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| Kelsey Simonds and the No. 8 Skyhawks will face stiff competition over the next week, with three games against Northeast-10 opponents. |
No. 8 Skyhawks Face Challenging Week
Easton, Mass. - A three-game stretch that features two teams that won 20 or more games a season ago and another who took Stonehill to double-overtime await the purple and white over the next seven days.
First up is Northeast-10 newcomer, New Haven, who went 21-9 last season, including a 19-1 mark in the East Coast Conference. The Chargers have already made a statement in the early portion of this season, having knocked off No. 10 Holy Family 69-68 on Saturday. In the win, five Chargers reached double figures led by Brianna Rende and Natasha Pierre-Louis, who each deposited 16 points. Point guard Helin Marte finished with seven assists and seven rebounds as New Haven controlled the boards, 42-29, and had 20 assists on 25 baskets.
Following their matchup with the Chargers, the Skyhawks play host to Franklin Pierce, the nation's No. 4 ranked team. Junior Johannah Leedham returns after leading the Ravens to a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight in 2007-08. The preseason national player of the year, Leedham had a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in just 20 minutes of action in Franklin Pierce's season-opening 73-43 win over Queens College.
The Ravens won two of last season's three meetings with Stonehill, including a 68-56 win in the NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals. In fact they have won four of the last five meetings with Leedham serving as the catalyst. In her five career games against Stonehill, she is averaging 27 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Stonehill and the River Hawks were locked in a physical battle in last year's first meeting when then-freshman Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) sent the game into overtime with a putback at the regulation buzzer. The Skyhawks eventually won the game in double-overtime and then defeated Lowell 65-51 in the second matchup behind 17 points and four rebounds from Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.). That game was the only contest in her four career meetings against the River Hawks that she didn't record a double-double and is averaging 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds against UML.
At 2-0 on the season Lowell has been paced by Revital Carmon, who already has a double-double under her belt (13 points, 16 rebounds against Felician).
The Skyhawks meanwhile have started the season off nicely, going 2-0 in the Skyhawks' Classic over the weekend. McWhirter was the offensive spark plug, scoring a career-high 19 in a win over Shepherd then adding 13 in a blowout win over Bloomfield to collect tournament MVP honors. Sophomore Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) averaged 12 points in her first two games in a Stonehill uniform and Simonds asserted herself against Bloomfield, registering a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks.
During the three game stretch Stonehill will put two lengthy winning streaks on the line. Over the past five seasons the Skyhawks have won 22 straight games in the month of November and are also riding a 12-game winning streak at Merkert Gymnasium.