USM’s Laura Pate Player of Year

It had to be the toughest way to end your college basketball career.

Playing Sunday in the NCAA Division III “Sweet 16” Sectional Championship at Willimantic, Conn., and with her team down one, 63-62, University of Southern Maine senior star forward Laura Pate drove the lane and was fouled.

With seven seconds remaining to be played in the game, Pate stepped to the foul line for a 1-and-1 attempt. Her first shot missed. Eastern Connecticut State University got the rebound, and ran out the clock.

The win sent Eastern Connecticut to the NCAA Division III Final Four, and sent USM home to Gorham with a record of 24-7.

But if there is any consolation for Pate, it has to be the admiration and respect she has earned from those who coach women’s basketball throughout New England by naming her the New England Women’s Basketball Association Player of the Year.

The Saco native led the Huskies in scoring, averaging 17.7 points per game, and this is but one honor she has been accorded for the 1990-91 season.

Previously, Pate was selected first team All-Conference and All-Tournament by the Little East Conference, and led the balloting for the NEWBA Senior Classic which was played at Eastern Connecticut on Sunday.

Pate, who played high school ball at Biddeford, concluded a stellar season despite playing with back and ankle injuries which forced her to miss five games. USM lost three of those five contests.

The senior captain scored a career-high 36 points including four 3-pointers in a 76-75, come-from-behind win over St. Joseph’s College of Standish at the Portland Expo in February.

A transfer who played two seasons at St. Anselm’s College, Pate become the 10th player in USM history to surpass 1,000 career points.

Kendra Coates of St. Joseph’s College was one of six players named a NEWBA first-team All-Star while Julie Roche of Bates College in Lewiston and Liz Cimino of Colby College in Waterville were named to the second team. Colby’s Kim Derrington earned NEWBA third-team honors.

The USM women’s basketball team has appeared in six consecutive NCAA DivisionIII national tournaments. – – –

Two Mainers were among the four members of the Springfield (Mass.) College women’s basketball team who earned a 3.0 or better grade-point average last semester on a 4.0 scale.

Senior captain Melissa Hodgdon of East Boothbay, a guard, posted a 3.2 average in health education and junior forward Debbie Wheat of Yarmouth had a 3.0 in elementary education.