Collins Scores 21 Points, Huggins Adds Double-Double Effort Of 10 Points And 10 Rebounds As 25th-Ranked Women's Basketball Posts 11th Straight Triumph With 75-62 Northeast-10 Victory At Merrimack

January 2, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Monday, January 2, 2006

Volpe Complex, North Andover, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 75, MERRIMACK 62

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.-- Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead four players in double figures as 25th-ranked Stonehill claimed its 11th straight victory to remain unbeaten on the season with a 75-62 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball triumph over Merrimack Monday evening at the Volpe Complex.

The visiting Skyhawks (11-0, 6-0 Northeast-10), who took the floor as a nationally-ranked team in Division II for the first time in nearly three seasons, jumped out to a 10-point halftime cushion at 42-32 on the strength of a 48 percent shooting effort from the field, and Stonehill, which is enjoying its longest winning streak and its best start since January 1995, built that margin to 17 points (56-37) on a jumper by junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) with 12:23 remaining in the contest. The lead remained in double digits until the host and two-time defending NCAA Northeast Regional champion Warriors (4-10, 1-6 Northeast-10) sliced their deficit to single digits at 69-60 in the final 1:53 of play, but four free throws by junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) over the final 1:30 of action helped ice the Stonehill triumph.

Sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) added 13 points and three assists in the win for the Skyhawks, who also received 11 points, three assists and two steals from Morast as well as the third career double-double effort of 10 points, 10 rebounds and four steals from Huggins. Junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) added eight points and six boards for Stonehill, which also received six points and 10 rebounds off the bench from freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass.) and six points off the bench from freshman Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.). Stonehill shot 47 percent from the field for the evening to overcome 24 turnovers, and the Skyhawks held a commanding 52-29 rebounding advantage for the contest, including a 19-10 edge on the offensive glass alone, in posting their 49th victory in 56 all-time series meetings with Merrimack.

Sophomore Gately Golden (Fair Haven, N.J.) paced Merrimack in the scoring column with 15 points, while senior Joelle Martin (Somerville, Mass.) added 12 points for the Warriors, who received eight points from sophomore Kara Borelli (Westbrook, Maine) as well as six points, seven rebounds and three steals from sophomore Takeya Faison (Lynn, Mass.). Merrimack shot 38 percent from the floor for the evening, including a 23 percent effort from three-point range.

Stonehill and American International will meet in a battle of Northeast-10 unbeatens and nationally-ranked squads in a showdown for first place in the conference standings on Thursday evening at Merkert Gymnasium beginning at 5:30 p.m., as the 16th-ranked Yellow Jackets also stand at 11-0 overall and 6-0 in league play. Merrimack hosts Adelphi in a non-league outing on Thursday evening at the Volpe Complex at 5:30 p.m.