With the win, Southern Maine improves to 19-1 on the season. In the 61st meeting between the two schools, the Huskies now lead the series 49-12. Colby falls to 7-12 overall dropping its second consecutive game.
Grant shot 10-for-15 from the field to lead three USM players in double figures. She added eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine/McAuley) tossed in 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals. Senior guard Haley Jordan (Falmouth, Maine) added 11 points.
Colby senior Diana Manduca (Portland, Maine/Deering) scored her 1000th career point lead the Mules with 17 points, including a 5-for-8 performance from three-point range. Sophomore guard Brooke Chandler (Barrington, Ill.) a and senior guard Jacky Laughlin (Medfield, Mass.) each added 10 points.
Despite a slow first half plagued with nine turnovers and several missed layups, Southern Maine held a modest 28-22 lead at the break as Grant tallied 16 of her 25 points in the opening stanza. The game was tied at 21 all with 3:47 remaining, before USM closed out the half on a 7-1 run. Senior guard Nicole Garland (Portland, Maine/Deering) drained a long-distance three to start the run, while Grant scored the final three-points of the game on a traditional three-point play.
After the break, Knight took over in scoring five of the Huskies' seven points in a 7-0 run to start the second half and grab a 35-22 lead with 16:15 to play. Colby clawed its way back with a 9-1 run to trail by five 36-31 with 12:27 remaining following a layup from freshman guard Carylanne Wolfington (Hallowell, Maine), but the Huskies' responded with a 14-3 run of their own.
Knight scored consecutive short jumpers, while Jordan added five points on a layup and a three-pointer and Grant added four points to give USM a commanding 49-33 lead with 7:21 remaining.
With the game seemingly under control, the Huskies suddenly found themselves in a five-point game, 53-48, as the Mules attempted to comeback from a 16-point deficit on the heels of a 15-4 run sparked by a trio of three-pointers from Chandler, senior guard Jayde Bennett (Lynn, Mass.) and Manduca. Manduca's three with 2:55 remaining pulled the Mules to within seven, 53-46, and marked her milestone 1000th point, while junior guard Gabe Donahue's (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) with 2:28 remaining made it a two-possession game at 53-48. Back-to-back layups for USM from Knight and Grant quelled the Mules spurt, pushing the lead to 57-58 in favor of the Huskies and the Huskies led by 10, 60-50, after two free throws from Garland with 41 second to play before Colby scored the final four points of the game for the 60-54 final.
Southern Maine hosts Keene State College on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) in a Little East Conference match up. The game will be the Huskies' "Think Pink" game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game. Raffles, baked goods and t-shirts will be sold as part of a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Colby College hosts Williams College on Friday (8:00 p.m.) in a NESCAC contest.
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