Senior Kristen McWhirter led a balanced Stonehill scoring effort with 14 points in today's win at UMass Lowell. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

McWhirter leads balanced offensive output with 14 points

Senior Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H./New Hampton Prep) led a balanced scoring effort for Stonehill with 14 points, aided by 8-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line, while junior Tania Williams (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward-Melville) added 12 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, six rebounds and two assists. Freshman Mary Louise Dixon (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) posted a season-high 13 points as she made 5-of-8 shots from the field, including all three three-point attempts, to go with six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Senior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) rounded out the Skyhawks double-figure scorers with ten points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, while freshman Asia Ewing (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) chipped in with a team-best nine rebounds.

Sophomore Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn./Mercy) led UMass Lowell with a game-high 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Classmate Sarah Bennett (Newark, Ohio/Newark) added ten points, on 5-of-8 shooting, five rebounds and two blocked shots, while junior Sha'nay Bushner (Akron, Ohio/Kenmore) posted ten points and four boards. Senior Krissy Little (Concord, N.H./Concord) pulled down a game-high ten rebounds.

Stonehill held UMass Lowell to just 38-percent (19-for-50) shooting from the field, including 2-for-12 (16.7%) from three-point range, for the afternoon. The Skyhawks shot 38.7% (24-62) from the field overall, including 43.3% (13-30) in the second half, while draining 6-of-13 (46.2%) three-point attempts. Stonehill turned the ball over just nine times, compared to 20 for the hosts, and outscored the River Hawks 19-5 from the bench. UML out-rebounded the Skyhawks 39-37.

Freshman Mary Louise Dixon scored eight of her season-best 13 points during the Skyhawks game-clinching 14-2 run, draining a pair of key three-pointers. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane)

The final 13-point margin of victory matched Stonehill's largest lead of the afternoon as the Skyhawks erased an early four-point deficit (6-2) after a jumper from Simmons 3:12 into the game. Stonehill scored the next nine points to take the lead and open a five-point margin (11-6) after a McWhirter bucket with 10:34 to play in the first half.

Stonehill wouldn't trail again, leading by six (26-20) at halftime, as Rousseau scored a layup to end the frame. McWhirter opened the second half with a basket to push the Skyhawks lead to eight (28-20) in the opening minute. UMass Lowell answered with an 11-4 spurt to close back within a point (32-31) after a pair of free-throws from sophomore Briana Szidat (Pelham, N.H./Pelham) with 15:32 to play.

Stonehill's lead was still a point (42-41) after a three-pointer from sophomore Brianna Calver (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby) midway through the second half. The Skyhawks started to put the game away, using a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to open a 13-point lead (56-43) after a Williams layup with 4:09 remaining. Dixon canned a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in all during the decisive run. UMass Lowell closed within eight (60-52) after a basket by Szidat with 1:15 to play, but Stonehill held the River Hawks right there and Rousseau sealed the win with a three-pointer with 26-seconds to play.

Stonehill (8-4, 3-4 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it returns home for the first time in over a month to host Southern Connecticut State University for an NE-10 clash at 5:30 p.m. UMass Lowell (4-7, 3-4 NE-10) hosts Assumption College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.