No. 1 Maine Stamps NCAA Bid with Eighth #AETourney Title
Bangor, Maine – For the first time since 2004, the Maine Black Bears will play in the NCAA Tournament. With a 74-65 win over No. 6 Hartford, No. 1 Maine won their eighth America East Women’s Basketball Championship in program history Friday night and earned the league's automatic qualifying bid. Their eight titles are the most in league history.
Box Score
Sophomore Julie Brosseau ignited the team and the home crowd, scoring 11 of the first 13 points for the Black Bears on a trio of three pointers. Maine started the game 5-for-6 from the field, but could not connect on their next six shots while Hartford made four out of seven amidst a 7-2 run and the Hawks led 19-18 after the first quarter. It was an even first 20 minutes and the game was tied 36-36 at halftime. The Black Bears turned on the jets in the third frame, embarking on a 14-3 run to close the quarter with a 60-47 lead. Third quarter scoring was 24-11 in favor of the home team.
Four Black Bears finished in double figures, led by Most Outstanding Player Blanca Millan. The sophomore finished with 22 points on 50 percent shooting. Brosseau finished with 16 points, shooting 45 percent from the field as the Black Bears made an even 50 percent of their shots as a team. Sophomore Fanny Wadling filled the stat sheet with 10 points, a game-high eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Parise Rossignol joined Millan on the All-Tournament Team after scoring 12 points in 22 minutes. The junior was also honored with the Elite 18 Award which is handed to the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing in the championship game. Rossignol has a 3.72 GPA in Elementary Education.
Hartford seniors Darby Lee and Janelle Harrison were named to the All-Tournament Team, as was New Hampshire senior Carlie Pogue.
Friday marked the seventh consecutive year that the host team won the America East Championship. It was also the fifth time in six years that the regular season champion repeated as the tournament champion.
The raucous crowd of 3,373 fans at Cross Insurance Center was the highest recorded attendance for an America East women’s title game since Maine hosted in 1998.
The Black Bears await the NCAA Selection Show to find out their opponent in the First Round of March Madness. The field will be uncovered Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
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