GORHAM – Senior forward Jordan Grant scored a game-high 23 points to lead four players in doubles figures as the nationally-ranked University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs 90-66 to earn their 20th Little East Conference Tournament Championship Saturday at Hill Gymnasium.

With the win, ninth-ranked Southern Maine improves to 27-1 and punches its ticket to the 2013 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The NCAA will announce its field of 64 and the Huskies’ opponent on Monday afternoon. UMass Dartmouth, making its first appearance in the LEC final since joining the conference 25 years ago, falls to 20-8. The Huskies earned their 21st regular season championship and 20th tourney championship in 27 seasons of the Little East.

Grant was 7-for-15 from the field for 23 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Senior guard Nicole Garland added 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, while senior guard Haley Jordan  tossed in 17 points. Garland and Jordan were named co-Tournament Most Outstanding Players. Sophomore forward Rebecca Knight added a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior forward Colleen Moriarty led the Corsairs with 20 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Erika Bornemann knocked down five three-pointers en route to 16 points, while sophomore guard Kelsey Garrity added 10 points and a game-high seven assists.

UNE 69, Salve Regina 63

BIDDEFORD —  The University of New England never trailed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference women’s basketball championship game on Saturday, and the top-seeded Nor’easters finished off a 69-63 victory over No. 3 Salve Regina University in front of more than 550 fans at the Harold Alfond Forum.

Winners of a program-record 19 straight contests, the Nor’easters (24-4) earn the CCC’s automatic bid into the field of 64 teams for the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, which will begin on Friday (Mar. 1) at 16 sites around the country. Big Blue will learn its fate during Monday’s 2:30 p.m. selection show that can be seen LIVE on NCAA.com.

It will be the third time in four seasons that UNE has garnered a spot in the NCAA field. The Nor’easters claimed the league title in 2010, and received an at-large selection in 2012. Big Blue now has three CCC Championships to its credit in women’s basketball, with the first coming in 2001.

Sophomore Kelly Coleman led the Nor’easters scoring effort with 15 points. Senior Beth Suggs notched her 16th double-double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. First-years Sadie DiPierro and Alanna Vose each went for 13 points, combining to make 7-of-13 shots from the field, 3-of-5 treys, and 9-of-12 at the charity stripe.

Rookie Meghan Gribbin chipped in with 10 points. Classmate Lauren Hayden added seven points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Amherst 60, Bowdoin 45

AMHERST, Mass.  — The Amherst College women’s basketball team jumped to an early lead and held off Bowdoin in a 60-45 win in the NESCAC Semifinals Saturday at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The Polar Bears end their season with a record of 14-11 while the Jeffs improve to 25-1 and advance to Sunday’s NESCAC title game against Williams.

In her final collegiate game, Bowdoin’s Kaitlin Donahoe recorded a game-high 14 points to lead the Polar Bears. No other Polar Bear saw double-digits as Bowdoin was hampered by 20 turnovers in the loss. Amherst was led by 14 points each from Megan Robertson and Marcia Voight.

The Jeffs took a 15-4 lead six minutes into Saturday’s semifinal game. Bowdoin was able to muster a brief surge that closed the gap to five points, following a three-pointer from Megan Phelps with 7:56 remaining in the half. The hosts closed the period on a 10-2 run, however, capped by a Savannah Holness lay-in, to take a 32-19 edge into the break.

Bowdoin was able to cut the Amherst lead to nine points on four occasions, the final time coming after a Sara Binkhorst lay-up with 12:44 to go that cut the advantage to 42-33. But Amherst replied with a 12-1 run that doomed the Polar Bears, giving the hosts a 54-34 edge with under five minutes to play.

Amherst held a slight 35-34 edge in rebounding and held Bowdoin to 37.8% shooting for the game. The Jeffs connected on 43% from the field, but turned 20 Polar Bear turnovers in 19 key points in the win.

