By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

Just for relaxation’s sake, you might wonder if the University of Southern Maine plans to concede Millikin University of Decatur, Ill., an early basket or two in this afternoon’s NCAA Division III women’s basketball national semifinal.

You know, let ’em get comfortable. The Huskies could lull the Big Blue into a false sense of security while inflicting themselves with a sense of urgency they seem to crave.

OK, maybe that philosophy is a tad unsportsmanlike, or even borderline crazy. But don’t think the Huskies, winners of a school-record 28 consecutive games, haven’t noticed that their bite is sharper when they’re backed into a corner.

Southern Maine (30-2) trailed in every tournament game. The Huskies spotted both Maine Maritime and Springfield a seven-point edge in the opening minutes. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, USM found itself behind Bates by five and down one to Ithaca.

“I think our playoff games forced us to stay composed,” said USM junior Megan Myles of Auburn, “right down to the final minutes.”

Of course, in a perfect world, No. 4 Southern Maine would impose its will against No. 6 Millikin from the 4 p.m. tip-off. The Huskies have come to expect speed bumps, though. And against a team as tall and talented as Millikin, USM knows that any time in the valley may be no fault of its own.

The Big Blue brings a 14-game winning streak to the dance floor at Batten Center in Norfolk, Va.

Millikin already flaunted three double-digit scorers in Laura Conner, Lindsey Koehn and Karin Olsen and steady point guard Audrey Minott. Then, when Olsen went down with a broken foot in a game against Illinois Wesleyan on Feb. 19, the Big Blue unleashed a 6-foot-2 hometown talent that spent three-quarters of her freshman season on the school’s junior varsity squad.

Lindsay Ippel averaged eight points but has tripled that total in her last four games. She exploded for 21 against Wisconsin-Stout and 22 on the road at Calvin to capture MVP honors at the Midwest sectional last weekend.

Rather than disrupt the team’s chemistry, Ippel’s emergence has given Millikin the boost it needed to knock off three straight Top 25 foes and reach its first Final Four since 1985.

“One of my favorite things about this year’s team,” Millikin coach Lori Kerans said on team’s web site, “is that as individuals, they don’t crave the spotlight or glory.”

USM enjoyed a similar late-season lift from junior co-captain Donna Cowing, who stepped into the starting lineup and elevated her game after Tiffany Jones was dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons.

Cowing earned a spot on the all-sectional team in Gorham by scoring in bunches, rebounding with efficiency that belied her 5-6 frame, triggering the Huskies’ potent fast break with timely steals and hurling herself out of bounds after virtually every loose ball.

“Donna is not one to talk about herself, but she’s played a big role,” said USM coach Gary Fifield. “She’s very humble.”

Millikin’s front line of the 6-2 Conner (12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds per game, 71 blocked shots) and Ippel won’t be a new challenge for the Huskies.

Myles (13.2 ppg, 65 steals) is a slender 5-11. Little East Conference Player of the Year Ashley Marble (13.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg) is 5-9 and wears an unwieldy knee brace. But the juniors confound bigger foes with athleticism and basketball smarts.

Myles upped her scoring average to 20 per game in the tourney, including a career-high 25 against Ithaca and 23 in an overtime win over Bates.

Both teams will try to use pressure and backcourt thievery to feed their interior threats. Cowing, Katie Frost and Katie Sibley fuel the Huskies’ running game. Minott, Koehn and Laura Zimmerman have helped the Big Blue run up 307 steals.

Any Division III Final Four is rife with unknowns. Nearly 400 schools sanction women’s basketball, and all play a highly regionalized schedule. USM and Millikin can’t compare box scores against any common opponents.

What they do share are weighty wins over consensus, top-flight backyard rivals.

USM avenged a 24-point regular-season loss by tripping No. 3 Bates in the Sweet 16. In the second round, Millikin ousted No. 7 Washington University of St. Louis, a program that annexed two of its four straight national championships in the late 1990s by blistering USM in the title game.

Southern Maine is in a national semifinal for the fourth time in Fifield’s tenure.

Today’s winner will meet the survivor of Friday’s second game between Scranton and Randolph-Macon.

Local fans may listen to live broadcasts on www.d3hoops.com or www.ncaasports.com.

Saturday’s consolation game is at 12:30 p.m., with the final at 3 o’clock.