GORHAM, Maine – Graduate student
Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) filled the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, senior
Katie Bagley (Hancock, Maine/Ellsworth) went 4-for-4 from three for a career-high 12 points to lead three players in double-figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Plymouth State University Panthers 70-38 in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at Hill Gym.
Luckhardt's double-double was the first of the season for the 5-5 guard and the third of her career. She led all scorers and was one of three Huskies in double-figures. Sophomore
Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine) went 7-for-14 from the field for 14 points, adding five rebounds and four steals to join Luckhardt and Bagley in double-digit scoring.
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The Records:
Plymouth State (1-16, 0-12 Little East)
Southern Maine (6-12, 5-4 Little East)
Series History: Tonight's game marked the 97
th meeting between the Huskies and the Panthers in women's basketball action. The win gives USM the 2021-22 season sweep as Southern Maine earned 74-28 win over the Panthers earlier this season (February 3). USM leads the series 89-8.
Standout Huskies: Graduate student
Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; sophomore
Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine/Noble) 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals; 2 assists; senior
Katie Bagley (Hancock, Maine/Ellsworth) 12 points; sophomore
Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial) 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals.
Standout Panthers: Sophomore Lauren Keller (Fort Morgan, Colo./Fort Morgan) 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals; sophomore Natalie Harris (Barrington, N.H./Co-Brown Northwood Academy) 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; junior Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt./Mt. Abraham Union) 7 points.
How It Happened:
- After a slow start to the first quarter, USM trailed PSU 13-12. The Huskies responded in the second quarter outscoring the Panthers 20-6 in the frame, limiting Plymouth State to a single field goal on 1-of-13 shooting. Luckhardt had her double-double by the end of the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead USM to a 32-19 lead at the break.
- Both teams exchanged baskets to open the third for a 34-21 game, before USM rattled off a 6-0 run to lead 40-21 on a jumper from sophomore Ashlee Aceto (South Portland, Maine) and back-to-back scores from Fleming. The Huskies would go on to outscore PSU 21-11 in the third, shooting an outstanding 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) for a 53-30 lead headed to the fourth. Fleming scored 8 of her 14 in the third quarter, shooting 4-for-5.
- Plymouth State junior Autumn Nelson (Weare, N.H./John Stark Regional) scored the first three points of the fourth as the Panthers trailed 53-33, but Bagley and Luckhardt canned back-to-back threes for a 59-33 Husky lead with 7:10 left.
- From there, USM led comfortably and outscored PSU 17-8 in the fourth led by eight points from Luckhardt.
Inside the Stats:
- With her 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals in tonight's game, Luckhardt surpassed the 300-steal mark in her career. The 5-5 guard now has 922 points, 513 rebounds, 315 assists and 301 steals in 103 career games.
- Bagley's four three-pointers are a career-high for threes in a game in addition to her career-high point total.
- Gould's six points off of the bench are a career-high. She was 2-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line in 14 minutes. Her two steals also marked a season and career best.
- USM outscored Plymouth State 26-12 in the paint, and 14-6 in second chance points. Bagley's 12 points helped USM's bench outscore the Panthers' bench 31-3.
Up Next:
Southern Maine remains in Little East Conference action and travels to UMass Boston on Thursday (5:30 pm), and then heads to Eastern Connecticut on Saturday (1:00 pm).
Southern Maine Athletics has gone to fully digital game programs, please click this link to access the game programs to future Husky home events!
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