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2026 WBB Seniors
USM Womens' Basketball Class of 2026 Seniors
63
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT 7-18, 3-13
70
Winner Southern Me. SOUTHERN 23-2, 15-1
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT
7-18, 3-13
63
Final
70
Southern Me. SOUTHERN
23-2, 15-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT 13 9 16 25 63
Southern Me. SOUTHERN 20 16 13 21 70

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Christina Cracolici, Director of Athletic Communications

No. 25 Southern Maine Defeats VTSU-Castleton 70-63; Claims LEC Regular Season Title


GORHAM, Maine    –  Senior Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) had a double-double with 32 points and 16 rebounds, both career-high totals, as the No. 25 University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the VTSU-Castleton Spartans 70-63 in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium.
 
Christopher was 8-for-12 from the field and 13-for-17 from the free throw line for Southern Maine, recording her 10th double-double of the season.  Graduate student Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett) and senior Avah Ingalls (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) each had 12 points.  Sophomore Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) added 10 points and five assists. Sophomore Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) had a game-high 12 rebounds and had three blocked shots.
 
Emily Adams led the way for the Spartans with 23 points and five rebounds.  Arianna Coombs had 18 points and eight boards, while Maggie McKearin and Stasia Epler each tossed in nine points. 
 
The Records:
VTSU-Castleton (7-18, 3-13 Little East)
No. 25 Southern Maine (23-2, 15-1 Little East)
 
Today's game marked the 17th meeting between the Huskies and the Spartans.  With today's win, Southern Maine now leads the series 10-7. Southern Maine has won six consecutively over the Spartans. Finishing the regular season at 23-2 and 15-1 in the conference, Southern Maine is the 2025-2026 Little East Conference Regular Season Champion for the 22nd time in the program's history.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • Southern Maine raced out to a 7-0 start, and led by eight, 10-2, on a three from Cote early in the first.  However, the Spartans trimmed their deficit to two points, 15-13, on a jumper from Adams with 2:52 to play.  The Huskies closed the quarter on a 5-0 run, however, to lead 20-13 headed to the second on a layup from Wiles and a corner three from Cote
  • The game remained close in the second quarter, and McKearin had the Spartans within four on a layup at the 4:29 for a 26-22 score, but the Huskies countered with a 10-0 run to close out the half for a solid 36-22 lead.  Christopher threes bookended back-to-back layups from Ingalls in the run.
  • Back-to-back threes from Cote and Christopher to start the third game the Huskies their largest lead of the game, 42-22 at the 8:48 mark.  Two free throws from Ingalls kept USM in front comfortably, 49-30, with 3:38 to play in the third, but the Spartans rallied with an 8-0 run to make it an 11-point game, 49-38, headed into the fourth.  Three different Spartans scored in the run, including a three from Epler and a quarter-ending jumper from Adams.
  • Castleton stayed hot to start the fourth, outscoring the Huskies 13-5 in the opening five minutes to trail by a possession, 54-51, with 5:33 to play. Adams scored nine of her 23 points in the run, including a layup to make it a three-point game.  Cote hit a clutch three for the Huskies on their next possession for a 57-51 cushion.  Two free throws from Coombs kept VTSU-Castleton in it down 63-59 with 2:56 to go, before Christopher and Wiles combined for four straight for a 67-59 lead with just over two to play.
  • Another set of free throws, this time from McKearin had the Spartans within two possessions, 67-61, but Christopher got enough from the free throw line in the final minutes.  A Coombs layup with 21 seconds made the game 70-63 before USM dribble out the clock for the final.
 
Inside The Statistics:
  • Southern Maine shot below its season average finished the game shooting just 34.4 percent (22-for-64) from the field. VTSU-Castleton shot 36.8 percent (25-for-68).
  • Southern Maine led in rebounding 47-41, and had a 14-11 lead in offensive boards.
  • VTSU-Castleton outscored Southern Maine 30-22 in the paint, and outscored USM 13-8 off of turnovers.  Both teams turned the ball over just eight times.
 
Up Next:
Southern Maine finishes the 2025-2026 regular season as the Little East Conference Regular Season Champion. Earning the regular season title for the 22nd time in program history, Southern Maine is also the top seed in the upcoming 2026 Little East Conference Tournament Championship. As the top seed, Southern Maine has a quarterfinal bye and will face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal game on Thursday, February 26 (tba). 
-cac-
 
 
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