Hall of Fame

1997-98 Southern Maine Women's Basketball Team

  • Class
  • Induction
    2026
  • Sport(s)
    Team
7403The 1998 University of Southern Maine women’s basketball team posted an overall record of 29-3 on its way to winning the Little East Conference regular season and tournament championships, and making a run to the 1998 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament Final. 

The Huskies lost just two regular season games while going undefeated in LEC play. USM cruised to a 78-26 win over UMass Boston and a 51-38 victory over Eastern Connecticut to advance to the LEC Championship Tournament Final, where it defeated Western Connecticut by a final count of 61-51 to repeat as conference champion and punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament. 

The Huskies opened their national tournament run with their second win over WestConn in as many games, 79-62 after earning an opening round bye. USM then downed Scranton (76-72) and Johns Hopkins (81-72) to head back to the Final Four, and defeated Mount Union (79-66) to advance to the national title game for the first time in program history. The Huskies came up just short of claiming the national championship, falling to Washington (Mo.) by a final score of 77-69.

Joanna Brown and Julie Plant were named to the NCAA Division III Championship All-Tournament Team. Brown was additionally named a WBCA First Team All-American and Third Team D3Hoops.com All-American. She was named the 1997-98 LEC Player of the Year, and was one of three USM players named First Team All-LEC along with Tracy Libby and Plant. 

Brown, Plant and former head coach Gary Fifield were each individually inducted into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame. Fifield in 2012, Brown in 2013 and Plant in 2014.