Women's Basketball Looks To Continue Best Start Ever Monday Evening As 11th-Ranked Skyhawks Seeks Sweet Sixteenth Straight Victory In Hosting Saint Anselm In Northeast-10 Affair

January 15, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Women's Basketball

5:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill returns home looking to continue its best start ever this evening as the 11th-ranked Skyhawks entertain the Saint Anselm Hawks in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up. Stonehill enters tonight's action after running its winning streak to 15 straight (the second longest such skein in school history) in true come-from-behind fashion, as the Skyhawks rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to post a 67-64 Northeast-10 triumph over Saint Michael's on Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center in Colchester, Vt. Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) led the way with 20 points, including the deciding bucket with 32 seconds to play, and six rebounds for the visitors, who also received 15 points (including four three-pointers) and seven rebounds from junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y./St. Francis Prep). Stonehill, which blistered the nets at a 67 percent clip and scored 46 points in the final 20 minutes of action, also received nine points, nine rebounds and three assists from junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass./Brockton) as well as eight points and four caroms from junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham). Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) chipped in with six points, five rebounds and three steals for the Skyhawks, who also received six assists from sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine/Mount Ararat) in surpassing the 1971-72 Stonehill squad's previous best start of 14-0 and matching the 1986-87 team's second longest winning streak in the program's history with 15 straight triumphs. Saint Anselm enters tonight's action after notching its first conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon with a 64-57 Northeast-10 victory over Merrimack at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in Manchester, N.H.

PLAYER AND FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) was named last Monday as the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career and as the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season for her efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories on the week. Simonds averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 1.5 steals on the week, including a career-high 25 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a 92-80 triumph at Bryant to go with nine points, nine rebounds and a career-high tying six blocks in a 59-54 victory over 13th-ranked American International. Simonds shot 86 percent (12-14) from the foul line for the week.

HONOR ROLL HONOREE: Junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) was named last Monday to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll for her efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories on the week. Morast averaged 14 points and three assists in the two contests, including a career-high 21 points with four three-pointers in a 92-80 win at Bryant.

LAST MEETING: Stonehill and Saint Anselm last met on November 30, 2005 at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in Manchester, N.H., and the Skyhawks posted a 62-49 victory over the Hawks. Alisha Collins led the way with a double-double effort of 15 points and 11 rebounds for Stonehill, which also received 14 points and eight caroms from Kim Morast as well as 10 points and three steals from Tiffany Huggins.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and Saint Anselm are meeting for the 63rd time this evening, and the Skyhawks hold a 43-19 advantage over the Hawks in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Collins leads Stonehill in scoring at 18.1 ppg, while Simonds follows at 11.1 ppg and paces the Skyhawks on the boards at 8.5 caroms per contest. Kennedy is next at 9.7 ppg while adding 6.4 rpg, while Stupinski checks in at 9.4 ppg with a league-leading 6.1 apg and 3.2 spg. Morast averages 8.4 ppg and 2.5 assists per outing as well for Stonehill.

THE HAWKS: Senior Raenielle Decastro-Cain leads Saint Anselm in scoring at 11.3 ppg, while freshman Justine Lyons follows at 8.8 ppg. Sophomore Cassaundra Thorpe checks in at 8.1 ppg and paces the Hawks on the boards with 6.2 caroms per contest, while senior Lanna Martin also averages 8.1 ppg for Saint Anselm 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 87-44 (.664) 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 6-1 during her career against Saint Anselm.

HEAD COACH MONICA McCARTHY-GALAMAGA: Monica McCarthy-Galamaga is in her third season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at Saint Anselm College. A 1991 Saint Anselm graduate and former all-conference standout for the Hawks, Galamaga has guided her alma mater to an overall mark of 28-43 (.394) during her tenure, and she is assisted by Ann Parks and Katie Schlender. Galamaga is 0-4 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' 15-0 mark out of the gate surpassed the 1971-72 squad's 14-0 mark set during the inaugural varsity year in program history.

A PERFECT TEN: Stonehill's 10-0 Northeast-10 start is its best since the 1996-97 season, as the Skyhawks started conference play at 11-0 during that campaign en route to claiming the 1997 Northeast-10 tournament title.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's current 15-game winning streak matches the second longest skein in school history, as the 1986-87 squad also won 15 straight during that season en route to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Skyhawks posted a school record 17-game winning streak during the 1994-95 Final Four campaign.

