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SEASON COMPLETED
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Saturday, March 19, 2005
NCAA Division III Women's Basketball - Third Place Game
Southern Maine Hangs On, Defeats Scranton 55-53
NORFOLK, Va. - Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little)
scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to lead the University of
Southern Maine Huskies to a 55-53 win over the University of Scranton Lady Royals
Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Third Place game at
the Jane P. Batten Center in Norfolk, Va.
With their school-record 31st win of the season, the Huskies concluded their
2004-2005 campaign with a 31-3 record. The Lady Royals, who came into the finals
ranked number one in the nation, dropped their second consecutive game to finish
at 29-3.
Myles was the only Southern Maine player to finish in double figures as the
Huskies received contributions from seven players in the scoring column. Junior
forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) added nine points for the
Huskies and junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) and
sophomore guard Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay) each chipped in with eight
points. Reserve sophomore forward Shannon Kynoch (So. Burlington, Vt./So.
Burlington) scored seven points off the bench.
Scranton senior forward Tara Gemmel (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) paced
the Lady Royals with 12 points and sophomore Taryn Mellody (Dunmore, Pa./Bishop
O'Hara) added 10 points.
The Huskies jumped out to a 14-point halftime advantage after shooting a
blistering 50 percent from the field in the opening stanza, connecting on 11-of-22
attempts from the floor. Defensively the Huskies were firing on all cylinders in
the opening half, holding the Lady Royals to just 9-of-27 shooting (33.3%) and
forcing Scranton to taking tough shots as the shot clock ran down. Myles scored
12 of her 16 in the half, including 2-for-3 from three-point range. Cowing
tallied all eight of her points in the opening half for the Huskies.
After a turnaround jumper from Myles to open the second half, the Huskies
increased their lead to 16, 36-20, and led by as many as 10 points with just over
seven minutes left in the game. But Scranton, which had slowly chipped into the
Huskies lead, mounted a furious comeback bid to pull within one point with just
over a minute to go.
Following a Marble jumper to give the Huskies a 53-43 advantage with 7:37 to
play, Scranton outscored Southern Maine 9-1 over the next six minutes. After
three minutes of scoreless action as both teams traded missed shots, Scranton's
sophomore guard Allison Matt (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) sparked
the Lady Royals run hitting a jumper before freshman guard Julie Brophy (Exton,
Pa./Downington East) grabbed a defensive rebound and knocked down two free throws.
Senior forward Maura Kane (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) then knocked down a
jumper with 3:18 on the clock for Scranton's sixth unanswered point to pull the
Lady Royals to within four, 53-49.
After a Cowing steal, Sibley hit the second of two free throws to give the
Huskies some breathing room, 54-49, but it was short-lived as Scranton answered
right back pulling to within a point as junior guard Erin Healy (Drexel Hill,
Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) hit two free throws and Gemmel converted a layup
following an offensive rebound by Kane to make it 54-53 with 1:15 to go.
After a Southern Maine timeout, Scranton's Healy came up with a steal as the
Huskies tried to set up their offense, but then lost control of the ball as she
raced toward a potential go-ahead basket.
On the ensuing USM possession, Myles had an open look for the game-sealing
three, but the ball rattled in and out to keep the score at 54-53 in favor of USM
with 25 second to play.
Scranton's junior guard Kelly Lewandowski (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood)
had a decent look at the hoop for the Lady Royals, but her shot was off the mark
and Southern Maine's Sibley corralled the rebound with three seconds left in the
game.
Forced to foul, Scranton put Sibley on the line and she sank one of two free
throws to deliver the Huskies win as time ran down. Sibley finished the game with
five assists and four steals to compliment her eight points.
In the championship game, Millikin University defeated Randolph-Macon
College, 70-50, behind tournament MVP Joanna Conner. Named to the all-tournament
team along with Conner were Lindsay Ippel and Audrey Minott of Millikin, Megan
Silva of Randolph-Macon and Myles from Southern Maine.
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Friday, March 18, 2005
NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Semifinal
Millikin Balance Leads Big Blue Past Southern Maine, 66-60
NORFOLK, Va. -- Junior guard Lindsey Koehn (Geneva, Ill.) scored 17 points
to lead the Millikin University Big Blue to a 66-60 win over the University of
Southern Maine Huskies in a NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National
Semifinal game Friday afternoon at the Jane P. Batten Center on the campus of
Virginia Wesleyan College.
With the win, Millikin improves to 28-2 and advances to play Randolph-Macon
College for the 2005 NCAA Division III National Championship. Randolph-Macon
earned its spot in the national title game with a 70-65 win over the University of
Scranton.
The loss snapped Southern Maine's school record 28-game winning streak and
drops the Huskies' overall record to 30-3. The Huskies will play Scranton in the
third place game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Koehn led five Millikin players in double figures as the Big Blue shot a
solid 43.8 percent from the field on a 21-for-48 effort, including a blazing 42.1
percent mark from three-point range (8-of-19). Junior forward Joanna Conner
(Geneva, Ill.) and sophomore guard Christi Blackburn (Decator, Ill.) each scored
13 points, while senior guard Audrey Minott (Moweaqua, Ill.) added 10 points and
freshman forward Lindsay Ippell (Decatur, Ill.) chipped in with 11.
Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) led all scorers with
28 points and junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) added a
double-double with 27 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Myles and Marble
combined to score 55 of the Huskies 60 points in the loss.
After both teams battled to a 28-28 tie in the first half, the Huskies clung
to a slim three-point lead, 40-37, with 11:27 remaining to play following a pair
of Myles free throws. Millikin's Minnot quickly erased her team's deficit
draining her second three-pointer of the game to knot the score with 11:14 and
igniting a 7-0 run for the Big Blue.
Keohn hit the second of two free throws and was followed by a Blackburn three
to giving Millikin a four-point edge, 44-40 with just over 10 minutes on the
clock.
Millikin hung onto its lead and led by as many as seven points, 61-54, with
2:29 remaining following two free throws from Minott. The Huskies continued to
fight their way back into the game, cutting the Big Blue lead to two, 62-60, with
27 seconds left in the game.
Following Minott's free throws, Southern Maine outscored the Big Blue 6-1
over the next two minutes as Marble converted on three straight layups for the
Huskies. Marble connected on her first layup off of an assist from junior guard
Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) to cut the Millikin lead to five, 61-56, with
2:09 to go.
Marble then came up with a steal and raced up the court for the score to pull
the Huskies to within three, 61-58. Millikin's Connor hit for one of two free
throws with 1:09 to play to put the Big Blue ahead 62-58, before Marble grabbed
one of her five offensive rebounds and hit the put-back to bring the Huskies to
within two points, 62-60 with less than a minute to play.
Forced to foul, the Huskies put Millikin's Minnott on the line and she calmly
stroked in two free throws to increase the Big Blue's lead to four, 64-60 with 25
seconds to play. After a missed three-point attempt, the Huskies again fouled and
this time it was Blackburn who drained a pair of free throws for the 66-60 final.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting just 34.4 percent from the floor
and were 7-for-22 from the three-point line.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
USM's Gary Fifield Named Division III Coach of the Year
GORHAM, Maine -- University of Southern Maine Huskies women's basketball
head coach Gary Fifield has been named the Russell Athletic/WBCA Division III
National Coach of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
The announcement was made Thursday evening at the banquet for the 2005 NCAA
Division III Women's Basketball Championship Finals being held at Virginia
Wesleyan College in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va.
Fifield and the other five national winners will be recognized by the WBCA
membership at the Russell Athletic/WBCA Coach of the Year Luncheon on April 5 at
the Indianapolis. The luncheon is part of the WBCA National Convention, held in
conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four.
In his 18th season at USM since replacing Richard "Doc" Costello as head
coach in 1987, Fifield has guided the Huskies to a school record 30-2 overall mark
this season, including an unblemished 14-0 regular season record in the Little
East Conference, the team’s ninth consecutive LEC tournament championship, and
their fourth berth in the NCAA "Final Four" (1988, 1998, 2000, 2005). The
Huskies, riding a school record 28-game winning streak, will play Millikin
University in the national semifinals Friday afternoon starting at 4:00 p.m.
During his 18 seasons at the helm, Fifield has guided his teams to a
combined 456-76 record (.857 winning percentage), 16 shared or outright Little
East Conference regular season titles, and 15 LEC tournament championships,
including the last nine seasons. His teams have advanced to postseason play
every year that he has been the head coach, and 29 consecutive years dating back
to 1976.
Among his numerous awards, Fifield was named the 1998 WBCA District One
Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 29-3 overall record and a spot in
the NCAA Division III championship game. He also was District One Coach of the
Year for the 1991-92 season and again in 2001-02. He has earned or shared the
LEC Coach of the Year award 11 times (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999,
2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005). In 2003, Fifield was inducted into the New England
Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the start of the 2004-05 season, he had the nation's second highest
winning percentage among active NCAA Division III women's basketball coaches who
have five or more seasons of service, and was ranked 13th among active coaches
for the most victories. His 400th career win came during the 2003-2004 season
when the Huskies defeated Bates College.
The Huskies continued their winning ways in 2004-2005, winning the Little
East Conference regular season title, and winning their ninth consecutive
tournament crown with a 68-29 win over Keene State College in the championship
game. The Huskies also extended their NCAA Division III record with their 25th
consecutive season of 20-or-more wins. The Huskies began their record-setting
run under former coach Costello during the 1980-81 season.
Fifield began his coaching career at Canaan Memorial High School in 1974
guiding the boys team to a 31-31 mark over three seasons. He moved on to South
Royalton High School as the boys' coach from 1977-82, and again in 1986-87,
compiling a 74-34 record. In between, he served as an assistant men's coach for
one season at Dartmouth College, and the men's head coach at Vermont Technical
College for three seasons, rolling up a 41-33 record.
A 1974 graduate of the University of Vermont with a B.S. in physical
education, Fifield also earned a master's degree in educational administration
from UVM.
The Fifield Years at USM
Overall Record Little East Regular Season
Season W L Pct. W L Pct. Place LEC Tournament
1987-1988 27 3 .900 10 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
1988-1989 25 3 .893 10 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
1989-1990 25 5 .833 9 1 .900 1st CHAMPIONS
1990-1991 23 7 .767 7 3 .700 tied 2nd CHAMPIONS
1991-1992 26 4 .867 9 1 .900 tied 1st Lost, Finals
1992-1993 25 4 .862 10 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
1993-1994 22 7 .759 11 1 .917 tied 1st Lost, Semi-finals
1994-1995 23 4 .852 11 1 .917 1st CHAMPIONS
1995-1996 25 4 .862 11 1 .917 1st Lost, Finals
1996-1997 25 4 .862 11 1 .917 1st CHAMPIONS
1997-1998 29 3 .906 14 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
1998-1999 25 4 .862 13 1 .929 1st CHAMPIONS
1999-2000 26 6 .813 9 5 .643 tied 2nd CHAMPIONS
2000-2001 20 7 .741 12 2 .857 tied 1st CHAMPIONS
2001-2002 25 3 .893 13 1 .929 tied 1st CHAMPIONS
2002-2003 26 4 .867 13 1 .929 1st CHAMPIONS
2003-2004 29 2 .935 14 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
2004-2005 30 2 .938 14 0 1.000 1st CHAMPIONS
Totals 456 76 .857 201 19 .914
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
Courtesy of the ECAC
Contact: Katie Healey
ECAC Announces Division III New England
Women's Basketball All-Stars and Player of the Year
CAPE COD, Mass. -- The Commissioner of the ECAC Phil Buttafuoco has
announced the ECAC Division III New England Women's Basketball All-Stars and
Player of the Year. Bates College senior forward Olivia Zurek was named ECAC
Division III New England Basketball Player of the Year in a vote by the ECAC New
England coaches.
