The University of Maine women’s basketball team will spend St. Patrick’s Day in Boston on Thursday, where the Black Bears will take on Boston College in the first round of the WNIT Tournament.
Game time at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, is 7 p.m. The winner will take on the winner of Friday’s Quinnipiac-Rhode Island game in the second round.
UMaine was 20-11 on the season and earned the automatic bid to the WNIT after winning the regular season championship but losing to Albany in the America East Tournament championship game last Friday 56-47 at the Memorial Gym. That snapped UMaine’s 14-game winning streak.
The league’s regular season title holder earns the automatic bid to the WNIT if it doesn’t win the America East Tournament. Albany earned the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and the 16th seed in its regional will take on top seed Louisville in the first round on Friday.
Boston College is 19-11 and was 10-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament to No.9 Florida State, 63-58 after stringing together three straight wins to conclude the regular season.
This will be the 11th career meeting between the two and BC holds a 7-3 advantage although UMaine won the last meeting, 61-40 at Chestnut Hill, Mass. on Dec. 28, 2017.
The two teams have had four common opponents this season.
UMaine beat Boston University 59-57 but BC lost to the Terriers 69-65.
BC topped Providence College 85-73 while UMaine lost to the Friars 66-61 in overtime.
BC bested Albany 77-65 while UMaIne went 2-1 vs. the Great Danes, winning the regular season games 64-55 and 49-45 before losing in the tourney title game.
BC thumped New Hampshire 88-52 and UMaine disposed of the Wildcats twice 77-51 and 53-45.
Boston College has played seven games against top 20 teams while UMaine hasn’t played any.
UMaine will be playing in its sixth WNIT and has a 1-7 record. The Black Bears played three games in the WNIT in 1990.
Both teams have three all-conference players.
UMaine junior guard Anne Simon was America East’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and is averaging 16.1 points per game along with 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals and two assists. Graduate student forward Maeve Carroll, a second-team selection, is averaging 11 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 3.5 apg. Sophomore point guard Alba Orois, a third team pick, is averaging 10.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.9 rpg.
Carroll, who is eight points away from reaching the 1,000-point plateau, played just three minutes the last time these two teams played, which was her freshman year.
Boston College has been led by first team All-ACC senior guard Cameron Swartz, who is averaging 16.1 ppg and 4.5 rpg and has had 11 20-point games which is second in the ACC. Swartz was also chosen the league’s Most Improved Player.
Senior forward Taylor Soule was a second team All-CAA choice after averaging 15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpgs and 2.5 apg.
Six-foot-three center/forward Maria Gadkeng was picked to the All-Freshman Team and is the only freshman in the country averaging at least 8.5 points (9.1), 6 rebounds (6.4) and 2 blocked shots (2.17) while shooting at least 60 percent from the floor (60.5).
BC is coached by Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, who spent two seasons as the head coach at Albany.
Stony Brook, which tied for second in America East but couldn’t play in the tourney due to a league rule preventing a school from playing in conference championships if it is leaving the conference, will also be playing in the WNIT and will face Virginia Commonwealth.