Women's Basketball Continues Three-Game Road Trip Tuesday Evening As 15th-Ranked Skyhawks Seek Third Straight Triumph In Northeast-10 Tilt At UMass Lowell

February 6, 2006

2005-2006 Stonehill College Women's Basketball

5:30 p.m. EST

THE GAME: Stonehill seeks its third straight victory this evening as the 15th-ranked Skyhawks continue a three-game road swing by taking on the UMass Lowell River Hawks in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up. Stonehill, the top-ranked team in NCAA Northeast Regional circles for the third straight week, enters tonight's action after reaching the 20-win plateau for the 18th time overall and for the third time in the last four seasons under Head Coach Trisha Brown by posting a 77-76 Northeast-10 triumph over Saint Rose last Saturday afternoon at Nolan Gymnasium in Albany, N.Y. Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) led four players in double figures with 18 points and nine rebounds, while fellow junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) added 17 points and seven boards for the Skyhawks. Sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine/Mount Ararat) chipped in with 16 points, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute of play, and five assists for the visitors, who also received 16 points, six caroms and two blocks off the bench from freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman). Junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass./Brockton) also grabbed six rebounds on the day for Stonehill, which picked up its sixth win in eight contests against NCAA regionally-ranked foes this season. UMass Lowell enters tonight's action after posting a 59-48 Northeast-10 victory over Assumption on Saturday afternoon here at Costello Gymnasium.

HONOR ROLL HONOREES: Juniors Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y./Trinity Catholic) and Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y./St. Francis Prep), along with freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman), each earned spots on the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Monday for their efforts in a pair of Stonehill victories last week. Collins, the Northeast-10's leading scorer, averaged 21 points, nine rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and one block on the week, including 24 points, nine boards, four steals and a pair of blocks in a 76-63 victory over Pace to go with 18 points and nine caroms in a 77-76 win at Saint Rose while shooting 57 percent (17-30) from the field and 73 percent (8-11) from the foul line for the week. Kennedy averaged 13 points, six rebounds and 1.5 assists on the week, including 17 points, seven boards and two assists in the win at Saint Rose while shooting 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 57 percent (4-7) from three-point range, while Simonds averaged 15 points, six rebounds, two steals and 1.5 blocks on the week, including 16 points, six boards and a pair of blocks in the triumph at Saint Rose as well as 14 points and six caroms in the win over Pace. Simonds shot 67 percent (10-15) from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 at the foul line.

LAST MEETING: Stonehill and UMass Lowell last met on February 8, 2005 at Merkert Gymnasium, and the Skyhawks posted a 78-66 victory over the River Hawks. Patricia Odom led five players in double figures with 19 points in the triumph for Stonehill, which also received 14 points and five rebounds from Alisha Collins.

THE SERIES: Stonehill and UMass Lowell are meeting for the 28th time this evening, and the Skyhawks hold an 18-9 edge over the River Hawks in the all-time series between the schools.

THE SKYHAWKS: Collins leads Stonehill and the Northeast-10 in scoring at 18.7 ppg while adding 6.5 rpg, while Simonds follows at 11.1 ppg and a team-best 7.5 caroms per contest. Kennedy is next at 9.5 ppg while adding 6.2 rpg, while Stupinski adds 9.1 ppg and a league-leading 5.8 assists per contest. Junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) follows at 8.7 ppg to date for the Skyhawks.

THE RIVER HAWKS: Senior Emily Kordas leads UMass Lowell in scoring and rebounding at 10.3 ppg and 5.4 caroms per contest, while graduate student Mariette Guillaume follows at 9.5 ppg and 5.1 rpg. Freshman Antonnea Robinson is next at 8.7 ppg for the River Hawks.

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 a 92-46 (.667) 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 5-1 during her career against UMass Lowell.

HEAD COACH KATHY O'NEIL: Kathy O'Neil is in her 21st season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A 1981 graduate of Saint Michael's, O'Neil has guided the River Hawks to an overall mark of 352-247 (.588) during her tenure, and she is assisted by Aliya Cox, Dahima James and Enjoli Edwards. O'Neil is 9-13 during her career against Stonehill.

TWENTY-TWENTY VISION: Stonehill reached the 20-win plateau for the third time in four years under Head Coach Trisha Brown and for the 18th time overall with last Saturday's triumph at Saint Rose. The Skyhawks have won 20 or more games on 10 occasions since 1991, including a school-record 30 victories during the 1994-95 campaign. Former Stonehill mentor Kelly Hart recorded a pair of 20-win seasons prior to Brown's arrival, as Skyhawk Director of Athletics Paula Sullivan won 20 or more games on 13 occasions during her 25-year tenure as head coach.

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.

AND THEY'RE OFF: To the best start in the 35-year history of Stonehill women's basketball, as the Skyhawks' 18-0 mark out of the gate surpassed the 1971-72 squad's 14-0 mark set during the inaugural varsity year in program history.

NATIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill was ranked 15th in last week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II national poll released on Tuesday afternoon, as the Skyhawks have been rated in the top 25 in each of the last six weeks. Stonehill has been rated as high as ninth in the WBCA poll, cracking the top 10 for the first time in 11 years last week. Here is the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II Top 25 as of January 31st:

RankInstitution (First Place Votes)Last Week's RankRecordPoints

1.Washburn University (Kan.) (21)120-0597

2.University of North Dakota - Grand Forks (3)223-0573

3.Emporia State University (Kan.)319-1553

4.Saint Cloud State University (Minn.)419-1523

5.Drury University (Mo.)518-1502

6.University Of Charleston (W.Va.)718-1459

7.Glenville State College (W.Va.)615-1442

8.Western Washington University 817-1436

9.Rollins College (Fla.)1017-0396

10.Henderson State University (Ark.)1117-2341

11.Delta State University (Miss.)1318-1338

12.Florida Gulf Coast University 1420-1308

13.California State University - Bakersfield1716-1300

14.Grand Valley State University (Mich.)1517-3287

15.Stonehill College (Mass.)918-2284

16.California State University - Chico1214-3219

17.Fort Valley State University (Ga.)2017-1218

18.Clayton State University (Ga.)2215-3134

19.West Texas A&M University 1815-3134

20.American International College (Mass.)1616-4101

21.University Of California-San Diego2514-292

22.Lake Superior State University (Mich.)1916-484

23.University Of Minnesota-Duluth 2116-573

24.Southern Conn. St. University NR18-361

25.Wayne State College (Neb.)NR18-246

Dropped Out: Valdosta State University (Ga.), Fairmont State University (W.Va.).

Others Receiving Votes: Valdosta State University (Ga.) - 42; Northern Kentucky University - 40; Regis University (Colo.) - 36; Shaw University (N.C.) - 22; Wingate University (N.C.) - 22; Presbyterian College (S.C.) - 19; Fairmont State University (W.Va.) - 18; North Carolina Central University - 18; Seattle Pacific University (Wash.) - 16; North Georgia College & State University - 15; University Of Central Arkansas - 15; Pace University (N.Y.) - 13; Wheeling Jesuit University (W.Va.) - 9; Holy Family University (Penn.) - 8; Lewis University (Ill.) - 3; Anderson College (S.C.) - 2; Angelo State University (Texas) -1.

REGIONAL RANK AND FILE: Stonehill was named last Wednesday afternoon as the top-ranked team in the third 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 third straight week after ascending to the top spot on January 18th for the first time in 11 seasons. The NCAA Northeast Regional rankings, with records listed through games played as of January 29th, are as follows:

1.Stonehill18-217-2

2.American International16-416-4

3.Southern Connecticut State18-316-3

4.Pace17-417-4

5.St. Michael's15-513-5

6.Holy Family16-115-1

7.Saint Rose14-711-7

8.Bentley14-913-6

9.Franklin Pierce12-811-6

10.Philadelphia U.12-411-3

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK: Stonehill's recent 18-game winning streak ranks as the second longest such skein in school history, as the Skyhawks' 19-game winning streak from November 1993 through January 1994 ranks as the longest skein in program history.

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 was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd" column in January 23rd edition of the magazine. 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.

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 DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Stonehill is now 57-1 in its last 58 contests when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points after the January 21st victory over Merrimack, a streak that dates back to February 2001.

CONFERENCE RANK AND FILE: In statistics through games of February 5th, Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 in scoring (72.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.436), and the Skyhawks rank second in blocked shots (4.73 bpg), assists (16.05 apg) and steals (10.91 spg). Alisha Collins leads the conference in scoring at 18.7 ppg, while Erika Stupinski leads the league in assists (5.92) and ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78). Kelsey Simonds is second in the Northeast-10 in blocked shots as well (2.10 bpg).

NCAA RANK AND FILE: Stonehill also ranks in several team and individual categories among NCAA Division II national statistical leaders through games of January 29th, as the Skyhawks are tied for 15th in won-lost percentage, 47th in scoring margin and 50th in scoring offense. Individually, Alisha Collins ranks 27th in scoring, while Erika Stupinski is 14th in assists and Kelsey Simonds ranks 24th 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.

THE .700 (PLUS) CLUB: Stonehill has posted a 77-32 mark in its last 109 outings dating back to November 2002 for a winning percentage over that time span of .706.

HIGH SCORING HALVES: Following the January 14th 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.

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 668-254 (.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.

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

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 144-36 (.800) at Merkert Gymnasium.

SKYHAWK TALK: Stonehill is now 6-2 against fellow NCAA Northeast regionally-ranked teams this seasonCollins has recorded nine 20-plus point performances this seasonLast Saturday's triumph at Saint Rose ended a three-game Golden Knight win streak in the seriesLast Wednesday's win over Pace was Stonehill's 15th in 19 series meetings with the Setters The January 21st win over Merrimack was Stonehill 50th victory in 57 series meetings with the WarriorsThe January 16th 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 the January 14th 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 20th-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 November 22nd 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 Bentley 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 Stonehill 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 wraps up this three-game road swing on Saturday, February 11th when the Skyhawks head to Rindge, N.H. to take on Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 clash at FPC Fieldhouse beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST. Stonehill returns home on Wednesday, February 15th for Senior Night festivities against Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 outing at Merkert Gymnasium that tips-off at 5:30 p.m. EST.