ORONO, Maine — Junior forward Adrianna Smith pumped in a game-high 33 points, just one shy of her career-high, and the University of Maine women’s basketball team upended the University of Maryland Baltimore County 76-47 in an America East contest at the Memorial Gym on Thursday.
It was UMaine’s fourth straight win and the Black Bears improved to 11-7 overall and 4-0 in the conference.
UMBC fell to 6-11 and 2-3.
Smith, who went 14-for-20 from the floor including hitting both of her 3-point attempts, also had 12 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season.
Graduate student guard Anne Simon, senior guard Olivia Rockwood and sophomore guard Sarah Talon had 10 points apiece as UMaine avenged a 74-57 loss at UMBC last season.
Simon also had nine assists and four rebounds;Talon had three rebounds and three assists; Rockwood had a pair of steals and senior guard-forward Caroline Bornemann contributed eight points and 10 rebounds along with two assists.
UMaine shot 50.8 percent from the floor compared to UMBC’s 41.7 percent and outrebounded UMBC 42-23.
Graduate student Anna Blount’s 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists and sophomore center Laura Lacambra’s 10 points and three rebounds topped UMBC.
“I was really proud of our team,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon. “It was a great team effort, offensively and defensively. We made them uncomfortable on our defensive end. Offensively, to have four people in double figures, obviously with Adi leading us, shooting 14-for-20, is awesome. And Anne with nine assists. It was a great game.”
She called it one of her team’s best performances of the season.
“We had a great team effort. It all started with our defense,” said Smith, a six-foot native of Reston, Virginia. “That’s what we always focus on.
“We weren’t hitting as much in the first half but we always know we have great shooters on our team and the shots started to fall,” Smith added.
As for her own performance, Smith said “I kept finding the open spots. If it feels good, I keep shooting it.”
It was Smith’s sixth straight game with at least 10 points and she has averaged 23.7 points per game in those six games.
“She played well tonight,” said UMBC head coach Johnetta Hayes. “That’s what America East Player of the Year candidates do. She did a great job.”
Smith’s 17 first-half points enabled the Black Bears to take a 34-22 lead into the intermission.
She had 11 more in the third quarter as the Black Bears built a comfortable 54-36 lead.
UMBC spotted the Black Bears the game’s first six points before roaring back to take a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But the Black Bears went on a 10-0 run to open the second quarter with Smith producing nine of the points including a 3-pointer to cap the flurry.
The Retrievers answered with a 7-2 spurt behind Blount’s five points and Lacambra’s inside basket.
But the Black Bears closed out the half with a 9-2 run with Smith scoring the final six points after a Rockwood 3-pointer kicked off the spree.
Smith went 7-for-8 from the floor in the second period.
“She’s a great player,” said senior guard Rockwood. “She’s one of our leaders so when she gets going, she feels us and we follow her lead.”
Rockwood added that “everyone contributed today. It was great to see everyone on the defensive end. Even on offense, we didn’t force anything. We moved the ball and everybody played well.”
Hayes said her team “just could not get into a rhythm.”
Both teams will play again on Saturday.
UMaine will entertain the New Jersey Institute of Technology at 1 p.m. while UMBC will take on New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, at noon.
