BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Keira Hanson scored 23 points, Malia Lenz posted a double-double and Vermont beat Maine 61-43 on Friday night to win a second straight America East Conference championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Hanson sank 9 of 13 shots with three 3-pointers for the top-seeded Catamounts (27-7), who will appear in the main event for the third time in four seasons and the ninth overall. Lenz totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds. Nikola Priede pitched in with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Jadyn Weltz went 0 for 7 from beyond the arc but finished with 11 points and five assists.
Adrianna Smith had 22 points and 15 rebounds to pace the second-seeded Black Bears (19-13), who were aiming for their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. Smith made 7 of 18 shots, while her teammates hit 8 of 34.
Lala Woods hit a 3-pointer to give Maine a 9-2 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Hanson sank back-to-back 3-pointers and Priede had the final two baskets in a 12-2 run that gave Vermont a 14-11 lead after one quarter.
Priede’s layup extended Vermont’s lead to 14 with 3:36 left in the second period. Woods and Asta Blauenfeldt hit 3-pointers for Maine and the Catamounts went scoreless as the Black Bears closed within 29-21 at halftime.
Hanson and Priede had the first two baskets of the third and the Catamounts outscored Maine by nine in the period for a 48-31 advantage heading to the fourth.
The two teams split two games during the regular season with both winning at home.
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