BIDDEFORD — Everyone in the University of New England locker room knew Kelly Coleman didn’t have a good first half. And no one knew it better than Coleman.
“My head just wasn’t in it,” she said. “I’m just so happy the team kept it together until I did start playing well.”
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That happened shortly after she returned to the court.
Coleman scored all of her 16 points in the second half – including 10 of the Nor’easters’ final 16 – to lead UNE to a 66-62 victory over the University of Southern Maine in a women’s college basketball game Tuesday night at the Harold Alfond Forum.
“Normally after a sub-par first half, I’d get on her pretty good,” UNE Coach Anthony Ewing said.
“This time I didn’t say a word. I didn’t have to. She knew. She has high standards for herself. I knew she’d step up.”
Alicia Brown added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Alana Vose had 11 and six as the Nor’easters (3-0) beat the Huskies (2-1) for only the sixth time in 39 overall meetings, but for the second time in three years.
UNE also did it without point guard Meghan Gribbin, a Windham High graduate who sprained her ankle Saturday in a 69-57 victory against Rhode Island College.
“She’s our big organizer; she runs the show,” Ewing said. “(Without her) everything we do is a little more difficult. We missed her calming influence, but I think the kids regained their composure real well and we grew as a result of kids playing roles they don’t typically play.”
In Gribbin’s absence, Vose and a McAuley High graduate, Sadie DiPierro (seven points, five assists), ran the Nor’easters’ offense, which shot 52 percent in the second half and 43 percent in the game.
“We couldn’t just let one person be strong. We all had to take care of the ball,” DiPierro said.
“This was a big game to win. We still have a lot of work to do but we’re not going to stop now.”
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