GORHAM, Maine -
Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) scored a game-high 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting to lead four players in double-figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the University of New England Nor'easters 97-62 in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Hill Gym.
Whelan added four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block to go with his game-high 25 to pace Southern Maine. Sophomore
Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) had 16 points, 5ie rebounds, three assists and two steals, while freshman
Gabe Lash (Waldoboro, Maine/Medomak Valley) had 12 points, five rebounds and an assist in his intercollegiate debut. Freshman
Carter Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Kents Hill/Oceanside) also had a strong debut scoring 10 points off of the bench, adding two assists and two boards.
UNE's Adrian Torres led the Nor'easters with 15 points and four steals, while Kha Cao Ra James was the only other UNE player in double-figures with 13 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
The Records:
University of New England (1-1)
Southern Maine (1-0)
Today's game marks the 64
th meeting between the University of Southern Maine and the University of New England. The Huskies lead the overall series 49-15 and have won the last seven consecutively. Last season USM snuck away with a 78-77 win in Biddeford. UNE last defeated the Huskies on 81-73 on November 12, 2019 in Biddeford.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lash and Sterling scored back-to-back layups to open the game and the Huskies led wire-to-wire in the contest. Outscoring UNE 9-2 in the first three minutes, the Huskies took a led by 15 midway through the first half, 29-14. Whelan scored 22 of his 25 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest to establish the Huskies' commanding 55-29 lead at the break.
- The Huskies shot 60 percent (21-for-35) from the field in the opening half, and was 5-for-13 from three. Whelan was a red-hot 8-for-11 from the floor, while Sterling was a perfect 4-for-4. Holding a solid 47-29 lead with 2:05 to play in the half, the Huskies slammed the door with a 8-0 run to lead by 26 at the break. Sterling and senior Stephen Gabriel III (Brockton, Mass./Bridgton Academy) combined for the first six points while freshman Mckhel Joyner (Harlem, NY/South) made a heads up play snagging the offensive rebound on his own one-and-one miss and sinking the layup for his first collegiate points.
- Torres and Adam Lux scored back-to-back for UNE to start the second, but USM ansered right back with back-to-back threes from Lash and Whelan to stay comfortably ahead 61-33 with 17:32 to go.
- The Huskies remained in control for the rest of the half. UNE made it a 22-point game, 69-47, following a three from Torres with 11:11 to play, but the Huskies' Galley scored eight of his 10 points as part of an 18-7 to put USM up by 34, 87-53, over the next five minutes. From there the Huskies cruised to the win.
Inside The Statistics:
- Southern Maine outscored UNE 38-18 in the paint, and had 23 points off of 15 Nor'easter turnovers.
- The Huskies shot 55.4 percent (36-for-65) from the field and were 46.2 percent (12-for-26) from three. UNE shot 35.9 percent (23-for-64) in the game.
Up Next:
Southern Maine travels to UMaine Presque Isle on Saturday, November 15 for a 12:00 pm game. The Huskies remain on the road at Emmanuel College on Wednesday, November 19 (5:30 pm).
-cac-
