With the win, Southern Maine remained undefeated at 17-0 overall and 7-0 in the Little East. The Huskies' 17 consecutive wins is the best start in program history surpassing USM's 16-0 start during the 1987-88 season – Head Coach Gary Fifield's first season 25 years ago. The Warriors fall to 5-12 overall and 3-4 in the conference.
Both Grant and Jordan shot well from the field. Grant was 6-for-9 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, while Jordan was 7-for-9 from the field including a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range. Senior guard Nicole Garland (Portland, Maine/Deering) added 14 points and a career-high seven rebounds and junior guard Erin McNamara (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) tossed in 11 points to compliment three assists and a game-high four steals.
Sophomore forward Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield, Conn.) led the Warriors with a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Mass.) added 11 points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Brianna Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) added eight points and game-high 11 rebounds.
Jordan scored 11 of her 18 points in the first half as the Huskies mounted a daunting 35-16 lead at the break. The Huskies shot a solid 44.4 percent (12-for-27) in the first half, knocking down five threes led by three from Jordan. Southern Maine was equally as effective on the defensive side of the ball, limiting the Warriors to just four first half field goals on a 4-for-22 performance from the field (18.2 percent). The Huskies' scored 12 of their 35 first half points off of 11 Eastern turnovers.
The Huskies continued to click offensively to open the second half, outscoring Eastern Connecticut 13-6 in the opening five minutes to grab its largest lead of the game, 48-22. Garland scored six of her 14 points in the opening series knocking down a pair of threes.
Southern Maine remained in control and led by as many as 20 points, 62-42, with 5:01 to play before the Warriors showed some life and cut the Husky advantage to 12 points, 64-52, with 1:33 to play with a 10-2 run. McCourt and sophomore guard Kristina Forsman (Newington, Conn.) each scored six points in the run. Any thoughts of a Eastern Connecticut comeback were quickly halted, however, when Jordan drove the lane for a left-handed layup and earned the and-one at the free-throw line for 67-52 lead with 55 seconds to play.
Southern Maine hosts Plymouth State on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.) in a Little East Conference matchup as part of its "Gorham Night" Celebration. Eastern Connecticut travels to Keene State on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.).
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