BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England erased a 21-point, 2nd-quarter deficit in a matter of 6:26 and carried the momentum all the way to an 86-73 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball victory over Suffolk University at Coach Beaudry's Court inside the Harold Alfond Forum on Wednesday evening.

The Nor'easters fell into a deep 25-8 hole after the 1st period, as the Rams were shooting at a 60-percent clip and the hosts at just 15 percent. The difference grew to 42-21 with 2:17 remaining before the half, but a 12-1 finish by UNE started to shift the energy back. Gabby Soter nailed a three-pointer in the waning seconds to make it a 10-point game at the midway mark. [Watch]

After Suffolk netted the initial hoop of the 3rd, the Nor'easters rattled off a 15-2 run to snag their first lead of the contest (48-47) with 5:37 left in the frame on a layup by Juliana Tracey [Watch]. The Rams got the next bucket but it was just a blip in UNE's run, as the hosts tallied eight more to up, 56-49 [Watch 50, 52, 54]. The visitors were hampered by 12 turnovers in the stanza, from which UNE scored 15 points.

The Nor'easters gained their first double-digit advantage after scoring the first five of the 4th (61-51), and three-pointers from Soter [Watch] and Tracey [Watch] kept restoring that margin as the sides basically began trading blows. An old-fashioned three-point play by Soter [Watch], and a triple from Faye Veilleux moments later [Watch], all but broke the spirit of Suffolk with 4:15 to go (75-63).

Between the largest leads for both squads, UNE's turnaround amounted to a whopping 60-22 spread. The Nor'easters converted slightly more than half of their shots over the final 30 minutes to recover for the win (26-for-51).

The Nor'easters splashed a season-high 11 three-pointers on the night (24 attempts), which included both Soter and Veilleux draining 4-of-5 from deep -- Veilleux had hit 1-of-7 tries from long distance through the first 15 games of the year. Soter wound up with a season-high 22 points (by 7), to go with five assists and five steals, and Veilleux totaled 16 points. Kasey Oliver had a personal-best 16 points, as well, and dished out five assists. Keagan Dunbar went for 14 points, six rebounds, and four helpers, while Tracey added 12 points with six caroms.

Now halfway through the league slate, UNE (11-5) stands alone in second place at 7-2. The second round kicks off on Saturday (1 p.m.) when Western New England University (6-3 CCC) comes into town.

Amanda DeAngelis racked up 20 points for the Rams (9-7, 4-5 CCC) during the opening 20 minutes, and finished with a game-best 27 to pair with five rebounds and three steals. Maddie Stewart chipped in with 13 points, eight boards, and four assists. Katie Kirsch and Arlenis Veloz recorded 12 and 10 points, respectively. Colby Guinta had nine caroms to pace a 37-32 edge on the glass.

Suffolk made 49 percent of its field goals in the match (26-for-53), and more than half of its 12 treys, but could not overcome the 25 turnovers against the UNE pressure.