BOSTON, MA (January 31, 2024) – The UMass Boston women's basketball team made the late winning push against the Huskies of the University of Southern Maine from Gorham, ME on Wednesday evening but were halted in the final moments as the Huskies handed them the Little East Conference loss.

Sophomore guard Sophie Bradbury recorded a season-high 15 points from the bench, as she led the Beacons' offense tonight with a highly efficient six-of-nine shooting from the field. Bradbury tallied six rebounds and an assist to go along with her offense outing. Bradbury was assisted by junior forward Alexah Potter and sophomore Beeban Jikiemi-Pearson who each contributed eight points in the effort. Potter continued to anchor the Beacons' defense tonight, leading the way with seven rebounds, a block and a steal.

The Beacs started the game strong, shooting 42% from the field as a team in the first period. However, as the Huskies shot three-of-five from downtown, they were able to edge out UMass Boston by four points by the end of the first period (13-17), following a layup from UMass Boston sophomore forward Kayla Jackson to cut the Huskies' lead to two possessions.

The second quarter began with a Huskies layup in the paint that picked up on the momentum they built in the first quarter. The Huskies would begin to carve out a large lead until a Sibayla Jensen three-pointer initiated the start of a closing run for the Beacs. The Beacs would outscore the Huskies 10-4 in the final five minutes of the half to cut the deficit to just two points rolling into the break.

The University of Southern Maine came out firing once again to begin the quarter, scoring five unanswered in rapid succession. Bradbury's quick three along with graduate forward Keriann Farina's mid-range jumper moments later ran the score back to a five-point deficit for the Beacons. The Huskies responded by scoring 10 unanswered points to run their lead up 40-30. Bradbury's layup at the end of the period brought it back within single digits as the Beacons found themselves in the hole heading into the fourth.

The final quarter was opened by a pair of trips to the charity stripe for the Beacons, with junior forward Sunny Green and Bradbury each connecting to cut the deficit to seven. A Huskies' three-pointer from Amy Fleming would seemingly put the Beacons away with eight minutes to remain, as her shot put the Huskies up 12 with eight minutes left. A Farina layup in the paint initiated the final push for the Beacons. The Beacons stopped and scored their way to the end of the game, one possession at a time. Potter, Bradbury, and first-year Maddie Parks each contributed blows to the lead that brought them closer and closer to the finish line. Another Bradbury jumper with two minutes remaining scraped the surface for UMass Boston, as the Huskies now only led by one with only two minutes remaining. Foul trouble and fastbreak finishes that went unanswered would be the winning ticket for the Huskies, as they were able to hold on in the final moments on their home court.

With the effort tonight, the Beacons fall to 4-14 on the season, with an LEC record of 2-10, with more LEC action set to tip off from the Clark Gymnasium on Saturday, February 3 at 3:30pm, as the Beacons look to clip the wings on the Owls of Keene State. For live stats and video coverage, visit UMass Boston - Official Athletics Website (beaconsathletics.com).