BANGOR — Early Wednesday afternoon in an otherwise empty Memorial Gym, University of Maine senior Parise Rossignol worked on her shooting.

Teammates wandered in and out of The Pit, on their way to and from the training room, but for the better part of an hour, Rossignol was alone on the court, firing up shot after shot after shot.

Shooters shoot.

In a 68-48 win over Hartford in the America East championship game Friday, Rossignol showed that she has rediscovered her shot. The senior from Van Buren went 5 for 9 from 3-point range, starting with a basket 29 seconds into the game that put the Black Bears ahead for good.

Rossignol finished with 15 points. It was her highest output since she scored 18 the last time Maine played Hartford, on Feb. 13.

“It’s no secret I haven’t been shooting it great for a little bit, but honestly, it’s my teammates, the confidence they show in me,” Rossignol said.

In the five games leading up to the America East championship game, Rossignol was just 3 for 23 from 3-point range and 7 for 40 overall from the field. The low point was going 0 for 10 in the regular-season finale at Binghamton.

But shooters have short memories.

“I’ve put the work in, too. I’m confident I’m a good shooter. Whatever happens, you’ve got to forget about the last shot,” Rossignol said.

Rossignol’s first 3-pointer was a couple steps left from the top of the key. Almost a minute later, Rossignol hit another 3 from the corner in front of Hartford’s bench.

“When you hit your first one, it definitely helps moving forward,” Rossingnol said.

Maine Coach Amy Vachon said she never needed to give Rossignol a pep talk when she was struggling. Vachon saw the work Rossignol put in, and knew the shots would start falling again.

“People forget, in the middle of the season, she was shooting like 70 percent from the 3-point line. It was just incredible. I think she kind of came back to earth for a little bit,” Vachon said. “That kid, I saw it in the last couple of days in practice she’d been shooting it better. She loves playing here, so I felt like today would be a good day for her.”

A couple years ago, after her sophomore season, Rossignol left the team. At that point in her life, basketball wasn’t fun. When Vachon became head coach, though, she convinced Rossignol to rejoin the team. Now, she’s a conference champion twice over, and a player who came up big when the Black Bears needed her.

“It means everything. I think about where I was two years ago, and the opportunity I had to come back here,” Rossignol said. “Honestly, I lived my dream, to win back-to-back championships. The people I get to share it with make it even better.”

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