• Wednesday’s focus was on the first full edition of ECC play as well as some key early-season NE10 games. The latter is where this report begins, starting with a near-upset in Manchester…
• Bentley survived a furious rally from Southern New Hampshire to collect a 70-65 NE10 Northeast win and stay unbeaten. The Falcons also exacted a sliver of revenge from last season, when the Penmen handed them two of their four defeats, but it was hard work. Things seemed in hand for the visitors as they enjoyed as much as a 22-point lead (37-15) on the path to a 39-20 halftime bulge but SNHU emerged from the break reinvigorated and dropped 33 points (12-18 FG, 6-8 3FG) on the Falcons to slice the arrears to 55-53 by the time the third quarter was over. The hosts came within a digit (64-63) with 3:43 to play after a Molly Terry (15 points, 5-8 3FG) sank her last triple of the game but that proved to be the last SNHU field goal. Bentley wrapped it up with a 6-2 closing run, keeping its’ ledger clean and staying atop the division. Marissa Fontaine (13 points, 3-3 3FG), Amy McConnell (13 points) and Victoria Lux (11 points) topped the scoring for the winners, who never trailed in the contest. Gyanna Russell (career-high 14 points) and Kylie Lorenzen (13 points, 16 rebounds) added solid games for the Penmen, who have lost three in a row after a 6-0 start to the campaign.
• Defense was the watchword in North Easton as Assumption won their fourth game in a row, upending Stonehill by a 55-49 count. The Greyhounds held the Skyhawks to 38% shooting and turned 20 miscues into 24 points while seeing five players score between 7-11 points on the night. The home team led only three times (for a total of less than three minutes) and each time by just one point. AC led 24-23 at the half and managed to extend the edge to 39-30 late in the third frame before the Skyhawks rallied with an 8-0 carry-over flurry into the last quarter to draw within 39-38 (7:23). That was as close as they came as the Hounds buckled down and put up a 15-5 spell (54-43, :24) to wrap it up. Jordan Hawkins (11 points, 12 rebounds) led the Assumption attack while Gabrielle Reuter (14 points) and Grace Carter (10 points) topped the Stonehill ticket. The Skyhawks saw a five-game win streak go by the boards and are now tied with Assumption for 3rd place in the NE10 Northeast.
• Adelphi staked their claim atop the NE10 Southwest with a 60-49 victory over the College of Saint Rose in Garden City, their fourth straight triumph. Niajah Morgan (24 points) was sharp for the Panthers and had help from Fallyn Stephens (13 points) and Emily Miccile (12 points, 10 boards) as they slowly pulled away from the Golden Knights. Adelphi built a 35-24 halftime bulge and widened it to 53-39 after three frames, and Saint Rose wasn’t able to trouble them much after that despite a solid game from Karissa Birthwright (13 points, 9 rebounds). The Panthers shot 40% overall and backed that with good defense, holding the Golden Knights to 30%, including a tough 4-26 day from three-point land.
• NYIT opened their ECC account with a 76-35 rout of Queens, extending streaks in both directions (the Bears have won six in a row while the Knights have lost six straight). Meg Knollmeyer (25 points, 7 boards; 10-15 FG, 4-4 FT) led the Bears attack with Taylor Tripptree adding 13 points off the bench. NYIT never trailed, exploding to a 44-16 halftime lead and coasting in from there. Queens registered three 8-point quarters, shot 27% overall and never had traction at the offensive end all night - their leading scorer was Myleesa Grant, with 9 points. NYIT shot 44% from the field, sank all 13 of their free throws and posted a +10 on the glass (45-35) to punctuate the result.
• Sasha Patterson (14 points, 10 rebounds; 7-10 FG), Taylah Hudson (14 points) and Shannon Doyle (13 points) spread the wealth for LIU Post as they snared a 59-46 ECC win over Molloy, snapping the Lions five-game win streak. The Pioneers led all the way, arriving at the half with a 34-25 advantage, but Molloy stayed in touch into the final frame. A 12-2 surge, creating a 55-40 game with 5:22 left, finally did the trick for the Pioneers, who picked up their third win in a row. Molloy had a trio of players with nine points (Ihnacince Grady, Gabriella Aspuru and Jenna Silletti) lead their scoring on a night when they shot just 1-14 as a unit from long distance.
