Steeves Scores 1,000th Career Point, Mehta Sets 3-Point Record, Women’s Hoops Falls to Maine in OT, 102-96

Saturday, December 8

Bangor, Maine

1:00 PM

Brown University

6-6, 0-0IVY

102

Maine

7-2, 0-0AE

OT 1

Brown

Maine

102

Steeves Scores 1,000th Career Point, Mehta Sets 3-Point Record, Women’s Hoops Falls to Maine in OT, 102-96

12/8/2018 4:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BANGOR, Maine – Senior forward Erika Steeves scored 30 points, including her 1,000^th career point, and senior guard Shayna Mehta broke Brown's all-time 3-pointers made record, but Brown University women's basketball fell at the University of Maine in overtime, 102-96, on Saturday afternoon at Cross Insurance Center.

Trailing 84-68 with 3:54 left, the Bears (6-6) closed regulation on a 20-4 run to send the game to overtime tied at 88-88 before the host Black Bears (7-2) – winners of three of the last four America East regular season titles – held on for the win in the extra session.

"I'm proud of our tenacity today," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "It was a game of runs where we were up 12 then down 16 with not much time left. We fought our way back, which is something that we can build on as we look ahead to Ivy play."

Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) posted her third double-double of the season and the 18^th of her career on her 30 points and 12 rebounds. She connected on 11-of-15 field goals and 7-of-9 3-pointers, tying for the third-most 3-pointers in a single game in program history. Steeves scored 30 or more points in a game for the third time in her career and hit 5 or more 3-pointers in a contest for the fourth time in her career.

In becoming the 22^nd 1,000-point scorer in program history, she joins current teammates Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) and junior guard Justine Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) in the club, giving the Bears three active 1,000-point scorers for the first time in program history. It marks just the third time in Ivy League history that a team has three contemporaneous 1,000-point scorers.

"I'm really proud of Erika," Behn said. "She went 7-of-9 from three, and she played with the confidence and skill level we know that she is capable of. I'm really proud of her contribution over the last four years. She has played a huge role for us during her career."

As fellow members of the Class of 2019, Steeves and Mehta become the third pair of classmates in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier. The Bears' other pairs of classmates to score 1,000 points apiece include Sarah Hayes and Colleen Kelly – both of the Class of 2006 – and Christa Champion and Michelle Smith – both of the Class of 1986.

Mehta approached a triple-double against the Black Bears, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds, and career-high nine assists. She has set or tied her career high in assists in each of her last four games and has averaged 8.0 assists per game over that span.

Mehta made a pair of 3-pointers in the game, breaking Brown's all-time 3-point record with 224 career made 3-pointers and passing Sophie Bikofsky '15 (222 career 3-pointers). She moved into sole possession of sixth place in Ivy League history in career 3-pointers. Mehta now has 1,507 career points, becoming the fourth student-athlete in program history to score 1,500 or more career points.

Gaziano netted 15 points in the game and moved into 13^th place in school history with 1,096 career points, passing Michelle Pagliaro '94 (1,084 career points).

Playing in her home state for the first time as a collegiate player, senior forward Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine) scored a season-high 13 points – one point shy of her career high – on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 free throws.

Senior guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) tallied 13 points and four assists, while making 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc. Freshman guard Traiva Breedlove (Rochester, N.Y.) posted 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with four assists, scoring in double figures for the first time in her collegiate career.

"We got production from so many players," Behn said. "Erika was great of course. Mary Butler and Traiva Breedlove both scored in double figures, and we got more production out of our four and five spots."

The Bears placed six players in double figures on their way to scoring a season-high 96 points and hitting 14-of-34 triples (41.2 percent). On the other end, the Black Bears held advantages in rebounds (49-39), points off turnovers (28-15), second-chance points (20-10), and fast break points (16-5).

Brown and Maine remained tied at 65-65 with 8:13 remaining in regulation before the Black Bears used a 19-3 run to pull ahead 84-68 with 3:54 left in the fourth quarter. The Bears responded with a 20-4 burst to close regulation, hitting 5-of-5 treys in the final 3:43 to send the game to overtime knotted at 88-88. Will hit a trio of 3-pointers during the run while Steeves and Butler each connected from downtown. Steeves tied the game on a layup with 11 seconds remaining in regulation.

In the fourth, the Bears hit six of their last eight 3-pointers, including a trey from Mehta at the 5:03 mark that gave her Brown's career 3-point record. Overall in the frame, the Bears made 7-of-12 triples (58.3 percent).

In overtime, Steeves opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to push Brown ahead 91-88 before Maine used a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead 97-91. Two free throws from Butler cut the margin to 97-93 with 1:39 left before Maine closed the win despite another 3-pointer from Mehta.

At the end of the first quarter, Brown held a 22-16 lead as six different Bears scored in the opening frame. Steeves initiated Brown's scoring with a 3-pointer, and Mehta netted six points in the frame. During the period, Gaziano converted an old-fashioned 3-point play, and Butler scored her first bucket in her native state at the 5:14 mark.

Brown took a 26-16 lead early in the second quarter before Maine used a 12-2 run to knot the score at 28-28. Steeves answered with back-to-back-to-back treys, giving Brown a 37-28 lead. She then scored her 1,000^th career point on a layup with 2:03 left in the stanza, staking Brown to a 43-33 edge. Two free throws from Breedlove pushed Brown ahead 45-33 for its largest lead, and the Bears remained ahead 45-39 at the break.

Maine went ahead 47-45 in the third quarter with 14 straight points before a 3-pointer from Steeves stopped the run. Brown pushed back ahead 60-55 with 1:18 left in the third behind a 10-2 streak. Steeves capped the run with a traditional 3-point play. Brown led 60-59 heading to the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer from Gaziano and second-chance basket from Butler kept the score tied at 65-65 with 8:13 to go in the fourth quarter. Maine then used its 19-3 run to gain its 84-68 advantage before Brown countered with its 20-4 run to close regulation and force overtime.

For Maine, Bianca Millan scored a game-high 36 points, and Parise Rossignol netted 25 points. Tanesha Sutton (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Dor Saar (10 points, 11 assists) both registered double-doubles.

Next, Brown makes a trip to the state of Illinois to play at Chicago State (Dec. 30, 3:00 p.m. ET) and at Northern Illinois (Dec. 31, 2:00 p.m. ET) to close the 2018 calendar year.

Game Notes:
Mehta, Steeves, and Gaziano all hit the 1,000-point mark in a 364-day span. Mehta scored her 1,000^th point on Dec. 10, 2017 and Gaziano hit the mark on Nov. 25, 2018 … Steeves now ranks sixth in program history with 117 career 3-pointers made, passing Liz Turner '98 (111 3-pointers). Gaziano ranks eighth with 109 career triples … Steeves scored her 1,000^th career point in her 96^th career game and now ranks 21^st in program history with 1,016 career points, passing Trish Wurtz '82 (1,002 points) … Steeves scored 20 or more points in a game for the first time this season and the seventh time in her career … Shayna Mehta has scored in double figures in all 12 games this year, in 16 straight contests, and in 33 of her last 34 outings … Shayna Mehta also holds Brown career 3-pointers attempted record (602) … Brown has scored 70 or more points in six of its last nine contests.

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.