AUGUSTA, Maine - The University of Maine at Augusta women's basketball team recently completed the most successful season in program history, as the Moose finished with a 23-10 record and more achievements than any team from UMA has seen in recent history.
Under sixth year head coach Jennifer Laney, the seven player team, led by returning captains Jamie Plummer (Richmond, Maine) and Carmen Bragg (Washburn, Maine) posted a 12-1 mark in conference action, a perfect 8-0 record at home, a first place finish in the YSCC East Division, a runner up finish in the Elite Eight Conference tournament, and the second trip to the USCAA National Tournament in the past three years.
The Moose have appeared in the YSCC playoffs six straight years under Laney and twice have traveled to nationals with seven players or less.
"One of the best things about this team was their tenacity," Laney said. "No matter what the situation they always found a way to dig deep, stay focused, and stay together."
The team was led by Plummer, who netted USCAA First-Team All-American honors for the second year in a row, and has been an All-American in all three years at UMA. She led the team in points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (10.6) and ranked in the top five in both categories for the conference. Plummer was also named YSCC First Team All Conference.
Senior Darby Toth (North Port, Fla.), who transferred to UMA following three strong years at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, was named USCAA Second Team All-American after a strong season in which she led the team in assists (4.7 per game) and ranked second in three-point percentage (33.9). Toth also set a new school record for three-pointers in a game with 10 triples and 32 points in a win over the University of Maine at Machias. Toth was also named YSCC First Team All-Conference.
Freshman Caitlin LaFountain (Topsham, Maine) made a tremendous impact in her first year of college ball, starting all 33 games for the Moose and ranking second on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game. She was just shy of averaging a double-double, ranking second on the team in rebounds with 9.9 per game. LaFountain was named USCAA All-American Honorable Mention along with YSCC Second Team All-Conference honors.
Freshman Lindsey Clark (Cornish, N.H.) and senior Emily Karter (Waterville, Maine), along with Bragg, played in all 33 games for the Moose. Karter averaged 2.8 points per game while Clark averaged 4.6 in her first collegiate season.
The Moose posted key victories during the season over YSCC rivals Central Maine Community College and Southern Maine Community College, along with a hard-fought home victory over USCAA Division I University of Maine at Fort Kent.
UMA fell by one point to USCAA DII National Runners Up Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 47-46, and lost by only five points to eventual USCAA National Champion the College of Saint Joseph's (Vermont) in the YSCC Championship game.
Perhaps the best news of all for Coach Laney, is that she loses only two players in building for the 2016-17 season. She returns both captains in Plummer and Bragg, who averaged 9.4 points per season and led the team in three-pointers. She also returns LaFountain and Morgan Card (Ellsworth, Maine), who ended the season with three double-digit performances in the last five games.