Northeast Division Champion Skyhawks host Northeast No. 5 Assumption at Merkert Gym, Sunday at 2 p.m.
NE10 Women's Basketball Tournament Pairings Announcement
2020 NE10 Women's Basketball Tournament Central
NE10 Women's Basketball Tournament History
Raymond has averaged 20.2 points on 46.2% shooting with 9.2 rebounds over the Skyhawks current nine game win streak (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
EASTON, Mass. (February 29, 2020) – The Northeast Division Champion Stonehill College women's basketball program has its postseason opening opponent and will host Northeast Division No. 5 seed Assumption College in quarterfinal round action of the 2020 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tomorrow at 2 p.m. The game will tip off an NE10 Quarterfinal doubleheader at Merkert as the Northeast No. 2 Stonehill men host Southwest No. 3 Southern Connecticut State University at 4 p.m.
Admission for Sunday's NE10 Quarterfinal doubleheader at Merkert Gymnasium will be $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children ages 12-18 and senior citizens (65+), and $2.00 for students from participating institutions with their college ID, with children under 12 admitted free. Stonehill students will also be admitted free courtesy of the Stonehill Spirit Committee with their HillCard. SkyhawksVision coverage on NE10 NOW with Charlie Bergeron and Brian Buckley is available via portal.stretchinternet.com/stonehill/ with links for the game and live stats at stonehillskyhawks.com. In addition to watching online, NE10 NOW viewers will also be able to watch the action live on their televisions through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Stonehill (20-5, 16-3 NE10), receiving votes in both Division II national polls and ranked No. 2 in each of the first two NCAA II East Regional rankings released this season, is the only program to compete in all 39 NE10 Women's Basketball Tournaments since the Conference began sponsoring the championship in 1982. The Skyhawks have reached the NE10 Championship game 11 times, winning the NE10 Tournament Championship five times: 1983, '87, '95, '97 and 2008. The Skyhawks are hosting a postseason game for the fourth-straight season but have won just one of their last seven NE10 Tournament openers at home.
Stonehill enters the postseason winners of a season-best nine straight and 13 of 14 since the calendar turned to the New Year. The Skyhawks clinched their third NE10 Northern Division title over the last six years, marking their tenth NE10 regular season championship overall. Stonehill has reached the 20-win mark for the third-straight year and 27th time in program history overall, having won 20 games 11 times in head coach Trisha Brown's 19 seasons at the helm so far.
Reuter adds 10 points and 6.2 boards per game for the Skyhawks, ranking among the program's all-time leaders in blocked shots (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
Assumption (14-14, 8-12 NE10) reached the quarterfinals with a 59-45 first round victory at Southwest No. 4 Pace University (19-10, 12-8 NE10) in Pleasantville, New York, last night. Senior Brianna Capacchione led the Greyhounds with 16 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Monica Spain added 15 points and nine boards. Assumption, making its 36th NE10 Tournament appearance, is in the quarterfinals for the first time in three years. The Greyhounds are in search of their first NE10 Tournament title, having reached the championship game once in 2013, with nine semifinal appearances.
Tomorrow marks the 76th meeting all-time between the two programs, the sixth in postseason play – all coming in the NE10 Tournament. Stonehill holds a 54-21 advantage against Assumption all-time after sweeping the regular season series. The Skyhawks posted a 63-51 victory in Worcester on December 1 and then added a 62-53 decision at Merkert Gym two weeks ago on February 15. Stonehill has a 3-2 edge in the five previous NE10 Tournament matchups, the last a 75-53 win over Assumption in the 2010 NE10 Quarterfinals.
Stonehill held Assumption to 52 points per game on 29.4-percent shooting over the two games this season, with the Greyhounds connecting on 5-of-37 (13.5%) three-pointers. The Skyhawks averaged 62.5 points on 38.2% shooting, including 10-for-36 (27.8%) from three, over the two games, with Assumption averaging 44 rebounds per game and the Stonehill averaging 38.5. Sophomore Kayla Raymond averaged 11 points and 9.5 rebounds, with two assists and 2.5 blocked shots per game over the two games against the Greyhounds, while classmate Emily Bramanti added 10.0 points on 54.5-percent shooting (6-for-11), with 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes per game off the bench in the two games. Capacchione averaged 9.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and a steal per game against Stonehill this season, while junior Temi Falayi grabbed 12.0 rebounds per game in the series, with 7.5 points, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.5 steals.
