ORONO – The University of Maine women’s basketball team got its first America East conference victory – 70-60 over Vermont at Alfond Arena Monday night.

The Black Bears improved to 4-14 overall, 1-4 in the conference, while the Catamounts moved to 8-11, 2-4.

Samantha Baranowski scored 18 points for Maine, which closed the first half with a 12-0 run for a 35-23 lead. Baranowski made two field goals and a free throw during the run.

The Black Bears took their largest lead, 15 points, midway through the second half on a short jumper by Ashleigh Roberts, and never let the lead slip below eight.

Brittany Williams scored 11 points, and Roberts and Courtney Anderson had 10 apiece.

Freshman Nicole Taylor of York had 17 points and nine rebounds to pace the Catamounts.

BOWDOIN 75, UM-FARMINGTON 39: Bowdoin (11-4) opened the game with a 12-0 run and went on to defeat the Beavers (4-9) in Brunswick.

Four Polar Bears were in double figures. Allie Piscina came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points.

Lindsay Ranquist was the only Beaver in double figures with 10.

SAINT JOSEPH’S 70, MOUNT IDA 54: Ashley Geel had 14 points and eight rebounds to help the Monks (9-5, 3-0 GNAC) defeat the Mustangs (8-7, 2-2) at Standish.

Saint Joseph’s used an 8-0 run at the start of the second half to go ahead 37-34 and led the rest of the way.

Allie Parent added 12 points, and Lindsay Moore had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Monks.

(3) UCONN 86, (24) NORTH CAROLINA 35: Bria Hartley scored 17 points and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 15 as host Connecticut (15-2) handed North Carolina (12-5) its worst loss in school history.

It only took 8 1/2 minutes for the Huskies to blow the game wide open. Leading 11-6, UConn scored the next 15 points, including five by Mosqueda-Lewis and five by Tiffany Hayes to take command.

(8) MARYLAND 68, VIRGINIA 61: Laurin Mincy scored 20, and Maryland (17-1, 4-1 ACC) bounced back from its first loss of the season by defeating visiting Virginia (14-5, 2-3).

MEN’S BASKETBALL

VERMONT 79, UMAINE 65: Four McGlynn scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures as Vermont (10-10, 4-2 America East) dumped visiting Maine (8-8, 2-3).

McGlynn and Luke Apfeld scored five points each during a 12-0 run that gave the Catamounts a 25-17 lead with 5:44 remaining in the first half.

Vermont scored the first three baskets of the second half to take a 44-32 lead, and the Black Bears (8-8, 2-3) never trailed by fewer than nine points the rest of the way.

Matt Glass finished with 14 points, Apfeld 13 and Mike Allison 10 for Vermont.

Justin Edwards scored 19 points for Maine. Gerald McLemore added 14, and Raheem Singleton scored 12 of his 13 points in the first half.

SAINT JOSEPH’S 60, MOUNT IDA 41: Zach O’Brien scored 19 points and Chris Petzy had 17 to lead the Monks (10-3, 6-1 GNAC) past the Mustangs (4-9, 1-5) at Newton, Mass.

Nich Jobin added 12 points for Saint Joseph’s, which led 34-15 at the half.

Travis Hillery had 15 points for Mount Ida.

(1) SYRACUSE 71, PITTSBURGH 63: Dion Waiters scored 16 points, and Scoop Jardine had 12 points and 10 assists as host Syracuse (20-0, 7-0 Big East) topped visiting Pittsburgh 11-8, 0-6) to open the season with 20 straight wins.

The Orange set a school record for consecutive victories to start a season. It was win No. 876 for Coach Jim Boeheim, tying him with Adolph Rupp of Kentucky for fourth place in Division I.

Boeheim extended his Division I record for most 20-win seasons to 34.

It was the seventh straight loss for Pittsburgh.

(7) KANSAS 92, (3) BAYLOR 74: Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Tyshawn Taylor matched a career high with 28 points and the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12) rolled past the Bears (17-1, 4-1) at Lawrence, Kan.

(5) MISSOURI 70, TEXAS A&M 51: Reserve Michael Dixon scored 18 points and helped spark a 17-0 first-half run as Missouri (17-1, 4-1 Big 12) beat visiting Texas A&M (10-7, 1-4).

(21) MARQUETTE 74, (23) LOUISVILLE 63: Darius Johnson-Odom scored 19 points, and DaVante Gardner added 17 points and six rebounds to lead Marquette (15-4, 4-2 Big East) over visiting Louisville (14-5, 2-4).