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| Sophomore Emily Rousseau had a career-high 23 points, to go along with four rebounds and four assists in No. 8 Stonehill's 76-63 win over No. 4 Franklin Pierce. |
No. 8 Skyhawks Exact Revenge On No. 4 Ravens
Easton, Mass. - Behind double-doubles from both Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) and Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) and a career-high 23 points from Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine), No. 8 Stonehill scored a 76-63 win over No. 4 Franklin Pierce in a matchup of two top 10 teams on Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.
The Skyhawks, which had dropped back-to-back games to the Ravens including in last year's NCAA Regional Semifinal, improve to 4-0 on the season and extend their home winning streak to 13 games.
Courtesy of 55 percent shooting in the first half, Stonehill held a 37-27 lead at intermission. The Ravens meanwhile struggled from the field connecting on just 26 percent of their attempts, but stayed close in large part to the efforts of senior Jennifer Leedham (11 first half points), who eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in her career in the first 20 minutes.
The Skyhawks lead grew to 15 at 45-30 a little more than five minutes into second stanza following consecutive layups by freshman Cori O'Kane (Pocasset, Mass.) and Tighe, forcing a Raven timeout.
After the Stonehill bulge increased to 18 at 52-34 on an inside finish by sophomore Amanda Smith (Penacook, N.H.), Franklin Pierce answered with an 18-7 run to close the gap to 59-52 with just under four minutes remaining. Then, with the shot clock winding down on Stonehill's next possession, Simonds drained a fall-away three from the right side that upped the Skyhawks' advantage back to double digits at 62-52.
The Ravens refused to go away, however, as Jennifer Leedham and Toby Martin connected on three pointers around a Simonds inside score that had the game at 66-58.
In the end, Stonehill pulled away with Rousseau dropping in a three pointer and then making five of her six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Simonds finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in 30 minutes of action, while Tighe had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rousseau added four rebounds and four assists to her totals as the trio combined to shoot 17-of-34 from the field.
O'Kane played the best game of her young career, posting seven points, two steals and two assists in 16 minutes.
As a team the Skyhawks made 52 percent of their shots and held a 41-33 edge on the glass.
Johnanah Leedham ended with 21 points on 8-for-22 shooting. She added nine rebounds and four steals, while Jennifer Leedham was the only other Raven in double figures with 19 points.
Franklin Pierce made just 33 percent of their field goal attempts, including a 9-for-30 showing from behind the arc.
Stonehill returns to action on Tuesday when the Skyhawks host Northeast-10 rival UMass-Lowell. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.