Box Score WILLAMANTIC, Conn. – Shannon McCourt scored 12 points to lead three players in double figures as the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors defeated the University of Southern Maine Huskies 56-41 in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Geissler Gymnasium.
McCourt was 5-for-13 from the field to lead ECSU. Jill Ritrosky added 11 points and six rebounds, while Taylor McBride tossed in 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting with three assists.
Southern Maine freshman Miranda Nicely (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) led USM with eight points off of the bench. Nicely was 4-for-9 from the field and added a team-high eight rebounds. Seniors Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine/McAuley), Taylor Flood (Sanford, Maine) and freshman Marissa Macmillan (Portland, Maine/Deering) each had six points.
McBride, Ritrosky and McCourt combined for 21 of the Warriors' 33 points in the first half as ECSU opened up a 33-21 lead at the break. In the second half, the Warriors sealed the win in the opening six minutes with a 12-4 run to open up a 45-25 lead with 14:04 to play. The Huskies trailed 56-27 with just over five minutes to play, but finished out the game on a 14-0 run for the 56-41 final.
While neither team shot well, Southern Maine converted just 28.3 percent (13-for-46) of its shots compared to 32.8 percent (19-for-58) for Eastern Connecticut. The Huskies were also hampered by 19 turnovers, while the Warriors turned the ball over just 10 times.
With the win, Eastern Connecticut stands at 17-8 overall and 10-4 in the Little East Conference. With its 10-4 record in the LEC, the Warriors earn a share of the LEC regular season title with UMass Dartmouth. With its second straight conference loss, Southern Maine stands at 12-13 overall and 8-6 in the LEC. The Huskies' will await the official Little East Conference tournament brackets for their upcoming quarterfinal game on Tuesday.
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