PLYMOUTH, NH  – Sophomore Brady Saunders (Brewer, Maine) scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, including eight in the final eight minutes, as the University of Southern Maine Huskies overcame a second-half deficit to defeat the Plymouth State University Panthers 64-59 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at Foley Gymnasium.
 
Southern Maine had three players in double-figures scoring led by 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals from junior Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) and followed by Saunders' 12. Saunders added seven rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal.  Sophomore Evan Willey (Casco, Maine/Bridgeton Academy) added 10 points, eight boards, and an assist.  Senior Junea Anicette (Orlando, Fla.) and freshman Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) each had seven points, while Sterling had a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Kevin Henry led PSU with a game-high 20 points, while Kevin Newton-Delgado had 16 points, six rebounds, four steals, a steal and a blocked shot on 6-for-8 shooting.   
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (11-13, 7-8 LEC)
Plymouth State (11-13, 4-11 LEC)
 
 
Series History:  Today's game marked the 154th meeting between the Plymouth State University Panthers and the University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Southern Maine trails the all-time series 75-79; however, Huskies have won seven of the last eight over PSU including tonight's contest to earn the season sweep.
 
How It Happened:

• The Huskies started off hot, shooting 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from the field in the first half, and raced out to a 14-4 lead after the first five minutes of the game had been plaed.  Willey and Whalen scored nine of the Huskies' first 14 points. The Panthers battled back, however, and trailed by a possession, 18-15, following a layup from Jayden Montgomery.  But, USM responded with a 5-0 mini-run as freshman Gabe Galarraga (South Portland, Maine) came off the bench for some quick offense scoring all five points, including a traditional three-point play for a 23-15 lead with 8:03 to go.
• Facing an eight-point hole, PSU climbed back into the game with a 6-0 run over the next 1:36 to trail 23-21 on a layup from Henry with 6:09 left until halftime and the game settled into a back-and0-forth contest. PSU cut its deficit to a single point three times over the next few possessions but the Huskies had an answer each time. After PSU's Pockette made it 28-27, the Huskies' Whelan hit two free throws and Southern Maine outscored PSU 9-5 down the stretch to lead 37-32.  Whelan hit a three against the clock to extend the lead on the final play of the half.
•  Suanders connected on a driving layup to open the scoring in the second half to give the Huskies a 39-32 advantage. However, the Panthers offense gained momentum and outscored USM 19-5 over the next 7:43 of action to snag a 51-46 lead with 10:44 to play.  Henry had seven points for PSU, while Newton-Delgado added six as the Panthers were 7-for-15 from the field during that stretch. Conversely, Southern Maine made just one field goal over nearly eight minutes of play (1-for-6) as its lead evaporated.
• Two free throws from Whelan and a three from Willey gave the Huskies a five-point swing to trail 51-49, but Newton-Delgado canned a jumper to keep the Panthers ahead by two possessions, 53-49, with 9:12 left in the game. Both teams went scoreless over the next 1:05 of play before Saunders got hot and pushed his team back into the lead.
• Saunders hit a three at the 7:47 mark making it a 53-52 game in favor of PSU, igniting a critical 10-0 run the Huskies.  Saunders was responsible for eight of the Huskies' 10 points in the run, while Sterling's jumper at 5:17 put USM ahead 59-53.
• After another scoreless stint (1:30), Newton-Delgado and Henry went for back-to-back jumpers cutting the Panther deficit back to a possession, 59-57, with just over three minutes to play. Both teams slowed in points production in the final minutes, but Willey's layup off of a feed from Saunders made it a 61-57 game with 2:12 left and USM outscored PSU 5-2 in the closing minutes for the 64-59 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Southern Maine finished the game shooting 41.2 percent (21-for-51) from the field, and 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from three.  PSU was 32.4 percent (24-for-74) from the field, but just 1-for-16 from three. The Panthers earned 23 more looks at the basket over the Huskies with a 14-10 advantage on the offensive class, while forcing the Huskies into 24 turnovers.  PSU scored 22 points off of USM turnovers, and had 17 points off of second chance buckets.

 
 
Up Next:
The Huskies remain on the road for their final regular-season contest and will face VTSU-Castleton on Saturday, February 22 (2:00 pm).  Southern Maine is currently in the top six of the Little East Conference standings and will look to earn a bid to the 2025 Little East Conference Championship Tournament which begins on Tuesday, February 25 (tba).
 
 
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