ORONO — University of Maine women’s basketball coach Amy Vachon knows her team doesn’t have a consistent third scoring option behind Anne Simon and Adrianna (Addy) Smith. With the Black Bears preparing to play an NCAA Tournament game, Vachon sees that as a team strength.

“I think that’s what has made our team really special this year. I know a lot of people have said all year, ‘They don’t have a third option.’ There’s a lot of third options,” Vachon said. “It just wasn’t the same person every single night, which I thinks makes our team difficult to guard.”

The Black Bears (24-9) will take on Ohio State (25-5) in Columbus, Ohio, at noon Friday (ESPN) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s the 10th NCAA tourney appearance for Maine, and first since 2019.

Simon, the America East Player of the Year, leads the Black Bears with 18.8 points per game. Smith, a first-team all-conference selection and America East Player of the Year in 2023, is close behind at 16.6 points per game. Nobody else averages more than 7.5 points per game, but more often than not, somebody emerges.

Five players – Simon, Smith, Caroline Bornemann, Olivia Rockwood and Skowhegan’s Jaycie Christopher – have had a least one 20-point game this season. Windham’s Sarah Talon had a 15-point game against New Hampshire on Feb. 10, and Sera Hodgson and Paula Gallego each have scored 12 points in a game. Five players scored 10 points in at least one of Maine’s three conference tournament games, including four double-digit scorers in last Friday’s 64-48 win over Vermont in the championship game.

Against Ohio State, which forces an average of 21 turnovers per game – eighth-best in the country – protecting the basketball and getting multiple people involved offensively will be a key for the Black Bears.

“I don’t think we’ve been looking for a third person. We just know each night, anyone else can go off. We knew that all season long. Everyone is capable of scoring,” Simon said. “Yeah, a lot runs through Addy and me, but we know when to find others and they know when they need to step up, and they’ve been doing a good job. Especially that last game against Vermont.”

Simon pointed to the play Maine ran on the first offensive possession. Rockwood came off a screen set by Bornemann, took a pass from Talon and sank a wide-open 3-pointer. The bucket set the tone in a game in which the Black Bears never trailed.

It was a statement, Simon said. Vermont couldn’t just guard two people.

“I just knew I needed to shoot with confidence. I couldn’t really second-guess it. I wasn’t going to force anything, but if I was wide open, I was going to shoot,” Rockwood said. “We ran the play right and I was able to get an open shot. It was a good way to start the game.”

With Smith on the bench in foul trouble late in the second quarter, it was Talon’s turn to step up. She scored nine of her 12 points over the final four minutes of the first half.

Bornemann, who scored 12 points in Maine’s 49-43 win over UMass Lowell in the quarterfinals, said she doesn’t go into a game expecting to be a key offensive contributor.

“At least for me, it just kind of happens. I just try to shoot whenever I’m open,” Bornemann said. “I think everybody on this team can step up. We don’t care about who scores. We care about winning, all of us.”

Rockwood and Bornemann said the team’s passing helps create open shots for everybody, particularly when Smith is able to find teammates on the perimeter after being double-teamed in the paint.

“Addy does a really good job of getting the ball and kicking it out to shooters. I think our offense flows better when we don’t care (who scores),” Bornemann said.

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