BIDDEFORD, Maine – Junior Alexa Srolovitz (Montreal, Quebec/New Hampton School (NH)) finished three assists shy of a triple-double as the University of Southern Maine Huskies' dropped a 75-63 loss to the University of New England Noreasters in a season-opening non-conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at Harold Alfond Forum.
Facing a double-digit deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, the Huskies rallied to within two-possessions of the Noreasters late in the fourth quarter to trail by just five with four minutes left in regulation, but UNE closed out the game on the line to earn the win. With both teams playing in their season-openers, Southern Maine is 0-1 on the 2017-2018 season, while UNE opens its season at 1-0.
Srolovitz was outstanding for the Huskies with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Srolovitz's 10 rebounds and seven assists are both career-highs for the 5-5 junior guard. Senior guard Emily Nicholson (Quispmasis, New Brunswick/Kennebecasis Valley) added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, while sophomore guard Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) tossed in 11 points, adding four assists and three steals. Freshman Kristen Curley (Gorham, Maine) finished with eight points and three blocked shots, while senior Miranda Nicely (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) had a game and career-high 14 rebounds.
Olivia Shaw led UNE with a game-high 23 points and recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds. Ashley Coneys had 15 points, Elyssa Nicholas added 13 points, and Sam MacDonald had 11 points.
Trailing 52-39 heading into the fourth quarter, USM opened the quarter on a 7-0 run keyed by a three-pointer from Srolovitz and back-to-back layups from Curley and Nicely. UNE returned its lead to double-digits, 59-46, on a three, but the Huskies again pushed back with a 10-2 run. Srolovitz, who had 10 points in the fourth, scored six points in the run, while Curley and freshman Morgan Eliasen (Lewiston, Maine) each had a bucket. A layup from Luckhardt with 2:30 to play kept it a two-possession deficit for the Huskies, 64-58, but UNE was able to close the game out on the line making seven of 11 in the final minutes.
Southern Maine returns to action this weekend at Smith College and will participate in the Tyler Tip Off Classic. The Huskies face Smith on Saturday (2:00 p.m.).
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