PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior Ashley Stephens (Pembroke, N.H.) tallied a season-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double but the University of Southern Maine stayed unbeaten in Little East Conference (LEC) play following a 75-51 win over Plymouth State University in women's basketball action in Foley Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
 
The difference came from beyond the three-point arc, as the Huskies drained 14 shots from distance while the Panthers hit three. Southern Maine also held a substantial advantage at the free throw line, going 15-of-24 while PSU went 8-for-9.
 
Plymouth State slips to 8-8 (1-7 LEC), while the Huskies improve to 16-1 (8-0 LEC).
 
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 51, Southern Maine 75
  • Plymouth State (8-8, 1-7 LEC)
  • Southern Maine (16-1, 8-0 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Ashley Stephens (18 pts, 7-12 fg, 10 reb)
  • Raegan Peck (9 pts, 3-5 3pt, 2 stl)
  • Hailey Malozzi (8 pts, 6 reb)
  • Elli Cox (6 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast)

How it Happened:

• After the Panthers scored the first bucket of the evening, Southern Maine jumped ahead with three straight field goals to take an early 8-2 lead in the first two minutes of play.
• Plymouth State narrowed the gap to 10-8 at the 6:09 mark of the first quarter.
• USM closed out the first on a 12-3 run to maintain a 22-11 lead after one quarter of play.
• The Panthers cut the deficit to seven points (25-18) in the first three minutes of the second quarter, but the Huskies responded with three straight shots from distance to extend the margin to 34-18 midway through the quarter.
• PSU recorded the final five points of first half to cut the game deficit to 11 points, 40-29, at the halftime break.
• The Huskies opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 51-31 lead midway through the quarter.
• Stephens stepped to the free throw line at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter – the first two free throw attempts for the Plymouth State offense.
• Southern Maine pulled away to a 59-39 lead after three quarters.
• PSU started to chip away in the fourth, but the lead proved to be too much to come back from as the Huskies slowed play down to remain perfect in LEC play.

By the Numbers:

• Southern Maine shot 14-of-33 (42.4%) from three-point range while PSU went 3-for-14 (21.4%).
• Plymouth State shot 8-of-9 from the charity stripe (88.9%).
• The Panthers owned a 45-40 rebounding edge, and also won on the offensive glass, 14-9.
• Bench points went to Plymouth State, 28-13.
• The Panthers recorded 32 points in the paint to only 18 for USM.
• Southern Maine has won each of the last 16 meetings.

 
Up Next:

• Plymouth State travels to Rhode Island College on Saturday (Jan. 24) for a 1 p.m.

 
 
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