BANGOR — After their poor defensive effort in the first half, the University of Maine women’s basketball players made no strategic changes.

They just played better … like when Albany began the second half trying to pass inside. Senior guard Sigi Koizar cut in front and stole it. Nothing fancy.

“Defend better and be more aggressive,” is how Koizar described it.

The Black Bears rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit and swarmed past Albany 84-71 Sunday afternoon before 1,618 at the Cross Insurance Center.

Blanca Millan scored 26 points and fellow freshman Laia Sole added 21. Koizar scored 14 and Tanesha Sutton put in 11.

This was a rematch of last year’s America East title game – won by Albany. This season, both teams are trying to stay in contention. Maine improved to 11-11 overall and 4-3 in the league, putting the Black Bears in fourth place.

Albany dropped to 9-10, 3-3.

The Great Danes shot 61 percent in the first half and led 43-32, this coming three days after Maine held conference-leading New Hampshire to 50 points for the whole game.

“That first half, defensively, was not us,” said Maine associate head coach Amy Vachon, directing the team for a sixth straight game while head coach Richard Barron is on an indefinite medical leave.

“We weren’t focused on what we were doing. Give credit to the players. They came out … it started with Sigi’s help-side with the steal. We kept going from there.”

Albany shot 33 percent in the second half. All-conference guard Imani Tate scored 32 points, but she also made eight turnovers, six in the second half.

“I was too aggressive when I should have slowed it down,” Tate said. Maine “didn’t do anything (different on defense). It was us.

“This is obviously a rivalry game. I don’t want to lose to Maine, period.”

Albany was zoned in during the first half, driving for layups or finding open 3-pointers (6 of 9).

“Our help-side (defense on the layups) wasn’t very good,” Koizar said. “We gave up a couple of easy ones. We lost their shooters a lot.”

Four of Koizar’s five steals came in the second half. Millan had four steals.

Albany no longer got easy shots, and the Great Danes did not make a 3-pointer in the second half (0 for 5).

Maine came back and took a 58-57 lead after three quarters.

“When we are very intense on defense, the offense is better,” said Millan.

Albany’s first-year coach, Janna Bernabei-McNamee, figured her team’s offense might drop off in the second half. That’s not what bothered her.

“That was a really frustrating second half for us,” she said. “Our intensity faltered on the defensive end. And rebounding, we didn’t crash.”

In the second half, Maine outrebounded the Great Danes 19-14. Koizar had seven rebounds in the game, Sole six.

The Black Bears’ offense clicked. Sole had six assists and three others had five.

“I thought you saw a team playing really well together in the second half,” Vachon said.

If Sole was not kicking the ball out, she was scoring on her inside drives.

“She has a great soft touch and we didn’t do a good job with our game plan against her,” Bernabei-McNamee said. And Millan “did a nice job, reading when our defense overplayed on the perimeter.”

Millan scored on drives and jumpers and was 5 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Leading 61-59 early in the fourth quarter, Maine went on a 16-2 run, paced by three Millan 3-pointers.

“Before that, I had an air ball,” Millan said. “Keep shooting and believe in yourself.”

The Black Bears remain unbeaten in home conference games but are 1-3 on the road.

“Sometimes we look like a different team (on the road). We are nervous,” Sole said. “We have to work on it, and we will.”

NOTES: Koizar made two 3-pointers, giving her 163 in her career, passing Kristen McCormick (162) for fifth place on the all-time Maine list. Cindy Blodgett leads with 217. … In another key America East game, New Hampshire (6-0) remained the only unbeaten conference team after a 58-50 win over Hartford (4-2). The Hawks are tied for second place with Binghamton (4-2). … Albany’s whole coaching staff is new, including assistant Yolanda Griffith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and 11-year WNBA veteran. … The Black Bears play again next Saturday at Binghamton. They return to Bangor Feb. 1 to play Vermont.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH

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