A first-team ECAC selection last year, Zurek led the New England Small
Colleges Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in scoring and rebounding with 16.7 points
and 9.8 boards per game. Zurek is a WBCA Regional Finalist for the NCAA Division
III Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team. To add to her accolades, she was
named NESCAC Player of the Year after leading the Bobcats to a 25-3 overall
record and to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Sweet 16. Zurek led the
NESCAC in steals (2.85 per game) and field goal percentage (50.1%). She was
named Most Valuable Player of the St. Joseph's (Maine) tournament as well as an
All-Tournament member at the Williams Winter Classic. For the year, Zurek
recorded 14 double-doubles in 23 regular season games. She is currently a
finalist for the Jostens’ Player of the Year award.
In addition, Zurek has been named to the ECAC Division III New England
Women's Basketball First Team. Joining Zurek on the first team is University of
Southern Maine's Ashley Marble, one of the force's behind USM's victory to end
the Bobcats' run at the NCAA title in 2005. Marble led her team to a 30-2 record
thus far as the Huskies continue play, advancing this week to the Final Four.
Marble was named the Little East Player of the Year and is currently averaging
13.7 points per game and 8.5 boards.
Bowdoin College's Eileen Flaherty, a 2004 ECAC Honorable Mention, earns
first-team honors this year. Flaherty, also a WBCA Finalist for NCAA Division
III Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team for Region 1, averaged a team-best
15.9 points per game and helped the Polar Bears collect their fifth consecutive
NESCAC title and their sixth consecutive NCAA tournament berth. Also named to
the first team is Gordon College's Sarah DeLuca, the Commonwealth Coast
Conference Player of the Year. DeLuca, a second-team ECAC pick in 2004, averaged
21.7 points per game, which ranks her sixth in the nation for scoring.
Completing the list is Wesleyan University's Hannah Stubbs, who shot over 60
percent from the charity stripe this year. Stubbs made ECAC honor roll as a
sophomore in 2004 and is currently a WBCA Finalist for NCAA Division III
Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team for Region 1.
Named to the second team are New England Women's and Men's Athletic
Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year Ashley Auclair and two WBCA Regional
Finalists for the NCAA Division III Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team,
including University of Southern Maine's Megan Myles and Brandeis University's
Caitlin Malcolm. Rounding out the second team are Springfield College's Kacey
Wunsch and Bowdoin's Justine Pouravelis.
In 2004-2005, the ECAC honored more than 55 women's basketball players
during the winter months. The Conference also hosted four Division III women's
basketball championships in the regions of New England, Southern, Upstate and
Metro.
2005 ECAC Division III New England
Women's Basketball All-Stars
Player of the Year
Olivia Zurek, Senior, Forward, Bates
First Team
F Olivia Zurek Bates Sr.
F Ashley Marble Southern Maine Jr.
F Eileen Flaherty Bowdoin So.
F Sarah DeLuca Gordon Sr.
F Hannah Stubbs Wesleyan Jr.
Second Team
C Ashley Auclair Clark So.
F Justine Pouravelis Bowdoin Jr.
F Caitlin Malcolm Brandeis So.
F Kacey Wunsch Springfield Sr.
F Megan Myles Southern Maine Jr.
Honorable Mention
C Estrealia Kulian Salem State Jr.
F Natalie Perlaza Albertus Magnus Sr.
G Colleen Hession Williams Jr.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005
WMPG-FM to Carry NCAA Division III Semifinals
GORHAM, Maine -- University of Southern Maine student radio WMPG-FM (90.9 and
104.1) will provide coverage of the USM women's basketball team's NCAA Division
III semifinal game against Millikin University on Friday (4:00 p.m.).
WMPG-FM will pick up a live feed from D3hoops.com which has been retained by
the NCAA to provide radio broadcast coverage of the 2005 championship. Listeners
outside the WMPG coverage area can link via the Internet to game at wmpg.org or by
going to NCAAsports.com.
WMPG-FM will only carry the championship game on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) should
the Huskies advance to the title game. All four games (semifinals on Friday and
third place and championship games on Saturday) can be heard on the Internet at
NCAAsports.com.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Tickets for NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Finals On Sale Wednesday
GORHAM, Maine -- A limited number of tickets for the 2005 NCAA Division III
Women's Basketball Championship Finals at the Jane P. Batten Center on the campus
of Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Va., will go on sale Wednesday morning
starting at 10:00 a.m. at the University of Southern Maine's Costello Sports
Complex on the Gorham campus.
Tickets for the four-game package (Friday's two semifinal games and
Saturday's third place and championship games) are $30. Tickets will only be sold
in the four-game package. Those wishing to purchase tickets must come to the
Costello Sports Complex.
A package that includes tickets and round-trip bus transportation from USM to
Norfolk, Va., is being offered to USM students, faculty and staff from 10:00 a.m.
until 1:00 p.m. If seats are still available on the bus after 1:00 p.m., they
will be made available to the general public.
Southern Maine, 30-2 overall, will play Millikin University, 27-2, in the
first national semifinal Friday at 4:00 p.m., followed by the University of
Scranton, 29-1, taking on Randolph-Macon College, 29-1, at approximately 6:00 p.m.
The third place game will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The national
championship game will be at 3:00 p.m.
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Monday, March 14, 2005
WBCA Announces Finalists for NCAA Division III All-America Team
GORHAM, Maine -- Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little
HS) of the University of Southern Maine Huskies women's basketball team is among
the 40 finalists announced Monday by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
(WBCA) for its 2005 Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division III.
The finalists, who are voted upon by the WBCA member coaches in each of the
eight WBCA geographic regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-
member All-America team that will be announced Thursday (March 17) night at the
NCAA Division III Banquet of Champions according to the press release from the
WBCA.
Joining Myles as finalists from Region One are Olivia Zurek of Bates College,
Eileen Flaherty of Bowdoin College, Hannah Stubbs of Wesleyan University and
Caitlin Malcolm of Brandeis University.
Myles, a 5-foot-11 forward, previously was voted to the All-Little East
Conference first team and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the LEC
championship tournament after leading the Huskies to their ninth consecutive
crown. She led USM to a pair of wins this past weekend in the NCAA Sectional
Tournament and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Huskies' second leading scorer, Myles is averaging 13.2 points and 5.7
rebounds per game. She is shooting 48.6 percent from the floor (157 of 323),
including 41.9 percent from three-point range (31 of 74), and converting 68.5
percent of her free throws (76 of 111). She also leads the team in blocked shots
with 28 and steals with 65.
Southern Maine, 30-2 overall and riding a school-record 28-game winning
streak, will play Millikin College in the national semifinals this Friday (March
18) in Norfolk, Va.
The 40 finalists, by region, are listed below.
WBCA Finalist for NCAA Division III Kodak/WBCA All-America Basketball Team
Region I
Player Institution Class Position
Olivia Zurek Bates College Senior Forward
Eileen Flaherty Bowdoin College Sophomore Forward
Hannah Stubbs Wesleyan University Junior Forward
Caitlin Malcolm Brandeis University Sophomore Forward/Center
Megan Myles Univ. of Southern Maine Junior Forward
Region 2
Rachel Wojdowski New York University Senior Guard
Stephanie Cleary Ithaca College Senior Guard
Kaitlyn Saunders Rensselaer Senior Forward
Kelly Wescott University of Rochester Senior Forward
Missy O'Donnell St. John Fisher College Senior Forward/Center
Region 3
Jaime McCormack Rowan University Senior Guard
Oneisha Staples Mt. Saint Mary College Senior Guard
Jacclyn Rock College of Staten Island Senior Center
Tracey Little Frostburg State Senior Forward/Guard
Theresa DiMedio College of New Jersey Senior Guard/Forward
Region 4
Taryn Mellody University of Scranton Sophomore Guard
Alyssa Antolick DeSales University Senior Guard
Eli Cook Messiah College Junior Guard/Forward
Stephanie Seaman Moravian College Junior Forward
Jennifer Northcott Lebanon Valley College Senior Center
Region 5
Megan Silva Randolph-Macon College Junior Guard
Tara Rhode Trinity University Senior Center
Tara Toland Ferrum College Senior Guard
Lisa Martinez Univ. Mary Hardin-Baylor Junior Center
Diana Martinez Hardin Simmons University Senior Guard
Region 6
Leigh Sulkowski Washington & Jefferson Junior Guard/Forward
Sarah Caskey Albion College Senior Guard
Amy Argetsinger DePauw University Senior Forward
Siobhan Zerilla Wilmington College Senior Forward
Kelly Heil Ohio Wesleyan University Senior Forward
Region 7
Amanda Nechuta UW-Stevens Point Senior Forward
Kelly Manning Washington Univ. Senior Guard
Janine Emmer Ripon College Senior Guard/Forward
Brittany Herrick UW-Oshkosh Junior Forward
Susie Gutowski University of Chicago Junior Forward
Region 8
Mandy Pearson Concordia College Senior Guard
Katie Maguire Buena Vista University Junior Guard
Anna Heikenen College of St. Benedict Junior Forward
Sarah Shogren Whitworth College Senior Forward
Tiffany Speer Whitworth College Senior Forward
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Sunday, March 13, 2005
For Immediate Release
Southern Maine Punches Ticket To Final Four, Downs Springfield 80-69
GORHAM, Maine - The 2005 Northeast Sectional Tournament Most Outstanding
Player Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) scored a team-high 19 points,
grabbed eight rebounds and added three assists and two steals to lead the
University of Southern Maine Huskies the 2005 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball
"Final Four" with a 80-69 win over the Springfield College Pride, Sunday afternoon
at Warren Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With the win, the Huskies extended their school record winning streak to 28
games and upped their overall record to 30-2. USM advances to its fourth Final
Four in the program's history and first since the 2000 championship. The 30 wins
also set a school record for most wins in a season, surpassing the 29 wins of the
1997-98 and 2003-2004 teams. Springfield closes out its season with a 25-6
record.
The Huskies will join Scranton, Millikin and Randolph-Macon in the Final Four
hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va., next Friday
and Saturday (March 18-19). Southern Maine will play Millikin in one national
semifinal game. Millikin defeated Calvin 63-56 in the Great Lakes Sectional
Championship.
Myles led five USM players in double-figures as the Huskies used a balanced
offensive attack to halt the Pride. Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield,
Maine/Topsfield) scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds while junior co-
captain Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine) added 13 points on a 5-for-8 effort from
the field. Junior guard Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) chipped in with 11
points and a game-high five assists. Sophomore reserve forward Shannon Kynoch (S.
Burlington, Vermont/South Burlington) was a catalyst off of the bench for the
Huskies netting all 11 of her points in the second half.
Springfield freshman guard Tara McCarthy (Bristol, R.I./LaSalle Academy) led
all scorers with a game-high 22 points and was named to the All-Tournament team.
Junior guard Courtney Parvin (Brackney, Pa./Montrose Area) added 17 points and six
rebounds and all-tournament selection Kacey Wunsch (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry)
chipped in with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Ahead by eight, 58-50, with Springfield still within striking distance
following a Christine Cotter (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) three-pointer and a
jumper from Parvin with 10:27 left in the game, the Huskies strung together the
first of two key second half runs to close the door on the Pride.
After Parvin's jumper, Southern Maine rattled off nine unanswered points over
the next two minutes to inflate their lead to 17 points, 67-50, with 8:42 to go.
Myles started the Huskies pivotal run with a lay-up off of a pretty driving feed
from freshman guard Trish Sylvain (Weare, N.H./New Hampton). Kynoch then scored
the next four Husky points with her first two coming off of an offensive rebound
and the put back, and the second on a turn-around jumper for a 64-50 USM
advantage. Frost capped the run for Southern Maine drilling her second three of
the contest.
