GORHAM, Maine - Senior
Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) had a game and career-high 30 points to lead three players in double-figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the WestConn Wolves 79-55 in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium.
Christopher was a red-hot 10-for-13 from the field, and was 5-for-6 from three, to go along with 10 rebounds for a monster double-double. Sophomore
Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) added 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting and four assists, while sophomore
Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) added six points and game-high 15 rebounds. Graduate student
Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett) had 11 points.
Leana Heitmann and Sara Macary each had 15 points to pace the Wolves. Heitmann was 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from three, while Macary was 7-for-13. Heitmann added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Records:
WestConn (3-5, 0-2 LEC)
Southern Maine (6-1, 2-0 LEC)
Today's game marked the 73rd meeting between the WestConn Wolves and the University of Southern Maine Huskies. Southern Maine leads the overall series 54-19 and has won 13 of the last 16 meetings, including the last six consecutively.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Trailing 7-6 after a Heitmann three early in the first quarter, Southern Maine outscored the Wolves 16-7 to close the frame and lead 22-14. Shooting a solid 9-for-12 from the floor in the first quarter as a team, the Huskies were led by 10 points from Christopher, and seven from Wiles.
- The Huskies continued to shoot well in the second quarter and pushed their lead to 15, 37-22, with 4:05 to go until the halftime break. Nearly doubling up WestConn in scoring 15-8 in the first six minutes, Christopher had seven of USM's 15 points while senior Avah Ingalls (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) ad five.
- Following a series of empty possessions from both teams, Heitmann snagged a steal and scored a layup to make it a 13-point game, 37-24, with 2:03 showing, but Wiles found Christopher for a three for her 20th point of the first half, and a 40-24 advantage. Wiles then scored the final bucket of the half for a 42-24 Husky advantage headed into the locker room.
- Back-to-back threes from the Wolves' Elise Chanka and Malaysia Dingle brought WestConn back to a 15-point hole, 48-33, with 5:19 to play in the third, but Cote scored eight of her 11 points as part of a 14-6 run to close the third giving USM a commanding 62-39 lead headed into the fourth.
- A three from Christopher at the 9:20 mark gave the Huskies their largest lead of the game, 65-39, to start the fourth. The Wolves used a 7-0 run after the Christopher three to make it a 19-point game, 65-46, including a jumper from Macary and a three from Heitmann. However, two free throws from freshman Izzy Morelli (New Gloucester, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) and another five points from Christopher returned the game to a 26-point lead for USM with 4:37 to go shutting the door on the game. From there, the Wolves never got closer than 22 points.
Inside The Statistics:
- Southern Maine shot 49.1 percent from the field (28-for-57) for the game, and was 40.0 percent (10-for-25) from three. WestConn shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53). The Wolves shot less than 40 percent in the first half (10-for-26), but rebounded in the second to shoot 14-for-24 – nearly 60 percent.
- Led by Shipley's 15 rebounds, the Huskies' outrebounded the Wolves 38-24 in the game, including 10-3 on the offensive glass. Southern Maine scored 11 second-chance points.
Up Next:
The Huskies' final home game of 2025 is on Wednesday, December 10 (5:30 pm) against UMaine Farmington. Southern Maine closes out 2025 on the road facing Albertus Magnus on Saturday, December 13 (2:00 pm), and then Maine Maritime Academy on Tuesday, December 30 (4:00 pm).
-cac-
