GORHAM — When David Chadbourne took the women’s basketball coaching job at the University of Southern Maine in 2023, his goal was to return the program to its former glory.
Banners hanging on the gym walls, commemorating 20 Little East Conference championships, offered a visual reminder of the program’s potential.
In just three years at the helm, Chadbourne and his staff have succeed. The Huskies beat Rhode Island College 71-54 on Sunday afternoon to win the LEC championship for the first time since 2013.
“I’m definitely on a high,” said sophomore Dakota Shipley. “This just feels amazing. I’m so excited. I feel like we worked so hard to get here, so it just feels so great to finally seal the deal.”
The Huskies (25-2) earned the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. The field will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
Shipley, a Brunswick resident, finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“I definitely didn’t expect it,” Shipley said. “I have to thank my teammates obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do what I did without them. They got me the ball, they knew when I was hot, they fed me the ball. They worked so hard, and it just feels great. Especially after falling short last year, it just feels great to finally accomplish this.”
Last year, the Huskies fell to UMass Dartmouth in the tournament championship.
Southern Maine split the regular season series with Rhode Island. The Huskies beat the Anchorwomen (21-6) 57-49 in Jan. 6 and lost to them 70-62 on Feb. 4.
The conference final was tied 31-31 at the half.
“We knew coming into it it was going to be a battle, but we just had to keep our composure, especially at halftime going into the second half at a tied game,” Shipley said. “We just held strong. We didn’t get nervous or anything. We knew we could do it.”
Southern Maine pulled away in the second half, outscoring RIC 26-14 in the third quarter thanks to 11 points from Shipley, who made three 3-pointers in the quarter. The Huskies shot 47.6 percent from 3-point range in the game.
Sophomore Lucy Wiles finished with a team-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds for the Huskies. Skowhegan native Jaycie Christopher had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. She also had five assists.
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