Hyslip led the Skyhawks with 19 points points and nine rebounds tonight. (PHOTO BY Barry Gutradt)

Hyslip and Grip lead Skyhawks to eighth-straight NE10 win

ALBANY, N.Y. (January 10, 2018) – Stonehill College, receiving votes in this week's D2SIDA Top 25 media poll and ranked fourth in the D2SIDA East Region poll, rolled to its eighth-straight Conference win with a 76-63 triumph over The College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium tonight.

Senior forwards Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) and Elizabeth Grip (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Shrewsbury) combined for 35 points and 19 rebounds to lead Stonehill to the win. Hyslip scored a team-high 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor, scoring 12 points in the first half, to go with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. Grip notched her first career double-double with career-high totals of 16 points and ten rebounds, with four blocked shots, as she made 6-of-9 shots from the floor and converted 4-of-5 free-throws.

Senior Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) added 12 points, eight boards and a team-high six assists for Stonehill, while junior Maty Diabate (Holden, Massachusetts/Wachusett Regional) netted a season-high ten points, making all four of her shots from the floor, in five minutes off the bench. Sophomore Grace Carter (Arlington, Massachusetts/Arlington) chipped in with eight points, draining 2-of-3 three-pointers, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Grip contributed career-highs of 16 points and ten rebounds for her first career double-double. (PHOTO BY SportsPix)

Junior Ashley Vanderwall (Palmyra, New York/Palmyra Macedon) led Saint Rose with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, while classmate Zoe McDonald (Romulus, New York/Romulus) added 12 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench, connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the floor. Junior Karissa Birthwright (Rochester, New York/Odyssey Academy) rounded out the Golden Knights double-figure scorers with 12 points, aided by 6-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, six rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots.

Stonehill led start to finish, scoring the first six points of the game on its way to a 10-3 lead after a Grip jumper four minutes in. Hyslip scored six points during the opening stretch, before Saint Rose netted eight of ten points to draw back within a point (12-11) after a Vanderwall jumper with four minutes remaining in the quarter.

Stonehill took an eight point lead (19-11) into the second quarter and then stretched its lead to 12 (23-11) after a Grip layup a minute in. The Skyhawks lead would not dip inside double-digits the rest of the game, grabbing a 17-point advantage (37-20) with 1:18 left in the half after back to-back baskets from Hyslip. Stonehill finished the half shooting 40.5-percent from the field (15-for-37), compared to 29.6% (8-for-27) for Saint Rose.

Stonehill pushed its lead to 19 points (45-26) behind four points from Grip in the opening 1:15 of the third quarter, but Saint Rose was able to draw within ten (64-54) with a Vanderwall free-throw with 5:43 to play in the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks held there, regaining a 15-point cushion (73-58) with two Martin free-throws with 3:44 to play that sealed the win.

Stonehill (12-2, 8-1 NE10) is back in action on Saturday, when it visits Southern Connecticut State University, ranked eighth in the D2SIDA East Region poll, for an NE10 matchup at 1:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return to Merkert Gym next Wednesday, January 17, to host Le Moyne College at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at stonehillskyhawks.com. Saint Rose (6-9, 4-5 NE10) visits Franklin Pierce University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

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