Collins Scores 22 Points And Grabs Nine Rebounds To Lead Five Players In Double Figures As 18th-Ranked Women's Basketball Hits Double Digits In Win Column With 81-64 Northeast-10 Triumph At Merrimack

December 17, 2006

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Volpe Center, North Andover, Mass.

FINAL: STONEHILL 81, MERRIMACK 64

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.-- Senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead five players in double figures as 18th-ranked Stonehill reached double-digits in the win column for the second straight season before the New Year with an 81-64 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over Merrimack Sunday afternoon at the Volpe Center.

The visiting Skyhawks (10-2, 6-2 Northeast-10) raced out to a 15-3 advantage just 4:49 into the contest and led by as many as 13 points in the opening 20 minutes of action before settling for a 36-27 edge at the break, and after the host Warriors (2-8, 1-6 Northeast-10) had sliced their deficit to seven points in the first minute following intermission, Stonehill used a 12-2 run over a five minute stretch to extend its lead to 17 points (48-31) on a conventional three-point play by Collins with 14:53 remaining. The Skyhawks extended that margin to 22 points midway through the second half and held a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the contest, as the visitors led by as many as 24 points in the closing minutes to post their third straight victory overall.

Freshman Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) came off the bench to score 18 points, including three three-pointers, in the win for Stonehill, which also received 13 points from senior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.) as well as 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals from senior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.). Senior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points, four assists and four rebounds for the Skyhawks, who also received a game-high 11 rebounds from sophomore Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.). The visitors shot 43 percent from the field and held a 24-17 scoring edge at the charity stripe in a contest that saw 53 personal fouls whistled and 65 free throws attempted, and Stonehill converted 29 points off 26 Merrimack turnovers to post their 51st victory in 58 all-time series meetings between the two schools.

Junior Ashley Brownlee (Portland, Maine) led the Warriors in the scoring column with 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds, while freshman Casey Miller (Fairbanks, Ak.) added 11 points on the day for the hosts. Junior Takeya Faison (Lynn, Mass.) notched a double-double effort of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Merrimack, which shot 35 percent from the floor but just 50 percent (17-34) from the foul line on the day, including 12-of-23 in the first half alone.

Stonehill travels to Oakdale, N.Y. on Wednesday afternoon to take on Dowling in a non-league contest that tips-off at 2:00 p.m., while Merrimack will be idle until Friday, December 29th when the Warriors take on New Haven in opening round play of the 2006 Valley Cup Tournament in Lowell, Mass. beginning at 5:00 p.m.