• St. Thomas Aquinas got their ECC slate off to a good start by defeating Mercy, 78-55, for their fourth straight victory. Like NYIT and LIU Post, the Spartans never trailed, constructing leads of 23-13, 42-25 and 63-39 at each checkpoint on the way to their win. Zaria Thomas (18 points) and Kellyann Averill (11 points, 8 rebounds) led the attack for STAC as they grabbed ten more rebounds (44-34) and dominated in the turnover game (21-9), cashing the latter in for a massive 35-4 plus in points-off-turnovers. Taysha Bender (17 points) and Alexis Lake (13 points, 6 caroms) did the scoring for the Mavericks, accounting for more than half of their points.
• The closest ECC game of the night took place in Rochester, where Daemen shaded Roberts Wesleyan, 72-70, in a thrilling Thruway Rivalry clash. This one saw the clubs swap runs all night, the decisive one being a 9-0 spurt that gave the Wildcats a 69-66 lead with 56 seconds left. RWC led at the half (32-25) and after three periods (52-44) but was unable to hold it. They were on top 58-50 with 7:24 to go when Daemen unleashed an 8-0 run to knot it at 58. After the Redhawks pushed back ahead 66-60 (3:03) the Wildcats crafted their key run, started by a three-pointer from Tiara Filbert (20 points) and ended by another from Autumn Buchsenschutz (10 points). Dimitra Gkizan and Taylor Bynoe (14 points) field goals for RWC sandwiched two Erin Sinnott free throws, making it a 71-70 game with five ticks left. Buchsenschutz made 1-2 at the line to finish the scoring as Sara Nady’s (19 points) desperation trey at the horn missed. Daemen’s bench proved to be a major cog in this one, out-scoring RWC’s by a 26-5 count, helping end the Redhawks four-game winning skein.
• Samnell Vonleh’s career-high 27 points led Bridgeport to an 80-61 ECC win over the University of the District of Columbia in the Nutmeg State. Vonleh (10-20 FG, 7-9 FT) added a dozen rebounds to her stat line and she received help from a number of other Purple Knights, principally Brianna Stoddart (17 points) and NK Ilang (11 points, 10 caroms). UB led most of the way and out-scored the Firebirds in all four quarters, assuming a 35-27 halftime lead. They slowly added to the advantage in the second half (59-47 after three stanzas), securing their third straight win in the process. Natasha Roy (18 points) and Mia-Alexis Lloyd (13 points) scored about half of UDC’s points but they had issues on the backboards as a team (UB, 47-33) and dropped their third consecutive game as a result.
• Merrimack earned their first NE10 Northeast victory thanks to a 71-58 decision over Franklin Pierce in North Andover. Alyssa Casey (20 points), Mayson Kimball (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Karlee Alves (13 assists) fueled the Warriors effort as they posted a wire-to-wire win. MC opened the night on a 20-2 binge and had their lead crest at 26 points after three quarters, 62-36. FPU was able to enjoy a strong fourth period but by then the outcome had been decided. Izzy Lipinski submitted a nice game for the Ravens with a career-high 18 points and a personal-best equaling 12 rebounds, while Sophia Holmes added 10 points, but Franklin Pierce remains winless in the loop.
• The only non-league contest of the night saw LeMoyne put together a big third period to dump winless Mansfield on the road, 80-66. The game was a tight one for the first twenty minutes (41-all at the half) but the Dolphins broke away in the third quarter (26-14), which included a 12-2 sortie that gave them the lead for good (56-47, 4:21). As much as the Mounties (0-5) tried they never got the deficit into single digits in the fourth quarter. McKayla Roberts (19 points, 5-10 3FG), Cameron Tooley (16 points), Jenna Zimmerman and Corinne Poitevien (10 points and 8 rebounds each) combined to do the damage for LC, which had a +10 on the glass (40-30) and made inroads at the line (LC 14-16; Mansfield 5-8 FT) as a team. Erin Gibbons (13 points) and Noelle Cameron (12 points) topped the Mounties scoring.