Springfield continued to fight back and trimmed the Huskies' lead to 11 with
a 6-0 run to trail 67-56 with six minutes on the clock. Parvin hit a lay-up off
of a feed from McCarthy and then McCarthy knocked down a jumper of her own to cut
the USM lead to 67-54, before sophomore guard LaToya Franklin (Latham,
N.Y./Shaker) was fouled collecting a defensive rebound and hit both ends of a one-
and-one.
But the Huskies halted any thoughts of a comeback bid by the Pride outscoring
Springfield 10-4 over the next four minutes to regain its 17-point cushion, 77-60
with two and a half minutes to go. Marble scored four of her 15 points in the
run, while Kynoch continued to be an offensive sparkplug for the Huskies scoring
four points on a jumper and a lay-up as the Huskies held on for the 80-69 final.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting a solid 47.6 percent from the floor
on 30-of-63 shooting, including a 35.7 percent clip from three-point range (5-14).
Springfield shot 35.2 percent for the game making 25-of-71 attempts and were 6-of-
22 from three point range for a 27.3 percent mark. The Huskies also controlled
the boards grabbing 47 caroms to 37 for Springfield.
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Saturday, March 12, 2005
Tickets for NCAA Sectional Championship on Sale Sunday
GORHAM, Maine -- Tickets remaining for the NCAA Division III Women's
Basketball Sectional Championship game between the University of Southern Maine
and Springfield College will go sale at 12:00 p.m. Sunday in the lobby of the
Costello Sports Complex on the USM Gorham campus.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The Sectional Championship game, originally scheduled for Saturday night, has
been postponed due to the snowstorm. The game has been rescheduled for Sunday
afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Southern Maine advanced to championship game by defeating Bates College in
overtime, 67-64. Springfield knocked off Wesleyan University, 62-56, in the other
semifinal to advance. The winner of the game will move on the 2005 NCAA Division
III Women's Basketball "Final Four" next weekend in Virginia Beach, Va.
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Saturday, March 12, 2005
NCAA Women's Basketball Game Postponed
Southern Maine and Springfield to Play Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
GORHAM, Maine -- Due to snowstorm covering the area, the NCAA Division III
Women's Basketball Sectional championship game between the University of Southern
Maine Huskies and the Springfield College Pride has been postponed.
The game has been rescheduled for Sunday afternoon starting at 2:00 p.m.
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Friday, March 11, 2005
NCAA Division III Sectional Semifinals
Southern Maine Bounces Bobcats in Overtime 67-64
GORHAM, Maine - Junior co-captain Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little)
scored six of her game-high 23 points in the overtime period to lift the
University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 67-64 overtime win versus the Bates
College Bobcats, Friday in the second game of the 2005 NCAA Division III Women's
Basketball "Sweet Sixteen" Northeast Sectional at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in
Gorham.
The Huskies improve to 29-2 with their school record 27th straight win, and
advance to their first "Elite Eight" since the 2000 season. They will play
Springfield College on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for the Sectional Championship and
the right to advance to "Final Four". Tomorrow's game will mark the Huskies ninth
appearance in Elite Eight in program history. Bates ends its season with a school
record mark of 25-3.
After shooting a shaky 26.7 percent in the second half on just 8-of-30
shooting and relinquishing a 15-point halftime lead, Southern Maine overcame a
five-point deficit in the final 1:47 of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Following a lay-up from the Bobcat's sophomore center Meg Coffin (Westford,
Mass.) to put Bates ahead 55-50, capping a 16-2 run by the Bobcats, Southern Maine
junior guard Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) drained her second three-pointer
of the game to cut the Bobcats lead to two, 55-53 with 1:24 on the clock. Frost
then came up with a huge steal when she knocked the ball out of hands of Bates
senior guard Heather Taylor (Nobleboro, Maine) who had just corralled an offensive
rebound off of a missed lay-up from Coffin with 31 seconds to play. Coffin fouled
Husky junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) in Southern Maine's
ensuing possession to put Marble on the line for two as the Huskies trailed 55-53
with 20 seconds to play. Marble, normally a steady shooter from the charity
stripe, missed both of her attempts, but freshman guard Trish Sylvain (Weare,
N.H./New Hampton) came up with an offensive board and calmly drilled both of her
free throws after being fouled by Bates' Olivia Zurek (Arlington, Mass.) to knot
the score up at 55 all with 18 seconds to play. Bates' Annie Whiting (Contoocook,
N.H.) had a look at the basket for the game winner but was off the mark and Myles
snagged the defensive rebound as the buzzer sounded signifying overtime.
In the overtime period, both teams traded one free throw apiece to stand at
56 all with 4:12 on the clock, before Myles finished a lay-up off an assist from
junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine) and Marble knocked down two
free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound to give the Huskies a four-point
edge, 60-56 with 3:26 to play.
A minute later, Bates cut the Huskies lead to 1, 60-61, following two free
throws a piece from Zurek and senior forward Betsy Hochadel (Portland, Maine), but
the Huskies were again given room to breath when Myles spotted up for her fourth
three-pointer of the night for a 64-60 lead with 2:02 to go.
Bates again cut the lead to a single possession with under a minute to play
following an offensive rebound and a put-back from freshman guard Sarah Barton
(Portsmouth, N.H.) and one of two free throws from Zurek, but the Huskies
increased their defensive pressure to secure the win.
Frost claimed her third steal of the evening when she poked the ball away
from Hochadel and Cowing grabbed the loose ball while diving out of bounds and
called time out to give USM the possession with eight seconds to play and a 66-64
lead.
Forced to foul, Zurek collected her fifth foul of the game, and sent the
Huskies Sylvain to the line. Sylvain hit for one of two free throws and Bates'
Barton missed a desperation three as the buzzer sounded for the 67-64 final.
Myles led three Huskies in double-figure scoring as Cowing added 16 points on
7-for-11 shooting from the field and Marble posted her 10th double-double of the
season with 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Cowing added four assists and
four steals. Frost had a steady floor game for the Huskies notching eight assist
to compliment her six points and three steals.
Zurek led the Bobcats with a double-double of her own on 16 points and 16
rebounds, while Barton added 13 points and Coffin chipped in with 11.
Both teams had at least one half of play in which they struggled offensively.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting 41.4 percent ,despite its second half
woes, shooting 24-of-58 from the floor. Bates, who shot just 21.4 percent from
the field in the opening stanza, ended the game shooting 35 percent on a 21-for-60
effort.
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Friday, March 11, 2005
NCAA Division III Sectional Semifinals
Springfield Advances to Elite Eight With 62-56 Win Over Wesleyan
GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore guard LaToya Franklin (Latham, N.Y.) had 14
points and seven rebounds to lead the Springfield College Pride to a 62-56 victory
over the Wesleyan University Cardinals in an NCAA III Sectional semifinal game
played Friday evening at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on the campus of the University
of Southern Maine.
Springfield (25-5), which avenged a 74-53 Dec. 10 loss to Wesleyan, won for
the 12th straight time and will face the winner of Southern Maine and Bates
College. Wesleyan, making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, finishes
its season at 22-5.
With the score tied 42-42, Springfield senior Kacey Wunsch (Londonderry,
N.H.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 8:45 remaining to give the Pride the
lead (44-42) for good.
The two teams went back-and-forth over the next six minutes before junior
Erin Schwartz (Milford, Conn.) converted a layup at the 2:45 mark to give the
Pride a 56-50 advantage.
Wesleyan answered by scoring the next four points on buckets by junior Ashley
Mastrangelo (Marblehead, Mass.) and senior Nora Bowman (Guilford, Conn.) to pull
within two (56-54) with 1:39 left.
After Schwartz made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Pride a 3-point advantage,
Wesleyan junior Hannah Stubbs (Arlington, Va.) converted a jumper with 49 seconds
remaining to pull the Cardinals within one (57-56).
Springfield tallied the final five points of the contest. Franklin hit a
driving layup to make the score 59-56 with 35 seconds remaining. After the
Cardinals came up empty on their next possession, junior Courtney Parvin (Brackey,
Pa.) made a pair of free throws to ice the win.
The Pride led by as many as nine (19-11) in the opening half before Wesleyan
closed the frame strong to take a 25-24 lead into the break.
Springfield dominated the boards all evening, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds
and holding an overall rebounding advantage of 47-26. Wunsch collared a game-high
15 rebounds, while Schwartz pulled down 11.
Freshman guard Christine Cotter (Stoughton, Mass.) gave Springfield a lift
off the bench, netting three 3-pointers on her way to 11 points. Parvin
contributed 10 points and six offensive rebounds.
Mastrangelo netted a game-high 17 points in a losing effort. Stubbs finished
with 11 points, including the 1,000th of her career to become the first Wesleyan
player to go over the 1,000-point mark in her junior season.
Springfield advances to the sectional final for the first time in school
history and is one win away from the NCAA III Final Four to be played in Norfolk,
Va. March 18-19.
"We had an early-season tournament in Virginia," said Springfield head coach
Naomi Graves. "To know we're one win away from going back is an awesome feeling."
##################################################################################
Saturday, March 5, 2005
Huskies Survive Scare, Edge Ithaca 55-52
GORHAM, Maine - Junior co-captain Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little)
scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to lead the
University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 55-52 win over the Ithaca College
Bombers Saturday afternoon in the second round of the 2005 NCAA Division III
Women's Basketball tournament at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With their 26th consecutive win the Huskies improve to 28-2 and advance to
their third consecutive "Sweet Sixteen". The Huskies 26th consecutive win also
ties the school record for consecutive games won which was set last season. USM
will play Bates at a time and place to be determined on Friday, March 11. Ithaca
concludes its season with a mark of 21-8.
Myles was an outstanding 10-for-15 from the floor and came up big for the
Huskies in the final 1:30 of the game with a lay-up and a key defensive rebound,
to lead all scorers. Southern Maine junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield,
Maine/Woodland) added 18 points and shared game-high rebounding honors with Myles
corralling nine caroms as the only other Husky to score in double-figures, while
junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) added nine points.
Despite a rough shooting night, junior guard Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais)
had a game-high nine assists.
Senior guard Stephanie Cleary (Tappan, N.Y./Tappan Zee) led the Bombers with
18 points, on an 8-for-18 effort from the floor, and grabbed eight rebounds, while
sophomore guard Sue Kelly (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) chipped in with 13
points.
Despite jumping out to a 11-0 lead early in the game, the Huskies found
themselves trailing late in the game - after struggling from the floor and free
throw line through much of the second half - 52-51 with 1:31 on the clock
following a pair of free throws from Ithaca junior forward Jill Post (Oxford,
N.Y./Oxford).
But Myles, who was clutch both defensively and offensively for the Huskies,
making a game high five steals, delivered the Huskies the lead 53-52 with 1:20 to
play, powering through the Bombers' post defense for a layup, for her 24th points
of the night.
In their next two possessions the Bombers had the opportunity to reclaim the
lead but a steal and one of two free throws from USM sophomore guard Katie Sibley
(Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) and a huge defensive rebound by Myles on a
missed three-pointer from Kelly kept the Bombers at bay.
Following Sibley's free throw, Ithaca, trailing 54-52 carried the ball up the
court and called a time-out to set up for its final play with five seconds left in
the game. After the time-out both teams set themselves on the court and this time
the Huskies called a time-out to adjust their defense.
With USM freshman forward Lisa Welch (Newbury, Vt./Oxbow) defending the
inbounder and the Huskies smothering the Ithaca offense, Ithaca was forced to use
its final timeout as the five-second count was drawing to a close. In its third
attempt, Ithaca's Alex Ivansheck (Salem, Conn./Norwich) missed a cutting junior
forward Megan Micho (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) on a cross court pass for the
turnover.
