Adrianna Smith of the University of Maine tries to dribble past an Ohio State defender during a first-round NCAA Tournament game last season. Ben Jackson/Courtesy UMaine Athletics

ORONO — Adrianna Smith sat in the middle of the University of Maine women’s basketball team’s bench throughout a season-opening game Monday against LaSalle, a matinee in The Pit.

This is how it’s going to be for the Black Bears and Smith this season. The top returning player in the America East Conference, the 6-foot Smith suffered a season-ending ACL tear last month in practice. A returning all-conference player who was America East Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season, Smith is a player you don’t simply replace.

Monday’s game, a 65-51 win in front of a crowd of 1,507 – mostly elementary school students from the Bangor area as part of the team’s Field Trip Day – was a glimpse into how the Black Bears will look without Smith causing havoc in the post.

Unfortunately for Maine, injuries to key players are nothing new.

Over the last five seasons, the Black Bears have lost a number of starters to long-term injuries. The Black Bears have starred in this movie. This is just another unwelcome sequel.

Maine was barely a handful of games into the 2019-20 season when Blanca Millan, the reigning America East Player of the Year, was lost for the rest of the season to a knee injury. Fanny Wadling, a starting forward, missed that entire season due to injury. Guard Anna Kahelin, a key player as a freshman in the 2019-20 season, missed the better part of the rest of her career due to knee injuries. Anne Simon, the conference player of the year in 2021-22 and again last season, played in just 14 games in the 2022-23 season because of an ankle injury.

Smith isn’t the only player Maine will miss this season. Freshman Maddie Fitzpatrick, a Cheverus grad who won Miss Maine Basketball last season, suffered a torn ACL during summer workouts. Like Smith, Fitzpatrick watched Monday’s game from the bench.

What the Black Bears know is, from adversity comes opportunity. Coach Amy Vachon has seen it, and stressed that to her team.

UMaine’s Adrianna Smith takes the ball around Binghamton defender Genevieve Coleman during an America East women’s basketball semifinal game last season in Orono. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

When Millan went down, it gave more playing time to Simon, then a freshman, who stepped up and helped lead Maine to the America East championship game, which was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic. When Simon was stuck in a protective boot a few seasons ago, the sophomore Smith seized the opportunity, carrying the Black Bears to the conference finals and winning America East Player of the Year.

This is what Vachon told her team last month. You’re the conference favorites, still. Nobody is going to feel sorry for a team that went to the NCAA tournament last season. Simon and Smith combined to average 35.3 points and 18 rebounds per game last season. Simon graduated and is playing pro ball in Italy. Smith is awaiting knee surgery.

“I told them, it’s going to be a work in progress. There are going to be some really good moments and some moments that are kind of yech. We’ve just got to keep figuring out who we are,” Vachon said. “With Adi going down, we need other people to step up. There are a lot of shots that are available with Adi and Anne gone now. We’ve talked a lot about how you have to be ready. You can’t pass up shots you typically did in years past.”

On Monday, it was senior guard Paula Gallego, junior guard Sarah Talon, and grad student Caroline Bornemann, a forward. Gallego scored a career-high 21 points, shooting 8 for 10 from the floor, and grabbed 10 rebounds. A Windham High graduate, Talon scored 18 points, shooting 5 for 6 from 3-point range. Bornemann added 12 points and 14 boards.

“Someone’s going to have to fill in for Adi’s shots. I feel like I took a lot of shots today, but it could be anyone,” Gallego said.

Talon said Monday’s game was the first step in seeing what works for this group and what doesn’t. Her 3-pointer in the middle of the third quarter snapped a 9-0 run when LaSalle cut a 10-point deficit to one, and put Maine back in control of the game.

Maine’s Adrianna Smith reacts to a play against Vermont during a women’s basketball game Saturday, Jan. 6, in Orono. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“(Smith) brought a lot to the table, on both sides of the ball. We’re still figuring it out,” Talon said.

Vachon and the players fully expect different players to provide an offensive spark from game to game, and that might work out to Maine’s benefit. An opponent keyed up to defend Gallego or Talon might find Olivia Rockwood or Skowhegan’s Jaycie Christopher has the hot hand behind the arc. If Monday’s game is an indication and not a one-off, the Black Bears are going to rely on the 3-pointer a lot. Maine shot 34.5% from 3 against LaSalle, slightly better than last season’s 30.3%.

Gallego said when it comes to letting the shots fly, the green light is on.

“If you’re open, the instruction is to shoot,” Gallego said. “You can hope for a day like this, but I feel like it’s all confidence. Knowing the shot’s going in. We’ve been on a team on that, the confidence.”

Even without Smith in the post, Maine’s defense was solid. The Black Bears held LaSalle to 33.3% from the floor (2o for 60), and outrebounded the taller Explorers, 40-36. If the effort remains high, the loss of Smith for the season will be manageable.

After the game, the Black Bears continued the postgame tradition started years ago. After each home victory, the team heads to center court and does the Electric Slide. Smith joined her teammates, making her dance moves deliberately and gingerly. Last week, Smith announced she plans to return to the Black Bears for the 2025-26 season.

Carefully do the Electric Slide now, so you can try to lead the Black Bears back to the Big Dance later.