The No. 1 seed Maine Black Bears defeated the No. 3 seed Vermont Catamounts 64-48 on Friday, securing their first America East Tournament championship since 2019. In the first half, Adrianna Smith scored 10 of her 16 points, while Anne Simon added 15 as Maine outrebounded Vermont 20-13 and capitalized on four 3-pointers. Both teams shot 45.5% from the field, but Maine’s hot shooting from beyond the arc gave them a significant advantage.
In the third quarter, Vermont struggled to keep up with Maine’s pace, managing only eight points on 2-of-13 shooting as they fell behind by eight points. Sarah Talon hit a crucial three-pointer to beat the shot clock and extend Maine’s lead to 51-33, while Andjela Matic responded with a three just before halftime, bringing Vermont within three points. However, Emma Utterback was limited to six points on 3-of-14 shooting, despite being Vermont’s leading scorer averaging 14.5 points per game.
Despite Vermont’s best efforts, they were unable to come back in the second half as Maine continued to dominate the game. Olivia Rockwood added ten points for Maine as they finished shooting at an impressive rate of 47% from beyond the arc. This victory marked their tenth conference championship in their twenty-third appearance in the America East title game and solidified their position as one of the top teams in New England basketball.
