Guard Olivia Rockwood scored a season-high 20 points and the University of Maine women’s basketball team put five players in double figures en route to a 96-39 victory over NCAA Division III Bates College from Lewiston at the Memorial Gym in Orono on Saturday afternoon.
UMaine snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 4-7 while Bates, which reached the final 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago and went 24-6, fell to 7-3. It was the first time the two teams had met since 1981. UMaine is now 4-0 against the Bobcats.
Rockwood went 7 for 8 from the floor, including a 6-for-7 showing beyond the 3-point arc. The graduate student hit a three to open the game and followed that with a layup to give UMaine a 5-0 lead that the Black Bears never relinquished. Both came off passes from senior guard Paula Gallego, who finished with a game-high eight assists.
Sophomore forward Caroline Dotsey had 14 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Black Bears. Junior guards Jaycie Christopher and Asta Blauenfeldt each scored 13 points and senior guard Sera Hodgson had 11.
Christopher also snared six rebounds; Hodgson had two rebounds and Blauenfeldt dished out five assists. Gallego produced seven rebounds, five points and two steals to go with her eight assists.
Sophomore Emmie Streams chipped in with a career-high eight points to go with three rebounds and two assists and freshman Ona Alarcon scored the first seven points of her career. She also had three assists and two rebounds.
Graduate student guard/forward Caroline Bornemann hauled in eight rebounds to go with five points, two assists and two steals.
Sophomore guard Sarah Hughes led the Bobcats with 17 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Alexandra Long had 10 points and four assists and junior center Elsa Daulerio grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to accompany her nine points.
UMaine will play again next Saturday and Sunday at Fairleigh Dickinson (New Jersey) against the host school at 4 p.m. and Coppin State (Maryland) at 1 p.m., respectively.
Bates will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 5 when it hosts Wheaton (Massachusetts) at 5 p.m.
