Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Junior Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine/McAuley) scored 15 points to lead all scores as the second seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies pulled away late in the second half to defeat the seventh-seeded UMass Boston Beacons 53-45 in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Little East Conference women's basketball tournament Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium.
With the win, Southern Maine improves to 19-7 overall and makes the series record versus UMass Boston stand at 67-0. UMass Boston concludes its season with a 13-13 record. The Huskies' advance to the semifinals of the LEC tournament and will face third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State on Friday (tba). Eastern Connecticut defeated sixth-seeded Keene State 67-53.
Knight was 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line to lead the Huskies. She added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Senior Mariah Callender (Portland, Maine) added eight points, five rebounds, three steals and a block, while senior Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) added seven points. Sophomore Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine/Messalonskee) and senior Hannah Fenwick (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat) each chipped in with six points, while Fenwick had a game-high 11 rebounds.
Junior Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) led the Beacon with 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior Andrea Suffredini (Milford, Mass.) added 12 points and a game-high six assists, while senior Elisa Ogawa (Yamanashi, Japan/Boston Community Leadership) chipped in with eight points, seven rebounds and a trio of steals.
Despite opening the game on a 7-2 run in the opening five minutes, Southern Maine found itself in a dogfight with Beacons late in the opening stanza. With points at a premium, the Huskies led the Beacons 22-19 with 1:52 to play on a pair of free throws from Knight, before Suffredini canned one of her three three-pointers of the game to tie the score at 22 all. Suffredini's three was the third for the Beacons in the final six minutes of the half. The Huskies were able to take a slim 24-22 lead at the break in their final possession as Knight hit a cutting Fenwick for a lay-in with 33 second to play, before Fenwick came up with a block on the Beacons final possession of the half.
The game remained tight in the first 10 minutes of the second half and the Beacons trailed the Huskies by just four points, 35-31, with 10:11 to play following a layup from freshman Mallory Nelson (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat). However, the Huskies used a 10-1 run over the next four minutes to grab its largest lead of the game, 45-32, with 5:48 to play. Four different players scored for the Huskies', highlighted by steal and a fast-break layup from Callender for a traditional three-point play.
UMass Boston made a push over the next three minutes with a 12-4 spurt. Junior Lauren Perra (Taunton, Mass.) and Suffredini bookended the run with three-pointers, while Morrison added six points in the middle. After Suffredini's three with 2:08 to play, the Beacons trailed USM 49-44.
Both teams squandered possession over then next 1:30 and Suffredini made it a four-point, 49-45, game with 32 second to play with one of two free throws, before the Huskies closed out the game on the line with McNamara and Callender each hitting two free throws for the 53-45 final.
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