Bramanti adds a spark off the bench for the Skyhawks and averaged 10.0 points per game in the two wins over Assumption in the regular season (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner) |
The winner of tomorrow's game will advance to the NE10 semifinals to face the winner of tomorrow's quarterfinal between Northeast No. 3 Bentley University (19-8, 14-5 NE10) and Southwest No. 2 Le Moyne College (18-8, 14-5 NE10) on Thursday at 7 p.m. The NE10 Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 8, at the home of the highest remaining seed at 1 p.m.
Stonehill enters the postseason ranked third in the NE10 for scoring defense, allowing 56.7 points per game, leading the Conference in three-point percentage defense (.251), which ranks fifth in Division II, and ranking second in the NE10 for field goal percentage defense (.363), committing a league-low 13.4 personal fouls per game (6th nationally). The Skyhawks are sixth in the NE10 for scoring offense (66.3 ppg), eighth in field goal percentage (.407) and fourth for three-point percentage (.325) and turnovers per game (14.6), and second for assists per game (16.4).
Raymond, the 2019 NE10 Rookie of the Year, leads the way for Stonehill, averaging 16.3 points (5th NE10) on 41.4-percent shooting, including 32.6% (31-for-95) from three-point range, converting 84.9% (45-53) of her free-throws (6th), with 7.9 rebounds (8th), 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocked shots (7th) in 25.4 minutes per game over 18 games after missing the first eight games of the year to injury.
Senior Gabrielle Reuter is the only other active player from Stonehill averaging double-figures with sophomore Isabella Santoro out for the year with an injury after averaging 13 points over the first 11 games of the season. Reuter averages 10.0 points on 47.2% shooting, with 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks (7th), while classmate Grace Carter adds 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.
Senior Kelsey Shaw rounds out the three senior captains for Stonehill, chipping in 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Bramanti contributes 7.0 points on 46.8% shooting, with 2.3 boards, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 22.7 minutes per game. The Skyhawks have ten players averaging over 12 minutes per game due to its number of injuries, especially early in the season.
Assumption is fifth in the NE10 for scoring defense, yielding 59.4 points per game, seventh for field goal percentage defense (.382), sixth for three-point percentage defense (.295) and fifth in rebound margin (+3.8/gm). The Greyhounds are scoring 59.8 points per game (10th NE10), while also ranking 12th in field goal percentage (.357) and tenth in three-point percentage (.304). Assumption is second in the NE10 with 14.2 offensive rebounds per game and third with 40.3 rebounds per game overall, forcing 17.9 turnovers per game to rank fourth in the NE10.
Capacchione is averaging a team-best 15.0 points per game on 35.6-percent shooting, including 31.9% (58-for-182) from three-point distance (9th), converting 88% (81-92) of her free-throws (2nd NE10, 19th nationally), with 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals. Sophomore Emme Poulin adds 8.8 points on 36.2% shooting, including 34.9% (53-152) from three, while Falayi contributes 8.3 points, 10.5 rebounds (2nd), 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocked shots (8th). Junior Meghan Reen ranks third in the NE10 with her 4.9 assists per game, ranking second in the Conference for assist/turnover ratio (1.96), to go with 5.9 points, 3.1 boards and 1.5 steals per contest.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
2020 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Basketball Tournament
Friday, February 28
First Round
Game 1: NE#4 Southern New Hampshire 77, SW#5 American International 47
Game 2: NE#5 Assumption 59, SW#4 Pace 45
Sunday, March 1
Quarterfinals
Game 3: NE#4 Southern N.H. (16-12, 8-11 NE10) at SW#1 Adelphi (26-2, 17-2 NE10), 2 p.m.
Game 4: NE#5 Assumption (14-14, 8-12 NE10) at NE#1 Stonehill (20-5, 16-3 NE10), 2 p.m.
Game 5: NE#3 Bentley (19-8, 14-5 NE10) at SW#2 Le Moyne (18-8, 14-5 NE10), 2 p.m.
Game 6: SW#3 New Haven (18-8, 12-7 NE10) at NE#2 Saint Anselm (19-6, 15-4 NE10), 2 p.m.
Thursday, March 5
Semifinals (hosted by higher seeds)
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
Championship (at highest remaining seed*)
Game 9: Game 8 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 1 p.m.
* - if same seed, site determined by conference record and then winner of regular-season matchup
