BIDDEFORD, Maine – Jordyn Franzen scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both game-high totals, to lead the University of New England Noreasters to a 68-60 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Harold Alfond Forum. 

            Playing in its first contest of 2021, UNE is 1-0.  Southern Maine has dropped its third straight and is 0-3. The Huskies are back in action on Sunday (1:00 pm) at home in Hill Gym against the Noreasters. 

            Franzen was 8-for-19 from the field, including a 4-for-9 mark from three, to lead three-players in double figures for UNE.  Juliana Tracey added 20 points and five rebounds on a 5-for-9 shooting effort from three-point range, and Faith Connors added 15 points (3-for-4 from three). UNE made 13 three-pointers in the game, shooting 43.3 percent from long range (13-for-30), making 7-of-13 in the second half (4-of-6) in the fourth.

            Senior Kristen Curley (Gorham, Maine) led USM with 13 points, while freshman Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine/Noble) scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.  Junior Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla./Lewiston) had eight points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot.  Senior Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) matched Harris in team-high rebounding honors with seven, adding three assists, two steals and six points.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• In a closely contested game, Southern Maine led UNE 28-27 at the half.  Curley had nine points to led the Huskies offense, while Franzen had 10. Husky rookie Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) had five of her six points in the first half.
• Both teams were dead even in the third quarter scoring 17 points each, exchanging the lead three times.  UNE led 39-36 with 2:20 left in the third following a jumper from Franzen, but the Huskies outscored the Noreasters 9-5 in the final minutes of the frame to head into the fourth up 45-44. Fleming scored five of her 12 points in the run, including a traditional three-point play.
• Back-to-back layups from Luckhardt and junior Katie Bagley (Hancock, Maine/Ellsworth) gave USM a five point, 49-44, lead early in the fourth, but UNE came back to tie it on two free throws form Tracey and a three from Connors for a 49-49 game with 8:13 to play.
• The game remained tied at 54-54 after one of two free throws from Ramsdell with 3:32 on the clock, before Connors and Tracey combined to scored 13 of the Noreasters' final 14 points and  outscore the Huskies 14-8 down the stretch for the 68-62 final.  
• Connors and Tracey each hit two threes in the fourth quarter.

NOTES

• Luckhardt remains ninth in USM career steals with 252.   Luckhardt added three assists in the contest and now has 257 in her career.  The 5-4 guard has 770 points, 431 rebounds, 257 assists and 252 steals.
• Curley has 874 career points. She is averaging 9.3 points per game this season and is shooting 46.2 percent from the field.
• Harris is averaging 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocked shots per game – all team-high totals.