Kennedy Nets 17 Points, Simonds Adds Double-Double Effort Of 14 Points And 11 Boards As 15th-Ranked Women's Basketball Drops 62-59 Northeast-10 Decision At UMass Lowell

February 7, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Costello Gymnasium, Lowell, Mass.

FINAL:UMASS LOWELL 62, STONEHILL 59

LOWELL, Mass.-- Senior Emily Kordas (Hillsboro, N.H.) scored 20 points and snapped a 59-59 tie on a three-pointer with 1:47 remaining to lift UMass Lowell to a 62-59 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over 15th-ranked Stonehill Tuesday evening at Costello Gymnasium.

The host River Hawks (9-15, 8-11 Northeast-10) had the hot hand from the floor throughout the contest, shooting 56 percent in the opening 20 minutes play in building as much as a 13-point advantage before settling for a 34-21 edge at the break. The visiting Skyhawks (20-3, 15-3 Northeast-10) raced out of the blocks after intermission with a 16-4 run over the first 6:09 of play to close to within one at 38-37 on a pair of free throws by junior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.), but UMass Lowell answered back by scoring 10 of the game's next 14 points to lead by seven (48-41) with 11:22 to play. Stonehill battled back to forge the first of three ties in the final 6:03 at 52-52 on a lay-in by junior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.), and after the River Hawks had grabbed their fourth two-point cushion in the final five minutes, a steal and lay-in by junior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) forged the final tie of the night at 59-59 with 2:54 remaining, setting up Kordas's game-winning trey. Stonehill had a pair of chances to force overtime with a three-pointer in the final seconds, including a shot at the buzzer that rimmed out.

Senior Sacha Simms (Newmarket, Md.) added 13 points and four assists in the win for UMass Lowell, which also received 10 points and five boards from graduate student Mariette Guillaume (Audubon, Pa.). Sophomore Liron Asher (Givataim, Israel) collected eight points for the hosts, who also received seven points and seven rebounds from junior Lindsay Woodfield (Brick, N.J.). The River Hawks shot 53 percent from the field and held a 36-33 rebounding edge (30-16 on the defensive glass alone) to overcome 24 turnovers and end a five-game Stonehill win streak in the series between the two schools.

Kennedy netted 17 points in the setback for Stonehill, which also received a double-double effort of 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench from freshman Kelsey Simonds (Bridgewater, Mass.). Morast finished with nine points and five caroms for the Skyhawks, who also received seven points and seven assists from sophomore Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) as the visitors shot 37 percent from the field and just 17 percent (4-24) from three-point range for the contest.

Stonehill travels to Rindge, N.H. on Saturday afternoon to take on Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 outing that tips-off at 1:30 p.m., while UMass Lowell heads to North Andover, Mass. on Saturday afternoon to take on Merrimack in a Northeast-10 match-up that begins at 1:00 p.m.