BANGOR, Maine — The University of Maine women's basketball team has repeated as conference champion, punching it second straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Maine beat Hartford, 68-48, Friday night at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, which was packed with Black Bears fans.
The team jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead, and Van Buren native Parise Rossignol made it 15-8 by hitting her 100th career three-pointer.
The Black Bears led 18-8 after the first quarter and 32-26 at the half.
At the end of the three quarters, Maine held a 13-point lead and finished things off strong in the fourth, pulling away to win by 20.
Maine led the entire game.
Last year's final, also against Hartford, was played in Portland.
Sen. Susan Collins was in attendance and joined players and coaches on court during the trophy and award presentations. She told NEWS CENTER Maine she loves coming out to see the Black Bears play.
Hartford’s Sierra DaCosta called the Bangor CIC "a hard environment to play in," crediting the Black Bears fans' turnout.
The team's head coach, Kim McNeil said she practiced with crowd noise this week to prepare her team for this environment.