Graduate student guard Anne Simon and junior forward Adi Smith each registered a double-double to lead the University of Maine women’s basketball team to a 58-48 victory over LaSalle University at Tom Gola Arena on Thursday afternoon.
Simon, the America East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season had a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds, while reigning America East Player of the Year Smith contributed 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Simon and Smith each dished out two assists and Simon also had four steals.
Both teams are now 1-1.
The Black Bears broke the game open with a 16-3 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to build a 57-41 lead.
Senior forward Caroline Bornemann contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists, and sophomore guard Sarah Talon produced nine points and six rebounds. Senior guard Olivia Rockwood dished out four assists, grabbed three rebounds and had three points.
Freshman guard Aryss Macktoon scored 13 points and hauled down three rebounds to pace the Explorers. Graduate student guard Masciantonio had seven points and three steals and junior guard Gabby Turco netted seven points and had four rebounds. Freshman guard Nicole Melious wound up with five points for LaSalle, which lost its top four scorers off last year’s 17-14 team.
The Black Bears were leading 41-38 late in the third quarter when Smith’s turnaround jumper and Talon’s layup closed out the quarter to expand the lead to 45-38.
UMaine then opened the fourth quarter with a 12-3 spurt featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Bornemann off Simon passes.
Simon also had a pair of baskets in the run.
LaSalle missed its first nine shots of the fourth quarter.
UMaine outrebounded LaSalle 50-32 and had a 32-22 edge in points in the paint and a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
“I’m so proud of our players,” said UMaine head coach Amy Vachon to Black Bear Sports Properties/Van Wagner play-by-play man Don Shields after the game.
“I really challenged the players to be tougher defensively (than they were in a season-opening 70-57 loss to Quinnipiac on Monday),” said Vachon. “And it was night and day. They did a great job.”
Quinnipiac shot 50.9 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent beyond the 3-point arc but UMaine limited LaSalle to a 29.5 percent and 15.8 percent showing, respectively.
Atlantic-10 team LaSalle had shot 50.9 percent from the floor and 45 percent from long-distance in a season-opening 73-68 win over Coppin State (Maryland).
Vachon said her team’s 19 offensive rebounds were impressive and that “we hit threes when we needed to.”
UMaine, which shot 37.1 percent from the floor and 19.2 percent from long distance, will play its home opener on Sunday at 1 against UMass at the Memorial Gym.
UMass beat UMaine in Amherst, Mass. 67-54 last season but led 54-30 after three quarters and held UMaine scoreless in the second period.
LaSalle will entertain American University on Saturday at noon.