Posted: Feb 12, 2015
Firebirds win #20, add to ECC lead…
- The University of the District of Columbia extended their ECC lead to two games with a 65-61 win over visiting Queens, the fifth time the Firebirds have won 20 games under Lester Butler. UDC led virtually all the way, holding as much as an eleven-point gap in the first half before the Knights notched a 10-1 run to close the period and cut the deficit to 34-33. Kristen Korzevinski’s (11 points) bucket just over a minute into the second period gave Queens its only lead, 35-34, but UDC popped in seven of the next eight points to go back on top for good. Queens crept to within a digit, 56-55, with 3:20 to play but Denikka Brent (17 points, 16 rebounds) hit a shot and Taj Baldwin-Kollore (12 points) sank a triple to push the lead to 61-55 (2:10) and the Firebirds edge stayed at least four points for the duration. Shantrel Oliver added 12 points for the Firebirds, which held a 48-34 rebound advantage on the night. Madison Rowland (15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals) and MacKenzie Rowland (12 points) joined Korzevinski in double figures for the Knights, who forced seven more turnovers (18-11) but couldn’t profit enough to help prevail. Queens is one of four teams in the ECC with four league losses but they have the most wins right now, so officially sit in 2nd place.
Skyhawks earn revenge and claim NE-10 Northeast title…
- Stonehill avenged one of its two losses this season by dropping Assumption, 71-64, in the process clinching the NE-10 Northeast regular season crown with four games left. The Skyhawks took the lead for keeps with a 20-4 explosion midway through the first half (24-12, 7:23) and led 38-23 at the interval. Their advantage stayed in double digits much of the second half but the Greyhounds did manage to cut it to 65-58 with 1:16 left, as Kelly Conley (17 points, 8-11 FT) scored five points in a row. AC came no closer, however, and slips to 4th place in the division. Balance was key for Stonehill, with Shannon Brown (13 points), Paige Marshall (12 points, 6-6 FT), Tori Faieta (12 points) and Kelly Martin (11 points, 9-10 FT) spreading the wealth. Caitlin Ackerman (15 points) and Allison Stoddard (11 points) added depth for the Hounds. Stonehill was the better rebounding team (37-29) and made a few more free throws (Stonehill 26-33, AC 24-29 FT) in a game that saw 48 fouls whistled. For the Skyhawks, winners of their last five games, the regular season division crown is their first since 2007-’08.
Purple Knights win in NH, creating a four-way deadlock for final NE-10 Northeast playoff spot…
- The improbable – four teams dead even for the last NE-10 Northeast playoff berth – has come to fruition thanks to St. Michael’s 60-58 win at St. Anselm. The Purple Knights and Hawks join Bentley and Southern New Hampshire at 5-12 in league play (two games behind Assumption in 4th place) with four games left on the slate. This contest was in SMC’s hands most of the way but St. A’s, led by the prolific Candace Andrews (31 points, 13-26 FG, 5-7 FT; 17 points in the last 12:26), fought back to nearly nip it away down the stretch. The PK’s used 13-3 and 11-2 runs to help build a 34-20 lead late in the first half but the Hawks responded with a 12-3 spree to close the half down by only five points 37-32. St. Anselm really cut the gap when they popped in nine straight points, six by Andrews, to get within 53-51 at the 6:49 mark. Megan Gaudreau (15 points, 5-10 3FG) ended the flurry with a trey for SMC (56-51) but the Hawks stayed with it and eventually closed to 58-55 with 40 ticks left after a Kaila Duarte basket. Kelly Frappier’s (10 points) two foul shots with :11 left made it 60-55, rendering Andrews’ three FT’s with one second left mainly academic. Makenzie Burud led SMC with 18 points (she also had career-highs in rebounds [15] and assists [6], to round out a busy effort) while Maggie Sabine added 10 points. Andrews was the only Hawk with more than eight points on the night. SMC had the edge in shooting (43%-37%) and fared better from deep (7-20; St. A’s 2-14 3FG), balancing off the Hawks free throw shooting advantage (12-18; SMC 7-8 FT).
