Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Senior Kristina Forsman (Newington, Conn.) scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field as the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors shot 52.2 percent from the field as a team en route to a 62-44 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium.
With the win, Eastern Connecticut improves to 10-5 overall and 4-1 in the LEC. Southern Maine dips to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in the conference with the loss.
Forsman was one of just two Warriors to score in double-digits as ECSU used a balanced offense to down Southern Maine. Sophomore Jordyn Nappi (Southington, Conn./Mercy) added 13 points, while junior Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Mass.) and senior Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield, Conn.) scored eight and nine points respectively.
Junior forward Ella Ramonas (Portland, Maine/Deering) led the Huskies with 12 points. Junior Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine/Messalonskee) and senior Stephanie Gallagher (York, Maine) each had 10 points.
Southern Maine led ECSU 9-4 after the first five minutes of play following a layup from Ramonas, but the Warriors surged ahead over the next five minutes to grab a 17-11 lead. After Ramonas' layup, Nappi canned a three to pull the Warriors to within a basket. Pelletier countered with a bucket in the paint, before ECSU rattled off 10 straight points to assume control.
Gallagher canned a long jumper for USM to make it a two-possession game, 17-13, with 8:39 to go, but the Warriors outscored the Huskies 20-10 to close out the half with a 37-23 halftime lead. The Huskies made six turnovers during the final eight minutes of the half.
Southern Maine clawed its way back into the game, trailing 40-31, with 15:22 on the clock after Gallagher drained a three, but the Warriors responded with an 11-2 run to assume control and never looked back. Five different players scored for Eastern Connecticut in the pivotal run.
Eastern was 24-for-46 from the field and 6-for-15 from three-point range. Conversely, Southern Maine shot just 31.5 percent (17-for-54) from the field.
Southern Maine travels Plymouth State on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.) in a Little East Conference match up. Eastern Connecticut heads to Keene State on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.).
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