CASTINE, Maine - Senior
Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) and sophomore
Noah Dowling (North Narrabeen, Australia/Saint Augustine's) each had 17 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 71-50 win over Maine Maritime Academy in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday afternoon at Smith Gymnasium.
Whelan was 7-for-14 from the floor adding three steals, while Dowling went 5-for-8 (2-for-4 from three), adding a game-high nine rebounds, and three assists. Sophomore
Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) added 13 points, five rebounds and a career-high six assists. Freshman
Carter Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Oceanside) had 12 points off of the bench to go with five rebounds, while freshman
Gabe Lash (Waldoboro, Maine/Medomak Valley) had seven points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Drew Hamilton led MMA with a game-high 19 points, while Aaron Pensel had 14 points and nine rebounds. Wade Hill added nine points and four rebounds.
The Records:
Southern Maine (6-5)
Maine Maritime (4-8)
Today's contest marked the 10th meeting between the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners and the University of Southern Maine Huskies, but the first game against the Mariners since the 2023 season – a 77-70 win in Gorham. With tonight's win, the Huskies remain undefeated against the Mariners at 10-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Southern Maine started the game off strong doubling up the Mariners in the first 10 minutes of action. Shooting 9-for-14 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three, the Huskies led Maine Maritime 26-13 with 10:21 showing on the clock. Dowling led the way with nine points, while Whelan added seven, and Carter Galley had five.
- The Mariners clawed their way back into the game to trail by two possessions over the next five minutes with a 12-4 run. Drew Hamilton (five), Aaron Pensel (four) and Josiah Dancy (three) combined for the MMA run to have their team down 30-25 with 5:11 until the break. The Mariners were 5-for-6 from the field for the run, while Southern Maine went cold shooting 1-for-5.
- After a three-minute scoring drought from both sides, Sterling put the Huskies' up seven with a pull up jumper off of a Dowling assist as USM closed the half up on a 5-2 spurt to lead 35-27 at the break.
- Ninety seconds expired in the second half before Whelan broke the seal with a layup for a 37-27 Husky lead, which extended to 40-29 with 17:35 showing following another Whelan layup. However, Maine Maritime strung together another surge, outscoring the Huskies 12-6 over the next 5:33 of play to trail by just four points, 46-41, with 12:02 to play. Pensel led the way for the Mariners with six points, while Drew Hamilton canned a three to make it a two-possession game.
- With their lead cut to four, the Huskies responded with a 10-2 run over the next 6:22 to lead 56-43 with 5:35 remaining in the contests. Carter Galley led the way for the Huskies with five points, while the Southern Maine defense limited the Mariners to a 0-for-4 effort from the field during that span. Hamilton notched a three for MMA at the 5:09 mark to make it a 10-point game, 56-46, but Southern Maine responded with six straight to lead by 16, 62-46, as part of a 15-4 rally to close the game for a 71-50 Husky win emphasized by a steal and dunk from Lash.
Inside The Statistics:
- Southern Maine shot 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field for the game. Maine Maritime shot 40.9 (18-for-44). Both teams shot below 30 percent from three.
- The Huskies forced the Mariners into 24 turnovers and scored 34 points off of MMA miscues. Southern Maine turned the ball over 14 times.
Up Next:
Southern Maine returns to action on Saturday, January 3 (3:00 pm) at Keene State College in Little East Conference action. The Huskies remain in LEC play and are home on January 6 (7:30 pm) vs. Rhode Island College, before hitting the road at VTSU-Castleton on Saturday, January 10 (3:00 pm).
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