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| Sophomore Emily Rousseau had 19 points, four assists and three steals in Stonehill's 79-77 win over Southern New Hampshire. |
No. 5 Skyhawks Rebound Behind Tighe's Career-High
Manchester, N.H. - Behind a career-high 24 points from senior Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) and some clutch free throw shooting down the stretch from sophomore Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine), No. 5 Stonehill rebounded from its only loss of the season with a 79-77 win over host Southern New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
With the victory Stonehill improves to 5-1 overall record and 3-1 in Northeast-10 action.
The Skyhawks used a 17-7 run over the first seven minutes of the second half to take a 51-42 lead, an advantage they would never relinquish. Stonehill shot 50 percent over the final 20 minutes and made 12-of-16 free throw attempts down the stretch, most of them coming from Rousseau who made 11-of-12 in the second stanza, nine of which came in the final 5:32.
Rousseau also had a key jumper with 45 seconds left to give the Skyhawks a 75-69 lead. Southern New Hampshire wouldn't go away, however, as a three from Stephanie Houghton drained a three-pointer, trimming the Stonehill bulge to just 77-72 with 30 seconds remaining.
Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) and Rousseau both split free throws on the following two possessions before Christine Duffy threw in a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final score 79-77.
Things started off slowly for the Skyhawks, as the Penmen jumped out to an 18-8 lead courtesy of some tough inside hoops from Julia Houghtaling and Ashara Carrington but Stonehill responded with a 12-0 burst capped by an Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y.) putback that evened the game.
The contest stayed a back and forth affair over the final minutes of the first frame with the lead changing hands 16 times before intermission.
With Simonds saddled with two early fouls, the Skyhawks got 13 first half points from Tighe to keep them close in the early stages of the game. She finished nine-of-11 from the field and added five rebound and five assists in a game-high 36 minutes.
Simonds came on strong in the second half scoring 13 of her 15 points, making six of her ten field goal attempts. She added a game-high seven rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
The Skyhawks' offense got a boost with the return of junior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) who dropped in three three-pointers in her first action of the season.
With her second half parade to the free throw line, Rousseau finished with 19 points, four assists and three steals.
Houghtaling (20 points) and Carrington (career-high 18) were the only Penmen in double figures, who shot 44 percent from the field.
Stonehill, which committed fewer than 20 turnovers for the first time this season, held edges in points in the paint (40-34), points off of turnovers (19-14) and second chance points (14-9) despite being outrebounded 34-31.
The Skyhawks return to action on Wednesday when they host Merrimack beginning at 5:30 p.m.