WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The seven-seed Vermont Catamounts (12-17, 6-10) will face the two-seed Maine Black Bears (16-14, 12-4) at Cross Insurance Center in the Hercules Tires America East Playoffs Wednesday night. The matchup is set for 7 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+, the exclusive home of the men's and women's America East quarterfinals and semifinals. The game will also be available on AM-620 WVMT FM 96.3 with Maura Sheridan on the call.
RELATED LINKS
Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Listen Live | Game Notes (.pdf)
VALUE THE BALL
The Catamounts are tied for 30th in the NCAA averaging only 13.3 turnovers per game. The Catamounts are 10-7 this season when they have 13 or fewer turnovers. The only team in America East with fewer turnovers is Maine, who averages 13.2 per game. In the previous two games with the Black Bears UVM turned the ball over 12.5 times. The Black Bears scored 18 points off Vermont turnovers in each game.
BLOCK PARTY
The Catamounts lead America East in blocks with 122. They are tied for 50th in the NCAA in the category.
Hanna Crymble is the individual leader in America East with 49 blocks this season.
SCOUTING MAINE
The Black Bears are the hottest team in America East having won their last eight contests. The streak is tied for the 12th longest in Division I right now. Maine's last setback came on January 26 a 76-56 win by UMBC at Cross Insurance Center. That game against the Retrievers is Maine's only setback in its last 26 home contests.
The Black Bears have appeared in the last four America East title games and are seeking their third consecutive tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
Maine features a balanced attack, with three scorers in the top-13 in America East. Anne Simon leads the Black Bears in scoring with 12.7 points per game. She has been named America East Rookie of the Week seven times. She led all scorers with 22 points in the Black Bears home win against Vermont in early February. In the game, she hit a career-high three shots from downtown.
Junior forward Maeve Carroll is averaging 21 points per game against the Catamounts this year. She had a game-high 23 points in the Black Bears win at Patrick Gym. Carroll is averaging 12 points per game for Maine.
Maine has won its last six America East Playoff games. In addition, they have won five consecutive quarterfinal games.
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday night will be the 90th meeting between the Catamounts and Black Bears. Maine has won each of the last seven games, and leads the all-time series 56-33. The Black Bears have won ten straight home games against the Catamounts. Vermont's last win at Maine came on February 3, 2010 in a 66-44 win.
The Catamounts are 4-6 all-time against the Black Bears in the America East Tournament. The teams have met seven times in the America East Championship game. The teams met in three straight title games from 1991-1993. The home team won each meeting with Maine winning in '91 and the Catamounts completing their undefeated seasons in '92 and '93 at Patrick Gym. From 1996-1998 the Black Bears defeated Vermont in three straight America East title games. In the 1999 Maine defeated UVM in the semifinals but in 2000 the Catamounts claimed their fourth league title with a 77-50 win.
In the last tournament meeting between the teams and the only matchup in the quarterfinals Vermont defeated Maine 60-57 in 2007 as the three-seed. Maine is 4-0 against the Catamounts at home in tournament history.
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Vermont is 35-24 all-time in the America East tournament. They have advanced to 19 semifinals, 11 America East title games, and won the championship six times. The Catamounts last title came in 2010 in a 55-50 win over Hartford. Vermont's last win in the America East tournament was March 8, 2013 in a 47-43 decision over UMBC.
Vermont is 0-6 all-time as the seven-seed in the America East tournament. The Catamounts last two tournament appearances as the seven-seed came in Maine. UVM fell to UAlbany in the quarterfinals of the 2017 and 2018 America East Tournament at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine.
The current membership of America East is 7-16 as the seven-seed. In 2007 UMBC won their first and only America East title as the seven-seed. They defeated Stony Brook, Vermont and Hartford to claim the title. Like this year's Catamounts they were 6-10 in conference play. A total of three teams in league history have made the championship game as the seven-seed.
Vermont's last tournament win in a true road contest came in the 2010 America East title game at Hartford. All-time Vermont is 2-6 in the America East tournament in a road game.
CATHY INGLESE PATCHES
This season the Catamounts are wearing jersey patches to honor our former Head Coach Cathy Inglese. Inglese was the head coach at Vermont for seven seasons, from 1986 to 1993. She led UVM to unprecedented success with its first two conference titles, in 1992 and 1993, and its first two trips to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. These patches will be worn at home and on the road this season to honor the memory of Coach Inglese who tragically passed away this summer.
Rise To The Top is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 women's basketball season.