Ithaca's Kelly fouled out to send USM's Myles to the free throw line with
four seconds on the clock and Myles who missed the first and sank the second put
the Huskies ahead by three, 55-52. The Bombers' Cleary heaved a desperation three
as the buzzer sounded but it found the side of the rim for the final.
The Huskies finished the game shooting just 37.9 percent from the field (22-
58), including just three of 20 three-pointers for a 15 percent mark. The Huskies
also struggled from the free throw line making eight of 15 attempts for a 53.3
percent effort.
Ithaca shot 38.5 percent from the floor for the game (20-52) and was 35.2
percent accurate from beyond the arc knocking down six threes on 17 attempts,
including a buzzer-beating half court heave from junior forward Molly Brennan
(Green Island, N.Y./Heatly) to cut the Huskies lead to
31-28 at the half.
##################################################################################
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Huskies Pull Away From Pesky Maine Maritime Squad, 83-67
GORHAM, Maine - Little East Conference Player of the Year Ashley Marble
(Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) racked up a double-double with a team-high 19 points
and a game-high 12 rebounds to lead the nationally-ranked University of Southern
Maine Huskies to a 83-67 win over the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners in the first
round of the 2005 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Wednesday
evening at the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With their 25th consecutive win, the Huskies improve to 27-2 and will host
Ithaca College in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball
Tournament on Saturday (March 5) at 2:00 p.m. Ithaca advanced to the second round
with a 64-46 win over Colby-Sawyer. The Mariners conclude their season with a
24-5 mark.
Marble, a 5-9 junior forward, poured in 14 of her 19 points in the second
half to lead five Southern Maine players in double-figures as the Huskies pulled
away from a pesky Maine Maritime squad. Sophomore point guard Katie Sibley
(Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) had 18 points, five rebounds and a game-high
five assists in gutsy performance for the Huskies, while junior guard Katie Frost
(Calais, Maine/Calais) scored 15 points, 13 in the second half, and added four
assists. Junior co-captains Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) and
Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) chipped in with 13 and 12 points
respectively.
Junior forward Julia Knights (Brookton, Maine/Woodland) led all scorers with
22 points on the heels of a perfect 12-for-12 night from the free throw line.
Sophomore guard Michelle Gott (Bernard, Maine/Mount Desert Island) added 21 points
and eight rebounds.
Opening the game on fire from the field, connecting on 61.5 percent of its
shots (8-for-15), Maine Maritime built a six-point lead, 19-13, midway through the
opening half as the Huskies struggled to find its offensive rhythm misfiring on 12
of its first 16 shots.
The Huskies rallied to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:17 to play and both teams
traded baskets and the lead over the next six minutes, before it looked as though
the Huskies would enter the break with a slim one-point lead, 30-29 on a pair of
free throws from Sibley with 27 second remaining in the half. But the Mariners'
Gott drilled her third three-pointer of the half from deep in the right corner to
put Maine Maritime ahead 34-32 as the buzzer sounded. Gott ended the half with 18
points, connecting on 7-of-13 shots including a 3-for-6 mark from beyond the arc.
In the second half the Mariners pushed their lead to seven outscoring the
Huskies 10-4 in the first three minutes of the second stanza. Sophomore forward
Alyssa Burns (Dixfield, Maine/Dirigo) notched three of her nine points while
Knights capped the opening run with her second three of the game.
The Huskies again rallied from a deficit to take another one-point lead with
15:37 play on a 8-0 mini-run on a lay-up from Cowing, an offensive rebound and a
put-back from Marble, a free throw from Sibley and conventional three-point play
from Myles who scored the hoop and earned the harm after a nifty pass from Frost.
Both teams again traded baskets and the lead over the next two minutes. The
Mariners grabbed their final lead of the game, 47-46, following a pair of free
throws from Knight with 13:54 on the clock, before the Huskies used a 12-3 run to
take control of the game.
Frost keyed the Huskies run knocking down back-to-back three pointers to put
Southern Maine ahead by five points, 52-47 - the second coming off of a textbook
dish and drive assist from Sibley before Sibley hit a pull up jumper to put the
Huskies ahead by seven, 54-47. The Mariners' cut the lead to four, 54-50,
following junior guard Amanda Johnson's (Dedham, Maine/Bangor) hit her only points
of the night on a three, but the Huskies responded pushing their lead to eight,
58-50, on back-to-back scores in the paint from Myles and Frost.
The Huskies would maintain a eight to six-point lead over the next five
minutes and seemed to have the game in hand with a 10-point edge, 68-58, before
the Mariners would again try to play the spoiler cutting the lead to five points,
68-63 with 5:30 on the clock as Gott hit for her only points of the half on a
long-range strike and Knights remained clutch from the charity stripe knocking
down both of her attempts.
However the Huskies wouldn't let the Mariners get any closer the rest of the
way as sophomore forward Shannon Kynoch (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington)
scored on a perfectly placed Frost assist on out-of-bounds play and Marble got the
three-point play on a lay-up and a free throw for a 73-63 Husky lead with just
over four minutes left in the half.
Southern Maine would hold its lead over the next two minutes before closing
the door on the Mariners in the final two minutes of action scoring six unanswered
points on three points a piece from Frost and Sibley for the 83-67 final.
The Huskies finished the game shooting 45.2 percent from the field (28-62)
and were just as effective from the free throw line shooting 82.1 percent from the
game on a 23-for-28 effort. The Mariners shot 40.8 percent from the floor for the
game (20-49) and were 45 percent from three point range (9-for-20), but were
hampered by 23 turnovers.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
(Courtesy of Little East Conference)
Little East Conference Women's Basketball Post-Season Awards Announced
Ashley Marble Named Player of the Year
Gary Fifield Named Coach of the Year
PROVIDENCE, RI - University of Southern Maine junior forward Ashley Marble
(Topsfield, Maine) earned Little East Conference Player of the Year honors, while
Western Connecticut State University freshman guard Ally Greenwood (East Hartford,
CT) was cited as the Rookie of the Year and University of Southern Maine Head
Coach Gary Fifield was recognized as the Coach of the Year to highlight the
league's annual list of award winners.
Appearing in 27 games this season, Marble ranked third in the conference in
points per game (13.4 ppg) and second in the LEC in rebounds per game (8.0 rpg),
field goal shooting percentage (49.5%), offensive rebounds per game (3.0 orpg) and
defensive rebounds per game (5.04 drpg). Her efforts helped the Huskies compile an
overall mark of 26-2 and capture the program's ninth consecutive, and 16th
overall, Little East Conference Tournament Championship.
With her ability to make her teammates around her better, Greenwood led her
team and finished second and fourth, respectively, in the conference in assists
per game and steals per game. Greenwood averaged 3.68 assists per game and 1.92
steals per contest to complement her 7.8 points per game which ranked third on the
team and 29th in the league.
Fifield earns his fourth consecutive Coach of the Year honor as he guided the
Huskies to yet another sweep of the regular-season and conference tournament
titles. Southern Maine currently has an overall record of 26-2 and is on a 24-game
winning streak. The Huskies' only two losses this season came by way of national
powers Bates and Bowdoin. Southern Maine is making its 11th straight appearance in
the NCAA Tournament, and 19th trip to the tournament in the last 20 years.
Marble also earned First Team All-Conference honors, where she was joined by
fellow Husky, junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, ME), Rhode Island College junior
guard Jamie Angell (Cranston, RI), Western Connecticut State University sophomore
forward Mallory Stevens (Seymour, CT) and the Eastern Connecticut State University
duo of senior guard Sarah McDonald (Weymouth, MA) and sophomore forward Sandy
Mosley (Goshen, CT).
Earning Second Team All-Conference recognition was UMass Dartmouth junior
guard Kerri Augenstein (East Greenwich, RI), Plymouth State University senior
forward Lauren Devereaux (Hope Valley, RI), Rhode Island College sophomore forward
Keri Geisler (Derry, NH) and the Keene State College sophomore duo of guard Bri
Barnes (Merrimack, NH) and forward Sarah Begnoche (Millville, MA).
2004-05 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Post-Season Awards
Player of the Year
Ashley Marble, Junior, Forward, University of Southern Maine
Rookie of the Year
Ally Greenwood, Freshman, Guard, Western Connecticut State University
Coach of the Year
Gary Fifield, University of Southern Maine
First Team All-Conference
Player Class Position Institution
Jamie Angell Junior Guard Rhode Island College
Ashley Marble Junior Forward University of Southern Maine
Sarah McDonald Senior Guard Eastern Connecticut State University
Sandy Mosley Sophomore Forward Eastern Connecticut State University
Megan Myles Junior Forward University of Southern Maine
Mallory Stevens Sophomore Forward Western Connecticut State University
Second Team All-Conference
Player Class Position Institution
Kerri Augenstein Junior Guard UMass Dartmouth
Bri Barnes Sophomore Guard Keene State College
Sarah Begnoche Sophomore Forward Keene State College
Lauren Devereaux Senior Forward Plymouth State University
Kari Geisler Sophomore Forward Rhode Island College
##################################################################################
Sunday, February 27, 2005
NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament Field Announced
USM to Host Maine Maritime in First Round of NCAA Tournament
GORHAM, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine Huskies, champions of
the Little East Conference, will host Maine Maritime Academy in a first round
game of the 2005 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship
Tournament to be played Wednesday (March 2) at the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium.
Pairings for the entire 50-team field were announced late Sunday night by
Cathie Schweitzer, Director of Athletics at Springfield College and chairperson
of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee, and Donnie Wagner,
Assistant Director of Championships and NCAA liaison to the selection committee.
Southern Maine, 26-2 overall, earned one of the 39 automatic qualifier
berths by winning its ninth consecutive Little East Conference championship,
beating Keene State College, 68-29, on Saturday. USM is one of seven schools
from the Northeast Region to earn an automatic berths by winning their conference
tournament. The Huskies are making their 11th straight appearance in the NCAA
tournament, and 19th trip to the big dance in the last 20 years.
Other schools in the Northeast Region to earn automatic berths were Salem
State College (21-6), champion of the Massachusetts State College Athletic
Conference; Emmanuel College (26-2), champion of the Great Northeast Atlantic
Conference; Springfield College (22-5), champion of the New England Women’s and
Men’s Athletic Conference; Bowdoin College (24-2), the New England Small College
Athletic Conference; Maine Maritime Academy (24-4), champion of the North
Atlantic Conference and Colby-Sawyer College (22-6), champion of the
Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Pool C selections from the Northeast Region included Bates College (24-2)
and Wesleyan University (20-4).
NCAA Division III Regional Tournaments
First Round Games, Wednesday, March 2
Salem State (21-6) at Emmanuel (26-2) tba
Colby-Sawyer (22-6) at Ithaca (20-7) tba
Maine Maritime (24-4) at Southern Maine (26-2) 7:00
Richard Stockton (18-9) at Springfield (22-5) tba
Chestnut Hill (19-9) at Wesleyan (Conn.) (20-4) tba
Second Round Games, Saturday, March 5
Salem State-Emmanuel Winner at Bates (24-2) tba
USM-Maine Maritime Winner vs. Colby-Sawyer-Ithaca Winner at tba tba
Richard Stockton-Springfield Winner at Mt. St. Mary’s (27-1) tba
Wesleyan-Chestnut Hill Winner at Staten Island (26-2) tba
Brockport State-Alvernia Winner at Bowdoin (24-2) tba
NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament
Who: University of Southern Maine vs. Maine Maritime Academy
When: Wednesday, March 2, 2005 (time tba)
Where: Warren G. Hill Gymnasium, Gorham, Maine
Team Info: Southern Maine 26-2 overall, 14-0 Little East Conference (1st place)
Little East tournament champion (ninth consecutive year)
Head Coach: Gary Fifield (Vermont '74, 18th season)
11th straight NCAA tournament appearance, 19th in the last 20 years since
moving from NAIA to NCAA in 1985.
