The University of Southern Maine Women’s basketball team is approaching the final month of play in February and has only six games left in the regular season. With its fourteenth straight win and an impressive Little East record of 8-0, the team is ranked second in the nation.
After the women face St. Joseph’s College on Wednesday, they will travel to Keene State to compete in a Little East Conference (LEC). With its 2-62 over Plymouth State on Jan.27, USM currently holds a record of 17-1.
Unfortunately, the team might have to play the rest of the season without standout scorer and team leader Meg Cressler, Appleton, ME, who tore her ACL on Jan.10 in a game against Keene State and will be forced to miss at least four weeks of action.
Head Coach, Gary Fifield, said Cressler could make it back by the end of the year.
“She is currently undergoing rehabilitation and is working diligently to return for the end of the season,” he said.
The Huskies are extremely focused on the remainder of the season and are looking forward to hosting the LEC tournament and beyond.
“After the Little East Conference tournament, it’s on to the NCAA’s,” said Fifield.
USM will complete their final home game for the regular season against the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 at Hill Gym in Gorham. Hill Gymnasium is also the site of this year’s Little East Conference women’s basketball tournament.
Last year the Huskies won the LEC tournament, which they also hosted. USM defeated Rhode Island College, Keene State and Plymouth State to claim the championship. In the first round of the NCAA’s, USM beat Salem State at home, then traveled to Pennsylvania for the second round where they were defeated by in-state rival Bowdoin College.
USM will begin postseason on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the quarterfinal rounds of the LEC tournament hosted by USM in Gorham. Teams who win their quarterfinal matches will then advance to the semifinals and finals. The semifinals will take place on Friday, Feb. 27 and will continue into Saturday, Feb. 28 when USM will hopefully battle for the LEC championship. The winner of the championship game will be the Little East Conference 2003-2004 tournament champion, and will go on to the NCAA tournament.
Joe Pierce can be contacted at [email protected]