Dixon Named to NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team

Wellesley, Mass., native honored after record-setting performance

EASTON, Mass. (March 19, 2013) – Stonehill College junior guard Mary Louise Dixon (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship's East Regional by the attending media as the event came to a close last night at Bentley University's Dana Athletic Center.

Dixon led second-seeded Stonehill into the regional semifinal round as she averaged 23 points on 54.2-percent shooting from the field, including 5-for-10 (50%) from three-point range, and converting 15-of-16 free-throw attempts over the two games. She also contributed a team-high 8.5 rebounds and four assists in 37.0 minutes per game.

Dixon scored 25 of her career-high 32 points in the second half, setting a program record for points in an NCAA Tournament game, and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season (seventh career) to lead the Skyhawks to a 78-66 opening round win over seventh-seeded Franklin Pierce University. She shot 8-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and converted all 13 free-throw attempts to set another program record for both free-throw percentage and free-throws made in an NCAA Tournament game. Dixon followed that performance up with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists the next night in a tough 57-45 setback to third-seeded and tenth-ranked Dowling College, who went on to win the regional and advance to the Elite Eight.

Dixon's 32 points on Friday surpassed a trio of 28 point performances in program history in NCAA Tournament play, most recently by Stonehill Hall of Famer Michelle Doonan, '95, who accomplished the feat twice, against Bentley in 1994. Dixon's 13 free-throws broke the previous high of ten set by Doonan against Saint Anselm in 1994 and later matched by Becky Barrett, '99, against The College of Saint Rose in 1997. It also marked Dixon's third perfect shooting effort at the line this season with ten or more attempts, including her school-record 17-for-17 outing in posting her first career triple-double in a win over the University of Massachusetts Lowell in February.

Dixon, a Daktronics All-East Region second team and All-Northeast-10 first team selection this winter, started all 29 games for Stonehill this season averaged a team-high 14.1 points (9th NE-10), adding 6.6 rebounds (18th), a team-best six assists (2nd NE-10 and 3rd nationally) and 1.2 steals in 33 minutes (15th) per game. She shot 44.2-percent from the field and a Conference-leading 86.8% (145-for-167) from the free-throw line (23rd nationally) for the year. Her free-throw percentage ranks seventh on the program's single-season list, while her assist average ranks sixth all-time and assist total (174) seventh in program history at Stonehill. Dixon was named the NE-10 Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks to close out the regular season in February.

Dixon, an All-Northeast-10 second team pick her sophomore year and NE-10 All-Rookie team selection as a freshman, will enter her senior season just two points shy of becoming the 27th 1,000-point scorer in program history. She has totaled 998 points, 447 rebounds, 398 assists and 137 steals in 94 career games played. Dixon ranks second in program history with her .852 career free-throw percentage, while ranking tenth in assists and her 32.9 career minutes per game average is best in program history.

Dixon's .888 (87-for-98) free-throw percentage as a sophomore ranked third in the NE-10 and is the third-highest single-season average in program history. Dixon has earned NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll three semesters at Stonehill, as well as Athletic Director's Honor Roll once.

Stonehill (24-5, 19-3 NE-10), ranked 12th in the final regular season USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, earned its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance this season after posting the 23rd 20-win season in the program's 42 year history this season. The Skyhawks boasted a 14-1 record at Merkert Gymnasium and made a 32nd-straight appearance in the Northeast-10 tournament after finishing second in the regular season standings.

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