Women’s basketball
NEW HAMPSHIRE at MAINE
Time, site: Wednesday, 7 p.m., Cross Insurance Center, Bangor
Records: UMaine 15-13 (8-5 America East), UNH (21-4, 11-1)
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 51-34;UNH 50-44 on 1/1917
Key players: Maine — 5-8 G Sigi Koizar (13 points per game, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 47 3-pointers), 6-2 F Laia Sole (10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2 apg), 5-11 F Blanca Millan (8.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.7 apg), 5-10 G Tanesha Sutton (7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.8 apg), 5-8 G Julie Brosseau (7.2 ppg, 52 3-pointers, 1.8 rpg); UNH — 6-2 C Carlie Pogue (16.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg), 5-6 G Brittni Lai (10.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg), 6-2 F Kat Fogarty (10.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg), 5-10 G-F Olivia Healy (10.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg), 5-7 G Kristen Anderson (5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg)
Game notes: UNH’s 21-4 record is the program’s best through 25 games and the 21 wins are second most to the 1982-83 team’s 23. The talented Pogue has five double-doubles this season including a 32-point, 17-rebound performance in Sunday’s 76-69 victory over Binghamton. She is third in the conference in overall scoring and second in rebounds. Pogue, Fogarty, Healy and Cumberland’s Ashley Shorey will severely test UMaine’s interior defense, which has been inconsistent at times. UMaine will be seeking its 22nd consecutive America East home win. Greene’s Anderson, who missed UNH’s 50-44 victory over UMaine last month due to injury, leads the conference in assists-to-turnover ratio (3.1) and is eighth in the country. UNH and UMaine are ranked 1-2 in the conference in overall defense as UNH is allowing just 54.4 points per game while Maine is giving up 58.5.
Men’s basketball
MAINE at NEW HAMPSHIRE
Time, site: Wednesday, 7 p.m., Lundholm Gymnasium, Durham, New Hampshire
Records: UMaine 6-22 (2-11 America East), New Hampshire 15-11 (6-6)
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 118-72; New Hampshire 74-63 1/19/17
Key players: UMaine — 6-2 G Wes Myers (16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds per game), 6-7 F Andrew Fleming (10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg), 6-8 C Vincent Eze (5.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg); 6-1 G Austin Howard (7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg); New Hampshire — 6-7 Tanner Leissner (16.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg), 6-4 G Jaleen Smith (15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.4 assists per game), 6-0 G Daniel Dion (14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, .452 3-pt. percentage), 6-9 F Iba Camara (9.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, .553 FG percentage)
Outlook: UMaine has fallen into last place in America East, one game in the win column behind Hartford and Binghamton, after Sunday’s 67-66 loss at Stony Brook despite 22 points and 10 rebounds from Myers and 17 points and seven rebounds from Fleming. UMaine will be challenged by UNH’s frontcourt, as the Wildcats are the top defensive rebounding team in the conference at 26.8 boards per AE game. Maine is fifth at 24.5. Camara and Leissner combined for 38 points and 18 rebounds in UNH’s earlier victory over UMaine. UNH ended a three-game conference losing streak with a 63-55 win at Binghamton on Sunday behind Leissner’s 27 points and seven rebounds. Myers continues to lead all America East scorers in conference play at 20.4 ppg. The Black Bears play their final home game at 2 p.m. Sunday against the University of Albany before closing out the regular season at Binghamton on Feb. 25.