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| Bethany Tighe had 11 points and 10 rebounds in Stonehill's quadruple overtime 87-82 win over Bentley. |
Simonds, Stonehill Outlast Bentley In 4 OT's
Easton, Mass. - Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) scored 22 of career-high 30 points after halftime, including nine in the fourth overtime to lift host Stonehill to a mind-numbing 87-82 win over archrival Bentley in front of a raucous crowd of 1,922 fans at Merkert Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
The junior All-American added 16 rebounds and a career-high tying seven blocks for the Skyhawks who improved to 17-3 overall and 12-3 in the Northeast-10 with their third straight victory.
Stonehill looked to have the game in hand, leading for the duration of regulation with the exception of the first eight seconds of the contest.
The Skyhawk advantage stood at 56-48 with less than two minutes to go before the Falcons staged a comeback eerily similar to the rally Stonehill mustered to take a 64-59 win in the two team's first meeting earlier this season.
Bentley scored the last eight points of regulation, capped by a Meghan Thomann rightside triple with nine seconds left.
A Stonehill turnover gave the Falcons a chance to win the game with three seconds left, but Thomann's triple went awry, sending the game into as extra stanza knotted at 56.
Neither team mustered much offense after they traded baskets in the first minute of overtime. Thomann, however, connected on another three-pointer, giving the visitors their biggest lead of the game at 61-58 with 2:01 remaining.
Simonds responded for the Skyhawks, nailing a top-of-the-key three with 30 seconds left to even the score. Kim Brennan's missed jumper on Bentley's subsequent possession sent the game into its second overtime.
That frame saw even less scoring as the teams combined for eight points and just one made basket. The lone hoop was key however, as Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) dropped in a three-pointer with 24 seconds left to give Stonehill a two-point edge at 65-63.
With the use of some excellent interior passing, Bentley's Collete Josey was fouled going up for a layup, sending her to the line with eight seconds left. She calmly sank both shots and Emily Rousseau's (Biddeford, Maine) jumper came up short, making way for the third overtime.
The pace quickened in the third extra session as both teams scored more points in those five minutes than they had in the previous ten.
Stonehill grabbed a 71-68 lead midway through the period, but consecutive back door finishes from Kristy McLean courtesy of Kim Brennan turned a three point Skyhawk lead into a 72-71 deficit. Rousseau scored on an inside hoop on Stonehill's next trip down court but the Brennan-McLean combination connected on a third straight back door play - this time McLean converted an acrobatic finish - giving the visitors a 74-73 lead.
After missing two free throws with less than 30 seconds left, Bentley went to the line and made just one-of-two themselves leaving the door open for the Skyhawks.
Stonehill, the nation's leading free throw shooting team at 84.9 percent, went only 10-for-15 from the line in the four overtime periods combined.
An off-balance jumper from Rousseau caromed right into Bethany Tighe's (North Easton, Mass.) hands, sending her to the line with eight seconds left. Tighe, who entered the contest sixth in the nation in free throw percentage (92.7) drained both tries, evening the game for the ninth time and forcing a fourth extra stanza.
After the game was tied a tenth time following a Josey inside bucket early in the fourth extra session, Rousseau dropped in her second triple of the game, giving Stonehill the lead again at 80-77. As they did the entire night, the Falcons responded and this time it was Angela Manfredi weaving her way inside for a tough basket that inched Bentley to within one at 80-79.
Simonds then took control scoring the final seven Stonehill points - the first three coming on a conventional three-point play in which she scored on a twisting inside hoop while being fouled. She then hit four straight free throws to seal the win.
The victory for the Skyhawks was their fifth straight over the Falcons, who fall to 13-8 overall, 9-5 in the Northeast-10.
Simonds, who played a career-high 44 minutes, collected her tenth double-double of the season. Her scoring outburst marks the first time a Stonehill women's has player eclipsed the 30-point mark since Alisha Collins had 30 points against Merrimack on January 21, 2006 - a span of 95 games.
She was joined in double figures by four other Stonehill players, including Tighe, who registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, McWhirter (13 points), Rousseau (16 points, career-high seven assists) and Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) (10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals), while Tania Williams (South Setauket, N.Y.) grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in 19 minutes.
Brennan paced Bentley with 22 points, while McLean finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Josey also had 11 rebounds to go with her eight points, while Thomann and Shatashia Kearse each added 12.
Both teams shot 37 percent from the floor but the Skyhawks controlled the glass (58-49) and forced 23 turnovers.
Six players played more than 50 minutes, including McLean who played the entire 60 minutes.
Stonehill will have plenty of time to rest. The Skyhawks don't return to the court until next Wednesday when they travel to Franklin Pierce for a meeting with the Ravens.