Highest scoring individual performances in regional annals

Highest scoring individual games in regional history

By Stephen Zerdelian

We all love high-scoring games and players, right? At least I do. For this venture back in time, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive single-game explosions in regional history. Some have only a few details available (for a variety of reasons) but some do have a decent amount of background to review. Ready? Time to roll.

The first stop here has to be the exploits of Felician’s Tysell Bozeman in the 2002-’03 season. That season was an odd one for the Golden Falcons, as they were a D2 institution and part of the CACC, but the league was not in the (now)-East region that year. But Felician, having been part of the old NECC (defunct by then), would have been part of the region for NCAA purposes. Enough context. What about Bozeman?

Tysell Bozeman (a Super 75 – Bonus Column pick last year) came to Felician from the University of Arizona for two seasons and scored more than 1,000 points in the process. She boasts the two highest-scoring games in regional annals, a 61-explosion against Dominican on December 20, 2002, and a 51-point bomb against Caldwell on February 8, 2003. In neither case was it a circus, or an excess of points – Felician lost both games by close margins, so they needed every point they could get.

The Dominican game (a 100-90 loss in overtime) saw Bozeman play 42 minutes, shoot 24-43 from the floor (just 3-4 from three-point land) and make 12-16 at the line. She even had time to grab 13 boards. Only one other player reached double digits for the Golden Falcons that day (Alesha Clayton has 14 points) but a balanced DC attack (all five starters with double digits) doomed Bozeman’s great effort to defeat.

Against Caldwell about six weeks later, the Golden Falcons fell, 90-81, but Bozeman went all 40 minutes and shot 21-41 from the field (1-5 from deep) and 8-8 at the stripe while grabbing nine boards. In an eerily similar instance, Clayton (19) was the only other Felician player in double figures while Caldwell had five do the same. Both games may have been setbacks in terms of results, but the exploits of Bozeman live on.

Bet you don’t know the only other 50-point regional scorer, do you? Those of you who guessed Bridgeport’s Belinda Hill, take a bow. The ’88 graduate of UB netted 50 points against Assumption on December 3, 1986, a regional record that stood fifteen years. Hill, an athletic wing from Laurelton, New York who scored over 1,500 career points as a Purple Knight, had her career game in a 94-56 rout of the Greyhounds.

Next on our list is a recent addition. Bria Jackson dropped a career-best 49 points for Queens in a double-overtime, 72-71, victory against Bowie State on December 29, 2012. Jackson made 14-27 shots (5-13 3FG) from the floor and 16-18 at the line while playing 49 of 50 available minutes. No other Knight scored more than seven points that day, making her tour de force that much more remarkable.

Bet Naumovski, in her second season at Queens at the time, has some clear (and colorful) memories from that snowy day in 2012.

“I still recall that game because there was a storm brewing outside,” She recalls. “We needed double overtime to decide that game, while outside we were in the middle of a blizzard. The longer the game went on, the higher the snow got. It was a thrilling game and Bria hit a buzzer beater to send the game into the first overtime. Everyone in the gym knew Bria was going to take the last shot and she drilled a tough three-pointer that was featured on Sports Center that evening.”

“I knew Bria was having a great game, but I had no idea that she was approaching 50-points. In the locker room after the game, I looked at the stat sheet and did a double take. I looked at her and said, ‘you had 49 points?’  She was shocked too and the first thing she said was, ‘I was only one-point away from 50!?’  That is Bria in a nutshell, never satisfied and always wanting more.”

Several last year’s Super 75 honorees enjoyed great individual games over the years, which is unsurprising. A quick look…

Julie Dabrowski (New Hampshire College) racked up 45 points against Molloy on January 8, 1990, to set a program record. Dabrowski, a sweet-shooting guard, made astonishing ten (10) three-pointers that day, quite the feat in the early days of the three-ball. In all, she made 17 field goals and a single free throw to get her 45 points, torching the nets from long and mid-range… Darlene Orlando-Ciarcia set a record that still stands at Massachusetts-Lowell by dropping 48 points against New Haven on February 7, 1994. UML won that one, 87-71, and Orlando-Ciarcia remains among the best players in program annals… Mackenzie Lynch holds the Caldwell record with 44 points in a game against the University of the Sciences in 2006… Jennifer DiMaggio popped in 42 points against New Haven in 1985 for Pace (the Setters were not in the region at the time but this deserved mention)…Rachel Jackson posted a 43-point game against Dartmouth back in 1984, a mark that still sits atop the St. Anselm record book… Shelia Lindsay holds the Franklin Pierce record with 47 points against Castleton State in 1986. The Ravens were an NAIA outfit at the time but this somewhat statistically odd game requires a mention. Lindsay (6-2) dominated in the paint that day, making 22-29 shots and snagging 26 rebounds. But for such a massive interior presence, Lindsay made only three foul shots. Either she missed a bunch, the officials swallowed their whistles or Castleton State just didn’t foul much – we may never know. But 47 is 47!

There have been several other 40-point games in regional history… Tahira Matthews of Georgian Court dropped in 45 points during an overtime loss to Mercy in 2014. Matthews came off the bench to play 36 of the 45 minutes that day yet shot 15-22 from the floor and the foul line, while also snaring 18 rebounds (11 of them offensive)… Mirroring Dabrowski with 10 three-pointers was Philadelphia’s Adrienne Reese, who put up a program-record 43 points (15-22 FG; 10-19 3FG) in a win over Mercy in 2002. Her outburst eclipsed Super 75 (Bonus) member Tammy Greene, who scored 42 points in a 1994 clash… Althea Chambers (Dominican) netted 43 points against Philadelphia on 2009, which has already been documented in this column a few weeks ago (https://www.d2easthoops.org/women/features/The_Chronicles_of_Z/Memorable_Games_-4_-_Jefferson_and_Dominican-s_2009_3OT_duel)… Alexis Castro collected an AIC-record 41 points at Bryant in 2008 while Camille McPherson of Sciences scored a (then-)program-high 40 points against Cheyney in 2013...  There is another high-scoring performance from Massachusetts-Lowell to consider – Bianca Simmons piled 45 points on Bentley in a game on February 26, 2013. Simmons led the nation in scoring that season (28.2 ppg) as the program wrapped up its Division II stay.

(Seasonal update – February 27, 2022)

The region has seen five 40+ point games this year… Saint Anselm guard Peyton Steinman has surpassed the 40-point mark twice, the first time with 40 points against Stonehill on December 5, including netting 29 consecutive Hawks points. She followed that up with a program-tying mark of 43 at Southern New Hampshire on February 8…D'Youville's Sara Pfeiffer also hit the 40-mark twice, submitting a 40-point game against Bridgeport on December 10 and then netting 45 against Molloy on February 26. In the latter game, Pfieffer set an ECC record by drilling 11 three-pointers (in 17 tries)… Jess Huber (University of the Sciences) collected a Devils-record 45 points in a game at Goldey-Beacom on February 15. Huber scored 32 points in the second half alone, including 20 straight Devils points at one juncture.

More? Ok, how about these from players whose schools were not in D2 at the time of their exploits…

Sarah Soroka, Daemen – 45 points vs. Brock, 12/22/10.

April Owen, Staten Island – 44 points vs. Centenary, 2/9/91.

Cathy Inglese, Southern Connecticut – 40 points vs. Massachusetts, 2/20/80. 

As a little aside, research shows six programs in the region see the same player share career and individual scoring records at their institution. Who are they?

I am sure I missed a few things here and there. If you know of any 40-plus point individual games from regional schools, send me a note – I will be sure to acknowledge them in a future column. Until then, ice your shooting arm!