UMPI Women’s Basketball Trending In The Right Direction

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - The University of Maine at Presque Isle Women’s Basketball Team is 3-2 on the season. And with many new faces on the roster, they will try to continue trending upward despite a rough early schedule.

(Emily Wheaton): “I’m feeling good, we started off a like little rough, but we got playing together more and we got more confident and were very close, like we always say family before every game. And I think we’re gonna have a good rest of our season”.

5 games into the UMPI Owls season and its been up and down. They started the season 0-2 but are currently on a three-game winning streak. They say the key for that success has been finding a way to come together as a team.

Alexis Ireland: " I think just taking it more seriously, i think us locking in and understanding like, were not just going to be able to walk into a gym and win a game, its gonna take hard work, it’s going to take focus.”

Aleia Milano: " once we shook those pregame, you know those first game jitters out, we kind a fell into our grove; I think because everybody is so new, we were all trying to figure out what our roll was. There was a few returners but the majority of the people, you know were all from different places so, i think we were learning each other, learning how each other plays in a game situation and trying to figure out, you know what each individuals roles was on the team”

The Women’s Basketball Team, like the Men’s, is on a 9-game road trip to start the season because of renovations being done to their gym.

Emily Wheaton: " I think we’ve handled it pretty well, i mean were used to traveling anyway because were so far north but just getting a lot of rest and make sure were having our sleep and good nutrition, that all helps”.

Alexis Ireland: " We found our little ways to get comfortable on the bus rides and make our own routines in opposing gyms, so I think doing our own little thing has kind of made each individual away game a little better”.

For the wins to continue to come in for this team, they will have to play with high energy and be just as effective on defense as they are on offense.

Aleia Milano:” I don’t think we have any trouble scoring points. I think we need just need to keep our defensive intensity and place as much focus on getting rebounds and running the floor as we do you know putting shots in the basket.

Gavin Kane: " We need to play up and down, especially with our size, and I do feel that against most teams that we play, we do have a team that can get out and press and get out and run a little bit, so we do want to play an up-tempo pace, so that’s been a focus of ours throughout the preseason and the early part of our regular season”.

The UMPI women have a big North Atlantic Conference Matchup Saturday against Husson and will play their first home game Wednesday, January 4th against University of New Brunswick St. John.

Jonathon Eigenmann, Newssource Sports

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