CASTINE, Maine – Kristi Willey (Topsham, Maine) scored a career-high 21 points to lift the Mariners over Lyndon State, 67-43 on Friday night inside of Smith Gymnasium. 

The two teams battled back and forth in the first half, exchanging the lead numerous times before the Hornets took a 23-22 into the half.

The Mariners used a 15-2 run at the start of the second half to build a 37-25 lead with 11:51 remaining. Willey scored eight points in a row to put the Mariners up by 23 with 5:24 remaining and Maggie McConkey (Fryeburg, Maine) scored six unanswered points to put Maine Maritime Academy up, 62-35 with a little over three minutes left in the game.

Mary Badeen (Newport, Maine) added 12 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists while Mackenzie Vosburgh (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) added 11 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists off the bench. McConkey ended the evening with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. 

Aimee Thompson led the Hornets with 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and an assist, while Sarah Cornell and Mikayla Hodge each added eight points.

With the win, Maine Maritime improves to 6-10 overall and 3-6 in the North Atlantic Conference, while the Hornets fall to 3-12 and 2-7.

The Mariners return to action tomorrow, Saturday, January 24, when they host Johnson State at 12:00 p.m. The game time has been moved up due to the threat of inclement weather in the area.