In the first round of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament play the Lady Huskies secured their 26th consecutive win of the season downing the Maine Maritime Mariners 83-67. Though the Huskies were favored to win in the opening round of play, the victory did not come easily.
The two teams battled from the start. Huskies junior co-captain Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, Maine) opened scoring for the game nailing a three pointer. This 3-0 lead, ultimately the largest lead of the half for the Huskies, was quickly overtaken by the Mariners who were able to produce on their next two possessions.
While the Mariners continued to have offensive success, the Huskies remained in an offensive drought most of the first half.
“They shot very well in the first half, we did not.” said USM Head Coach Gary Fifield.
Nearing the close of the first half, the Huskies were able to close in on the Mariners who led by as much as six points in the first half. Each team rallied, trying to secure the lead at the end of the half. With less then thirty seconds left in the first half, sophomore Katie Sibley (Boothbay, Maine) connected on two free throws putting USM ahead. The lead was short-lived however, as Mariner sophomore Shelley Gott (Bernard, Maine) drilled a three with seven seconds left, putting the Mariners up 34-32 entering the second half.
The Mariners continued to improve on their lead in the opening stages of the second half, outscoring the Huskies 10-4. The game then began to turn in the Huskies favor as shots began to fall and the Huskies fell into a rhythm on both offense and defense.
Junior Katie Frost (Calais, Maine) attributes the turn-around to the team’s improved defense. “We came back in the second half once we got a hand in the shooter’s face,” she said.
The lead exchanged hands one final time with a lay-up by Frost, putting the Huskies up by one. Frost continued the run for the Huskies scoring six consecutive points. The Mariners were unable to turn the game back in their favor as the Huskies extended their lead to 16 to finalize the victory, 83-67.
The Mariners finished the season at 24-5 overall, while the Huskies continue on in the NCAA tourney, looking for their 27th consecutive win.