WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON ENDS AT SOUTHERN MAINE

GORHAM, Maine - The Plymouth State women's basketball team had their season end with a 63-31 LEC quarterfinal loss against the ninth-ranked University of Southern Maine Tuesday night from Hill Gymnasium.

The Huskies stingy defense helped them overcome an otherwise slow start in the first half. USM held Plymouth to only four first half field goals to take a 31-8 lead into halftime. The Panthers remained scoreless for the first 10 minutes of the game, as Southern Maine scored the first 17 points of the contest. Plymouth senior Katie Seraikas would knock down a mid range jumper to end the offensive drought.

The Panthers would never get closer than 15 points, as USM would continue to pour in the baskets, at one point holding a 27-2 advantage.

The Huskies would stay hot well into the second half, using an 8-0 run to hold a 39-8 lead just two minutes into the second frame. Plymouth state never managed to get any closer than 27 points, as the USM rolled on to the LEC semifinals, a game they will host on their own court.

For Plymouth, Junior guard Krystin Corliss lead the way with seven points. Freshmen Bry Bennett and Hannah Andry each chipped in six points, with Bennett also hauling in six rebounds.

Senior guard Haley Jordan was the top performer for USM, scoring 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Also contributing were Nicole Garland who finished with nine points, and Jillian Madden who tossed in eight points of her own.

For the Huskies, the top seed in the LEC tourney, their season will continue Friday night as they host the LEC semifinal game, with a chance to play in the championship the following night. USM will face Rhode Island College, and it will be the 15^th time Southern Maine has hosted the conference final four.

The loss capped off a disappointing season for women's basketball, as the Panthers finished with a 1-24 overall record. PSU will look for its promising freshman class from this season to take the next step and lead the program back to its winning ways.