Tighe Scores 16 Points And Grabs Seven Rebounds, Collins And Kennedy Combine For 27 Points As 15th-Ranked Women's Basketball Runs Win Streak To Six Straight With 62-46 Northeast-10 Victory At Saint Michael's

January 6, 2007

STONEHILL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Saturday, January 6, 2007

Ross Sports Center, Colchester, Vt.

FINAL: STONEHILL 62, SAINT MICHAEL'S 46

COLCHESTER, Vt.-- Sophomore Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead three players in double figures as 15th-ranked Stonehill extended its winning streak to six straight with a 62-46 Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball victory over Saint Michael's Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center.

After grabbing a one-point advantage (26-25) at the break, the visiting Skyhawks (13-2, 8-2 Northeast-10) scored the first 10 points after intermission to extend that margin to 11 points at 36-25 on a lay-in by senior Alisha Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) with 17:27 remaining. The host Purple Knights (7-7, 4-6 Northeast-10) scored on the ensuing possession, but that would prove to be the final time that their deficit would be in single digits, as Stonehill maintained a double-digit lead for the final 15:34 of action, building that edge to as many as 20 points on three occasions in the final 7:50 of play to post their 40th win in 48 series meetings between the two teams.

Collins added 15 points and nine rebounds in the triumph for the Skyhawks, who also received 12 points and four boards from fellow senior Caitlin Kennedy (Baldwin, N.Y.). Senior Kim Morast (Bridgewater, Mass.) added seven points for the winners, who also received nine rebounds, four assists and three steals from senior Tiffany Huggins (Stoughton, Mass.) as Stonehill overcame a 35 percent shooting effort by forcing 20 Saint Michael's turnovers and holding a 47-41 rebounding advantage, including a 16-9 edge on the offensive glass.

Senior Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt.) led the Purple Knights in the scoring column with 14 points, while fellow senior Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt.) added 12 points and six rebounds for the hosts, who shot just 32 percent from the field overall and received just 20 points from the nine other players who were in the contest on the day.

Stonehill hosts Merrimack in a Northeast-10 outing on Thursday evening at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 5:30 p.m., while Saint Michael's will also be idle until next Thursday night when the Purple Knights host Assumption in a Northeast-10 match-up at the Ross Sports Center that tips-off at 5:30 p.m.