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.

PULLING RANK: The January 5th victory over 13th-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 moved up six spots in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II National Poll last week, as after cracking the rankings at the #25 spot on December 20th, the Skyhawks are ranked 11th nationally, their highest spot since being ranked fourth in the poll in March 1995. Here is the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 as of January 10th:

RankInstitution (First Place Votes)Last Week's RankRecordPoints

1.Washburn University (Kan.) (22)114-0598

2.University of North Dakota - Grand Forks (2)218-0576

3.Emporia State University (Kan.)315-0554

4.Drury University (Mo.)412-1514

5.Saint Cloud State University (Minn.)615-0496

6.Glenville State College (W.Va.)710-0466

7.University Of Charleston (W.Va)511-1447

8.Henderson State University (Ark.)813-1436

9.Western Washington University 911-1415

10.Rollins College (Fla.)1111-0386

11.Stonehill College (Mass.)1713-0297

12.California State University - Chico129-2288

13.American International College (Mass.)1312-1283

14.Lake Superior State University (Mich.)1511-2273

15.Florida Gulf Coast University 1615-1261

16.Grand Valley State University (Mich.)1012-3243

17.West Texas A&M University1410-2222

18.Delta State University (Miss.)1812-1174

19.California State University - Bakersfield2310-1161

20.University Of Minnesota-Duluth 2013-3122

21.Angelo State University (Texas)2210-2117

22.Valdosta State University (Ga.)2110-4102

23.Clayton State University (Ga.)NR11-161

24.Saint Augustine's College (N.C.)199-261

25.Fairmont State University (W.Va.)2410-260

Dropped Out: Seattle Pacific University (Wash.).

Others Receiving Votes: North Carolina Central University - 41; Missouri Western State - 27; Presbyterian College - 24; Seattle Pacific University - 18; Southern Conn. St. University - 15; Fort Valley State University - 13; Wingate University - 13; Wayne State College - 10; Michigan Tech. University - 8; Shaw University - 6; Northern Kentucky University - 3; Regis University - 3; Concordia University - 2; University Of Missouri - 2; North Georgia College & State University - 1; University Of California-San Diego - 1.

THIRTY-FIVE IN A ROW, LOOK AT EM GO: With last Tuesday's 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 55-1 in its last 56 contests when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points after last Tuesday's victory over Assumption, a streak that dates back to February 2001.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In statistics through games of January 9th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in scoring offense (76.1 ppg), field goal percentage (.463), assists (17.54 apg) and three-point field goals made (6.62 3fgpg) while ranking second in rebounding margin (+ 7.2), blocked shots (4.85 bpg) and steals (10.69 spg). Alisha Collins ranks second in the conference in scoring at 17.8 ppg, while Erika Stupinski leads the league in assists (6.00 apg), steals (3.46 spg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90). Kelsey Simonds leads the Northeast-10 in defensive rebounds (6.31 drpg) while ranking second in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocked shots (2.31 bpg).

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill fares well in several NCAA Division II national team and individual statistics categories in games played through January 1st. The Skyhawks were tied for first in won-lost percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, 22nd in rebounding margin, 27th in scoring margin, 30th in scoring offense, 36th in three-point field goal percentage and 43rd in both free throw percentage and three-point field goals made per game. Alisha Collins ranked 30th in points per game and 47th in field goal percentage, while Erika Stupinski was ranked 17th in assists per game and 21st in steals per game. Kelsey Simonds was ranked 32nd nationally in blocks per game as of New Year's Day.

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 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 663-252 (.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 141-35 (.801) at Merkert Gymnasium.

THE .700 (PLUS) CLUB: Stonehill has posted a 72-30 mark in its last 102 outings dating back to November 2002 for a winning percentage over that time span of .706.

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 Tuesday afternoon 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: Stonehill has now won 39 of 47 series meetings with Saint Michael's following Saturday's triumph, and the Skyhawks have won six straight over the Purple Knights since January 2002Last Tuesday's 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 13th-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 travels to Syracuse, N.Y. on Thursday, January 19th to take on LeMoyne in a Northeast-10 match-up at Ted Grant Court that tips-off at 5:30 p.m. EST. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, January 21st to entertain two-time defending NCAA Northeast Regional champion Merrimack in a Northeast-10 outing here at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 1:30 p.m. EST.