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| Bethany Tighe had six points, eight rebounds and three assists in the Skyhawks' 68-35 win over Bloomfield. |
Simonds Dominant In Blowout Win; McWhirter Named MVP
Easton, Mass. - Tournament Most Valuable Player Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) scored the game's first seven points and teammate Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) tied a career-high with six blocks helping Stonehill roll past Bloomfield College, 68-35 in the final game of the Skyhawks Classic on Sunday afternoon.
McWhirter finished the game with 13 points on four-of-five shooting in just 18 minutes before fouling out, while Simonds controlled things on the defensive end, registering her 17th career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Skyhawks (2-0), ranked No. 8 in the nation, held the Deacons to an ice-cold 18 percent shooting for the game and forced 18 turnovers. Bloomfield's starting guards, Alexis Sweeney, Jaleesa Coleman and Renee Vales shot a combined 4-for-33.
After McWhirter's initial scoring flurry, Coleman answered with a three-pointer but Stonehill scored 13 of the next 15 points to open up a commanding 20-5 lead less than seven minutes into the contest.
The first half bulge, courtesy of 60 percent shooting, grew to as many as 23 at 36-13 following a Simonds' rebound and follow with three minutes to go before intermission.
With the score 38-18 at the beginning of the second half, Stonehill scored the first five points on a McWhirter triple and an Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) steal and finish to eliminate any thoughts of a comeback.
For the game the Skyhawks connected on 23-of-58 shots including five of their eight three-pointers and got 18 points off the bench led by freshman Cori O'Kane's (Pocasset, Mass.) eight points and three steals.
Rousseau ended with 10 points and five assists, while senior Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) posted six points and eight rebounds.
Tiffany McDaniel, who was the only Bloomfield player to reach double figures (11 points, eight rebounds), was named to the All-Classic team.
In the two games Stonehill played during the tournament, their opponents shot a combined 24 percent and averaged just 44 points per game.
The Skyhawks return to action on Wednesday when they jump into Northeast-10 play against Conference newcomer New Haven. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
2008 Skyhawks Classic All-Tournament Team
Kayla Parker, Assumption
Kelly Meredith, Assumption
Tiffany McDaniel, Bloomfield
Colleen Shumaker, Shepherd
Kelsey Simonds, Stonehill
2008 Skyhawks Classic Most Valuable Player
Kristen McWhirter, Stonehill