Loder leads four Skyhawks in double-figures with 16 points

Loder scored 11 of her team-high 16 points in the first half to spark the Skyhawks to a ten-point lead (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (February 11, 2023) – Stonehill College shot over 45-percent from the floor and battled its way to a second Northeast Conference road win with a 69-61 triumph over Saint Francis College of Brooklyn in NEC women's basketball action at The ARC at The Pratt Institute this afternoon.

Postgrad Maddie Loder led four from Stonehill in double-figures, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the first half to help the Skyhawks stake out a ten-point lead (22-12) after a quarter of play, as she finished 7-of-14 from the field and added three assists and two rebounds. Fifth-year Sophie Glidden totaled 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting, with six rebounds and two assists, while senior Mia Kelly contributed 11 points, converting 5-of-6 free-throws while making 3-of-5 shots from the floor, with six rebounds and a career-high five assists. Freshman Melissa Whitmore reached double-figures for the second-straight game with ten points on 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and a season-best three steals.

Senior Alyssa Fisher led St. Francis Brooklyn with a game-high 17 points, with two rebounds and two assists. Freshman Angena Belloso added 14 points off the bench for the Terriers with five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior Zharia Hutchinson made all five of her shots from the field and converted all four of her free-throws for 14 points and two boards.

Trailing by four, three-minutes into the game, Stonehill took flight with an 18-3 run over the next five minutes to grab an 11-point lead (20-9) after a layup from fifth-year Emily Bramanti. Loder sparked the stretch with a three-pointer that would prove to put the Skyhawks in front for good and scored five points in all during the run. Stonehill got scoring from five different players during that spell.

Glidden was also among the four Skyhawks in double-figures with 14 points and six rebounds (PHOTO BY Ryan Feeney)

Loder sent Stonehill into the second quarter with a ten-point lead (22-12) with a jumper at the buzzer and then neither team would score until Glidden broke the second quarter ice with a jumper for a 12-point lead two and a half minutes in. The teams largely traded baskets through out the second quarter and the Skyhawks held the ten-point lead (38-28) into halftime.

Stonehill scored nine of the first ten points in the third quarter, sparked by a Loder triple, to open an 18-point lead (47-29) after a pair of free-throws by freshman Colleen McCullagh with 5:41 remaining in the frame. St. Francis Brooklyn finished the quarter strong, outscoring the Skyhawks 17-5 in the last five minutes to pull within six (52-46) heading to the fourth. Belloso led the Terriers with seven points during that stretch, including a three-point play that led the hosts to close the gap from a ten-point margin (49-39) with 2:25 left.

Fisher opened the fourth quarter scoring two minutes in to pull St. Francis within four (52-48). The Terriers drew back within three (59-56) after a layup by freshman Tyra Myers just past the halfway mark of the fourth. Stonehill steadied and scored ten of the next 12 to reclaim an 11-point cushion (69-58) with a minute to go after four-straight from Glidden to seal it. 

Noteworthy

• Stonehill had four double-figure scorers for second-straight game and fourth time this season overall, improving to 3-1 in those games.
• Stonehill turned the ball over just nine times in the game, and just once in the first half.
• Stonehill outscored St. Francis Brooklyn 13-5 in second chance points, holding a 22-31 rebounding edge, including 11 offensive boards.
• Stonehill reached 20 assists for the second-straight game, led by six from Bramanti and Kelly's career-best five.
• Bramanti climbed to 33^rd on Stonehill's career scoring list with 1,028 points in her 105^th career game, moving past Courtney Walsh, '18 (1,023) and to within ten points of Paige Marshall, '16 (1,038) for 32^nd all-time.
• Stonehill is 6-0 this season when shooting a higher percentage than its opponents, connecting on 45.9-percent of its shots today, including 10-of-18 (55.6%) in the first quarter and 8-for-13 (61.5%) in the fourth, while St. Francis finished at 42.6%, including 0-for-10 for the day from three-point range.

Up Next
Stonehill (7-18, 3-9 NEC) returns to Brooklyn on Thursday, when it visits LIU for an NEC matchup at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks at back at Merkert Gymnasium next Saturday to host Central Connecticut State University for their Play 4 Kay Game at 2 p.m. St. Francis Brooklyn (9-15, 8-4 NEC) visits Saint Francis (Pa.) University on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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