The University of Maine women’s basketball team is acquitting itself quite nicely from a statistical perspective as it prepares to close out the nonconference portion of its schedule during the next two weeks.
For starters, the Black Bears are 8-4 (7-4 against Division I competition) and were ranked 21st in the Collegeinsider.com Mid Major Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.
UMaine is preparing for Friday’s home game against Clemson (3-7) of the Atlantic Coast Conference at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
Through Monday’s games, coach Richard Barron’s ballclub is among the top 50 teams in the country in nine different statistical categories.
UMaine is sixth overall with 193 total assists for an average of 16.1 per game, which ranks 54th. The Black Bears are No. 10 in 3-pointers attempted (255) and No. 16 in 3-pointers made (79).
Some other key categories include fouls per game (10th, 13.4), total steals (14th, 108), scoring defense (23rd, 52.8 ppg) and turnovers per game (13.3).
UMaine also cracked the top 50 in assist-to-turnover ratio (27th, 1.21) and field-goal percentage (44th, .446).
Junior guard Sigi Koizar and senior forward Liz Wood are the individuals whose names appear among the national Division I leaders.
Koizar, a native of Austria, ranks No. 6 in the country, having played a total of 402 minutes thus far this season. She is 11th in 3-point field goals made (29), 21st in field goals made (72), 31st in 3-point percentage at .468 and No. 50 in total field-goal attempts (145).
Koizar, a former exchange student at Stearns High School in Millinocket, leads the Black Bears in scoring (17.0 ppg), 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage (.838) and assists (3.9 apg).
Koizar has exerted more influence offensively this season, averaging 1.1 made field goals on 1.8 attempts more than last winter. Her 3-point stats are similar as she is averaging 1.2 more per game on 1.6 more attempts so far.
Her offensive output has increased by 2.7 ppg.
Only three other players have made more steals than Wood, who has logged 37 in eight games. She is 14th nationally in minutes played (373), 23rd in steals per game (3.08) and 47th in rebounds (88).
Wood has posted 9.8 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per contest this season. Her scoring output is down 4 points per game.
Wood has taken fewer shots, averaging 2.4 fewer attempts and 1.7 fewer makes.
UMaine went into Tuesday’s action at No. 108 in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which is a key measure in selecting and seeding teams for the postseason tournament.
Three-time defending America East champion Albany (7-2) is 59th in the RPI and was No. 16 in the Collegeinsider.com Mid Major poll.