The USM women’s basketball team continued to be the model of consistency, claiming their 19th Little East Conference Championship in 23 years on Saturday.
Despite a coaching change in September, a slew of new faces and a rocky stretch in conference play, the Huskies were able to defeat Rhode Island College, Western Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut in a span of five days to capture the crown and an automatic bid to the national title.
The third-seeded USM team started their tournament with a 61-49 win over Rhode Island College in Gorham before heading to Eastern Connecticut for the balance of the tournament. There they picked up a 56-51 win over Western Connecticut before downing top-seeded Eastern Connecticut in the final game 64-59.
In the championship:
USM held Eastern Connecticut scoreless over the last two minutes and junior Nicole Paradis (Skowhegan) and sophomore Kaylie Demillo (Jay) sank three pointers to up-end an Eastern Connecticut comeback bid.
The Huskies led most of the second-half, but with three minutes to go the Warriors parlayed a jump-shot and two free throws into a 59-56 lead. But the Huskies stingy defense forced the Warriors to miss their final four shots of the game and forced them to foul.
Senior Stacey Kent paced the Huskies with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting while Demillo finished with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Sophomore forward Kristi Violette finished off an impressive LEC tournament with 12 points and seven rebounds of her own.
The win gave the Huskies a 2-1 season series advantage over the Warriors after splitting the regular season series.
In the semi-finals:
Trailing by 11 points midway through the second-half, USM ratcheted up their defensive effort and made 10-of-11 free throws en route to a massive run and a spot in the LEC championship game. Over that stretch, the Huskies held Western Connecticut to 1-of-8 shooting and forced eight turnovers during that stretch.
The Huskies, who shot a dismal 35.7 percent from the floor, used remarkably efficiency free-throw shooting (24-of-33) to overcome their offensive woes.
Violette had a monster game for the Huskies, netting a career-high 22 points and ripping down eight boards. Violette led the USM effort at the charity stripe with a 10-for-11 effort.
The Huskies forced 26 Colonial turnovers and total and held a previously red-hot Eastern Connecticut squad to 7-of-22 shooting (31.8 percent) during the second-half.
Sophomore forward Kristi Violette (Readfield) paced the Huskies over the three game stretch, averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds.
In the first round:
The Huskies controlled the boards and utilized a patient offense to come away with a 61-49 win over the sixth-seeded Rhode Island College Anchorwomen to advance to the semi-finals.
USM took the wind out of RIC’s sails after the Anchorwomen climbed to within three points with 7:30 remaining in the game. It was at that point freshman guard Nicole Garland (Portland) drained a three pointer from the corner, which sparked an 11-2 run down the stretch.
Violette led the Huskies with her ninth career double-double, leading the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds on the night.
After an inauspicious first five minutes where the teams traded baskets, the Huskies took temporary control.
Both Violette and Kent combined for a total of 21 points in the first half alone, with Kent sinking three crucial three pointers and Violette going 5-for-6 in the paint with two free throws.
The resilient Anchorwomen clawed their way back, though, and went on an 8-0 run of their own to make the score 27-22 at the half.
USM remained calm despite RIC’s stealthy comeback and continued to play a patient game, waiting for their opportunities to arise rather than forcing them.
“We were playing a junk defense; a triangle and two for most of the game,” McDevitt said. “We really had to improvise and just make the right read. I thought we did a good job of hitting the open player and then deciding where we should go next. Instead of having the luxury of running a structured offense we had to think on our feet a little bit and hopefully take a good shot.”
The Huskies came back with a strong second half, committing only two turnovers and dominating the boards with 27 rebounds.
As the game winded down, lone Senior Stacey Kent seemed to breathe a sigh a relief as she celebrated with her teammates.
“It is a different feeling for me to know that if we lose this game then that’s it,” Kent explained. “Today I decided to forget about that thought and just play.”
This relaxed state of mind seemed to work to her advantage as she finished with 16 points, including four critical three pointers that caused major momentum shifts.
“We know when its crunch time, we’ve got to get it done.” Kent said.
The win was the Huskies’ 20th of the season, marking the 29th season in a row the squad has reached the mark. The streak spans three coaches from the legendary tandem of Doc Costello and Gary Fifield to the newest member of the club, McDevitt.
As a whole:
Violette’s finished the tournament averaging 17 points and eight boards per contest, while Kent chipped in with 12 points a night.
But it was the Huskies powerful defensive stands, solid free throw shooting and timely three point baskets that proved to be the winning formula.
The Huskies will look to continue their winning ways in the national tournament.