COLCHESTER, Vt. – Deborah LaValley (Rochester, N.H.) hit two key three-pointers in overtime and had a career-best 12 points as Southern New Hampshire University downed Saint Michael's College 65-59 in Northeast-10 women's basketball Wednesday night at the Ross Sports Center.  The game marked the season opener for the Penmen, while the Purple Knights fall to 1-2 and 0-1 in league play.

LaValley finished 4-7 behind the arc and was one of three Penmen in double figures.  Michelle DeRoma (West Roxbury, Mass.) registered all 17 of her points in the first half, finishing 5-7 behind the arc, while Sloane Sorrell (Berwick, Maine) notched a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.  Victoria Wiseman (Montreal, Quebec) finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, while Brooke Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H.) added seven points, six assists and six rebounds.

SNHU knocked down 11 three-pointers in the game, going 11-18 behind the arc.  The 11 threes ties a single-game school record, set on January 8, 1990 against Molloy and matched against Binghamton on December 4, 1999.

Nicole Adach paced the hosts with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Megan Olson and Cara Deroy added 14 and 11 points, respectively.

SNHU, which saw Saint Michael's score the final five points of regulation to force the extra session, jumped out to a 62-57 lead a minute into overtime.  Wiseman scored on SNHU's first possession, while LaValley knocked down a three from the top of the key at the 4:08 mark to give the Penmen a five point cushion.  Neither team would score until Olsen knocked down a pair of free throws with 44 seconds left to make it a one possession game.

Coming out of a timeout, LaValley would again find herself open at the top of the key and knocked down her fourth triple of the game with 26 seconds to go to make it a 65-59 game.  Two threes down the stretch by Saint Michael's were off the mark.

The Penmen led 51-42 with just over nine minutes left following a pair of free throws by Wiseman, but Saint Michael's used a 8-0 run to pull within one with 6:01 on the clock following a three-pointer by Megan Gaudreau.  SNHU scored six of the game's next eight points and Wiseman's layup with just over four minutes left made it a 57-52 game.  The hosts scored the final five points of regulation and Adach's layup with 1:42 left tied the game 57-57.  SNHU had the final possession of regulation, but a jumper by Wiseman in the lane as time expired was short.

Southern New Hampshire jumped out to a 12-3 lead 5:30 into the game but a 13-3 Saint Michael's run capped by Olsen's conventional three-point play at the 8:19 mark gave the hosts their lone lead of the game, 16-15.  The Penmen responded with six unanswered points and closed the half with a 6-2 spurt to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room.

SNHU connected on seven of its eight three-point attempts in the first half and shot 40.4% overall while limiting Saint Michael's to 34.5% shooting for the game.  The Penmen held a 43-35 rebounding advantage and a 19-17 edge in the points off turnovers category despite committing 24 giveaways to SMC's 18.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Tuesday, November 20 when it heads to crosstown rival Saint Anselm College for a 5:30 Northeast-10 contest.