Women’s Basketball: Eastern Tops Plymouth in Little East Clash

1/10/2026 2:35:00 PM | By: Alyssa French-Graham

Alyssa Paquette is fouled by Plymouth's Hailey Malozzi in the first half of Saturday's 73-55 Little East Conference win. With 12 points and 11 rebounds, Paquette posted her second double-double in the last five games.

Box Score

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball dominated a Little East road matchup against Plymouth State University, securing a 73-55 conference victory Saturday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.

First-year starter Maddie Topa (New Hartford) and sophomore guard Liv Cassesse ( Wallingford) each recorded 19 points, while junior Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH) anchored the defense with a double-double. The win lifts Eastern to 3-2 in Little East Conference play, while Plymouth falls 1-4.

Game Information:

Score: Eastern Connecticut State University 73, Plymouth State University 55
Records: Eastern (6-8) (LEC 3-2), Plymouth State (8-5) (LEC 1-4)
Location: Plymouth, New Hampshire | (Foley Gymnasium)

Key Moments:
First Quarter

Eastern's Maddie Topa opened the scoring with a sinking three at the 9:31 mark in a tightly contested quarter. Plymouth State responded immediately with Ashley Stephens' drive to the basket. However, both teams proved to be evenly matched as they traded consecutive blows well into the three-minute mark, Eastern and Plymouth tied 15-15, until Alyssa Paquette found the inside of the key with a pump fake pull up in Plymouth's gap defense, while Liv Cassesse took a solo trip to the basket for two back-to-back threes, pulling Eastern away as Plymouth trailed 23-15 heading into the second.

Second Quarter

Eastern continued the pressure early, and Cassesse forced consecutive turnovers, which Paquette finished with a driving layup, pushing the steady 6-point lead.
The Panthers briefly answered behind Hailey Malozzi's aggressive drives, trimming the margin to three, but Eastern's insurmountable offensive pressure proved too much. Led by Cassesse, the guard grabbed her third deep three of the game at the five-minute mark, sparking an 11-2 surge, Eastern's largest lead of the half.
Topa maintained her presence heading into the half, converting a steal into a driving lay-up before following that possession with a triple at 1:34, extending the lead to double digits, leaving Plymouth struggling to find even ground, trailing 40-34.

Third Quarter

Eastern continued the charge, deciding the game early as Topa buried her third three of the afternoon just 40 seconds into play, extending the long lead to nine while Paquette carried the defensive end, commanding the boards and gathering put-backs to keep Eastern afloat.
Plymouth leaned on baskets from Malozzi who gathered her 17th bucket of the match to keep the Panthers in striking distance while Eli Cox secured quick steals to slow the Warriors' momentum considerably as Plymouth's Stephens, Malozzi and Macy Swormstedt capitalized on Eastern's late misses, going on a brief 8-1 run with quick jumpers and diving cuts to the basket, chopping the deficit to six heading into the fourth 52-46, still unable to break their game long trail.

Fourth Quarter

With just ten minutes to go until the buzzer, Plymouth was still unable to mount the difference as empty trips and misplays ate at the time clock, ultimately leading to Eastern's widening lead.
Cassesse opened the scoring with a jumper while Marissa Nudd (Colchester) maintained her force down low with an up-and-under to push the lead into double digits once again, while Topa's relentless offensive pursuit added points and sealed the outcome. By the three-minute mark, the game was all but decided as the Warriors cruised into their third conference win of the season with a 73-55 victory.

Stats:

Eastern Conn. St.: 27-63 FG (42.9%), 8-23 3PT (34.8%), 11-17 FT (64.7%)
Plymouth State: 20-54 FG (37.0%), 3-15 3PT (20.0%), 12-14 FT (85.7%)
Rebounds: Eastern 40, Plymouth State 36
Assists: Eastern 11, Plymouth State 11
Turnovers: Eastern 13, Plymouth State 18
Points in the Paint: Eastern 26, Plymouth State 30
Second-Chance Points: Eastern 16, Plymouth State 4
Fast Break Points: Eastern 5, Plymouth State 4
Points off Turnovers: Eastern 17, Plymouth State 14
Bench Points: Eastern 5, Plymouth State 17

Game Notes:

Cassesse and Topa led the Warriors with 19 points each. Cassesse added five rebounds and two steals, while Topa tallied six rebounds and three assists.
Warriors' Nudd gathered 14 points and three rebounds while Paquette secured a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Eastern shot 42% in the field and 34.8% on the arc while dominating the boards 40-36.
With this victory, Eastern improves to 6-8 overall and 3-2 in Little East Conference play, while Plymouth falls to 8-5 and 1-4 in the conference.

Up Next:
Eastern hosts VTSU Castleton Wednesday at 5 PM, at Geissler Gymnasium.

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