Collins Scores 17 Points And Grabs Seven Rebounds, Tighe Adds 14 Points And Six Caroms As 21st-Ranked Women's Basketball Collects 71-66 Northeast-10 Triumph Over Pace
January 27, 2007
STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Merkert Gymnasium, Easton, Mass.
FINAL: STONEHILL 71, PACE 66
EASTON, Mass.-- Senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead four players in double figures as 21st-ranked Stonehill used a 17-0 run midway through the second half to post a 71-66 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over Pace Saturday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.
The host Skyhawks (16-5, 11-5 Northeast-10) snapped a three-game slide with the decisive run, as the visiting Setters (14-6, 9-6 Northeast-10) held a 50-43 edge with 12:42 remaining in the contest before Stonehill began its comeback. A Collins three-pointer with 11:05 to play tied the game at 50-50, and a three-pointer by freshman Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) with 9:57 remaining gave the hosts the lead for good, as the Skyhawks built their advantage to 10 points (60-50) with 5:53 to play. Pace answered back with six straight points to cut its deficit to four, but Stonehill received a pair of key buckets from seniors Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.), as well as four free throws by senior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.), to ice its triumph.
The Skyhawks built an early 14-10 lead only to see the Setters used the game's first big run, a total of 14 unanswered points over a 3:14 stretch, to take a 24-14 lead with 10:01 to play in the opening half on a lay-in by senior Ashley Wallace (Oswego, N.Y.). Stonehill responded with a 14-1 run of its own over the next five minutes of play, capped by a pair of Huggins free throws, to take a 28-25 lead, and the Skyhawks broke a 29-29 tie by scoring seven of the final 10 points of the half to take a 36-33 lead at the break. Pace then used another scoring run following intermission, an 11-2 spurt over a 4:52 stretch, to take that 50-43 lead, setting up the decisive Stonehill run.
Sophomore Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) added 14 points and six rebounds in the triumph for the Skyhawks, who also received 12 points from Methven and 10 points from Kennedy. Huggins and Morast each chipped in with eight points for the winners, as Huggins added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals for Stonehill, which shot 42 percent from the field and connected for eight three-pointers while holding a 36-33 rebounding edge. The Skyhawks outscored the Setters by a 19-8 margin from the foul line to collect their 16th victory in 20 series meetings between the two schools.
Wallace shared game-high scoring honors with 17 points in the setback for Pace, which also received 12 points and eight rebounds from senior Hannah Sheppard (Norwich, Conn.). Senior Liran Buchris (Massad, Israel) added 11 points, four assists and three steals for the Setters, who also received nine points from freshman Taylor Losey (Bristol, Conn.). The visitors shot 48 percent from the field and canned six three-pointers but hurt themselves with 22 turnovers that were converted into 16 Skyhawk points.
Stonehill will be idle until next Saturday afternoon when the Skyhawks host LeMoyne in a Northeast-10 outing at Merkert Gymnasium that tips-off at 1:30 p.m., while Pace heads to Rindge, N.H. on Wednesday evening to take on Franklin Pierce in a Northeast-10 contest that begins at 5:30 p.m.