A pair of newcomers have elevated the University of Southern Maine women’s basketball team’s play and its postseason hopes.

These aren’t the typical newcomers. Senior transfers Jaycie Christopher and Avah Ingalls are new to the Huskies, but not to college basketball. And with about a month until the start of the Little East Conference tournament, they have helped the Huskies to 17-1 record and a 13-game winning streak.

“The girls that we had coming back are just excited to be good and have a chance to play for something important, play for championships, and all tha ,” USM coach David Chadbourne said. “They were all thrilled because Avah and Jaycie are such great kids, (the team) loved them immediately.”

Christopher, a former Miss Maine Basketball winner from Skowhegan, joined the Huskies after playing three seasons at the University of Maine. She leads the team with 18.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Ingalls, from Hampsted, New Hampshire, transferred to Southern Maine from Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. She averages 7.5 points and is tied with Lucy Wiles for second on the team with 51 assists.

Chadbourne said the Huskies and their new teammates gelled quickly.

“The biggest thing is how quickly they’ve connected, and the chemistry that they have, they’ve kind of built that from this summer on,” Chadbourne said. “… The pieces just kind of fit, and they like each other.”

The additions of Christopher and Ingalls made a strong team — the Huskies went 18-10 last season and reached the Little East Conference championship game — even stronger, Chadbourne said.

“We have kids coming off the bench that are probably overqualified for their role, which is great,” Chadbourne said. “They accept that. They do a great job.”

Chadbourne said senior guard Julia Kratzer provides a steady presence off the bench. He also praised junior center Lita Guslens’s improvement, and noted that the Huskies got a boost from the recent return of Emma Stred from an ACL injury.

The Huskies are atop the Little East Conference standings at 9-0. Heading into Saturday’s 82-54 win over Western Connecticut State, the Huskies were averaging 74.2 points per game, while allowing 51.8.

They have seven regular-season games left before starting their quest to reach the NCAA Division III tournament.

“We try to be very consistent in our approach and our mindset,” Chadbourne said. “Everybody talks about this. It’s really just about what you can do, what you can control today, right? We try not to think about a week from now, two weeks from now.”

Bowdoin-Colby renew men’s hockey rivalry

Bowdoin and Colby face off for the second, and final time, this regular season at 7 p.m. Saturday in Brunswick. Both teams are battling for a home playoff game in the New England Small College Conference tournament.

In their first meeting on Nov. 22, the Polar Bears defeated the Mules, 3-2.

Colby Browne is one of the NESCAC’s top point-getters through the Mules’ first 15 games, tallying 13 goals and seven assists.

Bowdoin, meanwhile, had two NESCAC Players of the Week in January: Forward Gabe Shipper (honored Jan. 19) and goalie Jacob Osborne (Jan. 5).

Both teams have strong play in net. Osborne is 9-3-1 over Bowdoin’s first 15 games and, as of Jan. 22, ranks sixth nationally in Division III in goals-against average (1.61) and save percentage (.944). Colby’s Cooper Rautenstrauch is 4-5-2, 19th in goals-against average (2.13), and 11th in save percentage (.937).

Landon Clark is heating up for Princeton

Landon Clark of Bangor led Princeton with 19 points in an 87-80 men’s basketball loss to Harvard on Jan. 17 and added 12 in a 71-69 loss to Dartmouth on Jan. 19.

In 19 games, Clark, a freshman, is averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Jayden Flaker declares for the NFL Draft

Scarborough native Jayden Flaker recently declared for the NFL Draft.

Flaker, a linebacker, played 13 games during his senior year at Memphis, recording 17 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hits.