Senior Megan Methven became the 24th 1,000-point scorer in program history with her season-high matching 13 points to lead Stonehill past Pace today. |
Stonehill Rides Big First Half to Win Over Pace, 62-52
Methven leads Skyhawks to fourth-straight win, nets 1,000th point
EASTON, Mass. (January 9, 2010) - Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes in this week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, built a 13-point halftime lead and made it stand the rest of the way to pick up a key 62-52 victory over Pace University in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.
Senior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) matched her season-high for the second-straight game with 13 points, aided by 8-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line, and in the process became the 24th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career. She hit the mark with her first of two free-throws with 11:01 left in the second half and finished the game with 1,005 points in her 105th career game played. Methven also added five rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes.
Senior Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) also netted 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while converting her lone free-throw attempt to go with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Classmate Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) posted her first career double-double with 11 points and a game-high ten rebounds, while junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) chipped in nine points, on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, eight rebounds and five assists.
Senior Kelsey Simonds also netted a team-high 13 points for the Skyhawks, to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. |
Junior Brittany Huggins (Windsor, Conn./Windsor) led Pace with a game-high 16 points off the bench as the Setters posted a 26-9 advantage in bench points, to go with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore Maral Javadifar (Flushing, N.Y./Mary Louis Academy) added 14 points, on 6-of-11 shooting, and five rebounds, while freshman Allison Cleary (New Windsor, N.Y./Cornwall Central) chipped in eight points, connecting on 2-of-3 three-pointers, off the bench for the Setters.
Stonehill finished shooting 40-percent (22-for-55) from the field on the day, outscored Pace 16-5 at the free-throw line and enjoyed a 44-31 rebounding advantage. Pace shot 35.7-percent (20-56) from the field, being held to 30.4% (7-23) in the first half, staying in the game by connecting on 7-of-18 (38.9%) three-pointers.
Stonehill never trailed, scoring the first seven points of the contest as part of a 14-3 opening run in the first 6:45. Methven had five of the Skyhawks first seven points, while Simonds chipped in four points during the opening burst.
Stonehill's first half lead peaked at 18 points (23-5) after two Gray free-throws with 8:36 left. Pace got back in the game, drawing within five (23-18) with a 13-0 run over the next five minutes. Senior Laura Mooney (Staten Island, N.Y./St. John Villa) and junior Lisa Welsome (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) each drilled three's to spark the run.
Senior Erin Gray posted her first career double-double with 11 points and ten boards. |
Stonehill regrouped and scored the final eight points of the half, capped by a buzzer-beating layup by senior Stephanie Pintal (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South) off her own steal to take a 13-point lead (31-18) into the lockerroom. The Skyhawks kept that momentum going in the second half, with the first seven points on a three-point play by junior Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H./New Hampton Prep) and jumpers by Simonds and Rousseau to close out a 15-0 run overall that pushed the lead to 20-points (38-18) with 17:44 to play.
Pace answered with a Huggins three, but Methven and Gray followed with back-to-back baskets to put Stonehill up a game-high 21 (42-21) with 16:10 left. The Setters wouldn't fold, pulling within 11 (48-37) after a Huggins three with 8:35 remaining and drawing within nine (52-43) on a Mooney three with 6:23 to play. However, Stonehill had an answer every time and didn't let them any closer than that the rest way to clinch their fourth-straight win.
Stonehill (12-4, 7-2 NE-10) is back in action on Tuesday when it visits Assumption College for another key NE-10 clash at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks are back home next Saturday to host the University of New Haven at 1:30 p.m. Pace (9-5, 6-3 NE-10) hosts Saint Anselm College on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
