BOX SCORE
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Alyssa Whitney
(Somerville, MA) led four Southern New Hampshire University players
in double figures with 14 points as the Penmen knocked off
defending NCAA Division II national champion Southern Connecticut
State University 84-78 in Northeast-10 women's basketball Saturday
afternoon at Moore Fieldhouse. The Penmen, who have won four
in a row and six out of their last seven, improved to 11-8 overall
and 7-7 in the NE-10, while the Owls are now 12-7 and 8-6 in the
league.
Whitney finished 5-6 from the floor
and also handed out four assists. Heather
Marino (Billerica, MA) totaled 13 points and five
rebounds, while Stephanie Houghton (Manchester,
NH) and Ashara Carrington (Marblehead, MA) each finished with 12
points. Sara Tucker (Red Hook, NY) added
nine points and 11 rebounds, while Megan Shay
(Candor, NY) and Andrea Lozeau (Pelham, NH) were
each 2-2 from three-point land and finished with eight
points. Shay also grabbed seven rebounds.
Kate Lynch and Rochelle Johnson led
Southern Connecticut with 23 points apiece.
SNHU trailed 39-31 at halftime but
used a 9-3 run to open the second half to close within two, 42-40,
at the 17:33 mark on a three by Lozeau. The Owls would
respond with seven unanswered points to take a 49-40 lead.
SNHU countered with a 9-2 run and a three by Shay with 12:39 to go
once again cut SCSU's lead to two, 51-49.
The Penmen would tie the contest
for the first of four times in the second half just past the midway
point when a Lozeau trifecta made it 56-56. Southern New
Hampshire would take the lead for the first time in the second
half, and take the lead for good, with 5:26 left on a pair of free
throws by Shay. A layup by Carrington with 3:34 to play
capped a 8-0 run and gave the Penmen a 73-67 lead. SCSU would
get the lead down to three, 80-77, with 54 seconds left on a
Johnson basket, but SNHU sealed the win with four free throws the
rest of the way.
Southern Connecticut used a 15-2
run midway through the first half to take a 21-11 lead with 9:29
before intermission on a Lynch three-pointer. The Owls took
their largest lead, 39-26, with 3:14 remaining before the break on
a pair of Logan Lentz free throws. Five straight points by
the Penmen capped by a Houghton basket with eight seconds left made
it 39-31 at the break.
Southern New Hampshire shot 52.9%
from the floor for the contest and was successful on all five of
its three-point attempts. SNHU made 25 more trips to the free
throw line than SCSU (40-15) and was 25-40 at the charity stripe
while the Owls were 7-15. The Penmen also held a 43-40
rebounding advantage.
SNHU returns to action Wednesday
night when it hosts UMass Lowell in a 5:30 contest at the SNHU
Fieldhouse.
