GORHAM, Maine – Senior forward Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, MA) and junior guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington) combined to score 22 of the team's final 26 points as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team took over first place in the Little East Conference with a 53-45 win over the University of Southern Maine Saturday afternoon at the Hill Gymnasium.

Eastern (13-4, 6-1 LEC) extended its season-high win streak to six and handed Southern Maine (10-7, 5-2 LEC) its first loss in five games and first home loss since Dec. 1.

Rebounding from an eight-point loss to the Huskies in the front end of the home-and-home series Dec. 5,  Eastern moves into sole possession of first place in the conference with its sixth straight conference victory, one game ahead of Southern Maine, Keene State College and Western Connecticut.

Ritrosky's jumper following junior center Lexis Foster's (Groton) blocked shot gave the Warriors the lead for good, 29-27,  late in the third quarter. That basket began a final 26-point run where Ritrosky and Nappi combined for 22 points and Foster chipped in the other four. Nappi had 13 of those last 26 points over the final 12 minutes – including both of her three-point field goals – and Ritrosky had nine as the Warriors prevailed after leading by three after three quarters.

Southern Maine went scoreless from the floor for five minutes– managing only four free throws – as Eastern moved out to a seven-point lead, 40-33, with 5:28 left. After the Huskies edged back to within three, 45-42,  with 2:26 left, Eastern did not allow another USM bucket until a meaningless three-pointer inside the final ten seconds. Ritrosky and Nappi each sank jump shots over the final two minutes, and the pair combined to convert six of eight free throws.

Senior forward Erin Brooks (Billerica, MA) scored all 11 of her points to help Eastern to a 22-15 halftime lead, and Ritrosky and Nappi handled the offense over the final 20 minutes. Nappi scored all 13 of her points in the second half after going scoreless (0-of-6) in the first half, and Ritrosky had 12 of her game-high 16 points and eight of her game-high 15 rebounds in the second half.  Ritrosky moved to within two rebounds of become the second player in program history with as many as 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Foster came off the bench to block four shots and contribute six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes. Junior guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield) overcame 2-of-13 field goal shooting by grabbing ten rebounds and producing six steals, and senior guard Victoria Pfohl (Trumbull) had five assists.

Ritrosky and DePoi matched exactly their rebounding totals and Nappi her scoring total from the team's eight-point home loss to USM in the LEC opener Dec. 1, and Brooks was just one point off that earlier total.

Both teams shot poorly from the floor (just over 30 percent) and were a combined 7-of-31 from three-point range, but the Warriors finished with a +16 advantage in rebounds. Eastern held a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds and did not allow a basket off any of USM's six second-chance opportunities.

No Southern Maine starter totaled double figures in points but six-foot senior forward Ella Ramonas had 11 points off the bench.

Eastern hosts Keene State College Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.