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| Kelsey Simonds returned to the Stonehill lineup in time to help the Skyhawks secure their 20th win of the season. |
Simonds Sparks Season-Ending Win Over Yellow Jackets
Springfield, Mass. - Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) scored 11 points in the final nine minutes and made several key plays down the stretch as Stonehill snapped a two-game losing streak with a 66-64 win over American International in the final game of the regular season at Butova Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
The win for the Skyhawks gives Stonehill its fourth consecutive season with at least 20 wins but more importantly, the Skyhawks wrap up the No. 2 seed in upcoming Northeast-10 Women's Basketball Championship.
Simonds, who was sidelined for six games with an injury, came off the bench to score 15 points overall, grab six rebounds and swat away two shots in just 17 minutes.
Down four at 46-42 with nine minutes remaining, Simonds dropped in a three-pointer to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to one, and after the teams traded layups over the next couple of possessions, her jumper gave Stonehill the lead at 53-52 with less than five minutes left.
The score was tied at 54 when Simonds hit a short jumper in the paint and then Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) followed with one of her own to give the Skyhawks a four point lead at 58-54.
A pair of free throws by Stacy Boisvert stemmed the tide for American International but Simonds answered with a conventional three-point play to give control back to the Skyhawks.
The lead grew to seven at 63-56 with 33 seconds left after Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) made two from the charity stripe and the game got closer after Kristin Bosenberg made two three-pointers but Bethany Tighe's (North Easton, Mass.) two from the line made the Stonehill advantage 66-61.
The game was still in question after Bosenberg dropped in another triple and Simonds missed two from the line with three seconds left but a Bosenberg prayer from halfcourt went unanswered.
There were 16 lead changes and seven ties in the tightly contested matchup, which saw the Skyhawks shoot 45 percent from the field and commit just nine turnovers.
Tighe finished with a game-high 18 points and six rebounds, while McWhirter added 12 points and six boards as well.
Bosenberg's six three-pointers gave her 18 points and Boisvert had 14 and five boards before fouling out in 36 minutes for the Yellow Jackets. Sasha Lowery, a 6-foot junior, finished with six points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Now 20-7 overall and 15-7 in the Northeast-10, the Skyhawks will host a quarterfinal game at Merkert Gymnasium on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m.