CASTLETON, Vermont  –  Senior Michelle Rowe (Gorham, Maine) scored six of her 17 points in the overtime period, going 5-for-6 from the free throw line, as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Castleton University Spartans 71-64 in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Glenbrook Gym.
 
Rowe was one of three Huskies in double figures, finishing the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.  Sophomore Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine) led USM with 18 points, while sophomore Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) added 13 points.  The Huskies outscored Castleton 13-6 in overtime to claim the win.
 
The Records: 
Southern Maine (3-7, 2-1 Little East)
Castleton (5-4, 0-2 Little East)
 
Series History:  Facing each other for the ninth time in series history, Southern Maine leads the Spartans 5-4 all-time.  Southern Maine first faced Castleton during the 1982-1983 season, defeating the Spartans 80-49 in the NAIA National Championship tournament. 
 
Standout Huskies:  Senior Michelle Rowe (Gorham, Maine) 17 points, 13 rebounds, 9-12 FT; sophomore Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine/Noble) 18 points, 7-14 FG, 3 steals, 1 blocked shot, 1 assist; sophomore Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; graduate student Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists.  
 
Standout Spartans: Elise Magro 24 points, 8 rebounds; Ryleigh Coloutti 17 points, 8 rebounds, Kelly Vuz 17 points, 5 rebounds, Olivia Perry 4 points, 13 rebounds.
 
How It Happened: 

•  Led by seven points from Fleming and a solid 8-for-15 effort from the field (50 percent), USM jumped out to a 19-10 lead after the first quarter.  USM was without leading scorer Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla./Lewiston) who played just two first half minutes due to foul trouble.
• Castleton's Kelly Vuz scored eight points in the second quarter, and Elise Magro added six as the Spartans rallied to cut their halftime deficit to 33-30 at the break. USM struggled to finish in the second shooting just 6-for-19 from the field. 
• Outscoring USM 13-8 in the third, Castleton snagged a narrow 43-41 edge heading into the fourth quarter.  Vuz again led the Spartans with five points.  The Huskies managed just two field goals in the third, finally yielding their lead to CU.
• Led by six points each from Fleming and Ramsdell, USM found its offensive rhythm in the fourth shooting 50 percent (7-for-14) in the frame. Back-to-back buckets from Fleming gave USM a 57-54 lead with 3:39 to play, and the Huskies led 58-56 on one of two free throws from Rowe with second to play but CU's Coloutti was able to send the game into overtime with a runner in the paint with two second remaining.
• Luckhardt scored the first bucket of the overtime period, with a driving jumper in the paint, and the game settled into a back-and-forth contest. Harris, who played just 13 minutes, was 2-for-4 from the field in the extra frame and snagged two rebounds, gave the Huskies the lead for good with an up-and-under move in the paint for a 66-62 lead with 32 seconds to go.  Vuz responded for CU  to make it 66-64, but Rowe made 5-of-6 free throws in the closing seconds, grabbed two key defensive boards and came up with a steal in the Spartans last possession for the win.

 
Inside the Stats: 

• USM's bench outscored Castleton's 34-0. Rowe had 17 while Ramsdell had 13 to provide the Huskies with an offensive spark.
• Thirty-eight of the Huskies' 71 points were scored in the paint, while 11 of those points were off of offensive rebounds. 
• After today's games, Luckhardt now has 849 points, 482 rebounds, 295 assists, and 279 steals in her career. She is fifth in career steals behind Renee Nicholas '12 with had 287 from 2008-2012. 
• Harris is also closing in on milestones.  She has 726 points, 377 rebounds, 112 steals, 74 blocked shots and 47 assists in 68 games.   

 
Up Next: 
Southern Maine is off for the semester break and will return to action in the New Year.  The Huskies will travel to Plymouth State University on Wednesday, January 5 (5:30 pm) for a Little East Conference game.
 
 Southern Maine Athletics has gone to fully digital game programs, please click this link to access the game programs to future Husky home events!