Milestone day for Saint Rose, as they close the gap in NE-10 Southwest…
- Gabie Polce scored her 1,000th career point and head coach Karen Haag won her 300th game as the College of Saint Rose beat Pace, 61-47, in Albany. The Golden Knights led all the way in this one to draw within a game of the final NE-10 Southwest playoff berth (LeMoyne and AIC are tied for 4th place, one game ahead of the GK’s) with three games remaining. Their home team rolled to a 36-19 halftime lead and never allowed the Setters a foothold to get back into it, pushing the guests two games out of the playoff race in the loss column. Staci Barrett (16 points, 8 rebounds), Mariah Lesure and Keyontae Williams (12 points each) led the Saint Rose attack while Kirsten Dodge topped the Setters with 17 points and 7 boards. The Golden Knights were a bit more effective in all shooting categories (38% FG, 3-11 3FG, 14-15 FT) than the Setters (27% FG, 1-8 3FG, 11-17 FT) and used the ball nicely (16/9 assist/turnover ratio) in their victory.
Burden and Erickson lead St. Thomas Aquinas to vital ECC decision…
- St. Thomas Aquinas closed the gap to the final ECC playoff berth on idle Molloy to a half-game thanks to a hard-fought 85-82 win over NYIT. The setback denied the Bears a chance to climb into 2nd place in the conference; instead they are one of the aforementioned four teams with four ECC losses in the mix behind UDC. Samantha Burden (25 points, 11-16 FG, 3-3 FT) and Jenna Erickson (24 points, 7-15 FG, 4-8 3FG, 6-8 FT) were the lynchpins for the Spartans in this one, although Kristen Olsen (12 points) and KC Solinski (9 points, 9 boards) came up with critical efforts off the bench. Five NYIT players notched double digits, led by Julie Williams (19 points, 3-5 3FG), Audrey Knowlton and Dina Ragab (15 points, 5 boards each), but they fell victim to a 13-2 STAC surge late in the contest, which proved decisive. The Bears had scored eight points in a row to grab a 60-58 lead with 11:52 to go but the Spartans responded with that 13-2 spell to go back ahead, 71-62, at the 4:54 mark. NYIT countered with the next eight points (started and ended by Williams treys) to cut the deficit to 76-73 (2:18) and even came within 84-82 with four ticks left after a trey by Nina Vukosavljevic (10 points) but an Erickson foul shot wrapped it up for STAC. Both teams shot well in every area, including from the floor (NYIT 50%, STAC 49%), three-point land (STAC 8-17; NYIT 6-15) and at the line (NYIT 22-26; STAC 15-20). The Spartans pulled in eight more rebounds (35-27), though, which gave them a few more chances to score.
Pioneers subdue Mercy to gain ground in ECC…
- LIU Post snared a 71-59 win over Mercy to stake a place in the melee behind UDC in the ECC. The Pioneers trailed only once (2-0) and quickly opened a 20-4 margin (14:21), putting the Mavericks into a difficult position. The Pioneer lead rose to 41-18 with two minutes left in the half but Mercy scored the last eight points to make it a 41-26 halftime tally. The Mavericks stayed in range until a 12-2 LIU Post foray widened the gap to 62-40 (10:33), removing all remaining doubt. Chelsea Williams (23 points, 8 assists, 6 blocked shots) was active for the winners while Ashley Castle (11 points) and Nyasia Davis (7 points, 14 rebounds) lent solid support. Brandone Roberts (19 points, 13 boards, 7-12 FG, 5-6 FT) and Tanayzha Augustine (16 points, 9 rebounds) supplied the numbers for the Mavericks but didn’t have enough help. LIU Post’s major team stat advantages were off the glass (49-39) and in possession (18/18 assist/turnover ratio to Mercy’s 9/23 totals), sending Mercy to the brink of mathematical playoff extinction.