First Place Showdown Creating Buzz In Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Circles As 17th-Ranked Stonehill Clashes With 13th-Ranked American International In Battle Of League Unbeatens Thursday Evening

January 4, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Women's Basketball

5:30 p.m. EST

FIRST PLACE SHOWDOWN: A showdown for first place in the Northeast-10 Conference standings looms this evening as 17th-ranked Stonehill clashes with the 13th-ranked American International Yellow Jackets in a battle of league unbeatens. Stonehill kept its perfect record in tact on Monday evening by posting a 75-62 Northeast-10 triumph over two-time defending NCAA Northeast Regional champion Merrimack at the Volpe Complex in North Andover, Mass., as junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) led four players in double figures with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine/Mount Ararat) added 13 points and three assists for the Skyhawks, who also received 11 points, three assists and two steals from junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) as well as the third career double-double effort of 10 points and 10 rebounds from junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass./Brockton). Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) matched Huggins's game-high rebounding total with 10 caroms of her own for Stonehill, which continued its best start in 11 years and is enjoying its longest winning streak since January 1995. American International, off to its best start ever, has been idle since posting a 78-51 non-league victory over St. Thomas Aquinas last Thursday in second round play of the Bryant Comfort Suites Holiday Tournament at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) was named on Tuesday as the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week for the third time this season for her efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories. Simonds averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on the week, including a career-high 22 points, five rebounds and four blocks in an 84-63 victory over Saginaw Valley State to go with 10 rebounds in a 75-62 triumph at Merrimack. Simonds shot 69 percent (11-16) from the field for the week.

HONOR ROLL HONOREE: Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) was named on Tuesday to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll for her efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories. Collins averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals on the week, including 21 points, eight boards and four assists in a 75-62 win at Merrimack while adding 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in an 84-63 triumph over Saginaw Valley State. Collins shot 73 percent (16-22) from the field and 89 percent (8-9) from the foul line for the week.

LAST SEASON: Stonehill dropped both of its meetings with American International during the 2004-2005 season, as the Yellow Jackets posted an 81-61 victory over the Skyhawks on January 6, 2005 at Butova Gymnasium in Springfield, Mass. before collecting a 69-58 triumph on February 19, 2005 here at Merkert Gymnasium. Rachael Wile netted 22 points in the January contest for Stonehill, while Kim Morast led three players in double figures with 13 points in the February setback for the Skyhawks.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and American International are meeting for the 58th time this evening, and the Skyhawks hold a 43-14 advantage over the Yellow Jackets in the all-time series between the two schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Collins leads Stonehill in scoring at 18.6 ppg, while Simonds follows at 11.1 ppg and paces the Skyhawks on the boards at an even nine caroms per contest. Junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) is next at 10.3 ppg while adding 5.9 rpg, while Stupinski is also in double figures for Stonehill at an even 10 ppg while leading the league in assists (6.1) and steals (3.4) per game.

THE YELLOW JACKETS: Junior Krystal Pressley leads American International in scoring at 16.2 ppg, while senior Sharmion Selman follows at 15.7 ppg and paces the Yellow Jackets on the boards at 8.1 caroms per contest. Senior Debbie Sampson is also in double figures for American International at 11.9 ppg.

HEAD COACH TRISHA BROWN: Trisha Brown is in her fifth season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at Stonehill College. A 1987 graduate of Harvard, Brown is just the third head coach in the 35-year history of varsity women's basketball at Stonehill, as she has posted an 83-44 (.654) mark during her tenure and led the Skyhawks to back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2003 and 2004. Brown, who helped lead Harvard to one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history when the Crimson knocked off top-seeded Stanford in the 1998 NCAA Division I first round, is assisted by Kelly Thompson (Springfield '02) and former Skyhawk standout Kaitlyn O'Malley (Stonehill '04). Brown, who collected her 75th career victory in Stonehill's 69-54 triumph over Adelphi on November 19th, is 0-6 during her career against American International.

