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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England women's basketball team will be playing host to the nation's top-ranked team, Tufts University, this Saturday (Dec. 10) at the Harold Alfond Forum. The non-conference tilt is scheduled to tip-off at 1 p.m.

The Jumbos, who lost to Thomas More College in last season's NCAA III National Championship title game, are off to a 7-0 start and currently sit atop the D3hoops.com national ranking. UNE owns a 6-2 record is coming off a 79-68 victory over rival Endicott College on Tuesday.

The contest will feature two of the nation's most successful coaches -- Carla Berube for Tufts and Anthony Ewing of UNE. Berube entered the 2016-17 campaign ranked 10th in winning percentage (.779) among active Division III coaches, while Ewing follows closely behind on the list in 11th place (.778).

Tufts has dominated its opponents in the early stages of the season, racking up an average scoring margin of 22.2 points while holding its opponent to just 39.9 points per game. The Jumbos feature balanced scoring with none of their players averaging in double figures. Six-foot-two senior forward Michela North was a Second Team All-America selection a year ago.

The Nor'easters are averaging 72.5 points per game thus far while shooting nearly 42 percent from the floor. UNE has a scoring margin of 15.6 points and is averaging just 12 turnovers per contest. Rookie Sadie Nelson leads the Nor'easters is scoring average (13.8) and steals (16) and is second in rebounds per game (5.0).

The two squads have met five times over the years, with Tufts owning a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The most recent meeting was a 55-43 home win for the Jumbos on Nov. 30 of last season.

The contest will mark the first time a UNE women's basketball team has hosted the top-ranked team in the nation. The game will be followed by a women's ice hockey game at the Harold Alfond Forum with the Nor'easters taking on Becker College at 3 p.m.