GORHAM, Maine – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team shot over 50 percent from the floor for the first time this year and equaled its largest winning margin over the University of Southern Maine in 13 years in a 62-44 Little East Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Warren Hill Gymnasium.

In a game featuring the teams ranked atop the LEC pre-season poll, No. 1 Eastern (10-5, 4-1 LEC) shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the first half to move out to a 14-point 37-23 halftime lead and went on to avenge a nine-point loss to 20-time LEC tournament champion Southern Maine (7-8, 3-2 LEC) in last year's conference tournament semifinals.

Eastern, which shot 52.2 percent from the field in the game, has won four straight and six of its last seven while the Huskies fall to 1-5 in their last six. The Warriors maintain a share of first place in the conference with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, while Southern Maine drops into a two-way tie for third place with the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Sophomore post player Lindsay Langenauer (Cromwell) came off the bench to score eight points, grab five rebounds and block five shots in 16 minutes for Eastern, while senior guard Taylor McBride (Willimantic) handed out a season-high nine assists (one short of her career high) and grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington) also came off the bench to score 13 points (3-for-5 from three-point range) and pull down five rebounds. Senior guard Kristina Forsman (Newington ) led all players in the game with 14 points.

The conference leader in field goal percentage (40.4), Southern Maine managed just 31.5 percent from the floor and got just four points and two rebounds from nine bench players.

A winner of four straight conference games since an opening LEC loss to Rhode Island College (ranked seventh in the coaches' pre-season poll), Eastern visits Keene State College in a conference game Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.