Simonds Scores Career-High 13 Points And Grabs Eight Rebounds, Stupinski Chips In With 12 Points As Women's Basketball Presents Brown With 75th Career Victory In 69-54 Non-League Triumph Over Adelphi At Assumption Courtyard Classic

November 19, 2005

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Second Round 2005 Assumption Courtyard Classic

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Laska Gymnasium, Worcester, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 69, ADELPHI 54

WORCESTER, Mass.-- Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Stonehill used a solid second half shooting performance to post a 69-54 non-league college women's basketball victory over Adelphi in second round play of the 2005 Assumption Courtyard Classic Saturday afternoon at Laska Gymnasium.

The Skyhawks (3-0) presented Head Coach Trisha Brown with her 75th career victory and posted their fifth straight 3-0 start with the triumph, as Stonehill overcame a four-point halftime deficit (32-28) by blistering the nets at a 55 percent clip (18-33) in the final 20 minutes of play. The Skyhawks trailed by two early in the second half but went on a decisive 26-0 run over a nine-plus minute stretch to take command, as Stonehill led by as many as 24 points (65-41) in the latter stages of the contest.

Sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) added 12 points, three rebounds and three steals in the win for Stonehill, which also received 10 points and six rebounds from junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.). Simonds shared team-high rebounding honors with junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.), who also added eight caroms, while senior Bethany Roderigue (Winslow, Maine) and junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) combined for 15 points and three three-pointers. The Skyhawks shot 44 percent from the field for the contest and connected on six treys while holding a 38-33 rebounding edge, including a 16-11 advantage on the offensive glass, in posting their eighth win in eight series meetings between the two schools.

Sophomore Gianna Smith (Hempstead, N.Y.) recorded a double-double effort of 13 points and 10 rebounds in the setback for the Panthers (0-3), who also received 10 points each from senior Carlyshia Hurdle (Brentwood, N.Y.), junior Betty Mendieta (North Bergen, N.J.) and sophomore Jordan Gambino (Staten Island, N.Y.). Adelphi shot just 26 percent from the field in the second half of action and hurt itself with 27 turnovers on the afternoon that led to 29 Stonehill points.

Stonehill begins Northeast-10 Conference play on Tuesday evening by hosting 11th-ranked Bentley in a league outing at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 5:30 p.m., while Adelphi will be idle until Wednesday, November 30th when the Panthers travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y. to take on Molloy in a New York Collegiate Athletic Conference outing that begins at 5:00 p.m.