Women's Basketball Returns Home Looking To Keep Perfection In Tact As 11th-Ranked Skyhawks Put 17-0 Mark On Line In Northeast-10 Showdown With Merrimack

January 20, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Women's Basketball

1:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill returns home this afternoon looking to continue its best start ever and remain unblemished on the season as the 11th-ranked Skyhawks entertain the Merrimack Warriors in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. Stonehill matched the second longest winning streak in school history on Thursday evening with a 62-54 Northeast-10 triumph over LeMoyne at Ted Grant Court in Syracuse, N.Y., as junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) led three players in double figures by scoring 17 points as part of the Skyhawks' 17th straight victory, as the visitors matched the 1994-95 NCAA Final Four squad for the second longest winning skein in school history. Junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists for the winners, who also received 10 points and three boards from freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman). Junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds for Stonehill, which also received six points and eight boards from junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass./Brockton) as well as seven caroms from sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine/Mount Ararat) in sweeping the regular season series from the Dolphins. Merrimack, the two-time defending NCAA Northeast Regional champion, enters today's action after dropping a 68-57 Northeast-10 decision to Saint Michael's on Thursday evening at the Ross Sports Center in Colchester, Vt.

WELCOME ALUMNI!: Today is Women's Basketball Alumni Day at Merkert Gymnasium, as the women's alumni game will take place prior to tip-off at 11:00 a.m.

HONOR ROLL HONOREE: Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) was named on Monday to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll for her efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories last week. Collins, the conference's leading scorer, averaged 20 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the two contests, including 20 points and seven boards in a 67-64 triumph at Saint Michael's to go with 20 points and six rebounds in a 61-58 win over Assumption. Collins, who scored the deciding field goal in both games, also shot 73 percent from the foul line.

LAST MEETING: Stonehill and Merrimack last met on January 2nd at the Volpe Complex in North Andover, Mass., and the Skyhawks posted a 75-62 victory over the Warriors. Alisha Collins led four players in double figures with 21 points and eight rebounds in the triumph for Stonehill, which also received 13 points from Erika Stupinski as well as 11 points from Kim Morast. Tiffany Huggins recorded a double-double effort of 10 points and 10 caroms as well for the visitors.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and Merrimack are meeting for the 57th time this afternoon, and the Skyhawks hold a 49-7 advantage over the Warriors in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Collins leads Stonehill in scoring at 17.9 ppg while adding 5.7 rpg, while Simonds follows at 11.4 ppg and eight caroms per contest. Kennedy is next at 9.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg, while Stupinski adds 9.2 ppg and leads the Northeast-10 in both assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.9 spg). Morast checks in at 8.3 ppg as well for the Skyhawks.

THE WARRIORS: Senior Joelle Martin leads Merrimack in scoring and rebounding at 18.2 ppg and 5.9 caroms per contest, while sophomores Kara Borelli and Ashley Brownlee each follow at 7.9 and 7.2 ppg, respectively, for the Warriors to date.

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 89-44 (.669) 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 3-6 during her career against Merrimack.

HEAD COACH LIZ BRIGGS: Liz Briggs is in her first season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at Merrimack College. A 1991 graduate of Saint Anselm, Briggs has guided the Warriors to a 5-15 (.250) mark during her inaugural season on the Merrimack bench, while her career collegiate mark, including three seasons at Susquehanna, stands at 37-56 (.398). Briggs, who is assisted by Susan Roarke, is 0-1 during her career against Stonehill.

AND THEY'RE OFF: To the best start in the 35-year history of Stonehill women's basketball, as the Skyhawks' 17-0 mark out of the gate surpassed the 1971-72 squad's 14-0 mark set during the inaugural varsity year in program history.

AN EVEN DOZEN: Stonehill's 12-0 Northeast-10 start is its best since the 1994-95 season, as the Skyhawks also started conference play at 12-0 during that campaign en route to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's current 17-game winning streak matches the 1994-95 NCAA Final Four squad's similar skein, as Stonehill won its first 13 before dropping a contest and then winning 17 straight en route to the Final Four.

MEET IT, BEAT IT: Stonehill has already surpassed its entire win total of last season, as the Skyhawks collected 14 triumphs during the 2004-2005 campaign.

NOT JUST ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD: Kelsey Simonds is featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd" column in this week's issue with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on the cover. Simonds was honored by Sports Illustrated after being selected as the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week on four occasions this season, and she becomes the fourth Stonehill student-athlete to be honored with selection in "Faces In The Crowd", as women's lacrosse All-America performers Katie Lambert '03 and Lauren Stone '06, along with ice hockey standout Rob Pascale '04, have also appeared in the Sports Illustrated column over the last three years alone.

PULLING RANK: The January 5th victory over 16th-ranked American International was Stonehill's second of the year against a nationally-ranked opponent, as the Skyhawks bested then 11th-ranked Bentley by a 101-59 margin back on November 22nd.

RANK AND FILE: Stonehill is ranked 11th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II national poll for the second straight week, as the Skyhawks' current national ranking is its highest since March 1995. Here is the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 as of January 17th:

RankInstitution (First Place Votes)Last Week's RankRecordPoints

1.Washburn University (Kan.) (23)116-0598

2.University of North Dakota - Grand Forks (2)220-0577

3.Emporia State University (Kan.)316-1547

4.Saint Cloud State University (Minn.)517-0516

5.Drury University (Mo.)414-1501

6.Glenville State College (W.Va.)612-0485

7.University Of Charleston (W.Va.)714-1434

8.Henderson State University (Ark.)815-1422

9.Western Washington University 913-1398

10.Rollins College (Fla.)1013-0388

11.Stonehill College (Mass.)1116-0378

12.California State University - Chico1211-2289

13.Grand Valley State University (Mich.)1614-3267

14.Florida Gulf Coast University 1516-1266

15.Delta State University (Miss.)1814-1239

16.American International College (Mass.)1313-2238

17.West Texas A&M University 1712-2223

18.Lake Superior State University (Mich.)1412-3209

19.California State University - Bakersfield1912-1198

20.University Of Minnesota-Duluth2016-3131

21.Clayton State University (Ga.)2311-288

22.Valdosta State University (Ga.)2212-466

23.Fort Valley State University (Ga.)NR13-158

24.Angelo State University (Texas)2111-451

25.Fairmont State University (W.Va.)2512-243

Dropped Out: Saint Augustine's College (N.C.)

