Box Score GORHAM, Maine -- Four different players contributed points in a decisive 8-2 run late in the game that pushed the Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team into a seven-point lead with just over a minute left and on to a 75-67 Little East Conference win over the University of Southern Maine Saturday afternooon at the Warren Hill Gymnasium.
Coming off its first conference loss to Rhode Island College Wednesday that snapped an overall eight-game winning streak, Eastern (13-3, 6-1 LEC) moves to within a half-game of leader Rhode Island, which lost its first conference game Saturday, 45-44, to visiting UMass Boston. The Beacons held on despite being limited to four fourth-quarter points.
Southern Maine (8-9, 3-5 LEC) has dropped three of its last four after sustaining its third straight loss in the series to Eastern as the Warriors remain unbeaten (10-0) this year away from Geissler Gymnasium.
The Warriors led most of the game and by as many as 11 midway through the second quarter but could not shake the Huskies until the final minutes. Leading by one after Samantha Averill's put-back basket with 4:35 left, Eastern used a team effort to score eight of the next ten points and finally put away the hosts with a seven-point, 69-62 lead with 1:24 left.
Coming out of a timeout, senior forward
Mya Villard's (Cromwell) pick freed up senior guard
Lizzy Cretella (Cheshire) for a jumper and after a USM turnover, Villard connected for an inside bucket off a pass from sophomore forward
Anna Barry (Andover) that made it 65-60 with four minutes left. Barry then swished a short jumper following another USM turnover off a pass from Cretella that made it 67-60 with 2:30 left.
Abi Ramirez scored on an uncontested drive off a set play for Southern Maine that sliced the lead to five. The Huskies then re-gained possession following an Eastern offensive foul, but the hosts squandered a chance to make it a one-possesion game by giving the ball back on another turnover. Sophomore guard
Julie Keckler's (Trumbull) two free throws (she was 5-of-6 from the stripe) with 1:24 left restored a seven-point lead for Eastern, which was not threatened the rest of the way.
Cretella had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists to spark Eastern, with Barry totalling a career-high 21 points (9-of-11 from the floor) and four rebounds despite playing the final nine minutes with four personal fouls. Villard had 14 points and seven rebounds, and freshman forward
Mariah Dunn (Meriden) -- the LEC's Rookie-of-the-Week the last three weeks -- came off the bench for 11 points and six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Michelle Rowe matched her career-high with 21 points for USM and also grabbed nine rebounds. Senior guard Jackie Luckhardt had 19 points (7-of-8 from the line), four assists and four rebounds for the hosts.
Eastern played without sophomore starting guard
Danielle O'Brien (Rockland, MA), one of the top three-point shooters in the conference.
Eastern hosts Castleton University in a conference game Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