All-time record in NCAA tournament play is 31-19.
Best finishes - 2nd place in 1998 and 2000; 4th place in 1988
Last year – Defeated Husson 73-47 in first round; Defeated Salem State
80-57 in second round; Lost to Bowdoin 55-59 in third round.
Scoring Leaders: - Ashley Marble, Junior, F, 13.4 ppg; Tiffany Jones, Junior,
F, 12.3 ppg; Megan Myles, Junior, F, 12.2 ppg; Kaite Frost, Junior, G, 9.0 ppg
Rebounding Leaders – Marble, 8.0 rpg; Myles, 5-4 rpg; Jones, 4.3 rpg; Shannon
Kynoch, Sophomore, F, 3.6 rpg
Assist Leaders – Frost, 3.57 apg; Katie Sibley, Sophomore, G, 2.11 apg; Myles,
1.89 apg.
Pool A - Automatic Qualifiers (39)
Conference Team
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Frostburg State
American Southwest Conference Howard Payne
Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference Chestnut Hill
Capital Athletic Conference Mary Washington
Centennial Conference McDaniel
City University of New York Athletic Conference Staten Island
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Millikin
Commonwealth Conference Messiah
Commonwealth Coast Conference Colby-Sawyer
Empire 8 Ithaca
Freedom Conference Scranton
Great Northeast Athletic Conference Emmanuel (Massachusetts)
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Franklin
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Simpson
Lake Michigan Conference Edgewood
Liberty League William Smith
Little East Conference Southern Maine
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Salem State
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Calvin
Midwest Conference Ripon
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference St. Benedict
New England Small College Athletic Conference Bowdoin
New England Women's and Men's Athletics Conference Springfield
New Jersey Athletic Conference Richard Stockton
North Atlantic Conference Maine Maritime
North Coast Athletic Conference Denison
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Rockford
Northwest Conference George Fox
Ohio Athletic Conference Baldwin-Wallace
Old Dominion Athletic Conference Randolph-Macon
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Alvernia
Skyline Conference Mount St. Mary (NY)
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Webster
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cal Lutheran
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Trinity (Texas)
State University of New York Athletic Conference Brockport State
University Athletic Association Washington U. (Mo.)
USA South Athletic Conference Greensboro
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wisconsin-Stout
Pool B Berths (4):
Chapman
Maryville (Tennessee)
Washington and Jefferson
Westminster (Pennsylvania)
Pool C Berths (7):
Albion
Bates
Buena Vista
DePauw
Dickinson
Oswego State
Wesleyan (Connecticut)
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LITTLE EAST CONFERNECE CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Huskies Defeat Keene State for Ninth Consecutive LEC Title, 68-29
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little)
scored a game-high 18 points and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player
after leading the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 68-29 win over the
Keene State College Owls in the championship game of the 2005 Little East
Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With the win, USM earns its ninth consecutive LEC tournament crown, and 16th
in the 19-year history of the conference, and an automatic berth into the 2005
NCAA Division III Tournament. The Huskies upped their season record to 26-2.
Playing in its first LEC title game since joining the conference in 1997, Keene
State concludes it season with a record of 17-11.
The Huskies overcame an eight-point first half deficit and ice-cold shooting
to start the game en route to their 24th consecutive victory. Trailing the Owls,
16-8, with nine minutes to play in the first half, the Huskies were able to find
their shooting touch and captured a 32-21 lead heading into the break outscoring
the Owls 25-4 over the final nine minutes. The Huskies tied the game at 16-16
rattling off eight unanswered points on two free throws from sophomore Katie
Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) and a pair of threes from Myles and
junior Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/ Calais HS) with 5:00 to play.
After trading places with a one-point lead over the next minute, the Huskies
took the lead for good, at 20-19, following two Myles free throws and then
outscored the Owls 12-2 to finish the half. Junior Ashley Marble (Topsfield,
Maine/Woodland) scored five points in the run.
Southern Maine quickly pushed its lead to 20 points, 43-23, in the opening
five minutes of the second half on a jumper from Myles, back-to-back lay-ups from
junior Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan), another jumper from Myles and
three free throws from Marble as the Huskies found their offensive rhythm.
The Huskies also flashed some defense, limiting the Owls to just eight points
on four field goals in the second half. The Owls, who finished the game shooting
an abysmal 22.2 percent from the floor (12-54), managed just two points in the
first 14 minutes of the second stanza on a short jumper from sophomore Caitlin
Jamiel (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East), and were 4-for-30 from the floor in the
second half.
The Huskies finished the game shooting 45.5 percent from the field connecting
on 20-of-44 shots and were tremendous from the free throw line knocking down 22-
of-26 attempts for an 84.6 percent mark. Marble was the only other Husky to reach
double figures netting 12 points to go along with her game-high eight rebounds,
while Jones finished with nine points and freshman Trish Sylvain (Weare, N.H./New
Hampton) added seven points off of the bench.
The Owls were led by seven points from junior forward Stacey Morse (Lebanon,
N.H./ Lebanon).
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LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Friday, February 25, 2005
USM Rolls Over Rhode Island College to LEC Championship Game 81-47
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland)
scored 17 of her game-high 21 points in the first half as the University of
Southern Maine Huskies rolled to a 81-47 win over the Rhode Island College
Anchorwomen in the semifinals of the Little East Conference tournament, Friday at
Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With the win, the top-seeded Huskies improve to 25-2 on the season and
advance to the championship game of the tournament and will face third-seeded
Keene State College Owls, Saturday, February 26 at 4 p.m. The Owls defeated
second-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors in the first semifinal
game of the day, 64-53. Rhode Island concludes its season with at 11-16.
Southern Maine, ranked fourth in the latest D3hoops.com poll, will look to
defend its streak of eight consecutive Little East Conference tournament
championships.
Marble, who led four Huskies in double-figures, shot an impressive 77 percent
from the field, knocking down seven of nine attempts from the floor, including two
threes. Marble also shared team-high rebounding honors grabbing seven rebounds in
18 minutes of action. Junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine
Academy) netted 15 points for Southern Maine while junior guard Katie Frost
(Calais, Maine/Calais) and junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward
Little) each added 11 points as the Huskies finished the game shooting 49.2
percent from the field. Freshman forward Lisa Welch (Newbury, Vt./Oxbow) chipped
in with nine points in a solid showing off of the bench.
Sophomore forward Brittany Rosen (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and junior
guard Kristy Nix (East Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) paced Rhode Island College
with 10 points each.
Ahead by six at 20-14 with 11:25 on the clock, Southern Maine outscored the
Anchorwomen 27-8 over the next 11 minutes of the first half to run away with the
game. Leading the way for the Huskies, Marble knocked down her first of two
three-balls in the game off of an assist from freshman guard Trish Sylvain (Weare,
N.H./New Hampton). Sophomore guard Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region)
and junior guard Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan) nailed back-to-back
lay-ups, before Marble hit the nets for her second three as Southern Maine rattled
off 10 unanswered points to take a 16-point lead, 30-14, with 7:23 to play.
With both teams trading points over the next two minutes, the Huskies
advantage remained at 16 (34-18) with five to play, before the Huskies rattled off
another run, this time 13-4, to take a commanding 47-22 lead into the break.
Southern Maine finished the half shooting an outstanding 60 percent from the field
on an 18-for-30 mark.
Although the Huskies shooting percentage cooled after the half time break,
the game was never in doubt as the Huskies led by as many as 36 points late in the
game.
Rhode Island finished the game shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor on a
16-for-48 night and were hampered by 23 turnovers.
##################################################################################
LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Friday, February 25, 2005
Keene State Upsets Eastern Connecticut in Little East Semifinals
GORHAM, Maine -- Sophomore Bri Barnes (Merrimack, N.H.) scored a game-high
22 points to lead the third-seeded Keene State College Owls to a 64-53 upset win
over the second-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors in the first
semifinal game of the 2005 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
being played Friday night at the University of Southern Maine's Warren G. Hill
Gymnasium
The win was the fifth straight for the Owls who will make their first
appearance in the LEC title Saturday afternoon against the winner of the second
semifinal game between top-seeded Southern Maine and Rhode Island College.
Eastern Connecticut finishes the season 17-10 overall.
Barnes connected on 8 of 11 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 three-
pointers, on the way to her 22 points. Junior Bekka Hopkins (Oxford, Mass.) added
18 points for the Owls, and junior Stacey Morse (Lebanon, N.H.) contributed 12
points.
Senior Jen Bergeron (Jericho, Vt.) led the Warriors offense with 13 points.
Senior Sarah McDonald (Weymouth, Mass.) and freshman Stephanie Smith (Penacook,
N.H.) each had 12 points.
Eastern Connecticut had just two brief leads in the first three minutes of
play before Barnes converted a basket and free throw for a three-point play to
give the Owls a 6-4 lead. McDonald responded for the Warriors to tie the game at
6-6, then Morse, Barnes and Morse again hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to
give the third-seeded Owls a nine-point edge.
The Owls' lead would fluctuate between 4 and 13 points over the final 13
minutes of the half before settling at 33-25 at halftime. Barnes was a perfect 5
for 5 from the floor, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc in the half.
Bergeron opened the second half with a hoop for the Warriors, but the second-
seeded team was unable to build any offensive momentum against the Owls swarming
defense. Keene State went on an 8-2 run as Hopkins converted an old-fashion
three-point play before Barnes hit her fourth three-pointer of the game and
another basket over the next five minutes to give the Owls a 41-29 lead.
Bergeron ignited a 11-5 run for the Warriors with back-to-back baskets to
help close the gap to four (46-42) with 8:37 to go. A pair of free throws by KSC
sophomore Sarah Begnoche (Millville, Mass.) and a bucket by Smith made it 48-44.
Barnes hit a jumper followed by two baskets by Morse increased the margin back up
to 10 (54-44) with 4:56 to play.
Eastern Connecticut would get no closer than six points the rest of the way,
the last time at 59-53 with 33 seconds to play. The Owls would bury 5 of 6 free
throws in the final second to account for the 64-53 final score.
Keene State finished the game shooting 39.6 percent (21 of 53) from the
floor, but hit 8 of 15 three-pointers. Eastern Connecticut was held to just 34.4
percent shooting (21 of 61) for the game.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Southern Maine Runs Past UMass Boston 90-54
GORHAM, Maine - Junior guard Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan)
scored a game-high 20 points and junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward
Little) added 16 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a
90-54 win over the UMass Boston Corsairs in a Little East Conference quarterfinal
game Tuesday night at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
The Huskies, the top-seed in the tournament, improve to 24-2 on the season
earning their 22nd consecutive win. UMass Boston, the eighth-seed in the tourney,
concludes its season with a 6-20 overall mark.
With the win, the Huskies will host the semifinals and championship game of
the 2005 LEC Conference tournament Friday and Saturday (February 25-26). USM will
play fourth-seed Rhode Island College at 8:00 p.m. on Friday while second-seed
Eastern Connecticut will play third-seed Keene State at 6:00 p.m.
Junior guards Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) and Donna Cowing (Weeks
Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) netted seven points a piece while junior forward
Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) added seven points and a game-high 13
rebounds to lead the Huskies to a decisive 58-31 advantage on the glass.
Sophomore guard Kristen Reske (Duxbury, Mass./Sacred Heart) was the lone
Beacon player to reach double-figures tallying 13 points on a 5-for-9 effort from
the floor, including a 3-for-5 mark from three-point range. Sophomore forward
Erin Towne (East Taunton, Mass./Taunton) added nine points and six rebounds for
UMass Boston.
On the heels of red-hot shooting, the Huskies opened the game scoring the
first 11 points and never looked back en route to the win. Myles and Jones each
scored five points apiece in the opening run to set the tone early for the
Huskies. Southern Maine finished the half connecting on 18 of its 33 attempts for
a 54.5 percent mark from the field to run out to a commanding 52-27 advantage at
the half.
