LAS VEGAS, Nevada  – Freshman Vanessa Vaughan (Hantsport, Nova Scotia) led four players in double figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Montclair State University Red Hawks 64-47 in a non-conference women's basketball game at the 2022 D3Hoops.Com Classic at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas. 
 
Coming off of a career-high 20 points in the Huskies first game of the D3Hoops.Com Classic, Vaughan poured in 15 points on 4-of-6 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free throw line, adding a career-high nine rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot to her stat line. Sophomore Maria Degifico (South Portland, Maine) added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal, while freshman Mackenzie Roderick (South China, Maine/Erskine Academy) added a career-best 12 points, canning 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point line. Junior Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine/Noble) added 11 points, five rebounds, and four steals.
 
 
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (3-6)
Montclair State (5-6)
 
The meeting is the first between the two programs in women's basketball action.
 
 
How It Happened:

• Southern Maine scored the first basket of the game, a jumper in the paint from Fleming, and led wire-to-wire to pick up the win.  Fleming scored five of her 11 points in the opening quarter as the Huskies raced out to a 17-12 lead.
• In the second quarter, Vaughan and Degifico each scored seven points as the Huskies outscored the Red Hawks 18-12 in the frame, making 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line. Led by a fast break layup from Degifico off of a feed from Vaughan to start the quarter, USM scored the first six points of the second to lead 23-12 with 7:12 until halftime.
• A three from freshman Emma Haskell (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) and a bucket in the paint from Degifico (off of a feed from Haskell) gave USM its largest lead of the first half, 35-19, with 1:17 to play before the Red Hawks scored five unanswered points to trail 35-24 at the break.  Montclair State's Isabella Orlando scored all five of her team's points in the closing run.
• Montclair State continued its run in the second half, scoring the first three points of the third, cutting its deficit to eight, 35-27, with 7:38 to go in the quarter, but Southern Maine responded with a 10-0 run to balloon its lead to 45-27 with 5:40 on the clock. Roderick started the run with a jumper and then followed with a three for five quick Husky points, before Haskell canned her second three of the game and Degifico finish eh fun with a jumper in the paint.
• Staying hot, Roderick hit two more threes before the end of the third, and USM led by 21, 54-33, at the end of the third after Vaughan converted a jumper in the paint after an offensive rebound from junior Ashlee Aceto (South Portland, Maine). 
• Southern Maine remained comfortably in front of the Red Hawks in the fourth, and snagged its largest lead of the game, 60-37, on a pair of free throws from Degifico with just over four minutes to play. An offensive rebound from sophomore Gabby Green (Manchester, Maine) kept a late possession alive for the Huskies, and Fleming scored her final basket of the game at 1:06 to play for a 22-point lead, 64-42, before Montclair State scored five straight for the 62-47 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Forcing Montclair State into 19 turnovers, Southern Maine scored 18 of its 64 points off of Red Hawk miscues.  The Huskies also outscored the Red Hawks in the paint 30-26. 
• Led by Roderick's career-best effort, Southern Maine scored 20 points off of the bench. 
• Vaughan, Degifico, and junior Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H.) each had three assists for the Huskies.  Finishing the game 21-for-49 from the field (42.9 percent), the Huskies had an assist on 14 of 21 baskets.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine returns to action at home on January 4 (5:30 pm) against Little East Conference opponent Plymouth State University. The Huskies are 1-2 in LEC contests.