Box Score BANGOR, Maine – Senior Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) scored a game and career-high 29 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 74-46 win over the Husson University Eagles in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday night at Newman Gymnasium.
With the win, Southern Maine improves to 8-4 on the season. In the 46th game in the series between the two school, USM now leads 34-12 and has won the last 17 contests consecutively. Husson suffers its fourth straight loss to fall to 3-6 overall.
McNamara was 9-for-15 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range to led the Huskies. McNamara added five assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals in a strong effort. Sophomore Gretchen Anderson (Kittery Point, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas) added 14 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 6-for-10 effort from the floor. Sophomore Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine/Messalonskee) and senior Mariah Callender (Portland, Maine) each had seven points.
Junior Rebecca Young (Concord, Vt./Concord) led the Eagles with a 10 points on a 5-for-9 shooting performance. Young was the only Husson player in double figures. Junior Samira Cruz (Orlando, Fla./Edgewater) tossed in eight points and added a team-high three assists.
After a three from Cruz trimmed the Huskies advantage to a modest five points, 25-20, with 3:58 to play in the opening half, USM rattled off a 13-4 run to close out the half and take a 38-24 lead at the break. McNamara responded to Cruz's three with one her own and Anderson scored the Huskies next three points to put the Huskies ahead 31-20 with 2:31 to play. A jumper for the Eagles closed the game to 31-22 with 2:08 left, before Anderson and McNamara combined for USM's next seven points, including another three from McNamara with 26 seconds showing. Husson hit a jumper to end the half for the 38-24 score.
In the second half, the Huskies' continued to grow their lead scoring the first 10 points. McNamara was instrumental knocking down back-to-back threes and scoring a pair of free throws as the Huskies led 48-24 with 18:04 on the clock. From there the Huskies controlled the game as the Eagles only got as close as 18 points (50-32) with 13:48 remaining following a jumper from Young.
Southern Maine finished the game shooting a solid 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range. The Huskies also took advantage of Husson's 18 turnovers, scoring 23 of their points off of Eagle miscues.
Southern Maine hosts UMass Dartmouth in a Little East Conference game on Saturday (1:00 p.m.). Husson travels to Maine Maritime for a North Atlantic Conference game on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).
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