Women’s Basketball
MAINE vs. VERMONT
Time, site: Wednesday, 7 p.m., Patrick Gym, Burlington, Vermont
Records: Maine 19-6 (11-1 America East), Vermont 5-20 (2-11)
Series, last meeting: Maine leads 52-33; Maine 74-46 on 1/22/15
Key players: Maine — 5-8 G Sigi Koizar (14.6 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game), 5-10 F Liz Wood (14.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.7 spg, .502 FG pct.), 6-4 F Anna Heise (6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .541 FG pct.), 5-8 G Sophie Weckstrom (7.9 ppg), 6-2 F Mikaela Gustafsson (4.1 ppg), 5-10 G/F Chantel Charles (3.7 ppg, 1.8 apg); Vermont — 5-11 G Sydney Smith (13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg), 5-8 G Kylie Butler (9.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg), 6-0 F Niki Taylor (9.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg), 6-2 F Emilie Cloutier (7.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg), 5-10 G Kayla Burchill (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Game notes: The Black Bears, winners of 11 in a row, can’t afford a letdown as they play the first of two long-distance road games. UMaine fought off Stony Brook 57-49 on Sunday to move into a first-place tie with Albany. The struggling Catamounts have won two of three, but lost 71-64 on Saturday at UMBC. The Bears are allowing 49.2 ppg in league play and have held opponents under 60 points 13 straight games. Eighth-place UVM has surrendered a league-worst 68.7 ppg and has been susceptible to 3-pointers. The Bears should be able to capitalize on the Catamounts’ propensity for turnovers (17.2 per game) in transition, but need to get out and contest 3-pointers and keep UVM off the offensive boards.
Men’s Basketball
MAINE vs. UMASS LOWELL
Time, site: Wednesday, 7 p.m., Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
Records: Maine 3-22 (2-10 America East), UMass Lowell 11-15 (5-8)
Series, last meeting: UML leads 6-2, UML 62-59 on 1/13/15
Key players: Maine — 5-10 G Kevin Little (11.5 points per game, 2.3 assists per game, .402 3-pt. FG pct.), 6-8 F Till Gloger (10.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .523 FG pct.), 6-5 G Zarko Valjarevic (10.0 ppg), 5-11 G Aaron Calixte (6.9 ppg, 3.4 apg), 6-1 G Troy Reid-Knight (3.3 ppg, 1.3 apg); UML — 6-2 G/F Jahad Thomas (14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 523 FG pct.), 5-10 G Lance Crawford (8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg), 6-1 G Marco Banegas-Flores (7.8 ppg, 2.0 spg), 5-10 G Chad Holley (8.7 ppg, 2.4 apg), Matt Harris (8.0 ppg)
Game notes: The Black Bears hope to bounce back after Saturday’s 80-52 drubbing at Stony Brook. UMaine has stumbled to a 1-13 record in road games this season. The Bears will be severely shorthanded as junior guard Shaun Lawton (illness) and sophomores Garet Beal and Christian Ejiga (both injured) will not play. Beal has missed six straight games with a fractured rib. The Bears remain last in AE scoring (55.7 ppg), FG pct. (.389), scoring defense (70.5 ppg) and FG pct. defense (.482) in conference games. The River Hawks ended a two-game skid with a 69-63 win over Hartford on Saturday. UML is No. 1 in AE steals (7.7 per contest) and turnover margin (plus-2.6).