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The Maine women use their speed and athleticism to upset BU.

By KEVIN THOMAS, Staff Writer January 24, 2008

ORONO — The University of Maine women's basketball team may be rebuilding this year, but there are times when the Black Bears show their promise.

It showed the entire game Wednesday night as Maine upset Boston University 82-77 before a crowd of 1,820 Alfond Arena.

Five Black Bears scored in double figures, led by 5-foot-11 freshman Tanna Ross with 22. Ross switched to forward for the first time this season and added eight rebounds.

Kris Younan had 18 points, Emily Rousseau and Brittany Boser 12 each and Amanda Tewksbury 10.

"This is a great measuring stick of where we have come," said Younan, the only senior on the team.

The game featured 20 lead changes and 12 ties, and neither was able to build much of a lead.

BU played physical defense and paid for it. The Black Bears made 33 of 40 foul shots, led by Ross, who was 10 of 11.

"We knew they were aggressive," Younan said. "So we knew we had to be aggressive as well and take it to the hole, and they would foul us."

Maine (5-13, 2-3 in America East) ended a three-game losing streak by beating one of the conference's best teams. The Terriers dropped to 9-8, 2-2.

BU entered with a solid record against a tough schedule, including a win over conference favorite Hartford. BU also had a 49-point win over Stony Brook, which beat Maine last week.

The Terriers have post players at 6-3 and 6-1, with the first substitute coming in at 6-4.

Maine countered with a four-guard lineup while playing a tight zone. The Black Bears gave up outside shots but contained the Terriers inside. BU was 11 of 31 from 3-point range.

"It's a gamble you take," Maine Coach Cindy Blodgett said. "I'd rather be beat by 20-footers than get pounded inside."

One of those guards was Ross, an exciting player from Newburgh who played in the frontcourt. It was a sharp move by Blodgett because Ross has the toughness to play inside and the moves to be a scoring threat.

"It's very different from what I've been doing," Ross said. "But I'm more comfortable with it."

"Tanna is a tough matchup," Blodgett said. "At times, Tanna will shoot 3s because she can. But that is just one aspect of her game. She is so much more.

"She can drive. She's a playmaker. She can make her teammates better. She can rebound."

Ross made the play of the game with 1:05 left and Maine leading, 73-71. She grabbed an offensive rebound and put in an underhand layup while being fouled. She hit the free throw for a 76-71 lead.

"We knew she would be a mismatch for our forwards. That bothered us a little bit," BU Coach Kelly Greenberg said. "She's pretty creative and can knock down the outside shots.

"She's got a lot of strengths and I'm not looking forward to seeing her play twice a year ... she really beat us up tonight."

Forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley led the Terriers with 19 points.

Younan paced Maine with six assists. Rousseau hit two 3- pointers and added six rebounds. Boser grabbed eight rebounds. Tewksbury pulled down six rebounds and made two key steals.

The Black Bears next play Saturday at Vermont. They play rival New Hampshire next Wednesday in Durham.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com