The UMaine women’s basketball team knew what it had to do to have a chance against top-seeded UNH in the semifinal round of the America East tournament in Portland, Maine, on Sunday: Shut down Carlie Pogue.
That’s exactly what the Black Bears did and in the end, it seemed that the magic the Wildcats had used to establish their place in school history simply ran out, just two wins shy of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Maine’s suffocating defense inside played a key role in the 61-52 upset victory over UNH and lifted the No. 4 Black Bears to the title game Friday at No. 2 Albany with an automatic bid to NCAAs on the line.
“Obviously it was a tough day for us,” UNH Coach Maureen Magarity said. “Kudos to Maine. I thought they had a great gameplan and tried to pack it in and take Carlie away and they made it tough for us.”
Tough might be an understatement.
Pogue, who was named America East Player of the Year on Friday, struggled from the field, shooting 4-for-11 and finished with 13 points, her lowest offensive output since Jan. 4. It seemed like every time she touched the ball down low, she was immediately met by multiple UMaine defenders ready to wreak havoc.
Overall, the Black Bears (18-15) didn’t give up much inside to anyone, holding the Wildcats (26-5) to just 13 points in the paint. In the previous two meetings between the long-time border rivals, UNH combined for 60 points in the paint.
“It’s hard. It’s really hard. It’s heartbreaking,” Magarity said. “They dreamed about it and their goal was to get to the NCAA Tournament. They’re such a special group and it stinks. It really does. Having a chance to play on our home court in the championship game would have been historic itself.”
UNH, which saw a seven-game win streak snapped, overcame a double-digit deficit three times this season, including an 18-point comeback against Stony Brook in the conference opener. And it looked like the Wildcats were going to do the improbable once again Sunday at Cross Insurance Arena when Olivia Healy hit a 3-pointer with 5:41 left in the third to give them their first lead of the game, 28-27.
Ashley Storey gave UNH the lead again with a three-point play with one second left in the third quarter but it was short-lived as UMaine went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth to open a 10-point lead with 4:11 to play. It was the largest lead of the game and one the Wildcats just couldn’t overcome.
“It was a tough little stretch there for us,” senior point guard Kristen Anderson said of the big run that took the wind right out of UNH’s sails. “We were kind of upset with the way it ended.”
The Wildcats didn’t give up, though, and Brittni Lai’s 3-pointer with 1:15 left cut Maine’s lead to four, 50-46. Lai, who finished with 17 points, hit another clutch 3 with 35 seconds remaining to cut the lead to three but a turnover on UNH’s next possession again took away the momentum the Wildcats would’ve needed to come all the way back.
There’s still a chance the ’Cats could claim an at-large bid to the Big Dance, but Magarity said earlier this week that she thought that was unlikely. The Wildcats, currently ranked 67th in the nation in RPI, stumbled earlier this season with non-conference losses to Cornell and Yale and Magarity said she thinks that would hurt the team’s resume.
However, winning the regular-season title outright helped the Wildcats punch a ticket to the Women’s NIT. It’s still a major accomplishment for a program that went 12-18 last season and has only made one other appearance in the WNIT.
But it’s just not the ending the Wildcats were hoping for.
(Michelle Berthiaume can be reached at 369-3338, mberthiaume@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @MonitorMichelle.)