GORHAM, Maine   –  Lilly Shlimon scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting off of the bench to lead a pair of players in double-figures as the Keene State College Owls held on for a 48-45 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, Keene State improves to 6-14 overall and 5-6 in the Little East.  The Owls and the Huskies have split the regular season series.  Southern Maine dips to 9-11 overall and 4-7 in the LEC with the loss.  

         Shlimon hit three three-pointers for the game-high 16.  Hailey Derosia had 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds for KSC.  Abby Grandmaison tossed in eight points had grabbed five points and two steals off of the bench. 

         Southern Maine sophomore Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla./Lewiston) led the Huskies with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 6-of-8 from the free throw line despite playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble. .  Senior Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) had seven points, a game-high 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

•  USM struggled to put the ball in the net shooting just 28.6 percent (14-for-49) from the field and  57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the free throw line. 
• KSC also shot poorly making 28.8 percent (15-of-52) but had four three pointers to one of the Huskies. 
•  With the game tied at 28 with 3:46 left in the third, Keene State closed out the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 37-30 lead headed into the fourth.  Four different players scored in the pivotal run led by a three from Grandmaison. 
• KSC led 46-38 with 1:41 to on a layup from Hien Thach, before USM rallied for a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game, 46-45, with 33 seconds to play. Luckhardt scored four points in the run, while junior Morgan Eliasen (Lewiston, Maine) drilled a three. 
• Eliasen's three made it 46-43 in favor of KSC with 1:03 to play before Luckhardt came up with her fourth steal of the game and then scored a left-handed layup to make it 46-45.  USM then forced a five-second turnover to regain possession.  In USM's final possession, their last two shots were heavily contested but Derosia cleared the boards for KSC.  Forced to foul, Derosia sealed the win with a pair of free throws for the 48-45 final. 

UP NEXT: 

         Southern Maine remains in Little East Conference action and travels to Rhode Island College on Wednesday (5:30 pm) 

–cac–