GORHAM, Maine  –  Sophomore Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) and senior Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) each scored 22 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 63-51 win over Maine Maritime Academy in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday afternoon at Smith Gymnasium.
 
Shooting well-below their season average for the contest, the Huskies rallied with a strong second half as Wiles score 17 of her 22 points in a pivotal third quarter.  Christopher notched her fourth consecutive double-double with 13 rebounds.  Sophomore Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) finished as the only other Husky in double-digits scoring with 10 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots, a steal, and an assist.
 
Hailey Blanchard led the Mariners with 15 points and five rebounds. Jacquelin Castro and Evelyn Dagan each had eight points, while Castro and Addison Fory each nabbed 11 rebounds.
 
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (9-1)
Maine Maritime (6-4)
 
Tonight's meeting is the fourth between Southern Maine and Maine Maritime Academy, and the first since November 21, 2021 – a 71-64 loss.  USM leads the series 3-1. Aside from the 2021 meeting, the previous two meeting between MMA and the Huskies were in the 2006 and 2005 NCAA tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Making just eight field goals (four in each half) and shooting just 25 percent (8-for-32) from the field in the opening half, Southern Maine trailed Maine Maritime 27-24 at the half. Christopher kept Southern Maine in the game, scoring 14 of her 22 points in the first half.
• Tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter, Maine Maritime snagged a 23-16 lead with a 9-2 run to open the second.  Four Mariners scored in the spurt, including a three from Evelyn Dagan for the seven-point margin.  MMA was 4-for-5 from the floor during the run, while Southern Maine was an ice cold 1-for-9. Laney Lyle's jumper at the 2:47 mark kept the Mariners ahead by three-possessions, 27-20, before the Huskies closed the half on a 4-0 run to make it a one-possession game, 27-24.  Christopher and senior Avah Ingalls (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) scored two points each.
• Facing a halftime deficit for just the first time this season, Southern Maine used a big third quarter to turn the game in its favor. Wiles, who was 2-for-8 with three turnovers in the first half, provided the Huskies with a spark to pull out the win. Shooting 6-for-9 from the field in the third quarter, Wiles scored 17 of her 22 points as the Huskies outscored Maine Maritime 26-11 in the third to lead 50-38 headed into the fourth.
• In the fourth, Shipley sank back-to-back threes to help USM to an 8-4 run in the first six minutes of the frame to snag its largest lead of the game, 58-42. The Mariners countered with a 9-0 run over the next 2:39 to make it a seven-point game, 58-51, with 1:31 to play.  Blanchard had five points as MMA shot 4-for-6 from the field in the run, but Shipley and Christopher scored the final five points of the game for the 63-51 final.  

 
Inside The Statistics:

• Southern Maine finished the game shooting 30.3 percent (20-for-66). Maine Maritime fared slightly better shooting 33.3 percent (22-for-66). 
• The Huskies forced the Mariners into 19 turnovers, and scored 23 of their 63 points off of MMA miscues.  Southern Maine turned the ball over just nine times in the contest.
• The Huskies'

 
Up Next:
The Huskies return to Little East action on Saturday, January 3 (1:00 pm) at Keene State College, and then host Rhode Island College on Tuesday, January 6 (5:30 pm).  Southern Maine is back on the road at VTSU-Castleton on Saturday, January 10 (1:00 pm).   
           
 
-cac-