Statistics
Highlights
BIDDEFORD, Maine – The University of New England women's basketball team held the University of Southern Maine scoreless throughout the final three minutes of Friday evening's season opener, ultimately closing out a 65-63 victory over the Huskies on Coach Beaudry's Court inside the Harold Alfond Forum.
A 3-pointer at the 3:05 mark of the fourth gave the Huskies (0-1) a 63-59 lead before the Nor'easters (1-0) responded with a three-point-play from
Maddy Werner to cut the lead to one. Another bucket from Werner on the ensuing possession allowed UNE to reclaim the lead. The visitors had the ball in the final seconds with an opportunity to tie or win, but missed at the buzzer.
The Huskies – the defending Little East Conference champion and a participant in last season's NCAA Sweet 16 – were 0-for-4 from the floor with a pair of turnovers in the game's final three minutes after erasing a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit.
"It wasn't always pretty, but we got stops when we needed to and had some people step up late," said head coach Anthony Ewing. "Maddy Werner made some plays down the stretch and Mimi Quinn gave us great minutes."
16 points from
Sydney Jenisch and a career-best 15 from
Hannah Blanchard paced the Nor'easters, who struggled to shoot, but benefited from 18 USM turnovers. The Huskies were more efficient from the floor, better from deep and stronger at the free throw line, but were on the wrong end of an 18-7 turnover differential.
Lucy Wiles and Dakota Shipley combined to score 39 for the Huskies. Emma Stred was close to a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. The Huskies had a slim 39-36 edge on the glass, with Blanchard's eight leading the Nor'easters' rebounding column.
Neither side lead by more than five until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, when UNE strung together a pair of buckets to grow its lead to 54-47. The Nor'easters' seven-point lead was wiped away by a 12-1 run from the Huskies, capped off by Izzy Morelli's triple that delivered a two-possession lead, which proved to represent USM's final points of the game.
UNE is back in action at home on Wednesday, Nov. 11, hosting Lasell at 5:30 p.m.
