Senior Emily Rousseau led the Skyhawks with 19 points and extended her streak of free-throws made to 33 straight after going 4-for-4 today. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Rousseau leads Skyhawks with 19 points in second-straight road defeat

Sophomore Sloane Sorrell (Berwick, Maine/Noble) led Southern New Hampshire with a game-high 22 points as she made 8-of-11 shots from the field and converted 6-of-9 free-throw attempts to go with 12 rebounds and two steals. Classmate Michelle DeRoma (West Roxbury, Mass./Mount Alvernia) added 15 points, aided by 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, while grad student Julia Houghtaling (Franconia, N.H./New Hampton) added ten points, nine rebounds and two steals.

Senior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) led the way for Stonehill with 19 points, shooting 7-for-16 from the field and converting all four free-throw attempts to run her streak of free-throws made to 33 straight. She also posted five rebounds and two steals. Freshman Asia Ewing (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) added a season-high 15 points off the bench as she made 5-of-9

Freshman Asia Ewing added a season-high 15 points.

shots from the field and converted 5-of-7 free-throw attempts to go with six rebounds and a blocked shot. Sophomore Anna Griffin (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) contributed 11 points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting from the field while converting 5-of-6 free-throws to go with three boards, while junior Tania Williams (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward-Melville) pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.

Southern New Hampshire finished shooting 35.2-percent (19-for-54) from the field, including 5-for-13 (38.5%) from three-point range, while converting 23-of-33 (69.7%) free-throw attempts. The Penmen out-rebounded Stonehill by a 46-34 margin. The Skyhawks shot 35.1-percent (20-for-57) from the field, including 2-for-13 (15.4%) from beyond the arc, while converting 18-of-23 (78.3%) free-throw attempts.

Southern New Hampshire, aside from an early 2-0 deficit, led virtually start to finish. The Penmen lead was a game-high ten (40-30) after a pair of Sorrell free-throws with 14:39 left in regulation. Stonehill rallied to force a tie (46-46) after a three-point play from Ewing with 7:32 remaining. Rousseau scored seven points, including a key three-pointer, to lead the Skyhawks on the 16-6 run.

Stonehill was unable to take the lead and SNHU went back in front with two free-throws from senior Magdala Johnson (Sandown, N.H./Timberlane Regional) with 7:05 to play. The Penmen lead grew back to seven (59-52) after a pair at the stripe by junior Christine Duffy (South Boston, Mass./Archbishop Williams) with 1:13 to go. The Skyhawks rallied again, drawing within a possession (61-58) after two Rousseau free-throws with 30-seconds remaining, but the Penmen did just enough at the line at the other end and the visitors missed their last two shots from the field to stall the rally.

Stonehill (6-3, 2-3 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Bentley University, also receiving votes nationally, for an NE-10 matchup at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks don't return home until Wednesday, January 5, to host Southern Connecticut State University for a conference clash at 5:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (2-4, 1-4 NE-10) travels to Merrimack College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.