Foul shooting propels Bengals to Sunrise title

LYNDONVILLE, Vt. – The UMaine-Fort Kent Bengals outscored the Lyndon State Hornets 17-4 from the foul line and survived some foul trouble on their way to their 15th consecutive victory, 56-49 and the Sunrise Conference women’s basketball title Monday night.

Traci Weatherhead connected for a game-high 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to help the Bengals secure a berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.

“She’s just smooth,” said UMFK coach Lucas Levesque. “She moves well without the basketball, so she was able to get some layups. And she’s maybe a 5-8 kid pulling down 13 rebounds in the biggest game of the year.”

The tourney pairings will be announced later this week.

The UMFK contingent arrived back on campus at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

“It was all right, considering we had the plaque and we knew we were going to Iowa,” Levesque said. “That made the ride a hell of a lot easier.”

April Allen contributed 12 points, eight assists, five rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots for the Bengals (19-9), while Nicole Corbin added 11 points. Arcilla Jeffers added eight points and five rebounds and Dana Lemon posted eight points and four assists.

Lemon was announced Tuesday as the Sunrise Conference Player of the Year, while Jeffers earned top rookie honors and Levesque was named coach of the year. Lemon and Corbin were first-team picks, while Allen and Weatherhead gained second-team recognition.

UMFK also took home the conference sportsmanship award.

Nicole Arel netted 20 points for Lyndon State, which finished the season at 18-10.