WILLAMANTIC, Conn.    –  Senior Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) and sophomores Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) and sophomore Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) combined to scored 64 points to lead the nationally-ranked No. 24/25 University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 98-72 win over the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors in a Little East Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Geissler Gymnasium.
 
Christopher had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 9-for-13 shooting to lead the Huskies' trio.  Wiles and Shipley each had 21 points.  Wiles was 7-for-18 from the field, adding four rebounds, while Shipley was 9-for-15 from the floor with six rebounds, an assist, two steals and a blocked shot.
 
Eleven Huskies figured in the scoring for Southern Maine whose 98 points is the highest game total of the season, and highest since a 91-66 win over Plymouth State on February 13, 2019.  The Huskies' 98 points matches a game-high in a 98-55 win at Husson on January 8, 2007. The program record for points in a game is 113 set in a win over New England College in 1986. 
 
Maddie Topa led Eastern Connecticut with 22 points (8-for-16) shooting and four rebounds.  Live Cassesse had 15 points and two assists, while Marissa Nudd had nine points, six rebounds, and Alyssa Paquette tossed in eight points to go with five boards.
 
The Records:
No. 24/25 Southern Maine (20-2, 12-1 Little East)
Eastern Connecticut (8-13, 5-7 Little East)
 
Today's game marked the 103rd meeting between the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors. Southern Maine leads the overall series 72-31, and has won the last three consecutively over the Warriors.
 
The Huskies' 20 wins marks the 35^th 20-win season in the program's 64-season history, and the first 20-win season since a 20-8 record in 2013-2014.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Trailing 7-6 after a layup from ECSU's Paquette at the 6:36 mark of the first quarter, Southern Maine rattled off a 24-6 run to end the frame up 30-13 over the Warriors.  The Huskies shot a blistering 9-for-10 from the field in the run (2-for-2 from three), and was led by nine points from Shipley and seven from Christopher.  Shipley was lights out in the first quarter, scoring 13 of her 21 points to stake Southern Maine to a big lead.  Southern Maine finished the first quarter shooting 70.6 percent from the field (12-for-17).
• After being red-hot in the closing minutes of the first, Southern Maine went 1-for-8 from the field in the first five minutes of the second quarter as ECSU outscored the Huskies 13-2 to cut its deficit to 32-26 with 5:37 until halftime.  The Warriors went 5-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-3 from three-point range in the run and were led by six points from Cassesse, and five from Topa.
• With the Huskies lead cut to two possessions, Wiles scored 10 of her 21 points over the next 5:10 of play as Southern Maine closed the half up 21-7 in scoring over the Warriors.  After Cassesse's three made the game, 32-26, Wiles responded with a three of her own, and Christopher scored the next five points on two free throws and an and-one play, igniting the run. Southern Maine was 6-for-9 from the field to close the second, including 4-for-6 from three as Wiles and Shipley each hit for two as the Huskies led 53-33 at the break.
• USM started the third outscoring the Warriors 15-7 in the first four minutes and change to snag its largest lead of the game, 68-40, with 5:42 on the clock.  Graduate student Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett) scored six of her nine points of the game in the run, including a quarter-opening and-one play.
• ECSU cut its deficit to 22 with an 8-2 run led by four points from Nudd over the next 90 seconds, but Southern Maine closed out the third on a 9-4 run to lead the Warriors 79-52 headed into the fourth. 
• Led by six points from Topa, the Warriors used a 14-4 run in the first 4:29 of the fourth quarter to get to within 17 of the Huskies, 83-66, with 6:24 to play, but the Huskies responded with a 15-6 run to end the game for the 98-72 run.  Freshman Lexi Morin (Brunswick, Maine) scored a career-high eight points off of the bench for the Huskies in the run.

 
 
Inside The Statistics:

• Southern Maine shot 56.3 percent (36-for-64) from the field for the game, and was 43.5 percent from three-point range (10-for-23).  The Huskies were 16-of-17 from the free throw line.  ECSU shot 41.1 percent (30-for-73) and 20.0 percent (5-for-25) from three. The Warriors went 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
• Southern Maine had a slim 35-32 lead in rebounds.  The Warriors had a 13-7 advantage in offensive rebounding, scoring 14 second chance points.
• Both teams took care of the ball well.  ECSU committed 14 turnovers and Southern Maine 13. The Huskies converted 22 points off turnovers however to the Warriors 13.
• The Huskies' 20 wins marks the 35^th 20-win season in the program's 64-season history, and the first 20-win season since a 20-8 record in 2013-2014.

 
 
Up Next:
Southern Maine returns home against Plymouth State on Wednesday, February 11 (5:30 pm).  The Huskies return to the road and travel to UMass Darmouth (1:00 pm) on Saturday, February 14. 
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