With the win, Southern Maine retains possession of the Costello Cup for the second consecutive season and the 20th time in the history of the Cup series. Presented annually to the winner of the contest between the in-state rivals, the Costello Cup honors the late Dr. Richard "Doc" Costello, former USM Athletic Director and long-time basketball coach. The Huskies now own a commanding 20-4 record, which began in during the 1989-90 season, in the series over the Monks.
The Huskies are now 4-2 on the season earning their second consecutive win. St. Joseph's College stands at 4-2 with the loss and sees its two-game win streak halted.
The Monks led for a majority of the first half and led by as many as seven points as the Huskies struggled to shoot above 30 percent from the field in the opening frame. After a layup from senior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H./Dover) the Monks led 16-9 with 11:23 to play, but the Huskies battled back to claim a 26-22 lead at the break closing out the half on a 17-6 run. Six different players scored for the Huskies in the run, led by for points from Pelletier.
St. Joseph's stayed with the Huskies in the opening nine minutes of the second half and Southern Maine clung to a slim 33-32 lead with 10:59 on the clock, before putting the game away with a pivotal 18-3 run over a five minute span. Callender scored eight of her 14 points in the run, while junior guard Taylor Flood (Sanford, Maine) knocked down a pair of three-pointers for six of her eight points in the game as the Huskies led 51-35 with 6:12 remaining.
St. Joseph's pushed back with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to trail 51-40 with 4:11 to play, but the Huskies stopped any thought of a Monks come-back bid with a 9-4 run of their own to lead 60-46 with just 17 seconds to play. The Monks' sophomore guard Shannon McFayden (Ipswich, Mass.) netted a three as time expired for the 60-49 final.
Callender finished the game shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range added five rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists. Pelletier was 5-for-9 from the field. Junior forward Rebecca Knight (Alfred, Maine) chipped in with eight points, a game-high nine rebounds and three steals.
The Monks were led Moore's 13 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) and freshman Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt./Lebanon) each scored 10 points.
Southern Maine hosts Bowdoin on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.) in its next game. St. Joseph's College travels to Colby College on Thursday (5:30 p.m.).
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