USM Women's Basketball: Southern Maine Earns Fourth Seed & Will Host 2022 LEC Championship Quarterfinal

Women’s College Basketball

Southern Maine Earns Fourth Seed Will Host 2022 LEC Championship Quarterfinal

Huskies Will Host Keene State College on Tuesday (6:00 pm)

GORHAM, Maine  -   Closing the Little East Conference regular-season portion of its schedule with back-to-back wins, and three of its last four, the University of Southern Maine Huskies’ women’s basketball team has earned the fourth-seed for the upcoming Little East Conference Championship tournament, and the rights to a home quarterfinal game. 

 

Southern Maine completed the LEC regular season with a record of 7-7, and was unable to play a full LEC schedule due to COVID-related scheduling challenges.   It was determined by the LEC’s athletic directors earlier this season that all nine teams will play in the

tournament this season, due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. As a result, eighth-seeded Western Connecticut will host ninth-seeded Plymouth State in Monday’s play-in round, with the winner heading to top-seeded RIC the following night. Rhode Island College is the defending LEC Champion.
 
2020 LEC champion Eastern Connecticut, which did not play a year ago, is the No. 2 Seed and will host seventh-seeded Castleton in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The other quarterfinal matchup will feature third-seeded UMass Dartmouth hosting sixth-seeded UMass Boston.

 

Southern Maine won both of its games against Keene State in the regular season, defeating the Owls on the road 59-43 (December 4) and at home 63-57 (January 22).  In the Huskies’ first match up with the Owls, senior Michelle Rowe (Gorham, Maine) led all scorers with a career-high 24 points, adding seven rebounds. In January, senior Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla.) paced the Huskies with 19 points, 9 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.  

 

Over the two games with KSC, USM averaged 61 points per game and held an 11.5 rebounding margin (39.5-28.0) over the Owls.  Rowe is averaging 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds per game versus KSC this season and is shooting a remarkable 81.8 percent against them.  Harris is averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.

 

 

Who: No. 5 Keene State vs. No. 4 Southern Maine

When: Tuesday, February 22, 2022 – 6:00 pm

Where: Hill Gymnasium (Fifield Court), University of Southern Maine – Gorham

What: 2022 Little East Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Quarterfinal

 

Southern Maine (8-15, 7-7 Little East)

Tournament Championships: 20 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013)

 

LEC Tournament Record: 63-13 (..829), 32 appearances

Finals Appearances: 26  Finals Record: 20-6   Last Finals Appearance: 2014

 

Players to Watch: Victoria Harris, Sr., Center, 12.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.2 spg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 bpg; Jackie Luckhardt, Gr., Guard, 9.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.5 spg; Michelle Rowe, Sr., Guard, 8.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.1 apg. 

 

Keene State (10-13, 7-9 Little East)

Championships: 1 (2017)

LEC Tournament Record: 18-22 (.450), 23 appearances

Finals Appearances: 4   Finals Record: 1-3   Last Finals Appearance: 2021

 

Players to Watch: Hailey Derosia, Jr., Guard, 10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.7 spg; Aryanna Murray, Fr., Guard, 10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg; Jenny Freedman, Sr., Guard, 6.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.8 spg .

 

 

Final 2021-22 LEC Standings

1. Rhode Island College (.938)

2. Eastern Connecticut (.875)

3. UMass Dartmouth (.750)

4. Southern Maine (.500)

5. Keene State (.438)

6. UMass Boston (.438)

7. Castleton (.333)

8. Western Connecticut (.133)

9. Plymouth State (.062)

 

2022 LEC Tournament Schedule (all games hosted by higher seeds)

 

Monday - Feb. 21 - Play-in

No. 8 WestConn vs. No. 9 Plymouth State

 

Tuesday - Feb. 22 - Quarterfinals

No. 1 RIC vs. 8/9 Winner

No. 2 Eastern Connecticut vs. No. 7 Castleton

No. 3 UMass Dartmouth vs. No. 6 UMass Boston

No. 4 Southern Maine vs. No. 5 Keene State

 

Thursday - Feb. 24 - Semifinals

1/8/9 winner vs. 4/5 winner

2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner

 

Saturday - Feb. 26 - Final

Semifinal Winners

 

 

 

 
Southern Maine Athletics has gone to fully digital game programs, please click this link to access the game programs to future Husky home events!