Southern Maine, which shot 45.3 percent for the game (29-of-64), continued to
shoot well in the second half and quickly inflated its lead to 36 points, 66-30,
in the first five minutes of the second stanza with a 14-2 run, including eight
points from Jones, and led by as many as 42 points late in the game.
In other games in the LEC tournament, Rhode Island College advanced to the
semifinals with a 75-63 win over fifth-seed UMass-Dartmouth, while Keene State
dropped sixth-seed Plymouth State 68-57. Eastern Connecticut advanced with a
71-52 win over seventh-seed Western Connecticut.
##################################################################################
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Southern Maine Defeats UMass Dartmouth 76-54
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Junior guards Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) and
Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS) each scored 13 points to lead the University
of Southern Maine Huskies to a 76-54 win over the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs in
their regular season Little East Conference finale.
With the win, the Huskies move to 23-2 and finish their LEC regular season
schedule with a perfect 14-0 mark, while the Corsairs drop to 13-12 overall and
5-9 in the conference. It is the second straight year that the Huskies have
finished their regular season schedule undefeated in the conference and the sixth
time in the 19-year history of the LEC.
Sophomore guard Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region), junior
forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) and freshman forward Lisa Welch
(Newbury, Vt./Oxbow Union) each added eight points for the Huskies who finished
the game shooting 43.1 percent from the field (25-of-58). Marble also grabbed a
game-high nine rebounds for Southern Maine. Sophomore forward Shannon Kynoch
(South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington) chipped in with seven points. Jones also
had four assists, four steals and four rebounds for the Huskies.
The Corsairs' junior guard Kerri Augenstein (East Greenwich, R.I./Bayview)
led all scorers with 17 points on a 7-for-18 effort from the field, while
sophomore guard Laura Goggin (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) finished with 12 points
and a team-high seven rebounds.
After trailing by a point early in the game, Southern Maine put together a
punishing 22-0 run to take a commanding 26-5 lead midway through the opening half.
Jones keyed the offensive outburst for the Huskies knocking down one of her two
first half three-pointers off of an assist from Sibley. Frost netted seven of her
nine first half points in the run on two layups and a three-ball.
The Huskies finished the first half ahead by 14 points, 40-26, behind 46.4
percent shooting from the floor, including a 41.7 percent clip from beyond the
three-point line connecting on five of 12 attempts from long range.
In the second half, the Corsairs cut the Huskies lead to 10 points, 46-36,
following a driving layup from senior guard Casey Ridge (Quincy, Mass./North
Quincy) with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, but Southern Maine answered right
back pushing their lead to 23 points, 61-38, over the next five minutes of play on
a 13-2 spurt.
Kynoch started the run book-ending two free throws from Frost with a layup
and a three-pointer with just under 14 minutes to go. After allowing a layup from
Goggin a minute later, Southern Maine then held the Corsairs scoreless for the
next four minutes while closing out their run with eight unanswered points,
including back-to-back layups from Jones, to put the game out of reach.
Southern Maine returns to action at home, Tuesday, February 22 at 7 p.m. in
the first round of the Little East Conference Tournament. The Huskies, the top-
seed and regular season LEC Champion, will host eighth-seed UMass Boston. UMass
Dartmouth will also play at 7 p.m. at a site and time to be determined.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Huskies Win 20th Straight Game, Beat Plymouth State 82-53
GORHAM, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine Huskies outscored the
Plymouth State University Panthers, 47-27, in the second half en route to an 82-53
victory Tuesday night in a Little East Conference game at the Warren G. Hill
Gymnasium.
The win was the 20th straight for the nationally-ranked Huskies, and their
41st consecutive triumph (including playoffs) against a Little East Conference
opponent. Southern Maine is now 22-2 on the season and 13-0 in the conference.
Plymouth State dropped its second straight game to fall to 9-14 overall and 5-8 in
the conference.
Leading 35-26 at halftime, the Huskies, playing their third game in four
days, opened the second half with a 21-12 run to double their halftime lead
(56-38) with 13:00 to play. Juniors Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/ Edward Little HS)
and Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland HS) paced the surge with seven and
six points respectively.
A pair of layups by sophomore Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine) pushed the lead
to 22 before freshman Joy DePalo (Enfield, N.H.) knocked down a three-pointer for
the Panthers to bring the lead back inside 20 points. USM's lead never went below
20 after junior Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS) hit a three-pointer two
possessions later.
The Panthers opened the game looking like they might catch the Huskies flat-
footed after two weekend wins against Rhode Island College and Eastern
Connecticut. PSU opened a seven-point lead (11-4) in the first four minutes as
four different players scored, led by sophomore Heather Thomas (Merrimack, N.H.)
who tossed in four points.
A 9-2 run by USM produced the first of two ties (13-13) before the Huskies
would take the lead for good on a basket and foul shot by sophomore Shannon Kynoch
(South Burlington, Vt.). USM outscored the Panthers 8-2 over the final three
minutes to take a nine-point lead at the break.
Myles led the Huskies' balanced offense with a game-high 15 points
highlighted by 6 of 8 shooting from the floor. She also grabbed a team-high seven
rebounds, dished out four assists, made four steals and blocked three shots.
Junior Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) was the only other USM player to
reach double figures finishing with 12 points. Six other players contributed
between 6 and 8 points.
DePalo was the lone PSU player to reach double figures finishing with 11
points. Thomas had eight points and shared game-high rebounding honors with Myles
by grabbing seven boards.
Plymouth State was held to 30.3 percent shooting (20 for 66) for the game,
including an ice-cold 25 percent (9 for 36) in the second half. In contrast,
Southern Maine would shoot 46 percent (29 for 63) for the game and 54.3 percent
(18 for 33) in the second half. PSU hurt its chances by committing 27 turnovers.
Southern Maine closes out the regular season Saturday with a trip to the
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Plymouth State will visit Western
Connecticut State University on Saturday in its regular season finale.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Meg Myles Named Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week
##################################################################################
Sunday, February 13, 2003
Huskies Clinch LEC Regular Season Crown, Down Eastern Conn. 87-62
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/
Woodland HS) scored a game-high 22 points to pace four players in double figures
as the University of Southern Maine Huskies women’s basketball team clinched the
Little East Conference regular season championship with a resounding 87-62
victory over the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors at Geissler
Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The win was the 19th straight for the nationally ranked Huskies, improving
their records to 21-2 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the conference. Southern
Maine has won its last 34 regular season games against LEC competition, and last
40 games against LEC foes when playoffs are included. USM has now shared or won
outright the LEC regular season crown 17 times in the 19-year history of the
conference which began in 1986-87.
Eastern Connecticut, which had won its last three games and six of the last
seven, dips to 15-8 overall and 9-3 in the conference.
The Huskies led from the outset, scoring the game’s first six points. The
Warriors stayed in contact through much of the half, closing within two points
on four occasions, the last at 30-28 with 2:31 to play in the half. USM,
sparked by seven straight points by junior forward Meg Myles (Auburn, Maine/
Edward Little HS), scored the last nine points of the half to take a 39-28 lead
to the locker room.
Any thoughts of a Warrior comeback in the second half were quickly
dispatched as USM went on a 16-2 run to open up a 25-point lead (55-30) less
than four minutes into the half. Eastern never got closer than 22 the rest of
the way. Sophomore Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine) had seven points and Marble
contributed six in the outburst.
Marble connected on 7 of 10 shots from the field and 8 of 9 at the foul
line for her 22 points. She also grabbed a game-high nine boards. Junior
Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) followed with 19 points while Sibley finished
with 15 points on the strength of her 6 of 8 shooting from the field, and Myles
ended up with 14.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting 51.6 percent (32 of 62) from the
floor, including a torrid 65.4 percent (17 of 26) in the second half. The
Huskies enjoyed a 42-31 advantage on the boards.
Junior Lindsey Karsmarski (Meriden, Conn.), who kept the Warriors close in
the first half with three three-point field goals, led the hosts with 12 points.
Sophomore Michelle Bruneau (Cheshire, Conn.) came off the bench to contribute 10
points.
Eastern Connecticut finished the game shooting 36.1 percent (22 for 61)
from the field. The Warriors’ comeback bid was hampered by a cold-shooting
second half when ECSU connected on just 11 of 36 field goal attempts (30.6%).
Southern Maine closes out the regular season this week with a home game
Tuesday against Plymouth State University and a road game Saturday at the
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Eastern Connecticut has a game at Keene
State College on Tuesday before closing the regular season at home on Saturday.
The Little East Conference championship tournament will begin on February
22 at on-campus sites of the top four seeds. The semifinals and finals will be
hosted at the highest seeded team remaining February 25-26. The winner of the
tournament receives an automatic berth into the 2005 NCAA Division III Women’s
Basketball Championship tournament.
##################################################################################
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Southern Maine Blasts Rhode Island College 90-51
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little)
scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, passed off four assists and
made three steals to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 90-51 win
over the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen in a Little East Conference women's
basketball game Saturday at the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With the win the Huskies move to 20-2 overall and remain perfect in the LEC
at 11-0 while Rhode Island drops to 9-14 overall and 4-8 in the conference. With
their 20th win this season, the Huskies have now had 25 consecutive seasons with
at least 20 wins dating back to the 1980-81 season.
Over the past two decades the Huskies have amassed a record of 606-122
(.832), including a 446-76 (.854) mark under 19-year veteran head coach Gary
Fifield. The first six seasons of the streak were under legendary head coach and
athletic director Richard "Doc" Costello.
Myles was the lone Husky to score in double-figures as Southern Maine used a
well-balanced offensive attack with 13 of its 15 players who entered the game
contributing points. Freshman guard Dawn Ross (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester)
scored nine points, all in the second half, as the Huskies shot a staggering 69.7
percent from the field in the second stanza, connecting on 23-of-33 shots.
Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland), sophomore guard
Lindsey Welch (Newport, Maine/Nokomis) and sophomore forward Shannon Kynoch (South
Burlington, Vermont) each chipped in with eight points a piece while Marble added
a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Huskies to a decisive 38-25 advantage on the
boards.
Sophomore forward Kari Geisler (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) led the
Anchorwomen with 13 points while freshman forward Josalee Danieli (New Gloucester,
Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) and sophomore forward Brittany Rosen (Derry,
N.H./Pinkerton Academy) netted 10 points a piece for Rhode Island College. The
Anchorwomen finished the game with a 38.8 field goal shooting percentage but were
hampered by 35 turnovers, including 20 in the first half.
The Huskies took a 17-point lead, 37-20, outscoring Rhode Island 13-6 in the
final six minutes of the opening half and never looked back in the second half to
earn the win. Welch and sophomore guard Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay
Region) each scored five points a piece in the run.
In the second half, the Huskies quickly inflated their lead to 27 as the
Huskies rattled off 18 points - nine from Myles on two lay-ups, a short jumper and
a three-pointer - to just eight Rhode Island College points in the first five
minutes of action.
Southern Maine returns to action, Sunday, February 13 at conference rival
Eastern Connecticut State at 1 p.m. in a rescheduled contest from January 22.
Rhode Island College returns to action, Tuesday, February 15 at home versus
Western Connecticut State at 5:30 p.m.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Huskies Double Up on UMass Boston, 86-43
BOSTON -- The University of Southern Maine Huskies women’s basketball
team moved within one victory of its 25th consecutive 20-win season Tuesday
night by defeating the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons, 86-43, in a
Little East Conference contest at the Clark Athletic Center in Boston.
The win was the 17th straight for the nationally-ranked Huskies who
improved to 19-2 overall and 10-0 in the conference. UMass Boston dropped its
ninth straight game to fall to 4-17 overall and 1-10 in the conference.
