Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Senior Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) scored a game-high 18 points, junior Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine/McAuley) had 14 points and seven rebounds and sophomore Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine/Messalonskee) tossed in 14 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 64-48 win over the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium.
With the win, Southern Maine improves to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in the Little East Conference. Rhode Island College has its two-game win streak snapped and falls to 16-7 overall and 10-2 in the Little East.
McNamara was 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from three-point range to lead all scorers. Knight was 6-for-7 from the field, adding a team-high seven boards, while Pelletier added 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting with three blocked shots. Senior Mariah Callender (Portland, Maine) added nine points, three blocked shots, three steals and a pair of assists.
Sophomore Vandell Andrade (Providence, R.I.) posted a double-double for RIC with 15 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Senior Stephanie Prusko (Lincoln, R.I.) added 13 points, while freshmen Alex Moore (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) and freshman Christian McDuffy (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) each scored eight points.
Ahead a traditional three-point play from Moore pulled the Anchormen to within three of the Huskies, 33-30, with 12:41 to play in the second half, Southern Maine used a 12-4 run to separate itself from RIC. Knight started the run with a strong finish in the paint off of a feed from senior Hannah Fenwick (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat) before McNamara sandwiched a pair of threes around RIC jumper from McDuffy for a 41-32 lead with 9:39 on the clock. Another bucket from McDuffy made it a 41-34 game, before the Huskies' received solid production off of the bench from junior Abby Hasson (South Portland, Maine). After McDuffy's lay in, Hasson's strong move in the paint led to two free throws, before she came up with a steal in the next possession. With the ball back on the USM half, Hasson converted a pass from Callender for a 45-34 USM lead with 8:17 to play.
RIC cut its deficit to eight, 50-42, with 3:51 to play on a pair of free throws, but the Huskies' responded with a 8-0 run to grow its lead to 16, 58-42, with 2:01 to play. Knight scored four points in the run, while Callender and Pelletier each scored two, including an open court steal and fast-break layup from Callender.
RIC's Prusko hit back-to-back threes in the final moments to make it 58-48 with 1:14 to play, but USM closed out the game at the free throw line making 5-of-7 from the field, while junior guard Taylor Flood (Sanford, Maine) closed out the game with a layup.
Southern Maine travels to UMass Boston on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.). Rhode Island College travels to UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.). Both games are Little East Conference contests.
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