Simonds, Collins Combine For 33 Points And 12 Rebounds As 11th-Ranked Women's Basketball Picks Up Sweet Sixteenth Victory And Continues Best Start Ever With 69-63 Northeast-10 Triumph Over Saint Anselm

January 16, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Monday, January 16, 2006

Merkert Gymnasium, Easton, Mass.

FINAL:STONEHILL 69, SAINT ANSELM 63

EASTON, Mass.-- Freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded four steals as 11th-ranked Stonehill built a 19-point second half advantage before withstanding a furious comeback in the closing minutes to post a 69-63 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over Saint Anselm Monday evening at Merkert Gymnasium.

The host Skyhawks, who remain unbeaten at a perfect 16-0 overall and 11-0 in Northeast-10 play in continuing the best start in school history, raced out to a 21-4 advantage just 7:26 into the contest and maintained a double-digit lead in taking a 35-23 edge at the break. The visiting Hawks (5-12, 1-11 Northeast-10) sliced their deficit to eight points on four occasions, the last coming at 46-38 with 11:13 remaining in the contest, but Stonehill used an 11-0 surge over the next 4:01 of action to take a 57-38 lead on a three-pointer by freshman Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) with 8:12 to play. The Skyhawks held a 10-point lead with 1:47 to play before Saint Anselm used a quick 6-0 run to close to within two possessions at 63-59 with 42 seconds left on a jumper by senior Raenielle Decastro-Cain (Manchester, Conn.), but four free throws by sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) and an additional pair at the charity stripe by senior Bethany Roderigue (Winslow, Maine) iced matters for Stonehill, whose current 16-game winning streak is the second longest such skein in school history.

Junior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) added 16 points and seven rebounds in the win for Stonehill, which also received 11 points, six rebounds and six assists from Stupinski. Junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) added six points and five boards for the Skyhawks, who also received a game-high five steals from junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.), as the hosts converted 29 Saint Anselm turnovers into 26 points. Stonehill shot 37 percent from the field and made only 2-of-22 attempts from three-poinr range, but the Skyhawks held a 16-3 advantage on the offensive glass and a 37-29 rebounding edge overall and outscored the Hawks by a 21-4 margin at the foul line.

Decastro-Cain paced Saint Anselm with 15 points, four rebounds and four steals in the setback, while junior Christina Buckley (Levittown, N.Y.) added 14 points, six boards and three steals for the Hawks. Freshman Meredith Amyot (Ashford, Conn.) was also in double figures with 11 points for the visitors, who shot 53 percent from the field overall (61 percent in the second half) and canned five three-pointers. Stonehill used a 30-16 edge in points in the paint to notch their 44th win in 63 series meetings between the two schools.

Stonehill travels to Syracuse, N.Y. on Thursday evening to take on LeMoyne in a Northeast-10 outing that begins at 5:30 p.m., while Saint Anselm hosts Bentley in a Northeast-10 match-up on Thursday evening in Manchester, N.H. that also begins at 5:30.