The USM women’s basketball team has overcome the potentially devastating loss of stand-out Captain Meg Cressler and managed to compose one of the best seasons in the history of the storied Lady Huskies basketball program. Now, the Huskies are poised to make a run deep into the NCAA tournament.
The University of Southern Maine women’s basketball program has a successful history and this year, fans and players alike entered the 2003 – 2004 season with high expectations. The lady Huskies have not disappointed and hope to continue their winning ways into the NCAA tournaments which they’ll attend for the eighth year in a row. After winning the LEC tournament last Saturday night against Eastern Connecticut the Huskies will advance in the 18 spot to the NCAA’s. This victory brought them up to 24 consecutive wins. They broke the USM record for most consecutive wins set, in the 1997-1998 season, the previous night defeating Umass Dartmouth.
On Feb. 24, the resilient Lady Huskies convincingly defeated UMass Boston by a final score of 89 – 47 in the opening quarterfinal round of the Little East Conference Tournament at Warren Hill Gymnasium in Gorham, Maine.
The emphatic fashion in which the Huskies won was a joy to watch as every member of the team played a role in the game. All 12 players tallied two or more points as the balanced attack led to the continuation of the Lady Huskies’ winning ways.
Coach Gary Fifield felt the game was a true indication of the style of play his team has played this year. “Our (LEC quarterfinal) performance was very typical of the balanced way this team has played all season, said Fifield.”
Although USM has proved to be a very balanced team this season, Senior Jen Webster has proved to be an amazing talent on the court and the LEC has taken notice by honoring her as the Little East conference player of the week for women’s basketball twice. Most recently, Webster was recognized for her outstanding play for the week of Feb. 16 to 22, 2004. She also shared the Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s honor of co-player of the week (Feb. 16 to 22) with Missy Stults of the University of New England.
The Lady Huskies have enjoyed such a successful season that if they were to come up short in the LEC tourney then in all likelihood they would be granted an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.
“I’m fairly confident that if need be, we would receive an at-large bid into the tournament,” said Fifield.
The only blemish on this otherwise perfect USM season was their loss to instate rival Bowdoin College by seven points on Dec. 2, 2003. Despite the difficult loss to Bowdoin, the Lady Huskies have remained focused and rather than get down as a team, they have managed to assert themselves by rattling off 22 consecutive wins and established themselves as the number 2 ranked Division III women’s basketball team in all of America.
“We can’t let that (Bowdoin loss) bother us…. We’re playing well at the right time,” said Fifield.”
Christy McKinnon contributed to this story.
Andrew Sparda can be contacted at [email protected]