GORHAM, Maine   –  Senior Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H.) scored 19 points and senior Tara Flander (Windham, Maine) added 18 points to lead the third-seed University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 65-55 win over the sixth-seed Plymouth State University Panthers in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium. 
 
Gould was 5-for-14 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line for the game-high 19 points, adding three assists.  Flanders was 7-for-14 (3-for-6 from three) for her 18 points, adding a team-high eight rebounds.  Sophomore Julia Kratzer (Gorham, Maine) added eight points and four rebounds off of the bench. 
 
Bri Wilcox led PSU with 16 points, six rebounds and six steals.  Lea Cropton tossed in 12 points, while Hailey Malozzi added 10 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Records:
No. 6 Plymouth State (11-14)
No. 3 Southern Maine (13-13)
 
Today's game marked the 101^st meeting between the Plymouth State University Panthers and the University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Southern Maine leads the overall series 93-8 and has won the last 13 over the Panthers, including a 53-43 road win on January 17, 2024, and a 59-45 win at home on February 14.
 
How It Happened:

• Giving up the first points of the game, Southern Maine responded with back-to-back threes from Gould and Flanders to led 6-2 early in the first.  PSU's Wilcox scored the final five points of the quarter for the Panthers, and PSU trailed by a bucket, 9-7, late, but Southern Maine extended its lead to two possession, 12-7, headed into the second on a three-pointer from sophomore Vanessa Vaughan (Hantsport, Nova Scotia).
• Two free throws from Raven Premont and a three from Alli Ingalls had PSU even with the Huskies, 12-12, to start the second before Gould and Flanders against combined for run, this time 5-0, including a tradition three-point play from Flanders for a 17-12 lead with 7:58 to go in the half.
• Wilcox again had the Panthers back within a possession, with a jumper at 5:20, but Gould scored seven points as part of a 7-2 run to push the Husky advantage to 26-18 with 1:13 to go. 
• Ingalls canned a three for the Panthers with 11 seconds remaining until the break for a 26-21 game, but Kratzer banked in a three from the wing as the buzzer sounded for a 29-21 USM halftime advantage.
• Limiting the Panthers to one field goal and two free throws in the first seven minutes of the third quarter, Southern Maine outscored PSU 15-4 to open its largest lead of the game, 41-25, with 3:05 to go in the third.  Flanders started the Huskies scoring in the third with a three, and Kratzer drilled her second of the game for the Huskies' largest lead. PSU rallied to close the quarter however, outscoring USM 12-6 to trail by 10 headed into the fourth down 47-37.
• Crompton and Malozzi each scored a bucket to start the fourth for PSU making it a two-possession game, 47-41, but were never able to get closer as USM countered with a three-point play from junior Jade Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills), and the Huskies stayed in front for the 65-55 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Southern Maine shot 38.5 percent (20-for-52) from the field for the game, but shot 12-for-25 over the second and third quarter. 
• The Huskies led the Panthers in rebounding, 37-32, and had a 12-10 advantage in offensive boards.  Plymouth State, however, outscored Southern. Maine 12-7 in second chance buckets.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine advances to face the second-seed UMass Dartmouth Corsairs on Thursday, February 22 (5:30 pm) in the semifinals of the 2024 Little East Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.  The Corsairs are ranked No. 22 in the nation.
 
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