GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the 2024-2025 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. UMass Dartmouth was picked to finish first with six first place votes, while two-time defending Little East Conference Champion Rhode Island College was picked to finish second with three first place votes.
Led by veteran head coach
David Chadbourne, now in his second season with the Huskies, the 2024-2025 Huskies includes near 50/50 mix of returning players, and a large recruiting class of first-year players. The Huskies will have to contend with the loss of four key contributors from the 2023-2024 season, including Southern Maine's leading scorer and play-maker from a year ago in
Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H.).
The Huskies do return their second and third leading scorers from last season in graduate student
Liz Cote (Conway, N.H./Kennett) and junior
Vanessa Vaughan (Hantsport, Nova Scotia/King's Edge Hill Academy), and third-leading rebounder senior
Jade Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills). Smedberg was also second on the team in steals in 2023-2024.
Named the LEC Rookie of the Week once and the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Week twice during the season, Cote shot 37.6 percent from three-point range (64-for-17), connecting on seven threes in a game twice. She averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
Joining the team in the second semester, Vaughan played in 15 games averaging 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She scored a season-high 20 points in a 69-53 win versus VTSU-Castleton in a Little East Conference match-up, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, including a 3-for-4 mark from three.
In her first season with the Huskies, Smedberg played in 27 games, starting 26, and averaged 4.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game with 10 blocked shots.
The Huskies start their 2024-2025 at home on Friday, November 8 (4:00 pm) against University of Maine Presque Isle. Southern Maine's first Little East Conference game is an away contest at Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, December 4 (5:00 pm). During the semester break, the Huskies will compete at the Puerto Rico Classico from December 19-20 vs. Randolph-Macon College and Ohio Wesleyan University.
| 2024-25 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll (FPV) |
| 1. |
UMass Dartmouth |
62 points |
(6) |
| 2. |
Rhode Island College |
59 points |
(3) |
| 3. |
Southern Maine |
46 points |
|
| 4 |
Eastern Connecticut |
41 points |
|
| 5. |
Keene State |
36 points |
|
| 6. |
Plymouth State |
34 points |
|
| 7. |
UMass Boston |
19 points |
|
| 8. |
Western Connecticut |
17 points |
|
| 9. |
VTSU Castleton |
10 points |
|
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