University of Maine women’s basketball coach Amy Vachon called this season “tough.”
It certainly was.
The fourth-seeded Black Bears finished at 15-16 overall after being ousted from the America East semifinals by top seed Albany 49-41 on Monday night.
UMaine trailed 42-39 with 4:56 remaining but was only able to score two points the rest of the game as Albany pulled away.
That was a microcosm of UMaine’s roller-coaster campaign this season.
The Black Bears scored 27 points in the fourth quarter of their 65-51 quarterfinal win over visiting New Jersey Institute of Technology but just 29 over the last three quarters of Monday night’s game.
The Black Bears struggled on the road, going just 2-7 against conference opponents including the playoff loss at Albany. But they were stout at home, going 8-1 with the only loss being to Albany in a game in which UMaine was without assists leader, second leading rebounder and fourth top scorer Paula Gallego.
UMaine shot 38.6 percent on the road in those nine games and 45.3 percent at home.
Albany entered the game with a 15-0 record at the Broadview Center and an average winning margin of 16.3 points per game in those 15 games. UMaine had lost by five there during the regular season.
You have to admire UMaine’s grit and resiliency during the season.
All in all, it played up to its capabilities.
They were inconsistent but that was to be expected.
They had some impressive performances (45-39 win at home vs. Vermont) and some ugly ones (65-34 loss at Vermont) as well.
Every team has injuries but there are some you simply can’t overcome, and that was the case in Orono.
They lost the 2022-23 America East Player of the Year and two-time first team All-AE selection Adrianna Smith and their top recruit, Maddie Fitzpatrick, to season-ending knee injuries before the season even started. So a second-straight America East championship quickly became a long shot.
At best.
Smith had a monster season a year ago when she averaged 16.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. She set an America East record with 22 double-doubles.
Fitzpatrick was a two-time Gatorade Maine Player of the Year and was Miss Maine Basketball her senior year.
Vachon and her coaching staff got everything they could out of this team and the Black Bears certainly put a scare into a 26-5 Albany team. They actually could have won the game with a better fourth quarter. UMaine led by seven on four occasions in the first half.
The injuries meant the returnees were going to have to adapt to new roles and play more prominent minutes.
Guard-forward Caroline Bornemann was forced to play center for the first time in her life and she responded with a terrific first team All-America East campaign. She finished averaging 12 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, both team-highs.
She also averaged 2.6 assists.
She became just the eighth player in program history to score 1,000 points and haul down 700 rebounds in a career as she finished with 1,162 points and 743 rebounds.
Bornemann, a graduate student from Denmark, shot 44.3 percent from the floor.
Seattle University transfer and fellow Dane Asta Blauenfeldt made a dramatic impact and the junior gave Vachon her first legitimate point guard since Alba Orois.
The speedy Blauenfeldt averaged 9.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game and finished the year averaging 16.6 points over her last five games. She had a team-leading 33 points in their two playoff games.
She shot 45.5 percent from the floor and 40 percent beyond the 3-point arc over the course of the season, both team bests.
Blauenfeldt had a team-high 79 turnovers but had only four in the two playoff games, and expect that number to drop next year now that she has a season under her belt and understands the intricacies of Vachon’s offense.
UMaine averaged 14.2 turnovers per game which was problematic at times.
Sophomore forward Caroline Dotsey followed in the footsteps of Maeve Carroll and Smith in having a breakthrough second season after seeing limited playing time as a freshman.
The America East Sixth Player of the Year averaged 9.7 points per game and 2.9 rebounds and provided UMaine with a 6-foot-2 player who can hit threes. She hit 38 of them. Her inside game improved and should be even better next year.
Senior guards Paula Gallego and Sera Hodgson had the best years of their careers as Gallego earned All-America East third team honors after averaging 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and a team-high 3.6 assists. Hodgson averaged 5.2 points per game and had 11 points in each playoff game, marking the first time in her career she scored in double-digits in back-to-back games.
Hodgson was also considered the team’s best defender.
Graduate student guard and 3-point specialist Olivia Rockwood didn’t have one of her better scoring years (6.1 points per game) but had career-highs in rebounds (3.1 per game), assists (1.6) and steals with a total of 28.
Junior guard Sarah Talon from Windham scored in double figures in four of her first six games but in just two the rest of the season. However, she had career highs in rebounds (2.6) and assists (1.4) and is one of the team’s best defenders. She averaged 5.5 ppg.
Junior guard Jaycie Christopher from Skowhegan struggled offensively (2.4 ppg) for the second straight season after a productive freshman year and her playing time dwindled. The hope is she can regain her confidence.
Talon and Christopher are capable of having strong final seasons like Calais’ Maddy McVicar and Van Buren’s Parise Rossignol had in recent campaigns.
Veazie sophomore Emmie Streams received more playing time this season and her continued improvement will allow Vachon to give Blauenfeldt a rest from time to time.
Senior guard Idan Shlush will graduate but freshmen Ona Alarcon and Izzy Allen from Corinth will return and could earn more minutes next season.
Transfer guard Amiyah Donaldson was a redshirt and will play next season.
Vachon will bring five newcomers into the program in 6-foot-3 forward Bailey Breen from Thomaston; 5-11 guard-forward Mackenzie Mori from Wethersfield, Conn; 5-11 guard Abby Price from Boca Raton, Fla.; 5-8 guard Olivia Alvarez Tirado from Madrid, Spain and 5-6 Ashlyne “Lala’” Woods from Wheeling, West Virginia.
Breen is spending her senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida where Cooper and Ace Flagg played previously.
Montverde was ranked No. 1 in the country in the recent High School on SI power rankings so Breen is receiving valuable practice and playing time with some of the best players in the country.
A front court of Smith, Breen and Dotsey would certainly be imposing next season with Fitzpatrick possibly joining Blauenfeldt in an impressive backcourt.
And some of the other newcomers could also be impactful along with the returnees.
The future is bright in Orono where UMaine will seek a fourth America East championship and NCAA Tournament berth in nine years next season.