The host Beacons jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes as the
Huskies missed two shots and turned the ball over three times in their first
five possessions. Junior Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little HS) broke the
ice with a three-point shot to ignite a 10-0 outburst over the next two minutes
giving USM the lead for good. Southern Maine made good use of the three-point
shot in the game burying nine of 16 attempts from beyond the arc.
An 11-0 run midway through the half ballooned the Huskies’ three-point
advantage (16-13) into a 14-point margin (27-13) with 8:31 to play in the half.
Freshman Trish Sylvain (Weare, N.H./ New Hampton) sparked the run with six
points. Southern Maine would go the locker room at the break leading 41-25.
Junior Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS) opened the second half hitting
a pair of three-point shots for the Huskies, and junior Ashley Marble
(Topsfield, Maine/Woodland HS) converted a steal into a layup to expand the
Huskies’ edge to 24 points (49-25). UMass Boston would get back within 19
(50-31) on a layup and free throw by junior Lydia Coverdale (Malden, Mass.) with
16:31 remaining, but the Huskies put the game out of reach by scoring the next
11 points.
Junior Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) led a balanced USM attack with 13
points and shared game-high rebounding honors by grabbing eight boards. Frost,
who connected on 3 of 5 three-point tries, finished with 12 points to be the
only other USM player in double figures.
Fourteen of the 16 players dressed for Southern Maine contributed points
during the game. The Huskies shot 48.3 percent (29 for 60) from the floor and
enjoyed a 60-28 advantage on the boards.
Coverdale led the Beacons with 12 points, shared game-high rebounding
honors with Jones and passed out a game-high eight assists. Sophomore Kristen
Reske (Duxbury, Mass.) finished with 10 points. The Beacons shot an ice-cold
25.4 percent (16 for 63) from the field in the game.
Southern Maine returns home on Saturday to host Rhode Island College in a
Little East game. The Huskies will travel to Eastern Connecticut State
University on Sunday to make up the game postponed from January 22. UMass
Boston will seek to break its losing skid on Thursday when its host Framingham
State College in a non-conference game.
##################################################################################
Saturday, February 5, 2005
Southern Maine Fends Off Keene State 56-47
KEENE, N.H. - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) scored
a team-high 18 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as the University of
Southern Maine Huskies overcame a tough shooting afternoon and a one-point
halftime deficit to defeat the Keene State College Owls 56-47 in a Little East
Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Spaulding Gymnasium in
Keene, N.H.
The Huskies, winners of 16 straight, shot 80 percent from the free throw
line, connecting on 20 of 25 attempts to improve to 18-2 overall and remain
perfect at 9-0 in the Little East. Keene State falls to 12-9 and 6-4 in
conference action with the loss.
Marble scored the better part of her points from the charity stripe sinking
13 of 16 free throws as Keene State and Southern Maine combined to commit 33
fouls. Sophomore guard Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) netted 12
points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn,
Maine/Edward Little) added 11 points for the Huskies. Junior forward Tiffany
Jones (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan) chipped in with seven points, five rebounds and
a team-high three assists.
Keene State junior guard Bekka Hopkins (Oxford, Mass./Oxford) knocked down
four three-pointers to pace the Owls with 18 points while Sarah Begnoche
(Millville, Mass./Blackstone-Millville) was the only other Owl to reach double-
figures in scoring with 11 points. She also had seven rebounds, two assists and
two steals.
Neither team shot well in the game as the Huskies struggled from the floor in
the opening half, making just six field goals on 20 attempts for a sub-par 30
percent accuracy rate. Keene State fared slightly better shooting 37 percent from
the floor on 10-of-27 shooting. The Huskies were able to stay in the game in the
first half from the free throw line as they tallied 12 of their 27 first half
points from the charity stripe. Marble again led the Huskies scoring 11 of her 18
points in the first half, including a 6-for-6 effort from the line.
The second half was much of the same as both teams again struggled to find
their range from the floor; however, in the second stanza the Huskies held a
slight advantage in shooting connecting on nine field goals out of 26 attempts
(34.6%) to the Owls 6-for-20 effort (30 %).
Still neither team was able to establish a significant lead until the Huskies
strung together a 12-0 run that spanned nearly eight minutes of the game to take a
10 point, 46-36, lead with eight-and-a-half minutes to play. Five different
players scored for the Huskies in the decisive run, keyed by a Myles three-ball
off of a feed from Jones with 16:27 on the clock to put Southern Maine ahead by
one, 37-36. Jones then knocked down her lone three-pointer of the afternoon and
was followed by a pair of Marble free-throws for a six-point Husky lead - the
largest lead of the game for either team - with 12:48 to play. Sibley then
connected with a driving lay-up for two of her 11 points before sophomore forward
Shannon Kynoch (South Burlington, Vermont/South Burlington) laid in her second
basket of the game to give Southern Maine a 46-36 lead.
The Owls would cut the lead to six points, 48-42, with five minutes to play
in the game on a Begnoche jumper, but Husky junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks
Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) pushed the lead right back to nine, 51-42, drilling
a baseline three-pointer for her lone field goal of the contest. Sibley and
Marble then scored the next four points to put the game out of reach for the Owls.
Southern Maine returns to action Tuesday, February 8 on the road at UMass
Boston for a Little East match-up at 5:30 p.m. Keene State will play again
Tuesday, February 8 at Plymouth State.
##################################################################################
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Southern Maine Downs St. Joseph's, 79-45
GORHAM, Maine -- Juniors Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS) and Megan
Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little HS) each scored a team-high 14 points as the
nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies downed the St. Joseph's
College Monks 79-45 in a non-conference game Wednesday night at the Warren G. Hill
Gymnasium.
The win was the 15th straight for the Huskies who were ranked third in the
nation in this week's in the D3hoops.com poll and 12th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA
poll. Southern Maine is now 17-2 on the season. St. Joseph's dropped its fourth
straight game to fall below the .500 mark at 9-10. USM's win was its 10th
straight against its in-state rival.
The Huskies never trailed in the game jumping out to a 21-5 lead in the first
eight minutes of play. Myles had five points in the opening salvo that saw six
different players score for the Huskies.
A 9-0 run by the Monks over the next three minutes pulled the visitors back
within seven at 21-14. Senior Val Dumais (Lewiston, Maine) opened the run with a
basket, followed by hoops from sophomore Carrie Coffin (Berwick, Maine/Noble HS)
and freshman Marie Lint (Orono, Maine). Dumais finished the stretch with a three-
pointer.
After a four-minute stretch where neither team scored, Southern Maine
responded to the Monks surge with a 16-4 outburst over the final five minutes to
take a 37-18 lead to the locker room. Myles netted six and Frost added five
points during the final five minutes.
A 16-3 run midway through the second half turned a 17-point USM advantage
into a 30-lead margin with 10:38 to play. The Huskies hit three shots from behind
the arc during this stretch.
Frost made 5 of 8 shots from the floor, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc
for her 14 points. Myles was 6 of 10 from the floor. The pair led the sharp-
shooting Huskies to a 49.2 percent (31 of 63) shooting night. Thirteen of the 16
players that played contributed points.
For the Monks, Dumais was the only player to reach double figures. She
finished with 14 points to share game-high scoring honors with Frost and Myles.
The Monks were hurt by cold shooting (34.8%, 16 of 46) from the floor and they
committed 31 turnovers.
Southern Maine travels to Keene State College on Saturday for a Little East
Conference game. St. Joseph's travels to Connecticut on Sunday to play Mitchell
College.
##################################################################################
Monday, January 31, 2005
USM's Ashley Marble Named LEC Player of the Week
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) of
the University of Southern Maine Huskies women's basketball team has been named
the Little East Conference Player of the Week for the period of January 24-January
30, 2005. The announcement was made Monday afternoon.
This is the second time this season that Marble has earned the accolade,
earning the first Player of the Week honor for the 2004-2005 season back in
November. The honor also marks the third time in her career that Marble has been
honored by the Little East as she won Co-Rookie of the Week honors last season.
Marble averaged 19 points and nine rebounds in two Little East Conference
wins for Southern Maine. In the Huskies' 85-62 win over Plymouth State College,
Marble scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to record her eighth
'double-double' of the season to go along with her three assists and three steals.
Against Western Connecticut State, the 5-9 forward paced the Huskies in scoring
tallying 13 points and grabbing four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action to lead
Southern Maine to an 81-44 win.
Marble finished the week shooting 68.4 percent from the field on 13-for-19
shooting, including a stellar 8-for-10 mark against Plymouth State. Marble leads
the Little East in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game, is second in
rebounding at 8.4 rebounds per game and is third in field goal percentage shooting
48.3 percent (71-147) from the field.
Southern Maine returns to the hardwood Wednesday, February 2 in a non-
conference match-up with St. Joseph's College at home in the Warren G. Hill
Gymnasium.
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Saturday, January 29, 2005
Southern Maine Whips Western Connecticut 81-44
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland)
scored a team-high 13 points and junior forward Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan,
Maine/Skowhegan) added 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals to
lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to an 81-44 triumph over the Western
Connecticut State University Colonials in a Little East Conference women's
basketball tilt, Saturday at the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
With the win, nationally-ranked Southern Maine improves its record to 16-2
overall and remains undefeated in the Little East with a 8-0 mark. Western
Connecticut evens out to 9-9 overall and drops to 3-5 in conference action.
After a sluggish start, the Huskies blew open the game in the final 10
minutes of the first half and never looked back en route to their 14th consecutive
win. Ahead by seven at 17-10 midway through the half, the Huskies limited the
Colonials to just six points to close out the opening stanza while tallying 23
points of their own to take a commanding 42-16 lead into the break. Marble keyed
the 23-6 run scoring eight of her 13 points, on three straight lay-ups and two
free throws.
The Colonials, who shot an abysmal 22.6 percent from the field on 7-for-31
shooting, were unable to recover in the second half despite shooting a much-
improved 11-for-26 on 42.3 percent from the floor. Western Connecticut freshman
forward Lucy Sprung (Wilmington, Vt./Wilmington) led the Colonials with 12 points
and seven rebounds while freshman guard Jessica Minotti (Shelton, Conn./Shelton)
chipped in with 10 points.
The Huskies finished the game shooting 45.8 percent from the floor,
connecting on 27-of-59 attempts as seven players scored at least seven points for
Southern Maine. Sophomore guard Lindsey Welch (Nokomis, Maine/Nokomis Regional)
and junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) each scored
nine points for the Huskies, while junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn,
Maine/Edward Little) added eight and freshmen guards Amanda Bryant (Lewiston,
Maine/Lewiston) and Trish Sylvain (Weare, N.H./New Hampton) chipped in with seven
points each.
Southern Maine returns to the hardwood Wednesday, February 2 in a non-
conference match-up with St. Joseph's (ME) College at home. Western Connecticut
plays again Tuesday, February 1 at home versus Trinity.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Marble Leads Huskies Past Plymouth State, 85-62
PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/
Woodland HS) posted her eighth "double-double" of the season to lead the
nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies to an 85-62 victory over
the Plymouth State University Panthers in a Little East Conference game at the
John C. Foley Gymnasium in Plymouth, N.H., Tuesday night
The win was the 13th straight for the Huskies who improved the 15-2 overall
and 7-0 in the conference. Plymouth State slipped to 6-10 overall and 4-4 in
the conference.
Marble connected on 8 of 10 shots from the floor and 9 of 13 from the foul
line to take game-high scoring honors with a season-high 25 points. The 5-foot-
9 forward also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, passed out three assists and
made three steals.
The Huskies took the lead for good in the opening minutes when Marble
converted two free throws to give the visitors a 6-5 lead. Marble scored eight
of the Huskies’ first 10 points in the game.
