Women's Basketball

2026 Air Force Reserve America East Women’s Basketball Championship

BOSTON – Two of the most storied programs in league history matchup on Friday evening at 5 p.m. as No. 1 Vermont hosts No. 2 Maine in the Air Force Reserve America East Women’s Basketball Championship.
 
Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN+. Links to video and live stats, as well as highlights from the previous round, can be found on Playoff Central.
 
Defending Champs Hold On
Vermont secured its fourth straight trip to the conference title game with a 68-65 double overtime victory against UMBC. The Retrievers forced OT with a layup at the buzzer and Keira Hanson scored with two seconds left in OT to send it to a second overtime. Vermont didn’t trail in the second overtime and held off on for the win. Nikola Priede had 22 points and seven rebounds while Jadyn Weltz added 23 points before fouling out.
 
Black Bears Edge Bearcats
Maine looked to be on the road to an easy semifinal win, as Sarah Talon hit a three before the third quarter buzzer for a 44-34 lead. However, Binghamton stormed back to pull within three multiple times in the fourth, but could never get any closer as Maine made its free throws. Adrianna Smith dominated once again with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals while Sarah Talon added 17 points and six rebounds.
 
Championship Pedigree
Vermont looking for its ninth overall title and the third Catamount squad to go back-to-back. UVM won in 2009 & 2010 and then also from 1992-94. Maine, meanwhile, is seeking a league-best 11th title and second in the past three years.  
 
Déjà vu All Over Again
This marks the second time in the past three years Vermont and Maine have met for the conference title. In 2024, No. 1 Maine took down No. 3 Vermont 64-48, jumping out to an 18-point lead after three quarters (51-33). Each team only has two players who appeared in that contest. Adrianna Smith had 16 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes, while Sarah Talon added 12 points and three assists in 28 minutes. Keira Hanson finished with four points in 31 minutes while Nikola Priede played just four minutes.
 
Series Split
Vermont and Maine are 1-1 against each other this year. Vermont won 64-53 on the road on Jan. 15, but lost 55-46 at home on Feb. 5. The Catamounts led 53-37 through three quarters in the first game, but in the second game Maine outscore UVM 46-32 over the final three quarters to earn the win. Neither Nikola Priede nor Adrianna Smith scored over  17 points in either contest.
 
Vermont’s Over the Last Month
The Catamounts are 6-1 over the past month but are just the league’s fourth best offense over that span, averaging 59.3 points per game. However, they’re giving up a league-best 46.0 points per game and lead the league in scoring margin (+13.3). They are second in field goal percentage (41.9%), fourth in threes (37) and are tied for first in turnover margin with Maine (+4.71). Over that span, Nikola Priede (17.4), Keira Hason (13.6) and Jadyn Weltz (11.9) are all averaging double figures while Malia Lenz leads the team in rebounding (7.0) and steals (2.6).
 
Maine’s Over the Last Month
The Black Bears are 6-1 in their past month of action and are the league’s top offense over that span, averaging 62.3 points per game while allowing just 55.5 points per contest. They rank 7th in field goal percentage (38.6) and 4th in 3-point percentage (31.4), but are tied for first in turnover margin with Vermont at +4.71. Adrianna Smith is averaging 26.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game in the past month, while Sarah Talon is 2nd on the team in scoring at 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. Lala Woods is third at 9.1 points per game.
 
Season for the Ages
Adrianna Smith is having one of the most dominant seasons in America East history and on Wednesday was named as one of the finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year. She leads the league in scoring (22.8), rebounding (10.5) and assists (4.7). She’s on pace to be the just the 8th player in NCAA history to average 20, 10 & 4 for a season. After the semifinals, Smith joined Maya Moore (UConn), Breanna Stewart (UConn) and Bridget Carleton (Iowa St.) as the only players in NCAA history with 700 points, 300 rebounds and 140 assists in a single season.
 
Dominant Post Presence
After earning 2025 America East Championship MOP honors last year, Nikola Priede has put together an impressive 2025-26 season. The Becky Hammon Award Semifinalist is averaging 17.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. She’s the only the fourth player in conference history to record those numbers in a single season, and first since Maren Matthis in 2002-03 for New Hampshire.
 
Playoff X-Factor
Keira Hanson has started in eight playoff games over the past three seasons for Vermont. The guard is averaging 10.5 points per game over that span, highlighted by her game-tying jumper to force double overtime on Monday night.
 
Sharp Talon
Maine’s Sarah Talon has played in nine playoff games over the past four seasons, scoring in double figures three times. She has been her best this year and is averaging 15.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game over her last five contests, while shooting 8-for-15 from deep.
 
Steady Veteran
Vermont’s Jadyn Weltz has more career starts in the America East than any active player in the league. Weltz has started 108 games in the league, including all 33 this season for UVM, averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. She previously played three seasons at Binghamton, earning all-conference honors twice.

Elite Company
This season both Adrianna Smith and Nikola Priede are averaging 17+ points, 7+ rebounds and 2+ assists per game. It is just the third time in league history two players in the same season have put up those numbers and the first time this century.
 
Low Post Presence
Nikola Priede is just the third player in league history to averaging 17+ points, 7+ rebounds and 2+ assists and 1+ block per game over a full season. She is the first since Jamie Cassidy did in back-to-back seasons of 1998-99 and 1999-00.

 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST 
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.  
  
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -