One of the more noticeable elements of the University of Maine women’s basketball team’s exhibition win over McGill University on Saturday was its implementation of a 2-3 matchup zone defense.
The Black Bears played some player-to-player defense, but worked extensively on the matchup zone.
“We tried to put it in last year and it didn’t look good,” said senior guard Courtney Anderson, who led the team with 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the 81-41 victory.
“It’s not so new, but improved,” chimed in junior forward Liz Wood, who posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds along with four assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
UMaine was active in the matchup, pressuring the ball out front with one defender as the ball came across half-court, then often trapping once the ball went out to the wings.
Coach Richard Barron was encouraged by his team’s efforts and expects the defense to be another option in the Black Bears’ repertoire.
“I think the athleticism’s probably a little bit better, the intensity ands just the knowledge,” he explained of the good execution.
UMaine’s more veteran roster, one that includes eight juniors and a senior, has opened the door for increased practice.
“We had some time to work on it in the preseason because we have so much of our offense kind of established from the previous year,” Barron said.
Even so, the Bears know perfecting the matchup zone will require much more effort because of its complexities.
“It’s not an easy defense to play,” Barron said. “It’s confusing for anybody who’s played a straight 2-3 before; it’s nothing like that. It’s almost the exact opposite of some of the principles we have in man-(to-man).”
UMaine also should be able to maintain high intensity if it plays the 2-3 matchup extensively because of its depth. The Bears have 11 players with considerable game experience.
Sheraton Jones shows off
Sheraton Jones didn’t get a ton of playing time as a freshman last season, but she showed Saturday that she is building on that experience.
The forward from San Diego was aggressive on the boards and showed off good passing skills as part of a strong effort. She finished with four points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists in 15 minutes.
“She’s more confident,” Barron said.
“She’s got such a great ability to attack the basket, she’s such a great rebounder, she’s fast, she’s strong,” he added. “She’s got some versatility on the defensive end.”
New kids on the block
Fans who turned out for Saturday’s game got a peek at three of the five newcomers.
Bella Swan, a junior college transfer from Utah, logged 17 minutes and posted two points and two assists while freshman guard Chris Gerostergiou from Greece had three points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal in 13 minutes.
Parise Rossignol of Van Buren saw seven minutes of action and tallied five points, including a 3-pointer.
“I thought they did well. I thought they played hard,” Barren offered.
Freshman frontcourt players Janessa Fauntroy and Kirsten Johnson did not play and junior Milica Mitrovic was out of action as she recovers from an injury.
The UMaine women are back in action on Nov. 10 with a 7 p.m. exhibition game against New Brunswick at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.