Southern Maine 71, Bates 68
at Gorham, Maine

SOUTHERN MAINE SPOILS BATES' SEASON OPENER

GORHAM, Maine (taken from a USM press release) -- Junior forward Kara Crockett (Glenburn, Maine) scored a career-high 27 points to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 71-68 victory over the Bates College Bobcats in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the Warren G. Hill Gymnasium.

The win improved the Huskies overall mark to 3-0. The game was the season opener for the Bobcats.

Crockett hit 12 of 20 shots for the floor on the way to her 27 points. The 6-foot forward had 15 points in the second half as the Huskies overcame a seven-point halftime deficit.

USM opened the second half with a 15-3 run, keyed by Crockett's seven points, to take a 45-40 lead. The Huskies maintained the lead the rest of the way, leading by 10 (67-57) with five minutes to play before the Bobcats taged a late comeback bid.

Rookie Olivia Zurek (Arlington, Mass.) ignited Bates' rally with four straight free throws. The Bobcats got within four (67-63) before Crockett scored on the inside. Senior Kate Dockery's (New York, N.Y.) three-point shot with 30 seconds to play pulled Bates within three, but the Huskies were able to hang on.

Junior Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) led four Bates players in double figures with 14 points before fouling out with eight minutes to play. Junior forward Lisa Golobski (Methuen, Mass.) added 12 while freshman Katie King (Turner, Maine) chipped in 11 and Zurek contributed 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Junior forward Jess Libby (Orono, Maine) was the only other USM player in double figures with 10 points.

Box score available