Others Receiving Votes: Southern Conn. St. University - 35; Saint Augustine's College (N.C.) - 28; Wingate University - (N.C.) 18; Wayne State College (Neb.) - 16; University Of California-San Diego - 13; North Carolina Central University - 11; Seattle Pacific University (Wash.) - 11; Shaw University (N.C.) - 11; Missouri Western State - 10; Northern Kentucky University - 10; North Georgia College & State University - 8; Regis University (Colo.) - 5; University Of Missouri - Rolla 3; University Of West Florida - 3; Michigan Tech. University - 2; Presbyterian College (S.C.) - 2; University Of Central Arkansas - 2; Bentley College (Mass.) -1; Saint Michael's College (Vt.) - 1.

REGIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill was named on Wednesday afternoon as the top-ranked team in the first NCAA Division II Northeast Regional rankings released by the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee, as the Skyhawks sit atop the regional poll for the first time in 11 seasons. The NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, with records listed through games played as of January 15th, are as follows:

1.Stonehill15-014-0

2.American International12-212-2

3.Southern Connecticut State13-211-2

4.St. Michael's11-39-3

5.Pace11-411-4

6.Franklin Pierce10-59-3

7.Bentley11-710-4

8.Holy Family10-19-1

9.Saint Rose9-66-6

10.New Haven10-310-3

THIRTY-FIVE IN A ROW, LOOK AT EM GO: With the January 10th triumph over Assumption, Stonehill has now posted 35 straight winning campaigns, a streak that dates back to the program's inception in 1971. The Skyhawks recorded 25 of those winning seasons 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.

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.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Stonehill is now 56-1 in its last 57 contests when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points after Thursday evening's victory at LeMoyne, a streak that dates back to February 2001.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In statistics through games of January 15th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in scoring (74.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.454) and assists (17.07 apg), and the Skyhawks rank second in three-point field goal percentage (.356), rebounding margin (+ 6.9), blocked shots (4.73 bpg), and three point field goals made (6.33). Alisha Collins leads the conference in scoring at 18.1 ppg, while Erika Stupinski leads the league in assists (6.07), steals (3.20) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86). Kelsey Simonds leads the Northeast-10 in defensive rebounds (5.93) and ranks second in blocked shots (2.07).

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill also ranks in several team and individual categories among NCAA Division II national statistical leaders through games of January 15th, as the Skyhawks are tied for first in won-lost percentage, 17th in field goal percentage, 30th in scoring margin, 31st in scoring offense, 33rd in rebounding margin, 42nd in three-point field goal percentage and 47th in three point field goals made per game. Individually, Alisha Collins ranks 35th in scoring, while Erika Stupinski is 14th in assists and 21st in steals. Kelsey Simonds ranks 29th in blocked shots.

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.

HIGH SCORING HALVES: Following last Saturday's second half effort at Saint Michael's, Stonehill has scored 46 or more points in a half of play on seven occasions this season, with the high-water mark coming on November 22nd with 58 first-half points against Bentley.

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 665-252 (.725) 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.

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 Stroudsburg6936.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.

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 142-35 (.802) at Merkert Gymnasium.

THE .700 (PLUS) CLUB: Stonehill has posted a 74-30 mark in its last 104 outings dating back to November 2002 for a winning percentage over that time span of .712.

IN GOOD COMPANY: Stonehill has the distinction of being one of two schools nationally to have both its women's and men's basketball teams ranked in the top 11 nationally in Division II, as the Skyhawk men cracked the top 10 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches rankings on January 10th for the first time in school history, advancing 14 spots to the #10 position in the poll. Stonehill and Western Washington are the only two Division II schools that can claim both its women's and men's teams in the top 11.

SKYHAWK TALK: Monday's win over Saint Anselm was Stonehill's seventh straight over the Hawks and 44th in 63 series meetings between the teamsStonehill has now won 39 of 47 series meetings with Saint Michael's following last Saturday's triumph, and the Skyhawks have won six straight over the Purple Knights since January 2002The January 10th win over Assumption was Stonehill's 40th in 54 series meetings with the GreyhoundsThe January 7th triumph at Bryant was Stonehill's 42nd in 58 series meetings with the BulldogsThe January 2nd victory over 16th-ranked American International was Stonehill's 44th in 58 series meetings with the Yellow Jackets and ended a nine-game AIC win streak in the series that dated back to the 1999-2000 season The December 5th win at LIU-C.W. Post improved Stonehill's all-time mark against New York Collegiate Athletic Cofnerence opponents to 34-5 (.872), as the Skyhawks have also bested NYCAC foes St. Thomas Aquinas, Molloy and Adelphi this seasonCollins 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 Pace The Skyhawks became the third team ever to reach the 100-point plateau against BentleyStonehill has won all five of its season openers under Brown's tutelage 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 November.

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 heads to Waltham, Mass. on Thursday, January 26th to renew acquaintances in long-time rival Bentley in a Northeast-10 clash at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. that tips-off at 5:30 p.m. EST.