PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Abby Wager scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Rhode Island College Anchormen to a 70-62 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at The Murray Center.
Wagner was one of three RIC players in double-figures helping her team extend its win-streak to six games. Wagner was 11-for-19 from the field for her game-high total, adding 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Jaina Yekelchik added 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting (3-for-6 from three), while Meagan Schuermann had 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Senior
Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) led three Huskies in double-digit scoring with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore
Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) added 16 points, six assists, and four steals on 7-for-13 shooting, while sophomore
Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) had 14 points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and three blocked shots. The loss stops the Huskies' 16-game win streak, and is their first loss since November.
The Records:
No. 24/25 Southern Maine (19-2, 11-1 Little East)
Rhode Island College (16-5, 10-2 Little East)
Today's game marked the 98th meeting between the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Rhode Island College Anchormen. Southern Maine leads the overall series 71-27, and had won the last two games consecutively against the Anchormen, including a 58=-47 win at home earlier this season. Prior to the Huskies two-game streak, Rhode Island College had won the last 13 games consecutively dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- In a closely contested game, RIC led 15-13 after the first quarter. The Anchormen were up 15-10 on a Yekelchick three with 16 seconds to go in the frame before Shipley drained one of her own for the Huskies with one-second on the clock to make it a two-point game.
- USM's Wiles hit a layup on the Huskies' first possession of the second quarter and Christopher knocked down a three for a quick 5-0 swing and an 18-15 USM lead less than a minute into the second half. However, both teams would battle back and forth over the next eight minutes and the game was tied up at 28-28 with 1:15 to play on one of two free throws from Shipley. Wager scored the next four for the Anchormen on back-to-back layups giving RIC a two-possession lead, 32-28, with 35 second left until half, but Wiles hit a layup for the final basket of the half and USM trailed 32-30 at the break.
- Senior Avah Ingalls (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Academy) pulled the Huskies even in the third quarter with a layup on a feed from Christopher for a 32-32 game, but RIC's Shayln Smith converted an and-one play to put the Anchormen ahead on the next play. The Huskies stayed within a possession of RIC for most of the third and tied the game up at 42 at the 4:45 mark on a Wiles' driving layup, and at 44-44 with 2:10 to go on a Christopher bucket, but RIC's Wagner countered with a three and scored the final four points of the frame to keep the Anchormen in front 49-44 headed into the fourth quarter.
- Christopher and Ingalls combined to score the first four points of the fourth quarter bringing the Huskies to within one, 49-48, with 8:08 to go, but RIC again had an answer scoring five straight on a three from Yekelchik and a step-back jumper from Wager for a 54-48 advantage with 7:18 to go.
- The Huskies stayed within a possession of the Anchormen, and trailed by two, 59-57, with 4:43 to play on a three from graduate student Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett), but Wager kept coming up with big buckets for RIC. After Cote's three, Wager connected on back-to-back jumpers making it a 63-57 contest with just over three on the clock. Christopher's layup with 2:13 to go put USM within four, 63-59, but it was the last field goal for the Huskies until the 23-second-mark as RIC outscored USM 7-5 down the stretch for the 70-62 final.
Inside The Statistics:
- Southern Maine finished the game shooting 42.6 percent (23-for-54) and 38.9 percent from three (7-for-18). RIC shot. 44.8 percent (26-for-58) and was 34.8 percent from three (8-for-23).
- RIC had a 40-24 lead in rebounds, including a 13-5 edge in offensive boards. The Anchormen scored 10 second-chance points to the Huskies' six.
- The Huskies won the turnover battle committing just 14 in the contest to RIC's 18, and scored 16 points off of RIC miscues.
Up Next:
The Huskies remain on the road and travel to Eastern Connecticut (8-11, 5-5 LEC) on Saturday (3:00 pm) in Little East Conference action. Southern Maine returns home against Plymouth State on Wednesday, February 11 (5:30 pm).
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