BANGOR — You can see some of the fans getting excited as the University of Maine women’s basketball team approaches a win. Not because a win is always exciting — there’s that, of course — but a win means they dance.

After every home win, be it at the Cross Insurance Center, like Sunday’s overtime 64-62 victory over America East Conference leader Stony Brook, or in The Pit back on campus in Orono, the Black Bears and their fans do the Electric Slide at center court.

After Sunday’s win, the Black Bears were joined by the school’s dance team, cheerleaders, and fans young and old. Are you comin’ with me? Come let me take you on a party ride, and I’ll teach you, teach you, teach you, I’ll teach you the electric slide.

The Electric Slide is an easy dance to learn. Step to your right with your right foot. Cross your left foot behind your right, and take another step to the right. Bring your feet together, and tap your left foot. Repeat those steps to the left. Maybe throw in an upper body shimmy. See? You’re doing the Electric Slide.

The Black Bears only do the Electric Slide after a home win. It’s not an old practice, dating back to coach Amy Vachon’s predecessor Richard Barron, who saw the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx celebrate a win with a line dance and thought it was a great idea. It stuck, and now the post-win Electric Slide became a tradition.

“(Barron) said that seems really cool. He started it and we’ve been doing it ever since,” Vachon said.

“We had to teach the freshmen this year. They were a little bit nervous about that,” junior Maeve Carroll said.

The Electric Slide is a way for the Black Bears to connect with their adoring fans, especially in a season that in December looked as if it could become lost. Reigning America East Player of the Year Blanca Millan was lost for the season to a knee injury. Foward Fanny Wadling, Maine’s best inside player and top rebounder, was lost to a concussion in a preseason game against McGill. Millan and Wadling were Maine’s top returning scorers, and their absence was felt during a tough non-conference schedule.

Millan was injured early in Maine’s loss to Arizona State on Nov. 29. That loss kicked off a stretch that saw the Black Bears drop seven of nine non-conference games.

Since 2019 rolled into 2020 and Maine has played its conference schedule, things have changed. These young Black Bears have started to jell. With veterans like point guard Dor Saar and senior Maddy McVicar, who scored a career-high 28 points Sunday, the Black Bears are improving. They’re focused on defense first, Saar said. Sunday’s win over the Seawolves, Stony Brook’s first conference loss of the season, was Maine’s sixth win in a row.

“It’s such a great group. We knew it was going to take a little bit of time,” Vachon said, and paused. “Take a lot of time. But they just, they fight and they learned to trust each other. That was a big thing. At the beginning nobody really knew each other’s strengths and who to trust and where. They’ve really grown up. Just the confidence that they’re playing with.”

A senior like McVicar embraces a bigger role in the offense.

“You can’t really ask for another way to go out. You love being at home, but hopefully we have two more playoff games at home and it’s not really the end yet,” McVicar said.

A freshman like Anne Simon, who with 16.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over her last nine has become the frontrunner for conference rookie of the year, gets more comfortable with every game.

The steady improvement and win over Stony Brook moves Maine back into the conference contender column. The good news for Maine is all the experience this team is getting. The better news is Millan and Wadling each plan to return next season.

“I don’t know what the rest of the season is going to hold, but I love coaching these kids. They’re fun to be around,” Vachon said.

Maine’s final two regular season games are on the road, but now the Black Bears have a firm grip of the two seed in the upcoming conference tournament. That means they could host at least two America East playoff games. Two more chances to dance with their fans.

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