Jan 11, 2011
Junior Kelley Paradis was red-hot in the pivotal first half, scoring 16 of her 19 points
MILTON, Mass. -- Junior guard Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the first half to help the University of New England to a 48-27 lead, and the Nor'easters cruised the rest of the way for a 86-45 The Commonwealth Coast Conference road win over Curry College on Tuesday evening.
The win is the third in a row for the Nor'easters, who improve to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play. After winning eight straight to open the season, Curry (8-3, 0-2 TCCC) suffered its third consecutive setback. UNE has won the last four meetings between the two teams and 14 of 15 all-time.
Paradis finished 7 of 10 from the floor and added four steals. Junior guard Kari Pelletier (South Paris, Maine) connected on all nine of her free throw attempts on her way to matching her career high with 17 points to go with seven steals. Senior guard Carrie Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) knocked down four treys en route to 14 points. She also added five assists and five boards.
UNE sophomore forward Beth Suggs (Bath, Maine) continued her solid play of late, tying her career best with 11 rebounds.
The Colonels has just one player reaching double digits in the scoring column with sophomore Julia Scrubb tossing in 10 points.
Up 15-10 a little more than five minutes into the contest, Big Blue scored 22 of the next 29 points to build a 37-17 cushion with 5:30 remaining in the frame. Seven different players found the scoring column during the spurt, which was capped by a pair of Pelletier free throws.
For the half, Paradis converted 6 of 8 field goal attempts -- including a 4-for-5 effort from beyond the arc -- as the Nor'easters shot a blistering 53.6 percent (15 of 28) from the field.
Big Blue roared out of the locker room in the final stanza, getting a three by senior April Mroz (Somersworth, N.H.) and a pair by Bunnell to open up a 30-point (57-27) margin.
Nine of UNE's 11 players in uniform saw at least 14 minutes of court time as the visitors went to their bench liberally in the second half.