Collins Nets 26 Points, Kennedy Adds 16 Points And Nine Boards As 24th-Ranked Women's Basketball Drops 72-66 Northeast-10 Semi-Final Decision To Saint Rose
March 3, 2006
STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
2006 Northeast-10 Conference Semi-Finals
Friday, March 3, 2006
Moore Fieldhouse, New Haven, Conn.
FINAL:SAINT ROSE 72, STONEHILL 66
NEW HAVEN, Conn.-- Junior Linsey Onishuk (Hyde Park, Mass.) scored 30 points to lead three players in double figures as sixth-seeded Saint Rose advanced to its first-ever berth in the Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Championship game with a 72-66 victory over second-seeded and 24th-ranked Stonehill in semi-final round play of the 2006 championships Friday evening at Southern Connecticut's Moore Fieldhouse.
The Golden Knights, now 19-11 overall, advance to take on top-seeded and 18th-ranked Southern Connecticut in Saturday evening's championship contest, as the host Owls advanced with a 55-36 victory over fifth-seeded Bentley in the other semi-final.
A game that saw 10 ties and 11 lead changes was also highlighted by large runs by both teams, as Saint Rose jumped out to an early four point cushion before the Skyhawks, who fall to 23-6 with the setback, used a 11-2 run over a four minute stretch to take a 30-23 lead with 4:12 to play in the opening half on a jumper by junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.). The Golden Knights then closed the half by scoring nine of the final 10 points for a 32-31 edge at the break, and the two teams traded the lead three more times early in the second half before Stonehill used a 9-0 spurt over a 3:22 stretch to take its biggest lead of the night at 53-45 with 10:47 remaining. Saint Rose responded with a 12-1 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a three-point lead on a lay-in by senior Petra Kulhankova (Nova Paka, Czech Republic) with 5:49 to play, and the Skyhawks put together their final run to take a one-point edge (61-60) on a lay-in by junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) with 3:38 left. The Golden Knights scored 12 of the final 17 points of the contest, however, breaking a 64-64 tie on a lay-in and free throw by junior Mary Lewis (Roxbury, Mass.) and using five Onishuk free throws in the final 28 seconds to ice their triumph and advance.
Kulhankova added 12 points in the win for Saint Rose, which also received 11 points and nine rebounds from junior Ariel Davis (Marlton, N.J.). The Golden Knights shot 41 percent from the field and held a 42-37 rebounding edge in avenging a one-point regular season setback to Stonehill suffered on February 4th.
Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.), named yesterday as the 2005-2006 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, scored 26 points (18 in the first half alone) and grabbed seven rebounds in the setback for Stonehill, which also received 16 points and nine boards from Kennedy as well as nine points and six assists from Morast. Sophomore Daryl Cioffi (New Milford, N.J.) came off the bench to score a career-high seven points for the Skyhawks, who shot 40 percent from the field but hurt themselves with 21 turnovers for the contest.
Stonehill will await word of its at-large seeding in the upcoming NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championships, as the complete 64-team Division II field will be announced on Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m.