A series of mini runs throughout the rest of the half would result in the
Huskies increasing their lead to 6-8 points before the Panthers responded to get
back within 2-4 points. PSU was within two (20-18) after a basket by freshman
Joy DePalo (Enfield, N.H.) with 8:54 to go in the half.
Southern Maine responded with a 6-0 run over the next 90 seconds to go up
by eight (26-18). The Panthers used a 6-0 run of their own to close back within
two (31-29) on a layup by sophomore Ashley White (Merrimack, N.H.) with 3:19 to
go, but USM closed the half with a 7-1 run to take a 38-30 advantage to the
locker room.
Leading by nine (52-43) six minutes into the second half, the Huskies
fashioned a 9-0 run to push the lead to 18 with 9:48 to play. Junior Tiffany
Jones (Skowhegan, Maine) ignited the run with a three-point basket, followed a
basket from sophomore Shannon Kynoch (South Burlington, Vt.), two free throws
from junior Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) and a basket by
junior Meg Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little HS).
Plymouth State twice closed to within 16 points, the last time at 74-58
with 4:34 to go on a basket by DePalo. Four straight points by Myles gave the
Huskies a 20-point cushion with 3:53 to play and put the issue out of doubt.
Myles finished the night with 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including 2 of
3 from beyond the three-point arc. Junior Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS)
added 13 points and five assists.
Senior Betsy Oswalt (Jaffrey, N.H.) came off the bench to tally a team-high
13 points for the Panthers. DePalo had 11 points and senior Lauren Devereaux
(Hope Valley, R.I.) contributed 10 points.
Southern Maine shot 49.1 percent (28 of 57) from the floor, including 52
percent (13 of 25) in the second half, and connected on 7 of 17 trifectas. The
Huskies also converted 22 of 29 free throws. Plymouth State was held to 34.5
percent shooting (20 of 58) for the game, including a chilly 31 percent (9 of
29) in the second half. Southern Maine held a 46-26 advantage on the boards.
The Huskies return to the friendly confines of the Warren Hill Gymnasium on
Saturday afternoon to host conference rival Western Connecticut State
University. Plymouth State will host Johnson and Wales University in a non-
conference game Thursday evening.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Southern Maine-Eastern Connecticut Basketball Rescheduled for Feb. 13
GORHAM, Maine -- The men's and women's basketball doubleheader between the
University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Eastern Connecticut State University
Warriors, originally scheduled for Saturday, January 22, has been rescheduled for
Sunday, February 13, at Willimantic, Conn.
The women's game will start at 1:00 p.m. followed by the men's game at 3:00
p.m.
##################################################################################
Friday, January 21, 2005
Southern Maine-Eastern Connecticut Basketball Games Postponed
GORHAM, Maine -- Tomorrow's (Saturday, January 22) scheduled men's and
women's basketball doubleheader between the University of Southern Maine Huskies
and the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors has been postponed due to
the tragic death of ECSU men's basketball player Antwoine Key Thursday night
during a game at Worcester State College.
No make-up date has been announced.
##################################################################################
Saturday, January 18, 2005
Huskies Trounce UMass Boston 93-55
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland)
scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead four players in
double-figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies cruised to a 93-55 win
over the UMass Boston Beacons in a Little East Conference women's basketball game,
Tuesday in Gorham.
With the win Southern Maine improves to 14-2 overall and remains undefeated
in the conference at 6-0 with its 12th consecutive victory. UMass Boston falls to
4-10 overall and 1-5 in the Little East. Southern Maine now holds a 45-0 lead in
the series history between the two schools.
Marble, the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association Co- Player of the
Week, was 6-for-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe. Sophomore
guard Lindsey Welch (Newport, Maine/Nokomis) added a career-best 16 points on 4-
for-7 shooting from three-point range, while junior guards Donna Cowing (Weeks
Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) and Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais) each netted
15 points each for the Huskies. Frost also added a team-best five assists, while
the 5-6 Cowing completed the double-double with a career-best and game-high 12
rebounds.
Elmina Darville (Randolph, Mass./Randolph) was the lone UMass-Boston player
in double-figures tallying 15 points all on three pointers. Darville finished the
game 5-of-8 from three-point territory. Denise Ridge (Milton, Mass./Milton) added
eight points for the Beacons.
The Huskies controlled the game from the start scoring the games first 14
points running out to a convincing 41-28 lead at the half. Frost scored nine of
her 15 points in the half, connecting on two of her four three pointers in the
opening five minutes of the game. Although out-shot by the Beacons 40.7 percent
to 37.1 percent to open the game, the Huskies were solid from the free throw line
converting 11 of 15 attempts en route to the commanding halftime lead.
In the second stanza, the Huskies found their shooting touch, scoring 52
points in the half on an outstanding 63 percent accuracy rate from the floor on
17-for -27 shooting. The Huskies were just as accurate from three-point range in
the half knocking down 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from long range. Welch paced the
Huskies in the second half, scoring 10 of her 16 points on two threes and a
perfect 4-for-4 mark from the free throw line. The Huskies finished the game
shooting 48.4 percent (30-62) from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range
(9-18) and 80 percent from the charity stripe (24-30).
Southern Maine returns to action Saturday, January 21 at 1 p.m. on the road
against Eastern Connecticut. The Huskies defeated Eastern Connecticut 75-69 early
in the season at home. UMass Boston plays again Friday, January 20 against
Bridgewater State at home for a 5:30 p.m. game.
##################################################################################
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Southern Maine Blasts UMass Dartmouth 86-56
GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland)
recorded her seventh double-double of the season scoring 16 points and grabbing 10
rebounds - both game-highs - to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a
86-56 win over the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs, Saturday in Gorham.
The nationally-ranked Huskies shot a solid 43.1 percent from the field,
connecting on 25-of-58 attempts from the floor en route to their 11th consecutive
win, to improve their record to 13-2 overall and 5-0 in the Little East
Conference. With the loss, UMass-Dartmouth falls to 8-6 overall and 1-4 in
conference play.
Junior guard Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) netted 15 points and passed
off a game-high five assists, connecting on 5-of-6 attempts from three-point
range, tying her career-high for three-pointers in a game, while Megan Myles
(Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) and Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine
Academy) added 14 and 11 points respectively. Freshman guard Trish Sylvain
(Weare, N.H./New Hampton) chipped in with a season-high nine points and three
assists in a solid performance off of the bench.
After taking a 5-3 lead on the first of Frost's five three-pointers with
17:37 remaining, the Huskies took control of the game, outscoring UMass-Dartmouth
21-4 over the next 10 minutes of play. Southern Maine led by 23 points at the
break as the Huskies held the Corsairs to just seven first half field goals on 7-
for-26 shooting from the field (26.9%). Southern Maine also forced the Corsairs
into 13 turnovers in the first half and 22 for the game.
Junior guard Kerri Augenstein (East Greenwich, R.I./Bayview) and freshman
guard Ashley Chard (Burlington, Conn./St. Paul) paced UMass Dartmouth scoring 12
points each. Sophomore guard Laura Goggin (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) added eight
points and five rebounds.
Southern Maine finished the game with a 47-33 advantage on the boards,
including 16 offensive rebounds and passed off a season-high 18 assists.
Southern Maine returns to action Tuesday, January 18, at home versus Little
East opponent UMass Boston at 5:30 p.m. UMass Dartmouth also returns to action
Tuesday on the road at Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m.
##################################################################################
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Huskies Sink Vikings, 77-54
GORHAM, Maine -- The University of Southern Maine Huskies placed all five
starters in double figures en route to a 77-54 victory over the Salem State
College Lady Vikings in a non-conference game Thursday night at the Warren G. Hill
Gymnasium.
The win was the 10th straight for the nationally-ranked Huskies who improve
to 12-2 overall. It was USM's seventh straight win over Salem State. The Lady
Vikings slip to 6-3 overall.
Junior guard Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine) paced the Huskies with a
career-high 19 points while juniors Katie Frost (Brewer, Maine/Calais HS) and
Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/ Woodland HS) each added 18.
After the Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening minute, the Huskies
responded with a 24-0 run to take a 20-point lead midway through the half. All
five USM starters picked up points during the explosion.
Salem State regrouped over the final seven minutes to claw its way back
within 11 (35-24) at the break. Senior Gillian Almeida (Mattapoisett, Mass.) had
six points and senior Sheila Ferreira (Marion, Mass.) added four free throws to
spearhead the rally.
The Huskies opened the second half with a 9-0 run over the first 3:11 to pull
out to a 20-point advantage again. Junior Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward
Little HS) open the run with a layup, followed by a Frost three-pointer, and
layups from Marble and Cowing to make 44-24.
Again the Lady Vikings battled back behind Almeida and junior Estrella Kuilan
(Lowell, Mass.) to carve 10 points off the lead. Kuilan's basket with 10:20 to
play made it 53-43.
The Huskies' lead bounced between 12-16 points over the next six minutes. A
three-point shot by freshman Michelle Gosselin (Underhill Center, Vt.) got the
Lady Vikings back within 13 (67-54) with 3:52 to play, but those would be the last
points of the game for Salem State.
Cowing made three straight jumpers for USM over the next 90 seconds to push
the lead back up to 19 (73-54) with 2:14 left.
Almeida finished with 12 points to lead the Lady Vikings. Kuilan was the
only other Salem State player in double figures with 10 points.
Joining Cowing, Frost and Marble in double figures for Southern Maine were
Myles with 11 points and sophomore Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine) with 10 points.
USM's five starters accounted for 76 of the team's 77 points on the night.
Marble was outstanding on the boards, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds. The
Huskies outrebounded the Lady Vikings, 54-23, for the game. Southern Maine shot
44.8 percent (26 for 58) from the floor and converted 19 of 32 free throws. Salem
State shot 34.6 percent (18 for 52) from the floor and made 14 of 20 free throws.
The teams combined for 47 turnovers in the game.
Southern Maine will host the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in a
Little East Conference game on Saturday. Game time is 1:00 p.m. Salem State will
travel to MASCAC rival Fitchburg State on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. game.
##################################################################################
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Southern Maine Holds Off Rhode Island College 61-51
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - Three players scored in double-figures as the
University of Southern Maine Huskies fought off a pesky Rhode Island College
Anchorwomen squad to earn a 61-51 Little East Conference women's basketball game,
Tuesday night in Providence.
Junior forward Megan Myles (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) netted a team-high
14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Huskies, while junior guard Donna
Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine/Erskine Academy) and sophomore point guard Katie Sibley
(Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) each added 12 points apiece.
Junior Jaime Angell (Cranston, R.I./La Salle) led Rhode Island with a game-
high 17 points while sophomore forward Kari Geisler (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton
Academy) added 10 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
The win is the ninth consecutive for Southern Maine, which improves to 11-2
overall and 4-0 in the Little East. Rhode Island College falls to 4-9 overall and
1-3 in the conference.
Hampered by cold shooting from the floor after hitting just 33.3 percent on a
dismal 8-for-24 effort in the opening stanza, the Huskies trailed the Anchorwomen
for nearly the entire first half. Rhode Island College held a five-point
advantage at 22-17 with 2:42 to play following an offensive rebound and a put-back
from Geisler. Geisler's basket and lead would be the last of the half for the
Anchorwomen as the Huskies outscored Rhode Island 7-0 in the closing minutes to
take a slim 24-22 lead into the break. Cowing was the bookend to the 7-0 mini-run
for the Huskies wrapping a lay-up and two free throws around Myles' second three-
ball of the half.
Southern Maine opened its lead to nine at 31-22 in the opening minutes of the
second half, as back-to-back lay-ups from Sibley and Cowing and a three-pointer
from Katie Frost (Calais, Maine/Calais) accounted for the first seven points of
the half. The Huskies lead, however, proved to be less than final as the
Anchorwomen continually |
