BANGOR, Maine — Harvard University forward Temi Fagbenle went into Sunday afternoon’s game against the University of Maine averaging 15.6 points and 12.3 rebounds.
The Black Bears shut down the agile, 6-foot-4 forward. UMaine limited the All-Ivy League, first-team choice to three points and eight rebounds, building the foundation for a 65-46 women’s basketball victory at the Cross Insurance Center.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Bears, who held Fagbenle to 1-for-5 shooting with eight rebounds and forced her into a handful of her game-high eight turnovers.
“We knew that she [Fagbenle] was a good player and that they really looked for her inside, but we also knew that she really looked for her shooters if we tried to double-(team),” said junior Liz Wood, who spearheaded UMaine’s post defense along with Anna Heise and Mikaela Gustafsson.
“I think we did a good job of helping in at the right times and, not every play, but for the most part, having ball pressure so that the guards with the ball tried to force the pass in to quick to her and didn’t really have a good angle to pass it, so we got some good steals off of that,” Wood added.
UMaine (5-3) afforded Harvard (4-4) only 31 percent shooting accuracy and made 13 steals among the Crimson’s 20 turnovers. The Black Bears also were solid on the boards, where the visitors grabbed a 34-30 edge but managed only five second-chance points.
“Our interior defense was really good, not only with keeping the ball out of Temi’s hands and doing a good job there but also with the rebounding,” said UMaine coach Richard Barron. “That was a big key to the game was how were we going to keep them off the boards and we did well with that in the [2-3 matchup] zone.”
Wood was UMaine’s offensive catalyst and matched a career high with 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including a 4-for-6 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. She also snatched a game-best nine rebounds, made four steals and dished out two assists.
“I’m trying right now to focus on shot selection and just make sure I’m taking good shots and in-rhythm shots,” Wood said.
Sophomore guard Sigi Koizar connected for 14 points with four assists and a steal for the Bears, who shot 49 percent (22-for-45) from the field with seven 3-pointers.
Heise and Courtney Anderson of Greene each posted eight points and three rebounds while Chantel Charles contributed five points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals.
UMaine outscored a taller Harvard team 24-8 in the paint. The Bears were without junior guard Sophie Weckstrom, who injured her ankle late in last Wednesday’s come-from-behind win at Central Connecticut.
“I feel that we didn’t really show up today, but I would have to credit some of that to Maine’s zone defense, in particular,” said 33rd-year Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. “They did a great job.”
AnnMarie Healy paced Harvard with 13 points, four rebounds and three steals. Erin McDonnell posted 11 points and six rebounds.
The Black Bears set the tone early on the defensive end to help forge a 31-15 halftime lead. They relied heavily on their 2-3 matchup zone, but also mixed in some player-to-player and prevented the Crimson from establishing any kind of flow.
UMaine was active on the perimeter and effectively double-teamed in the post, forcing Harvard to settle primarily for long-range shots. The Crimson’s 15 first-half turnovers led to 18 points for the Bears.
UMaine pulled in front with a 13-0 surge during a span of 7:36. With the score knotted at 10, Koizar kicked off the run with a layup off an inbounds pass from Wood.
Wood’s steal then led to a low-post bucket by Gustafsson off a Heise assist. UMaine kept it going with an 18-foot jumper by Anderson, then Koizar provided two baskets on drives through the lane and Charles buried a 3-pointer to make it 23-10 with 4:50 left in the half.
“We definitely tried to play aggressively right from the start, so we don’t fall behind in the beginning as we did before (at Central Connecticut),” Koizar said. “We got a lead in the beginning and then we just kept playing. I think we found our rhythm early.”
Healy ended a Harvard scoring drought of nearly nine minutes with a 14-footer from the lane and Erin McDonnell stuck a 3-pointer, but the Bears scored the last eight points of the half to push their advantage to 31-15 at halftime.
The Crimson opened the second half with an 8-2 run sparked by two Kaitlyn Dinkins 3-pointers, but Wood converted consecutive three-point plays, both off passes from Charles, to push UMaine’s lead back to 16 at 39-23 with 15:45 to play.
Harvard never got closer than 11 after that as Wood stuck two 3-pointers amidst an 11-0 burst that made it a 22-point game.
UMaine returns to action Wednesday with a 7 p.m. home game against Dartmouth.