BOSTON – Graduate student
Liz Cote (Conway, N.H./Kennett) scored a game-high 22 points to lead three players in double-figures as the University of Southern Maine Huskies rolled to a 69-43 win over the UMass Boston Beacons in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Wednesday afternoon at Clark Gymnasium.
Cote was lights out from three going 6-for-8 from long range for her game-high total. She added a team-high six rebounds, two steals and an assist. Freshman
Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) continued her strong play with 18 points, five rebounds, a blocked shot, a steal and an assist, while classmate
Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) added 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sabanna Berrios led the Beacons with 11 points, while Vanessa Bucha and Sibayla Jensen had nine and eight points each.
The Records:
Southern Maine (12-9, 8-4 LEC)
UMass Boston (8-13, 5-7 LEC)
SERIES HISTORY: Today's game marked the 87
th meeting between the UMass Boston Beacons and the University of Southern Maine Huskies. Southern Maine leads the overall series 76-11. Southern Maine is earning the season sweep of UMB for the second consecutive season. The Huskies swept the Beacons during the 2023-24 season winning 61-58 on the road and 58-54 at home. The Huskies are 6-1 against UMB in their last seven meetings.
How It Happened:
- The Huskies dominated the first quarter and led by 15, 16-1, after the first 10 minutes of action. Cote and Shipley each had six points for Southern Maine in the first quarter. The Huskies scored the first 16 points of the game unanswered shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range. Conversely, Southern Maine held the Beacons to a 0-16 effort from the floor in the first quarter with five turnovers. UMB scored its lone point on a free throw.
- Southern Maine continued to roll offensively in the second, scoring nine unanswered to lead 25-1 with 7:13 to go. USM was 4-for-4 from the field to open the quarter from Shipley. After one of two free throws to stop the Huskies' run, UMB's Sabanna Berrios scored the Beacons first field goal of the game with 6:44 to play in the quarter. Berrios' three-point swing started a 9-2 run for UMB that cut the Beacons' deficit to 27-10 with 3:33 left until halftime. However, the Huskies closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to lead by 25, 37-12, headed into the locker room.
- With a comfortable double-digit lead to start the third, Southern Maine grabbed the first of two 32-point leads of the game, outscoring UMB 13-6 in the first 5:02 of the third for a 50-18 game. Wiles led the way for the Huskies with seven points in the run, including a steal and a layup to give USM its 50-18 lead. The Beacons continued to battle and outscored USM 14-4 in the final 4:01 of the third, but still trailed by double-digits, 54-32, headed into the fourth. Berriors had five for the Beacons, while Sibayla Jensen added four points.
- USM outscored UMB 15-11 in the fourth to claim the 69-43 win and sweep of the Beacons in the regular season. UMass Boston pulled to within 21 of the Huskies, 60-39, with 4:34 to play, but Cote and junior Julia Kratzer (Gorham, Maine) combined for six straight points putting the game well out of reach, 66-39, with 2:53 left. From there both teams exchanged points for the 69-43 final.
Inside The Stats:
- Led by a 6-for-8 effort from three from Cote, USM connected on 12 three-pointers in the game and finished shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. UMB was just 1-for-11 from long range.
- USM led in rebounding 39-30, and had a 14-6 lead in offensive boards. Sophomore Lita Guslens (Islike, Latvia) led USM with four offensive rebounds.
- Both teams were nearly identical in turnovers. Southern Maine committed 18 to the Beacons' 20; however, USM scored 26 of its 69 points off of Beacon miscues. UMB scored just 13 off of Husky turnovers.
Up Next:
The Huskies return home on Saturday, February 8 (12:00 pm) against WestConn. Southern Maine remains at home on Saturday, February 15 (1:00 pm).
-cac-
