Women’s Basketball
MAINE vs. HARTFORD
Time, site: 7 p.m. Thursday, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor
Records: UMaine 4-10 (0-0 America East), Hartford 0-13 (0-0)
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 49-29, UMaine 68-48 on 3/15/19
Key players: Maine — 5-5 G Dor Saar (10.7 points, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals per game), 5-8 G Anne Simon (9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg), 5-4 G Maddy McVicar (7.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 5-9 G Kelly Fogarty (6.1 ppg), 6-0 F Gaddy Lefft (4.5 ppg, 4 rpg), 5-11 G Anna Kahelin (3.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Hartford — 5-5 G Jada Lucas (12.1 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg), 5-8 G Jordan McLemore (9.5 ppg, 1.9 apg), 6-1 G Carmen Villalobos (6.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg), 6-2 F Charlette Leurs (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg), 6-2 F Lawrencia Moten (4.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 blocks), 6-0 F Sierra Smith (4.5 ppg, 7 rpg)
Game notes: These teams, which met in the America East championship game in each of the past two seasons, play their mutual league opener. Hartford lost its top five scorers off last year’s team and head coach Kim McNeill left to take the head coaching position at East Carolina. First-year head coach Morgan Valley is still looking for her first win. Preseason favorite UMaine continues to reinvent itself after losing America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year Blanca Millan (knee surgery) and 2018-2019 AE rebounding leader Fanny Wadling (concussion) for the season. These are two of the lowest scoring teams in the nation. UMaine ranks 327th among 348 schools (55.1 ppg) and Hartford is 347th (47.3). Hartford’s 29.5 percent shooting percentage is the worst in the country. Freshman Simon has been a bright spot for UMaine, averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the last three games. She has shot 51.4 percent from the floor in those contests. Junior rebounding leader Maeve Carroll’s status is in doubt as she deals with a death in her family. Saar is the only player who started last year’s title game. Hartford’s 39.4 rpg, including 14.3 offensive, rank second in the conference.