BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Richard Barron was not happy with the missed offensive opportunities that kept the University of Maine from breaking away in its America East women’s basketball tournament opener.
Barron, though, was just fine with the defensive effort his team used to turn away New Hampshire in a 58-47 win Saturday at the Binghamton University Events Center.
“This (could have been) a 30-point win for us and we just didn’t do it,” Barron said. “We had the chances to really put this game away early and we didn’t.
“We missed layups. We missed people who were open. We played sideways.”
Sigi Koizar led the way with 23 points and four assists as the second-seeded Black Bears (25-7) stayed in front of the seventh-seeded Wildcats (12-18) from the middle of the first quarter on.
Koizar got offensive help from Mikaela Gustafsson early and assistance on both ends of the floor from Liz Wood late while leading Maine into the semifinals at 2 p.m. Sunday against Stony Brook, a 60-42 winner over Hartford.
In between, the Black Bears shot 6 for 23 (26.1 percent) from the floor in the second and third quarters.
“Our defense and our rebounding was good enough that it didn’t matter,” Barron said.
Wood had six of her 13 points in a closing 9-2 run to put the game away. She also had game-highs of 10 rebounds and four steals while handling one of the most important defensive assignments.
“Liz did a very good job guarding Carlie Pogue,” Barron said. “…We made that change at the beginning of the second quarter, and from that point on (Pogue) was not nearly as effective.”
Pogue had nine points in the first 11½ minutes but just two the rest of the way.
“My defensive focus in the second half was keeping her from getting the ball,” Wood said.
Each team had two offensive players get off to strong starts in the first quarter.
Koizar and Gustafsson combined for the first 17 Maine points.
Pogue and Elizabeth Belanger, who finished with 23, split the 14 first-quarter points for New Hampshire.
Koizar had a four-point play and a three-point play in the first 5:39, putting them together in an 11-2 run for a 15-9 lead.
“I definitely drew more attention after I scored a couple points in the first quarter,” Koizar said. “That’s what gets our players open.
“… It’s good to see other players score.”
Gustafsson was that player in the first 7:20, scoring eight of her nine points.
Wood’s 3-pointer in the second quarter opened the lead to 29-20, but New Hampshire hung around, getting to within two early in the second half and closing to 46-43 on Peyton Booth’s three-point play with 4:43 left.
Koizar immediately answered with a drive for a three-point play of her own.
“We cut their lead down,” Belanger said. “We just needed one or two more stops.”
Instead, it was the Black Bears who came up with the late stops they needed. They held the Wildcats to one field goal after Booth’s three-point play.
NOTES: Several Black Bears were recognized Friday night during the conference’s annual awards banquet.
Koizar, who led the conference in 3-point accuracy at 43.4 percent and was third in scoring at 17.5 points per game, was a first-team, all-conference choice.
Wood was a second-team choice after finishing in the top nine in rebounds, assists and steals.
Bella Swan made the third team. She averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in the league.
Wood also made the all-defensive team for the third straight year and joined Koizar on the all-academic team.
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