Gary Fifield got to watch his former squad beat-up on conference foes Keene State on Saturday. The Huskies busted out a 13-0 run early in the first half to lead 18-5 and never looked back, cruising to a 61-47 victory in women’s basketball action.
Led by sophomore Kaylee Demillo’s (Jay) 18 points led three Huskies in double-figures and paced USM to their sixth straight victory to open the season. The Huskies’ win was their first in conference play.
Demillo finished the game shooting 6-for-12 to go along with four boards, three assists and a pair of steals. Senior forward Stacy Kent (Northwood, NH) tossed in a quiet 17 points including key baskets down the stretch.
The Huskies posted a 12-point lead at halftime and played even with the Owls down the stretch to pick up the win. Unselfish passing on the offensive end and a strong defensive effort proved to be a winning formula for coach Mike McDevitt, who earlier this season was named the interim successor to Gary Fifield. The Huskies cleaned up the ice-cold shooting of Keene State (27%) and turned many of their misses into easy transition points.
USM, while not red-hot from the floor (38.6%), did their part to make timely baskets and never let Keene State get too close. When Keene State closed the lead to five halfway through the second period, Kent answered with a big three-point bucket from the left-side, which keyed a 9-0 USM run and dashed Keene’s hopes.
Junior Haley Johnson (West Simsbury, CT) and sophomore Kristi Violette (Readfield) cleaned up the glass, collecting a combined 22 rebounds for USM. Johnson posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Huskies return to action Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. against Salem State and will close out their first semester with a trip to UMass-Dartmouth on Dec. 13.