Throughout New England and the Northeast, basketball players who starred at Maine high schools are playing at the collegiate level.

One of the young women who has discovered a nice fit for her basketball talents is Sarah Roderigue of Oakland.

The former standout at Messalonskee High School has emerged as one of the team leaders at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

Roderigue went into Wednesday night’s nonconference game at Bowdoin College in Brunswick as the leading scorer and rebounder for the 6-8 Cougars.

The 5-foot-8 guard, who was Clark’s top scorer last season, is averaging 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest so far this winter. She was an All-New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference second-team selection a year ago.

The junior leads the Cougars in virtually every statistical category and ranks in the top 10 in seven different statistics in the NEWMAC.

Roderigue ranks third in scoring, fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.353), sixth in average defensive rebounds (6.07), seventh in field-goal percentage (.467) and eighth in 3-pointers per game (1.29).

Wednesday’s game at Bowdoin marked the third of the season for Roderigue in her home state. She and the Cougars played Jan. 4 and 5 in Gorham for the University of Southern Maine Invitational.

Roderigue has developed into a versatile player. She is a good 3-point shooter, but also takes advantage of her quickness to take the ball to the basket and swoop in for rebounds.

The tri-captain, who has started 50 of her 54 collegiate games, also is averaging 31.8 minutes per game.

Clark is tied for sixth place in the NEWMAC, which includes the likes of Coast Guard, Wheaton, Springfield, Babson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Wellesley, Smith, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Mount Holyoke.

Husson women atop NAC

It is early in the North Atlantic Conference women’s basketball season, but Husson College of Bangor has risen to the top of the league standings.

Coach Kissy Walker’s Eagles earned a 74-71 road victory Tuesday night at the University of Maine-Farmington, pushing Husson’s NAC record to 5-0.

The Eagles have won five in a row since a Jan. 8 loss at the University of Southern Maine, including four league wins.

Husson went into the UMF game leading the NAC in scoring (79.8 points per game), 3-point field goals (7.8 per game) and assists (18.0 apg) and ranked second in field-goal percentage (.451).

Despite not having the presence of a tall and dominating post player, the Eagles also are setting the pace in rebounding margin (plus-11.5). Husson is No. 1 in offensive rebounds with 17.5 per contest.

Individual standouts have included juniors Shelby Bradford (17.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 3.5 spg, .490 FG pct.) and Jenny Rollins (12.5 ppg, 3.25 apg).

Husson returns to action Friday with a 6 p.m. nonleague game against UMaine-Presque Isle at Newman Gym in Bangor, then faces a road test Monday at NAC rival Maine Maritime Academy of Castine.

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

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