The University of Southern Maine put four players in double figures on Friday evening and built a 16 point halftime lead, en route to a 62-46 win over Johnson & Wales (Providence) in a First Round NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament matchup played at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
Despite trailing by 18 early in the third quarter, the Wildcats while having their leading scorer held off the scoresheet would finally rally back and would cut it to five at 40-35 on a 9-0 run capped off by a steal and layup by Brianne Foley. The Huskies then scored the next five points on a three-pointer by Liz Cote and a layup by Izzy Morelli (Gray- New Gloucester) and never led by less than eight the rest of the way.
Tahlia Pena led Johnson & Wales with 14 points and five rebounds. Foley finished with 13 points and would grab six boards, while Mikayla Caruso recorded a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Grace Jaffray (Ellsworth) who averaged 23.7 points per game during the regular season was held scoreless (0-7 FG, 0-2 three-pointers). The Wildcats from the GNAC finish their season with a record of 23-5 in their first tournament appearance since 2016. Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan & UMaine) led USM in the win with 16 points and seven rebounds. Lucy Wiles (Hampden Academy) and Avah Ingalls both put in 11 points. Ingalls reeled in six rebounds. Morelli also got into double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. Dakota Shipley (Brunswick) chipped in eight points and was a force on the glass with 15 rebounds. The champions of the Little East Conference improve to 26-2 in their first tournament game since 2013. The Huskies will face host Bowdoin College on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