Baseball

Maine 16, Stetson 4

DeLAND, Fla. —  Sam Balzano went 4-for-6 with four runs scored and an RBI to lead the University of Maine baseball team past Stetson 16-4 on Saturday afternoon. Michael Fransoso drove in three runs in the victory. Maine improved to 2-5 on the season, while Stetson fell to 2-4.

A.J. Bazdanes got the start on the mound for the Black Bears. He went five-plus innings and allowed four runs on eight hits.

Bates 14, Oglethrope 9

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Bates baseball team overcame a 9-5 deficit with nine runs in the top of the ninth to win 14-9 over Oglethorpe University on Saturday.

With the host Petrels’ home field partially flooded, the teams’ scheduled doubleheader was changed to a single nine-inning game and played at Emory University’s Chappell Park.

Oglethorpe (0-5) led 9-4 going into the eighth inning, when Bates senior Ryan Sonberg hit a solo home run to left field to close the gap by a run.

Bates first-year reliever Mark Cunningham threw a shutout bottom of the eighth inning, keeping the deficit at 9-5 going into the ninth.

Bates (3-1) started the ninth with four straight hits: a leadoff double by junior Kevin Davis an infield single by senior Kevin McGregor an RBI single through the hole by sophomore Alex Parker and an RBI double down the right-field line by sophomore Nate Pajka, which closed the gap to 9-6.

First-year Samuel Warren grounded out to second for Bates’ first out, but Parker scored on the play. Sonberg then came up and reached on a fielder’s choice while the Petrels failed to throw out Pajka at home, evening the game at 9-9.

Sophomore Mekae Hyde then singled through the right side and Sonberg advanced to third on a throwing error, prompting Oglethorpe to lift reliever Spencer Transue in favor of Sam Franklin. Franklin intentionally walked Bates junior Griff Tewksbury to load the bases for first-year Sam Berry, who laced a two-run single through the left side, scoring Sonberg and Hyde with two go-ahead runs.

Davis then drew a one-out walk to load the bases again, bringing up McGregor, who drew an RBI base on balls for a 12-9 Bates lead. The Bobcats added two more insurance runs as Parker reached on a fielder’s choice and McGregor made it safely to second on a fielding error, while both Davis and Berry came home.

Junior righthander Dean Bonneau started the bottom of the ninth in place of Cunningham (1-0) and held the Petrels scoreless to preserve the win.

Sonberg, Hyde and Tewksbury had three hits apiece to lead the Bobcats’ 17-hit attack. Sonberg scored twice and drove in four runs in the game. Hyde was 3-for-5 including a triple. Pajka hit two doubles, scored three runs and drove in one. Berry scored two and drove in two.

Hockey

AMHERST, Mass. —  Jake Rutt and Bill Norman scored second period goals, but it was not enough as the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team fell to UMass 5-2 on Saturday night at the Mullins Center.

UMass struck first on Saturday night with a goal at 5:51of the first period. Rocco Carzo had a shot that Maine goalie Martin Ouellette  saved. The rebound when right to Adam Phillips and he fired it past Ouellette to give the Minutemen the 1-0 lead.

UMass extends its lead to 2-0 at 7:47 of the first period. Conor Sheary passed the puck to Branden Gracel who carried it up the first. Gracel unleashed a shot at the top of the face-off circle that beat Ouellette.

Maine pulled to within one goal at 5:36 of the second period with a power play goal by Rutt. He received a pass from Devin Shoreand fired the puck past UMass goalie Steve Mastalerz. Ben Hutton also assisted on the goal.

Maine wasted no time tying the game at 2-2. Klas Leidermark got the puck to Norman, who fired a shot from the tight face-off circle. Andrew Cerretani passed the puck to Leidermark to pick up the second assist on the goal.

UMass grabbed the lead at 2:55 of third period with a power play goal. Brandon Gracel had a shot that Ouellette saved, but the puck lay under his right pad. Zack LaRue was able to get a stick on it and push it into the back of the net.