Having lost their three leading scorers off last year’s 19-13 team that lost in the America East tournament championship game, University of Maine head women’s basketball coach Amy Vachon and her staff continue to fill out the roster with the addition of 5-foot-9 guard Taylor Schwab from Arizona Christian University.
Schwab, who will be a junior, was the Firestorm’s second-leading scorer this past season as she averaged 16.3 points per game and scored in double figures 25 times in 28 games including 21 of her last 22 contests.
She scored at least 17 points in a game 15 times and had eight games with at least 20 points. She shot 37.2 percent from the floor, 32 percent beyond the 3-point arc and 70.9 percent from the free throw line.
Her 55 made 3-pointers were the most on the team and her long-distance shooting percentage was second-best among regulars. She led the team in steals with 52 and was second in assists with 58 and in minutes played with an average of 33.5 per game.
She also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game. Her 94 turnovers were most on the team.
Arizona Christian is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics institution.
Prior to joining Arizona Christian University, Schwab shone at Gig Harbor High School in Washington, where she played three seasons and averaged 23.6 points, 6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 steals. Schwab was a first-team all-league selection and led her team to the playoffs in each of her seasons.
UMaine associate head coach Courtney England called Schwab a “really talented player.”
“She can score at three levels. She plays with a little bit of an edge,” said England. “She was one of the more athletic people there. She has a lot she can bring to the table.”
Schwab will be one of five newcomers this season along with 5-9 guards Aina Real from the Balearic Islands, Spain, and Ava Sewall from Annandale, Virginia, 5-7 guard Ayla Corrigale from Orangeville, Ontario, and 6-3 forward Zeina Haleem from Cairo, Egypt.
Real, Sewall, Corrigale and Haleem will be freshmen.