PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Sophomore Laura Kent (Bellingham, Mass.) scored a career-high 20 points Saturday afternoon to lead the Plymouth State University women's basketball team to a 65-57 victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston in a Little East Conference game at Foley Gymnasium.

            Kent, who converted 6-of-12 field goal attempts and 8-of-9 free throws, was one of three Panthers who scored in double figures.  Junior Kayla Morin (Pascoag, R.I.) finished with 16 points, largely on the strength of four three-point field goals in the first half, while senior Meg MacDonald (Salem, N.H.) added 10 points.  Two Panthers reached double digits in rebounding, as senior Lauren Daniels (Concord, N.H.) collected 12 and sophomore Karly Gray (Southampton, Mass.) grabbed 10.

            Junior Leanne Meninger (Everett, Mass.) led the Beacons with 20 points and eight rebounds after connecting on 9-of-12 from the floor.  Freshman Mairi Lamson (South Royalton, Vt.) was the next high scorer for UMB with eight points.

            It was anyone's game most of the first half, with the score tied at 16-16 with seven minutes remaining.  PSU rattled off nine straight points over the next six minutes, and ended up with a nine-point advantage, 28-19, at halftime.

            The Panthers started to pull away in the opening minutes of the second half, taking their largest lead, 42-29, with just under 13 minutes on the clock.  The Beacons did not quit, rallying with a 16-2 burst over the next five minutes to move into the lead with a 45-44 advantage. PSU answered with seven straight points to regain a six-point bulge, 51-45, with six minutes to play.

            UMB pulled as close as four points twice in the final five minutes, but PSU held off any more Beacon comebacks and pulled out the eight-point win.  The outcome evened the season series as UMB had defeated the Panthers last month in Boston, 72-58.

            PSU, 10-13 overall and 3-9 in the LEC, wraps up the regular season next week with a pair of road games, beginning Tuesday at league-leading Southern Maine (5:30 p.m.)  UMB, 7-15 overall and 2-10 in the Little East, plays its final two at home, beginning Tuesday vs. UMass Dartmouth (5:30 p.m.)

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