HEAD COACH PETER CINELLA: Peter Cinella is in his 13th season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at American International College. A 1990 graduate of Western New England, Cinella has compiled an overall mark of 255-114 (.691) during his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, and he is assisted by Kristen Patterson and Steve Marcil. Cinella is 12-16 during his career against Stonehill.

MIRROR IMAGES: Not only do Stonehill and American International enter tonight's match-up with identical overall and conference records, the Skyhawks and Yellow Jackets also enter the contest as the two highest scoring teams in the Northeast-10. Stonehill leads the league in scoring at 76.2 ppg, while American International follows at 71.7 ppg. The Yellow Jackets lead the conference in scoring margin at +19.5, and the Skyhawks are next at +17.1. Stonehill and American International are currently the only two Northeast-10 teams to be ranked nationally in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll.

PULLING RANK: Tonight's contest with American International is Stonehill's second against a nationally-ranked opponent this season, as the Skyhawks posted a 101-59 triumph over then 11th-ranked Bentley back on November 22nd here at Merkert Gymnasium.

RANK AND FILE: Stonehill moved up eight spots in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II National Poll this week, as after cracking the rankings at the #25 spot on December 20th, the Skyhawks are ranked 17th nationally, their highest spot since February 1998. Here is the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 as of January 3rd:

RankInstitution (First Place Votes)Last Week's RankRecordPoints

1.Washburn University (Kan.) (22)113-0598

2.University of North Dakota - Grand Forks (2)216-0575

3.Emporia State University (Kan.)413-0539

4.Drury University (Mo.)311-1522

5.University Of Charleston (W.Va.)510-0508

6.Saint Cloud State University (Minn.)614-0485

7.Glenville State College (W.Va.)98-0416

8.Henderson State University (Ark.)810-1399

9.Western Washington University 79-1381

10.Grand Valley State University (Mich.)1011-2380

11.Rollins College (Fla.)139-0336

12.California State University - Chico128-1316

13.American International College (Mass.)1611-0306

14.West Texas A&M University 159-1281

15.Lake Superior State University (Mich.)179-2225

16.Florida Gulf Coast University 2014-1178

17.Stonehill College (Mass.)2511-0169

18.Delta State University (Miss.)NR11-0155

19.Saint Augustine's College (N.C.)249-1148

20.University Of Minnesota-Duluth 1913-2138

21.Valdosta State University (Ga.)118-3123

22.Angelo State University (Texas)228-2109

23.California State University - BakersfieldNR8-193

24.Fairmont State University (W.Va.)237-193

25.Seattle Pacific University (Wash.)147-459

Dropped Out: Central Missouri State University, Carson-Newman College (Tenn.).

Others Receiving Votes: Clayton College & State University - Morrow 58; Missouri Western State - Saint Joseph 42; North Carolina Central University - Durham 38; Central Missouri State University - Warrensburg 32; Fort Valley State University - Fort Valley 17; Presbyterian College - Clinton 14; Shaw University - Raleigh 14; Pace University - Pleasantville 9; Regis University - Denver 9; Wingate University - Wingate 8; Tusculum College - Greeneville 7; Southern Conn. St. University - New Haven 6; Michigan Tech. University - Houghton 3; Saint Michael's College - Colchester 2; University Of Central Arkansas - Conway 2; Wayne State College - Wayne 2; Wheeling Jesuit University - Wheeling 2; Carson-Newman College - Jefferson City 1; North Georgia College & State University - Dahlonega 1; Ouachita Baptist University - Arkadelphia 1.

FAST START: Stonehill's 11-0 start is the Skyhawks' best since the 1994-95 NCAA Final Four team began that 30-win season under Paula Sullivan with 13 straight victories. Stonehill's current 11-game winning streak is its longest since that 13-game skein in January 1995.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN: The December 19th win over Saginaw Valley State enabled Stonehill to reach the double-digit plateau in the victory column for the 29th straight season. The Skyhawks reached the 10-win mark before the turn of the New Year for the first time since December 1994.

