This week has finally given the University of Maine women’s basketball team a chance to catch its collective breath.
Coach Richard Barron’s team closed out a grueling stretch of nine games in 17 days on Sunday with a 59-41 victory at Dartmouth. It came on the heels of a disappointing 56-44 loss two days earlier at Northeastern.
Dartmouth marked the seventh game in 12 days amidst a schedule that finally caught up to the Black Bears, who are 7-4 as they prepare for Saturday’s 1 p.m. game against Bryant at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
“The final two games at Northeastern and Dartmouth were really tough,” said Barron, whose team exhibited some fatigue and inconsistency.
“When we look back on it, I hope we say, wow, that’s something we got a lot of benefit from and we’re tougher now for it,” he said. “It definitely was a grueling stretch.”
In addition to the demands of travel — which included stops in Minnesota, North Dakota, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire — UMaine was unable to practice much.
From Nov. 20 to Dec. 6, the Black Bears played nine games and had three mandatory NCAA “off” days, but managed only four practices.
“Those practices, we’re not really working on stuff. It’s more going through scouts [of opponents],” Barron said.
“I think we’re inconsistent right now and not being able to practice has been part of that,” he added.
This week, the Black Bears got in three or four solid practices to get ready for Bryant. The Bulldogs beat UMaine last season.
Looking ahead, the Black Bears host Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Dec. 18, then travel to face Purdue and former UMaine coach Sharon Versyp on Dec. 21 before heading to Chapel Hill for a post-holiday clash against North Carolina on Dec. 31.
Barron stressed the need for his team to figure some things out between now and its Jan. 6 America East opener at Vermont.
“In the next three weeks we really need to establish this is how we’re going to play and we’re committed to that and disciplined with it,” Barron said.
“Hopefully, we can get into conference play with a little bit of momentum and get on a streak like we did last year,” he added.
One fairly consistent element has been UMaine’s defense. The Bears have allowed 54.1 points per game, which ranks 22nd in Division I. However, they have allowed opponents to shoot 40 percent from the field.
UMaine has been less predictable with its offense, scoring 60.3 ppg. It has not clicked from the 3-point arc, hitting 30.4 percent (72-for-237).
“We just need to quit shooting bad 3’s,” Barron said.
“That’s where discipline and patience come in, understanding that that’s how we win is when we’re moving the ball correctly, at the right tempo and pace,” he added.