Lawrence leads Panthers in LEC loss

            GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine used a strong second half to upend Plymouth State University, 52-43, in Little East Conference (LEC) women's basketball Tuesday night.

            Juniors Ella Ramonas (Portland, Maine), Gretchen Anderson (Kittery Point, Maine) and Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine) combined for 42 of the Huskies 52 points en route to the victory.  Ramonas finished with a game-high 15 points (6-of-12 shooting) and added seven rebounds.  Anderson scored 14 (5-of-8 shooting), while adding three rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and Pelletier, the current LEC Player of the Week, contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

            Sophomore Ace Lawrence (Middletown, Conn.) had the hot hand for the Panthers early, scoring 12 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting including 2-of-3 from long range, but the USM defense held her to just two points in the second half.  Senior Kelley Collins (Groveton, N.H.) had a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds while adding three steals.  Junior Taylor Perry (Simsbury, Conn.) had six points and three rebounds off the bench, and senior Tiffany Lewis (Hillsboro, N.H.) scored two points while pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

            The upset-minded Panthers got off to a hot start, especially from long range.  Three-pointers from Collins and Perry, along with a basket by Lawrence, gave PSU an 8-4 lead after five minutes.  Southern Maine came back to take the lead 10-9 on a layup by Pelletier two minutes later.  A long ball from sophomore Madison Beatrice (Newton, Mass.) gave the Panthers a 14-12 lead with 11:33 remaining in the half and neither team was able to gain an advantage over the next eight minutes. 

            Lawrence hit back-to-back three-pointers to give PSU its biggest lead of the game, 26-19, with 1:39 left in the half, but the Huskies closed the half with five straight points, all from Anderson, to trail 26-24 at the break.  Plymouth finished the first half shooting 5-of-7 (71.4%) from downtown, and forced USM into 12 turnovers while committing just six of its own.

            The game remained tight through the second half.  USM tied the game in the opening minute after a pair of Gallagher free throws before a Lawrence jumper put PSU up 28-26.  Perry hit a three off a screen to tie the score at 31-31 with 12:01 to play.  The Huskies scored five straight, but PSU responded with a 5-0 run of its own, using a Beatrice free throw to knot the score at 36-36 with 7:48 remaining.

            The teams were tied again at 38-38 until Anderson gave the Huskies a 41-38 lead with a three-pointer.  Sophomore Kayla Wyland (Melrose, Mass.) hit a jumper to bring Plymouth within one, 41-40, with 5:25 left in the game, but that's as close as the Panthers would get.  USM closed the game with an 11-3 run for the 52-43 win.

            After a turnover-prone first half, the Huskies committed just one in the second half, while Plymouth had 10.  The Panthers also cooled considerably from long range, hitting just 1-of-9 three-point attempts in the second half.

            Plymouth State (6-16, 0-11 LEC) travels to University of Massachusetts Boston for another LEC battle Saturday at 1:00 p.m.  Southern Maine (11-11, 7-4 LEC) will play LEC-foe Rhode Island College in Providence, R.I. Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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