COACH OF THE MONTH: Stonehill Head Coach Trisha Brown was recognized by Division II Women's Bulletin as the Division II Coach of the Month for her efforts in guiding the Skyhawks to a 6-0 start this season. Included in those six triumphs was a 101-59 victory over then 11th-ranked Bentley, as Stonehill has won 19 of 20 games played during the month of November under Brown's tutelage dating back to 2001.

NON-CONFERENCE NUMBERS: Stonehill is 22-2 (.917) in non-conference play during Trisha Brown's five year tenure as head coach, including a 5-0 mark this season.

THE CENTURY MARK: The November 22nd 101-point effort in the win over Bentley marked the first time that Stonehill had scored 100 or more points in a game since January 24, 1995 when the Skyhawks notched a school-record 109 points in a 109-45 victory at Assumption.

BEHIND THE BENTLEY NUMBERS: Stonehill's 58-first half points in the November 22nd win over Bentley ranks as the second highest first-half total in school history, topped only by a 61-point effort in the opening 20 minutes against Springfield during the 1992-93 season. The Skyhawks' 15 three-pointers also ranks as the second highest single-game total in school history, as Stonehill has canned 17 three-pointers on two occasions.

MILESTONE VICTORIES: The November 18th 69-60 victory over Molloy was the 650th win in the 35-year history of Stonehill women's basketball, as the Skyhawks have amassed an overall mark of 659-252 (.723) since the program's varsity inception in 1971. The November 19th 69-54 win over Adelphi was the 75th career triumph for Head Coach Trisha Brown.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Stonehill is now 53-1 in its last 54 contests when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points after the December 10th victory over Bryant, a streak that dates back to February 2001.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In statistics through games of January 2nd, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in scoring offense (76.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.482) and assists (18.18 apg) while ranking second in scoring margin (+17.1), rebounding defense (30.7 drpg), rebounding margin (+8.8), blocked shots (4.55 bpg) and three point field goals made (6.55 3fgpg). Alisha Collins is tied with Merrimack's Joelle Martin for the conference scoring lead at 18.6 ppg, while Erika Stupinski leads the league in assists (6.09 apg), steals (3.36 spg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.09). Kelsey Simonds leads the Northeast-10 in field goal percentage (.610) and defensive rebounds (6.73 drpg) while ranking second in rebounding (9.0 rpg), while senior co-captain Barbara Dauplaise (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) is second in three-point field goal percentage (.526).

AYE, AYE CAPTAINS: Seniors Bethany Roderigue (Winslow, Maine/Winslow) and Barbara Dauplaise (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) have been named as co-captains for the 2005-2006 edition of Stonehill Women's Basketball. Roderigue averaged 4.4 points per game and led the Skyhawks with 28 three-pointers last season, while Dauplaise averaged 2.2 points per game and chipped in with 11 three-pointers.

THE ALL-TIME VICTORIES LIST: Stonehill ranks 10th among all NCAA Division II women's basketball programs in both all-time victories and all-time winning percentage. The Skyhawks entered the 2005-2006 campaign with 648 wins and a .720 winning percentage. Here is the list of the top 10 Division II women's basketball programs of all-time:

TOTAL VICTORIESWINNING PERCENTAGE

1.Delta State8321.Bentley.812

2.Cal Poly Pomona7432.Arkansas Tech.797

3.Bentley7403.Pitt-Johnstown.795

4.Arkansas Tech7064.Delta State.789

5.Central Missouri State7035.Cal Poly Pomona.779

6.East Strodusburg6936.West Texas A&M.766

7.Northern State6787.Northern State.759

8.Lincoln Memorial6588.Central Missouri State.725

9.Francis Marion6569.North Dakota.724

10.STONEHILL 64810.STONEHILL .720

TWENTY-TWENTY VISION: Stonehill reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in Trisha Brown's three-year tenure as head coach and for the 17th time in the program's illustrious 34-year history in 2003-2004. The Skyhawks have won 20 or more games on nine occasions since 1991, including a school-record 30 victories during the 1994-95 campaign. Brown and former Stonehill mentor Kelly Hart have each recorded a pair of 20-win seasons on the bench, as Skyhawk Director of Athletics Paula Sullivan won 20 or more games on 15 occasions during her 25-year tenure as Stonehill's head coach.

