The University of Maine women’s basketball team will host Binghamton University in the semifinal round of the Air Force Reserve America East playoffs on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. The Black Bears enter as the No. 2 seed, while Binghamton holds the No. 3 spot.
This marks Maine’s 12th consecutive appearance in the America East semifinals. The program is seeking its first conference championship game appearance since 2024 and an 11th title overall.
Maine has a strong history in postseason play, with a record of 57-28 all-time in conference postseason games and a mark of 39-21 specifically in America East playoff contests. As a No. 2 seed, Maine is 14-5 and has won nine out of eleven matchups when facing a No. 3 seed. In semifinal rounds, they have posted a record of 23-5.
Recent matchups between these teams have favored Maine; the Black Bears defeated Binghamton in both the semifinals last year (64-58) and quarterfinals in previous years (64-54 in 2023, and 57-40 in 2017).
In their most recent game, Maine advanced to this year’s semifinals by defeating New Hampshire with a score of 77-58. Adrianna Smith recorded her ninth consecutive double-double, scoring 35 points with 15 rebounds, five assists, and two steals—her point total was the highest for an America East playoff game since 2011. Sarah Talon contributed with sixteen points on efficient shooting, while Lala Woods added eleven points after making three three-pointers early in the contest.
Maine’s performance included just five turnovers for the entire game and nearly fifty percent shooting from the field.
The Black Bears are currently on a four-game winning streak and have won eight out of their last nine games. They finished conference play with an average of just over ten turnovers per game—the best mark among league teams—and hold a turnover margin advantage over opponents throughout conference competition.
Adrianna Smith leads Maine as well as all players in America East across several categories: scoring (22.7 points per game), rebounding (10.5), and assists (4.8). She is currently “the only student-athlete in the country currently averaging 20.0+ points, 10.0+ rebounds, and 4.0+ assists.” Smith recently reached her thousandth career rebound milestone: “Smith recently tallied her 1,000th career rebound to become the only student-athlete, male or female, in America East history to record 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 400 assists.” Her streak includes nine straight double-doubles entering this semifinal matchup.
Other key contributors include Asta Blauenfeldt—who ranks third among league players for three-point shooting percentage—and Sarah Talon along with Lala Woods who are each riding four-game double-digit scoring streaks heading into Monday’s contest.
Binghamton comes into this matchup having lost five out of their last seven games but secured their place after narrowly defeating Bryant by one point (45-44) during quarterfinal play. The Bearcats rank third offensively within America East but seventh defensively; they are also second both at getting to—and converting from—the free throw line within league statistics.
Bella Pucci leads Binghamton’s offense at fifteen points per game while Kendall Bennett adds fourteen points along with nearly ten rebounds per contest; Bennett has recorded fifteen double-doubles this season.
Maine holds a historical edge over Binghamton—winning thirty-seven times out of fifty-four meetings including all three prior postseason encounters between these programs.
