Collins Scores 17 Points To Lead Three Players In Double Figures As 11th-Ranked Women's Basketball Matches Second Longest Win Streak With 17th Straight Triumph In 62-54 Northeast-10 Victory At LeMoyne

January 19, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Ted Grant Court, Syracuse, N.Y.

FINAL:STONEHILL 62, LE MOYNE 54

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead three players in double figures as 11th-ranked Stonehill continued its best start ever and matched the second longest winning streak in school history with a 62-54 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over LeMoyne Thursday evening at Ted Grant Court.

The visiting Skyhawks, who remain unbeaten at 17-0 overall and are off to their best Northeast-10 start in 12 years at 12-0 in league play, overcame an early six-point deficit as well as a 27 percent shooting effort from the field to lead by a bucket (22-20) at the break, closing the half on an 8-1 run over the final 4:42 of action. Stonehill, named yesterday as the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II Northeast Regional circles for the first time in 11 years, began the second half with an 8-2 run over the first 3:21 to take an eight point cushion (30-22) on a Collins jumper, and the Skyhawks ballooned that margin to 11 points with eight unanswered points midway through the half in taking a 42-31 cushion with 9:47 remaining on a jumper by sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine).

Stonehill maintained a double-digit edge and built its advantage to as many as 12 points in the final 6:43 before the host Dolphins (8-9, 5-8 Northeast-10) closed their deficit to four points with 2:04 remaining on a three-pointer by freshman Kathleen Gladstone (Cleveland, Ohio), but four free throws in the final minute of action by Stupinski and junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) enabled to ice the triumph and match the 1994-95 NCAA Final Four squad's 17-game winning streak that ranks second in Stonehill history.

Junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in the victory for Stonehill, which also received 10 points and three boards off the bench from freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass.). Junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds for the Skyhawks, who also received six points and eight boards from Huggins as well as five points and seven caroms from Stupinski. Stonehill shot just 35 percent from the field, but the Skyhawks held a 23-11 scoring advantage at the foul line and also controlled the boards in holding a 41-33 rebounding edge in sweeping the regular season series between the schools.

Sophomore Kim Wagoner (Cicero, N.Y.) paced LeMoyne in the scoring column with 11 points, while junior Lindsay Ellis (Fairport, N.Y.) added a double-double effort of 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Dolphins, who also received eight points from junior Lindsay Carr (Bronx, N.Y.). LeMoyne shot 37 percent from the field and canned five three-pointers, but the Dolphins hurt themselves with 19 turnovers for the contest.

Stonehill hosts Merrimack in a Northeast-10 outing on Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 1:30 p.m., while LeMoyne travels to Rindge, N.H. on Saturday afternoon to take on Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 match-up that also begins at 1:30 p.m.