GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore
Ashley Stephens (Pembroke, N.H.) led a fourth quarter surge, scoring 13 points in the frame, but the comeback attempt fell short as the Plymouth State University women's basketball team fell to the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 63-56, in a Little East Conference (LEC) matchup at Warren G. Hill Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
The Huskies led by 14 points with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter before the Panthers burst into a 13-1 run, cutting the deficit to two points, 57-55, with a shade over a minute left in regulation. Southern Maine knocked down two free throws in the final minute to stop the would-be comeback and sneak away with the conference victory.
Stephens finished the evening with a game-high 19 points, while junior
Hailey Malozzi (Maynard, Mass.) added 18 points of her own. Junior
Elli Cox (Deerfield, N.H.) tallied eight points and seven rebounds in the losing effort for the Panthers.
Plymouth State drops to 3-13 (0-8 LEC), while the Huskies improve to 9-8 (5-3 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 56, Southern Maine 63
- Plymouth State (3-13, 0-8 LEC)
- Southern Maine (9-8, 5-3 LEC)
Top Performers:
- Plymouth State
- Ashley Stephens (19 pts, 7-11 fg, 1-1 3pt, 7 reb, 3 stl)
- Hailey Malozzi (18 pts, 3-8 3pt, 7 reb, 3 stl)
- Elli Cox (8 pts, 3-6 fg, 7 reb, 1 blk)
- Alessia Salzillo (3 pts, 3 ast, 6 stl)
How it Happened:
- The teams traded buckets to start the contest, as the Huskies opened with a narrow 6-5 advantage midway through the first quarter.
- Plymouth State took its first lead of the evening, scoring five straight points to close out the first quarter with a 14-12 advantage.
- The Panthers maintained a one-point lead halfway through the second quarter until back-to-back three-pointers by Southern Maine flipped the script to a 24-19 Huskies' lead with 4:53 left in the half.
- Southern Maine scored the final points of the second quarter to make it a two-possession game, 31-25, at the break.
- The Panthers scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 31-30 with 7:56 to go.
- Feeling the heat, Southern Maine put its foot on the gas pedal, using a 9-1 run to take a 40-31 lead at the 3:53 mark in the third quarter.
- Plymouth State was held to nine third quarter points as the Huskies led 45-34 after three.
- The Huskies started to pull away, taking a 14-point advantage, but late in the fourth the Panthers stormed back, registering ten unanswered points to cut the game to 56-52 with 1:24 left in regulation.
- The Panthers managed to get to within two points with just over a minute to go, but the Huskies sank all six shots from the charity stripe in the final minute of play to hold on for the win.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State shot 18-of-49 (36.7%) from the floor, and 5-of-19 from distance (26.3%).
- USM edged the Panthers 37-30 on the boards.
- The Panthers shot 61.5% in the fourth quarter (8-of-13) in the comeback attempt.
- PSU's reserves outscored their counterparts by a 24-18 margin.
- The Panthers registered 12 steals in the contest.
- Both teams tallied 20 points in the paint.
- The Huskies have been successful in the head-to-head matchup in recent seasons, extending their win streak to 14-straight over PSU.
- Hill Gymnasium has been unkind to the Panthers, as PSU has just one road win in the series dating back to the 1987-88 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers remain on the road as the team travels to Danbury, Conn. to face the Western Connecticut State University Wolves on Saturday (Jan. 25). First tip is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in the Stephen Feldman Arena.
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