USM Women's Basketball: Southern Maine 67, University of New England 53

Women’s College Basketball

Huskies Catch Fire In Second Half to Rally for Win Against UNE

Fleming Scores Career-High 17 points in 26 minutes off bench

 

GORHAM, Maine – Trailing by 10 at halftime of their season opener, the University of Southern Maine women’s basketball team used a game shaping 33-10 run over a total of 14 and a half minutes powered by the three-ball and suffocating defense to take a 67-53 decision against non-conference opponent the University of New England Tuesday night at the Hill Gymnasium. Sophomore guard Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine) came off the bench and scored 11 of her career-high 17 points in the second half.

 

The Records: 

University of New England (0-1)

Southern Maine (1-0)

 

Series History: This was the 51st meeting between the two programs. USM

leads the series 39-12. USM played UNE twice during the abbreviated COVID schedule and went 1-1 with the Huskies taking the last meeting 69-62. 

 

Standout Huskies: Amy Fleming: career-high 17 points, three steals, 7-of-12 (58.3%) FG, 1-for-2 (50.0%) 3PT; Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, New Hampshire): career-high-tying 10 rebounds – four offensive, six assists, five points; Victoria Harris (Altus, Oklahoma): 12 points, eight rebounds – three offensive, three steals, one assists 5-for-9 (55.6%) FG.

 

Standout Nor’easter: Abby Cavallaro: 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals.

 

How It Happened: 

· UNE scored six straight points in the first quarter to gain a two-possession lead, 9-5. The Huskies pulled within two when Fleming drilled a mid-range jumper from the corner off an inbounds play. Luckhardt made a driving dish to Harris on the left baseline for two with 19 seconds left, but Cavallaro knocked down a pull-up jumper from the right elbow at the buzzer putting the Nor’easters ahead 16-13. 

 

· The guests started the second stanza with back-to-back buckets including a Madalyn Sanborn floater in the paint to up their edge to seven, 20-13. Following a timeout by USM, UNE got a jumper to increase their lead to eight, 24-16. The Huskies split freebies at the line and Fleming forced a steal off a press which resulted in a senior guard Katie Bagley (Hancock, Maine) deuce making it a 24-18 contest with half the quarter to play. UNE pushed their advantage to nine, however, USM chipped away to bring it down to 27-23 as Bagley gobbled up the loose ball and went coast-to-coast for the easy lay-in. The Nor’easters closed the half with the final six points to lead 33-23 at the intermission.

 

· Southern Maine began the second half with an and1 chance but missed the free throw making it a 33-25 contest. A couple of possessions later, sophomore guard Ashlee Aceto (South Portland, Maine) splashed a triple from the right corner dropping the margin to 33-28. Aceto and Jordyn Franzen traded wing trifectas to keep it a two-possession game, 38-33 with 4:46 left in the third quarter. Southern Maine regained the lead 40-38 via a Fleming three-ball on the left wing. Fleming’s three was part of a 17-5 Husky scoring binge. Sophomore guard Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) continued USM’s three-point barrage rifling a triple on the wing advancing the Husky margin to two possessions, 45-40. 

 

· Fleming drove the lane for two to start the fourth expanding the Huskies margin to seven, 47-40. Freshman guard Maria Degifico’s (South Portland, Maine) three-pointer on the right corner opened up the biggest lead of the game for either team to that point at 54-43. Two Harris charity stripe connections moved the margin to a high of 14 late.   

 

Inside the Stats: 

· Both teams struggled with their long range shots in the first half combining to shoot 1-of-15 (6.7%). 

· Cavallaro scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half. 

· Southern Maine outproduced UNE 22-to-7 in the third quarter turning a 10 point 33-23 deficit to a 45-40 edge.

· The Huskies were 4-for-10 (40.0%) from beyond the arc in the third quarter and 5-for-13 (38.4%) in the second half. USM was 0-fer in the first half off five attempts.

· USM dominated the paint and the offensive glass outscoring (34-to-20) and outrebounding (17-to-5) their counterparts.

 

Up Next: 

Southern Maine travels to Maine Maritime Academy on Friday (7:00 pm) for its next contest.