Freshman Tayler Wornum scored nine of her season-high 11 points in the first quarter to help the Skyhawks take control. |
Marshall leads balanced Skyhawks offense in victory
ALBANY, N.Y. (January 30, 2016) – A weeklong break did nothing to slow Stonehill College's momentum as it notched its third straight win with a 65-47 triumph over The College of Saint Rose, ranked seventh in this week's D2SIDA East Regional poll, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium this afternoon.
Senior Paige Marshall (Braintree, Massachusetts/Braintree) led a balanced scoring effort for Stonehill with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, converting 3-of-4 free-throws, to go with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Freshman Tayler Wornum (Randolph, Massachusetts/Archbishop Williams) scored nine of her season-high 11 points in the first quarter as she made 4-of-6 shots from the floor and converted 3-of-4 free-throws to go with three rebounds in just nine minutes of play, while sophomore Courtney Walsh (Windham, New Hampshire/Central Catholic) added 11 points, aided by 3-for-6 shooting from three-point distance. Junior Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) chipped in nine points, a team-high nine rebounds and seven assists.
The win is also the 299th of head coach Trisha Brown's career as she has posted a 299-137 (.686) record in her 15th season at the Stonehill helm. She will make a run at her 300th career win on Wednesday against rival Bentley University at Merkert Gymnasium.
Junior Staci Barrett (Elmont, New York/Long Island Lutheran) was the lone Saint Rose player in double-figures as she notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds on 4-of-11 shooting from the field, while converting all four free-throws. Senior Keyontae Williams (Fredericksburg, Virginia/James Monroe) added nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while freshman Karissa Birthwright (Rochester, New York/Odyssey Academy) chipped in eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with three boards, two blocked shots and two steals.
Senior Paige Marshall scored a team-high 14 points for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner) |
Stonehill shot 41.1-percent from the field (23-for-56), including 45.2% (14-31) in the first half in building a 13 point (38-25) halftime lead. The Skyhawks drained 7-of-14 (50%) three-pointers and converted 12-of-16 (75%) free-throw attempts, while posting an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers and notching a 38-34 rebounding edge. Saint Rose was limited to 34-percent shooting (18-for-53), including 2-for-10 (20%) from three-point distance, while converting 9-of-11 (81.8%) free-throws.
Saint Rose scored five of the first seven points of the game to claim its lone lead of the afternoon, but Walsh knotted the score with a three-pointer that sparked a 14-2 Stonehill run that produced a nine point lead (16-7) with 3:13 to play in the first quarter after back to back Wornum baskets. Martin drilled a triple to push the Skyhawks in front, while Marshall also converted a three-pointer as well during the run.
Saint Rose pulled back within five (16-11) after two Barrett free-throws with 1:31 left in the quarter. Stonehill scored the final seven points of the opening quarter, the last five of which came from Wornum as she finished with nine of her season-best 11 points in the opening quarter. The Skyhawks run extended to 17-3 to push their lead to a game-high 19 points (33-14) after a Marshall layup with 5:35 left in the half. Marshall scored the final six points of the run.
Stonehill took a 13 point lead (38-25) into halftime and Saint Rose crept back within nine (38-29) after a Barrett layup 1:40 into the third quarter. The Skyhawks carried a 12 point lead into the fourth quarter (51-39) after a three-pointer from freshman Nicole Rojas (Cromwell, Connecticut/Cromwell). The Golden Knights pulled within eight (51-43) on a Williams layup 2:32 into the fourth quarter, but would get no closer.
Back to back three-pointers from Walsh restored Stonehill's double-figure lead (57-43) midway through the fourth. Saint Rose was back within ten (57-47) after a Williams basket with 3:20 remaining, but the Skyhawks scored the final eight points of the game to seal their third straight victory over a regionally-ranked opponent.
Stonehill (11-9, 6-8 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday, when it hosts rival Bentley University, ranked 13th in the D2SIDA Top 25 and receiving votes in the WBCA Division II poll, for its Purple & White Game at 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast by Easton Community Access Television on Friday, February 5, at 6 p.m. Saint Rose (14-7, 8-6 NE-10) hosts Le Moyne College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
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