Women's Basketball Knocked Off 78-64 at First-Place UNE

Women's Basketball Knocked Off 78-64 at First-Place UNE
BIDDEFORD, Maine - Junior Beth Suggs (Bath, Maine) and senior Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds to lead the University of New England women's basketball team to a 78-64 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) win over Curry College Monday evening at the James A. Beaudry Gymnasium.

The victory was the sixth in a row for the conference-leading Nor'easters, who improve to 13-3 overall and 8-1 in CCC play. Curry drops to 6-10 on the season, 4-5 in league games.

Suggs recorded game highs with 19 points and 13 boards. She shot 8 of 16 from the floor and also was credited with three steals. Paradis tossed in 18 points and finished with six rebounds, five steals and four assists. Senior point guard Kari Pelletier (South Paris, Maine) scored 12 points and added five steals for UNE.

First-year Jeanette Fallon (Nashua, N.H.) paced Curry with 18 points and five boards. She was 9-for-16 from the floor and picked up a pair of steals. Sophomore Katie King (Dorchester, Mass.) was 6 of 9 from the floor en route to 12 points, while first-year Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) had 11 points to go with a game-best six assists.

Leading by three (14-11) with 8:56 elapsed in the first half, the Nor'easters used an 11-3 spurt over the next five minutes to forge a 25-14 advantage. Paradis netted seven points during the surge to help UNE pull away.

UNE scored seven unanswered points in the final minute of the stanza to take a 37-22 cushion into the half. Paradis finished with 15 points in the frame.

Suggs had her way inside over the final 20 minutes, scoring 13 points and collaring eight caroms after intermission. The hosts led by 20 points a total of nine different times in the half before settling for a 14-point decision.

For the game, the Nor'easters held a 42-28 rebounding edge, including 21 offensive boards leading to 20 second-chance points. Curry shot a solid 48.1 percent (25 of 52) on its field goal attempts, but was hampered by 27 turnovers.

Both teams return to action Wednesday. UNE hosts Wentworth Institute of Technology at 5:30 p.m., while the Colonels entertain Nichols College at 6 p.m. (Recap courtesy of UNE Sports Information)