Senior forward Ashley Marble (Topsfield, Maine/Woodland) recorded her 15th consecutive double-double scoring 33 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to lead the fourth-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 92-50 win over the UMass Boston Beacons Tuesday evening at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston.
With its 19th consecutive win, Southern Maine clinches the Little East Conference regular season title and improves to 22-1 overall and 13-0 in the LEC. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Beacons who fall to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in conference action.
Playing just 24 minutes, Marble tied her career-high point total with an outstanding 10-for-14 mark from the field and a 10-for-11 effort from the charity stripe en route to her 44th career double-double. Marble’s 33 points pushed her over the 1800-point mark as the 5-9 forward now has 1,815 career points.
Junior forward Angela Santa Fe (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) was the only other USM player in double-figures with 12 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Dawn Ross (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) added nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal off of the bench for the Huskies. Senior forward Lauren Samuelson (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) added eight points and five rebounds in 11 minutes of action in a reserve role.
Junior guard Ashley Greene (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) led the Beacons with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting as the only UMass Boston play to crest double-digits in scoring. Junior guard LaKeisha Tucker (Pawtucket, R.I./Providence Country Day) chipped in with seven points and sophomore forward Jenn Widener (Hyde Park, Mass./Fontbonne Academy) added six points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Southern Maine jumped out to a double-digit lead, 18-5, in the opening four and a half minutes of the first half and never looked back. Limiting the Beacons to just 24.0 percent shooting in the first half (6-for-25) and forcing UMass Boston into 16 first half turnovers, Southern Maine held a commanding 45-17 lead at the break. Marble, who scored 10 of the Huskies first 18 points, reached double-double figures by the end of the half notching 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Huskies continued to dominate in the second half and led by as many as 49 points, 84-35, with 7:23 remaining in the contest as it cruised to the win.
USM finished the game shooting 48.4 percent (30-for-62) from the field and was solid from the free throw line knocking down 27 of its 35 attempts (77.1 percent). The Huskies enjoyed a decisive 48-32 advantage on the boards and had 17 assists and 17 steals in the game. UMass Boston shot just 33.9 percent from the floor making 20 of its 59 field goal attempts.
The Huskies return to action on Saturday (February 17) at 1 p.m. on the road against Keene State College in their final regular season contest. UMass Boston plays again on the same date when it hosts Rhode Island College at 1 p.m.