University of Maine third-year forward Liz Wood has had her fair share of milestones in her time as a Black Bear, and Sunday she found herself at another one, becoming just the 18th player in UMaine history to score 1,000 points in their 65-43 victory against sharpshooting Hartford University.
“I wouldn’t be the player I am without the team I have,” Wood said. “A lot of the credit goes to them. I’m just happy to see us doing so well.”
The energy in the Cross Insurance Center was fantastic. 3,287 came out for the game, the most for a women’s basketball game since 2009.
“What a great crowd,” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said. “We had great community support. It was a lot of fun and very gratifying for everybody involved with our program here.”
The Black Bears never trailed in the game, jumping out to an early 11-0 run thanks to efficient three-point shooting.
Third-year guard Sophie Weckstrom was the star of the game for the Black Bears, scoring a game-high 17 points with three assists. She got going early on with a pair of three-pointers in the first five minutes.
Hartford fourth-year guard Amber Bebko kept the Hawks in contention as they neared the halfway point of the first frame, connecting on three first-half three-pointers to cut the UMaine lead to 23-17 with 6:03 remaining.
The Black Bears ended the first half on a 6-0 run led by four points from Wood to go into the half with a 29-17 advantage.
UMaine capitalized on its size advantage, outscoring Hartford 22-8 in the paint. Third-year forward Anna Heise was a big part of that, scoring eight points and corralling five rebounds.
The Black Bears were efficient shooting, hitting 50 percent of their shots from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.
UMaine second-year guard Sigi Koizar was held back by foul trouble all night, but still managed 13 points and four assists.
The Black Bears got another fast second-half start, going on a 10-2 run to start the second frame. They didn’t look back, outscoring the Hawks 34-24 in the second half.
“We knew this was going to be a tough game,” Hartford head coach Jennifer Rizzotti said. “Maine’s playing really good right now. If they can sustain the level that they’re playing at, they’re certainly the team to beat.”
Second-year Hartford guard Morgan Lumb was the only other impact player for the Hawks, scoring 10 points with three assists.
The victory extended UMaine’s win streak to nine games and keeps them in control of the America East.
The Black Bears will be back in action when they travel to take on the University of Massachusetts Lowell Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.