@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Times; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

            WATERVILLE, Maine -- Senior forward Jules Kowalski (Montville, N.J.) scored 16 points to lead a balanced attack as the Colby College Mules downed the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 74-45. in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday night at Wadsworth Gymnasium.

            With their second straight win, Colby improved to 15-4 overall.  The loss stopped an eight-game winning streak for USM, which fell to 13-7 overall.

            Kowalski was an outstanding 7-for-8 from the field to lead the Mules as seven players scored at least six points.  Sophomore guard Diana Manduca (Portland, Maine/Deering) added 11 points, while sophomore guard Jacky McLaughlin (Medfield, Mass.) and junior forward Jil Vaughan (Wareham, Mass./Tabor Academy) each chipped in with nine points.

            USM junior forward Courtney Cochran (Waite, Maine/Woodland) paced the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds.

            The teams kept pace with each other in the opening ten minutes, and the Huskies led 14-12 following a layup from freshman guard Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) with 12:41 remaining in the half.  However, the Huskies shooting went as cold as the temperatures outside as the Mules rattled off a 16-0 run to lead 28-14 with 2:53 left in the half.

            Southern Maine senior forward Becky Dixon (Gardiner, Maine) halted the Huskies dry spell with a jumper, but it was the last basket of the half for USM as Colby ended the half with a 9-0 run to take a commanding 37-16 halftime lead.  After McNamara's basket in the 12th minute, the Huskies were 0-9 from the field with 12 turnovers.

            The Huskies shooting improved in the second half, but they were unable to make up any ground as the Mules rolled to the win.

            Southern Maine finished the game shooting 35.0 percent (14-for-40) from the field and just 25.0 percent (2-for-8) from the three-point line.  Colby shot 50.0 percent (29-for-58) from the field and was an outstanding 47 percent (7-for-15) from three-point range.

            Southern Maine travels to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) for a Little East Conference game.  Colby College hosts Middlebury College on Friday (8:00 p.m.).

-cac-