WEST HARTFORD, CONN. – No. 1 seed Maine (24-6) won for the 19th time in its last 20 games and advanced to the Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Championship title game with a 62-49 victory over No. 4 seed Albany (13-16) in the first semifinal game from Chase Family Arena on Friday evening. The Black Bears maintained a double digit lead for the final 24 minutes of the game, and led by as many as 25 points in the second half before settling on the final margin.
Maine built an 11-point lead in the first seven minutes of the game, and after seeing the advantage swing between nine and 13 points over the next 10 minutes, closed the first half with a 10-4 spurt for a 33-18 halftime margin. Each team traded buckets in the opening minutes of the second stanza, but a 10-2 run by the Black Bears midway through the period put the game out of Albany’s reach.
Two-time America East Player of the Year Heather Ernest scored eight of her 12 points for Maine in the first half, and pulled down 11 rebounds to register a double-double in only 24 minutes of action. Fellow senior Julie Veilleux netted a team-high 15 points for the Black Bears, who received points from 10 different players.
Sophomore guard Jen Schumacher was one of three Albany players in double figures, and had a game-high 16 points. She displayed a solid shooting touch in the game, connecting on 4-of-8 shots from behind the arc. Junior forward Alicia Learn chipped in 13 points for the Great Danes, and first-team all-conference selection Danielle Hutcheson posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite having three players with at least seven rebounds, the Great Danes were outrebounded 41-36, as the Black Bears’ size and depth proved to be the difference in the game. Maine scored 32 of its 62 points in the paint and its bench outscored Albany’s reserves 17-1.
Maine advances to the conference title game for the second straight year and eighth time in the last 10 seasons. The Black Bears are 7-7 all-time in America East championship games. Their last America East title was in 1998, when they defeated Vermont 81-80 in the championship.