Collins Scores 21 Points, Methven Adds 20 Points And Five Three Pointers As 13th-Ranked Women's Basketball Notches Eighth Straight Victory With 72-66 Northeast-10 Triumph At Bryant

January 13, 2007

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Chace Athletic Center, Smithfield, R.I.

FINAL: STONEHILL 72, BRYANT 66

SMITHFIELD, R.I.-- Senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored 21 points, while freshman Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) added 20 points (including five three-pointers) as 13th-ranked Stonehill extended its winning streak to eight straight with a 72-66 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over Bryant Saturday afternoon at the Chace Athletic Center.

The visiting Skyhawks (15-2, 10-2 Northeast-10) trailed by eight early at 17-9 midway through the opening 20 minutes of play before closing the half on a 23-10 run over the final 9:33 of action to gain a 32-27 edge at the break. The host Bulldogs (10-7, 6-6 Northeast-10) scored the first six points following intermission to take a 33-32 lead, but a conventional three-point play by senior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) with 15:51 remaining in the contest staked Stonehill to the lead for good, as the Skyhawks used a 10-2 run over a 1:44 stretch to take a nine-point cushion and built that margin to as much as 13 points in the final eight minutes of play, as Bryant got no closer than the final score.

Methven sparked the 17-2 Stonehill first half run with three three-pointers and has canned 13 treys in two contests against Bryant this season, while Kennedy finished the day with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Skyhawks. Senior Tiffany Huggins (Stougthon, Mass.) added eight points, seven boards and five assists for the winners, who also received six rebounds from sophomore Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.). Stonehill shot 42 percent from the field and connected for six three-pointers overall, as the visitors overcame 21 turnovers to sweep the regular season series and notch their 44th win in 60 series meetings between the two schools.

Freshman Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points and eight rebounds in the setback for Bryant, which also received a double-double effort of 15 points and 10 boards from senior Lauren Rubenoff (New Hartford, Conn.). Junior Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points, eight boards and six assists for the Bulldogs, who shot 35 percent overall and just 16 percent from behind the arc. The hosts held a 45-41 rebounding edge (including a 23-16 advantage on the offensive glass), but after scoring 21 points in the first 10 minutes of play, Bryant scored 19 in the next 20-plus minutes of action during the Skyhawk runs.

Stonehill travels to Springfield, Mass. on Wednesday evening to take on 15th-ranked American International in a Northeast-10 outing that tips-off at 5:30 p.m., while Bryant heads to Manchester, N.H. on Wednesday evening to square off with Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 match-up that also begins at 5:30 p.m.