GORHAM, Maine - Junior guard Malaysia Dingle (Brockton, Mass.) and rookie guard Deona Garcia (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) netted 10 points apiece but it wasn't enough as the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team fell at the University of Southern Maine, 81-45, in a Little East Conference matchup on Saturday at Hill Gym.

Senior forward Alyssa Virtue (Groton, Conn.) chipped in with a team-high eight rebounds while rookie forward Nia Rencher (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) added eight points and team-highs of two blocks and three steals. 

Dakota Shipley canned a game-high 17 points to lead the way for the Huskies, while Maddy York and Liz Cote recorded 13 and 12, respectively. 

The hosts sank 11-of-34 (32 percent) shots from three-point range, while the visitors managed to go 2-of-14 (14 percent). WestConn was forced into 28 turnovers while Southern Maine coughed the ball up 17 times. 

Dingle pierced the scoring column with a trifecta to get things started. However, the Huskies quickly countered and would hold a 21-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. WestConn could not put together a run in the second as Southern Maine widened the gap to 42-22 at halftime. The story didn't change the rest of the way. 

With the loss, the Wolves dropped to 5-17 overall and 3-10 in league play, while the Huskies improved to 13-9 and 9-4. WestConn returns to action when they host LEC foe Rhode Island College on Wednesday at 5 p.m.