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| Emily Rousseau had
15 points but it wasn't enough to keep the Skyhawks from their second straight loss |
Comeback Falls Short, Skyhawks Lose 61-58
Easton, Mass. - The Skyhawks overcame woeful shooting in the first half but couldn't overtake Southern New Hampshire in the last minute, as they dropped their second straight, 61-58, at Merkert Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
The Penman were ready to play from the get go, holding the Stonehill to just a pair of Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) foul shots in the first five minutes and jumping out to an 11-2 lead behind three buckets from Julia Houghtailing.
Tighe's layup at the 15:06 mark cut the Southern N.H. lead to seven, but the Penman went on a 17-6 during the next seven and a half minutes to stretch the lead to 27-11.
Another Tighe layup on a dish from Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) jump started the Skyhawks, as they held Southern N.H. to just eight points the final nine minutes of the half.
Stonehill meanwhile, got seven points from Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.), a three from Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) and buckets inside from Amanda Smith (Penacook, N.H.) and Tighe to cut the halftime deficit to 35-27.
In the second, the teams traded baskets for the first ten minutes as the Skyhawks were unable to get any closer than eight.
McWhirter his two foul shots to get Stonehill within nine at the 9:18 mark and then dropped a triple just 18 seconds later to cut the Penman lead to just six.
However Southern N.H. fought back, outscoring Stonehill 9-4 over the next five minutes. The Skyhawks weren't done, scoring eight straight points, the last four by Rousseau and Tighe to cut the lead to two with just 1:18 left.
A layup by the Penman stretched the lead to four, but Rousseau cut it in half on a jumper from the left side. On the ensuring possession, Stephanie Houghton drove the lane, hit the shot and was fouled Methven. Houghton made the free throw for the 58-53 lead.
Five Rousseau points in the final ten seconds weren't enough as Southern went 3-4 from the line to clinch the victory.
Rousseau finished with 15 points and four assists, while Tighe fell a rebound short of a double-double (18 points, nine rebounds.) McWhirter also joined them in double figures with 14.
The Penman were led by Houghtaling, who finished with a team high 12 points to go along with eight boards and six assists. Ashara Carrinton came of the bench grab a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) as well.
Stonehill falls to 17-5 with the loss and 15-5 in NE-10 play. They return to action on Tuesday when they travel to avenge their first loss of the season, at UMass-Lowell.