THIRTY-THREE IN A ROW, LOOK AT EM GO: Stonehill has posted 34 straight winning campaigns after last year's 14-win season, a streak that dates back to the program's inception in 1971. The Skyhawks recorded 25 of those winning campaigns during current Director of Athletics Paula Sullivan's tenure as head coach, and former Stonehill mentor Kelly Hart carried that streak to 30 seasons before Trisha Brown took over in 2001.

HOME SWEET HOME: Merkert Gymnasium has certainly provided a distinct home court advantage for Stonehill, as the Skyhawks amassed an incredible mark of 114-18 (.864) at home during the 1990's. Over the last 11 seasons alone, Stonehill is 139-35 (.799) at Merkert Gymnasium.

SKYHAWK TALK: Monday's triumph at Merrimack was Stonehill's 49th win in 56 all-time series meetings with the WarriorsThe December 10th victory was Stonehill's 41st in 57 series meetings with BryantThe December 5th win at LIU-C.W. Post improved Stonehill's all-time mark against New York Collegiate Athletic Conference foes to 34-5 (.872), as the Skyhawks have also bested NYCAC foes Molloy (69-60) and Adelphi (69-54) this season Stonehill has won six straight in the series with Saint Anselm and five straight in the series with Saint Michael's dating back to January 2002Collins became the first Skyhawk to score 30 points in a game in the win over Bentley since Kristen McDonnell turned the trick on January 20, 2003 at PaceAfter scoring 55 points for the game in the last meeting between the two teams last January, Stonehill tallied 58 points in the opening half of the November 22nd triumph over BentleyThe Skyhawks became the third team ever to reach the 100-point plateau against the FalconsThe November 22nd triumph over then 11th-ranked Bentley was Stonehill's first over a ranked opponent since March 2004 when the Skyhawks bested then 20th-ranked Holy Family in the NCAA Northeast Regional quarterfinalsThe November 19th win over Adelphi was the Skyhawks' eighth triumph in as many meetings with the PanthersStonehill has won all five of its season openers under Brown's tutelageThe November 15th season-opening match-up with St. Thomas Aquinas was the first meeting between the two teams since Stonehill's 83-49 triumph over the Spartans in the 2003 NCAA Northeast Regional quarterfinalsStonehill has played over 900 contests in 34-plus varsity seasons of action Stonehill has posted 3-0 starts in each of its five campaigns under Brown, who has compiled an 19-1 (.950) mark during the month of NovemberStonehill's 8-1 start last winter was its second in three seasonsStonehill has won 68 of its last 98 contests (.694) dating back to November 2002.

SKYHAWKS ON THE WEB: For the second straight season, Stonehill basketball can be accessed on the world wide web through Free Teamline, a service of TRZ Sports of Kent, Ohio. A total of 16 Skyhawk regular season women's basketball broadcasts will be available throughout the 2005-2006 season via Free Teamline by accessing the official Stonehill Athletics website at www.stonehillskyhawks.com, powered by Presto Sports. Returning to call all of action of Stonehill basketball once again this winter is the tandem of Charlie Bergeron and Brian Buckley, who have served as the voices of Skyhawk Basketball since 1998.

WHO'S NEXT: Stonehill closes out a three-game week on Saturday, January 7th by heading to Smithfield, R.I. to take on Bryant in a Northeast-10 outing that tips-off at 1:30 p.m. EST. The Skyhawks return home on Tuesday, January 10th to host Assumption in a Northeast-10 match-up here at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 5:30 p.m. EST.