BANGOR — The Maine women’s basketball team hadn’t been pushed like this in a home game all season.

The Black Bears couldn’t find the shooting range and couldn’t create any breathing room against a pesky Stony Brook team Sunday at Cross Insurance Center.

Luckily for the home team, there was a familiar fire in Liz Wood’s eyes.

The senior forward scored 20 points, made four steals, blocked two shots and willed Maine to a 55-52 victory before an announced crowd of 2,123.

“Today I did less thinking,” Wood said. “I wasn’t really thinking, ‘Oh, I need to shoot this 3.’ I was open and I shot it and it went in. And then it was afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe that was a big shot.'”

On a day when the Black Bears (14-7, 5-1 America East) made only 34.5 percent of their field goals and when star guard Sigi Koizar was limited to a season-low four points, it was Wood who made sure Maine won a 14th consecutive home game. She hit 8 of 12 shots, including 3 of 5 from beyond the 3-point arc. She added seven rebounds and three assists while playing all 40 minutes.

Wood also sparked a defensive effort that limited Stony Brook post players Brittany Snow and Ogechi Anyagaligbo to 17 points combined – 10 below their average.

“A big part of my presence on the court is defensive,” Wood said. “By the time the second half comes around, you know the plays they’re running. So I was waiting on that lob pass to the high post all game and when I saw one I could get, I went and got it. And just little collective, like little plays like that, make a difference in the game.”

The resurgent Wood was coming off a season-high 23-point effort in a victory at New Hampshire last Monday. She was aided again by senior guard Lauren Bodine, who added 10 points off the bench, including a pair of pivotal 3-pointers in the third quarter and two clinching free throws with 12.8 seconds left. Bodine had 11 points at New Hampshire.

Bodine also said having a clear mind was an important part of her success.

“I wasn’t thinking about shooting, and when I do that, I’m in the rhythm and I’m not hesitant about it,” Bodine said after making her 150th career 3-pointer, most among active America East players.

Her third-quarter 3s helped the Black Bears take a 43-37 lead after forcing eight of Stony Brook’s 20 turnovers in that 10-minute stretch. Both Bodine shots came in front of her bench, with Coach Richard Barron’s voice echoing in her ears.

“He was saying, ‘Knock it down.’ So it’s just a confidence booster. You’re going to make it after he says that,” Bodine said.

Stony Brook (13-7, 5-2) attempted only 13 field goals in the second half, flummoxed by Maine’s aggressive, switching defenses. But the Seawolves made 10 of 15 free throws in the half to keep hot on the Black Bears’ trail.

Finally, Stony Brook cut the lead to 53-52 with 12.8 seconds left. Bodine was fouled at half court and headed eagerly to the free-throw line for just the 29th and 30th attempts of her career.

The ball was barely placed in her hands before she quickly sank both attempts.

“I don’t think about the situation because once you think about it is when you start to get nervous. I just stepped up and didn’t take my time as much as you would, and sit there and process what’s actually happening,” Bodine said. “I was just, ‘I’m going to go up and make it.'”

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