Panthers extend winning streak to six

              PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior Alicia Doucet (Manchester, N.H./Central) and senior Amanda Kania (Manchester, N.H./West) combined for 46 points and 19 rebounds Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium as Plymouth State University won its Little East Conference women's basketball opener, 88-84, over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

              Doucet scored a game-high 26 points while Kania recorded her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 boards.  Both Doucet and Kania made three baskets from three-point range.  Freshman Kellie Walsh (Londonderry, N.H.) came off the bench to add 13 points and five steals, and sophomore Colleen O'Hara (Otego, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points as PSU won its sixth straight game to improve to 6-1 overall.

              UMass Dartmouth got a balanced offensive performance, with five players scoring in double figures.  Senior Tashauna Ashmeade (Hyannis, Mass.) and junior Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, Mass.) led the way with 19 and 18 points, respectively, while freshmen Erika Bornemann (Canton, Mass.) and Megan Sheehan (Carver, Mass.) scored 11 points apiece and classmate Keneisha Debnam (Dorchester, Mass.) added 10 as the Corsairs slipped to 1-6 overall.

              The game was a tale of two halves.  The upset-minded Corsairs controlled the game in the first half, leading the entire way.  UMD pushed its lead to eight points (30-22) with seven minutes to play, and got it up to nine points (35-26) with four minutes left.  It was an eight-point margin with a minute to go, but PSU rallied down the stretch to pull to within two points, 40-38, at intermission.

              After scoring the last six points of the first half, the Panthers opened the second half with the first nine points to take the lead for good, 47-40.  UMD got as close as one point on a couple occasions (51-50 with 12:45 left and 60-59 with 9:00 to go) but PSU built up a 10-point margin (76-66) with less than six minutes remaining.  A late Corsair rally brought the visitors to within three points (87-84) in the final minute, but PSU held on for the four-point victory.

              PSU scored 29 of its season-high 88 points at the free throw line (61.7 percent) while UMD converted less than 50 percent from the stripe (11-of-24).

              The Panthers wrap up the semester with a pair of road games next week, a non-conference affair Thursday at Lyndon State (5:30 p.m.) and  a Little East encounter next Saturday at Eastern Connecticut (1:00 p.m.) The Corsairs are home for their final two games of the semester, hosting Simmons College Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and Western Connecticut Saturday at 2:00 p.m. 

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