Raymond scored all 14 of her team-high points in the first quarter as the Skyhawks staked out a 20 point lead and didn't look back (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner)

Raymond leads balanced Skyhawks offense with 14 points, all in the first quarter

COLCHESTER, Vt. (February 19, 2020) – Stonehill College, receiving votes in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II and D2SIDA Top 25 Media polls, buried ten three-pointers and used a balanced offensive effort to secure at least a share of its tenth Northeast-10 Conference regular season title with an 84-51 triumph over Saint Michael's College inside the Ross Sports Center this evening.

Stonehill, ranked No. 2 in the first NCAA Division II East Regional ranking of the year which was released today, maintains its game and a half lead (a game in the loss column) ahead of Saint Anselm College (17-6, 13-4 NE10) and Bentley University (18-7, 13-4 NE10) with one game remaining in its regular season on Saturday. The Skyhawks can wrap up their tenth NE10 Regular Season championship and second Northeast Division title in the last three years, outright, with a win over Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday or a Bentley and Saint Anselm loss in one of their last two games. Stonehill has already sewn up its 39^th NE10 Tournament appearance and first round bye. 

Leaders

Stonehill

Kayla Raymond Sophomore, Forward: 14 points (6-for-12), all in the first quarter, six rebounds and a blocked shot.

Gabrielle Reuter Senior, Forward: 12 points (5-for-7), three rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and a steal.

Emily Bramanti Sophomore, Guard: 12 points (5-for-7).

Grace Carter Senior, Guard: 11 points (4-for-9, 3-for-8 threes), two assists and a steal.

Saint Michael's

Nicole Ladas Sophomore, Forward: 11 points (5-for-9), three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.

Taylor Miller Senior, Forward: 10 points (4-for-11), four rebounds, an assist, blocked shot and steal.

How it Happened

• Reuter added 12 points, three boards, two assists and two blocks for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

  Stonehill raced out to a 20-point lead (30-10) after just a quarter of play, hitting five of its eight first half three-pointers, as it finished the quarter with a 24-2 run.
• Saint Michael's held a pair of early leads after three-pointers from senior Alyssa Breunig and Ladas, the latter of which created a two-point edge (8-6) two minutes in.
• Stonehill grabbed the lead for good with three straight three-pointers, including two in a row from Carter after a Raymond triple, for a seven-point lead (15-8) with 5:40 left in the quarter.
• Freshman Kyara Triblet came out of a Saint Michael's timeout with a layup, but Stonehill scored the final 15 points of the frame, including seven by Raymond, as junior Jennifer Worden sparked the run with a three, to stake out its 20-point lead (30-10) heading to the second.
• Ladas scored the first basket of the second quarter for Saint Michael's, but Stonehill followed with the next 14 points to extend its overall run to 38-4 over a ten-minute stretch, to extend its lead to 32 (44-12) on a three-pointer by freshman Mia Kelly with 2:18 to play in the half. Bramanti led the Skyhawks run with seven points.
• Stonehill carried that 32-point margin into halftime (52-20) and then stretched it to 36 (58-22) after a Kelsey Shaw jumper two and a half minutes into the third quarter and the game wasn't in doubt again.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill are winners of a season-high eight straight and 12 of 13 since the New Year. It matches NE10 Southwest Division leaders Adelphi University for the longest current win streak in the Conference.
• Stonehill finished shooting 50-percent from the floor (34-for-68), including 10-for-25 (40%) from three-point distance, hitting 12-of-19 shots (63.2%) in the first quarter, including 5-for-11 (45.5%) from three.

Up Next

Stonehill (19-5, 15-3 NE10) returns to action on Saturday, when it closes out the regular season with a Senior Day matchup with Southern New Hampshire University at Merkert Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m. Saint Michael's (8-15, 2-15 NE10) hosts Saint Anselm College for a Senior Day matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

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