is planning to build a basketball facility on campus with money from the $90 million gift given to the school by the Harold Alfond Foundation.
