BOX SCORE

When and Where: January 2, 2016 – Colchester, Vt. (Ross Sports Center)
Score: Saint Michael's College 71, Southern New Hampshire University 59
Records: Saint Michael's College 5-6 (2-5 Northeast-10), SNHU 9-3 (4-3 Northeast-10)

Freshman Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) scored 15 points and senior Erin Doherty (Marshfield, Mass.) added 13, but the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team opened 2016 with a 71-59 loss at Saint Michael's College on Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center.

Lorenzen shot 7-for-13 from the field and was 1-for-1 at the line, while pulling down four rebounds and making two steals. Doherty was 6 of 12 from the floor at 1 of 2 from the stripe to go along with four boards.

Leah Spencer led all scorers with 18 points for Saint Michael's, while Makenzie posted 17 points, 15 rebounds and three steals.

The opening four minutes featured three lead changes and two ties before a pair of free throws from junior Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) sparked a 10-2 rush that featured four different scorers and gave Southern New Hampshire a 15-8 lead with 2:09 to go in the opening quarter. The Penmen would lead 17-10 at the close of one.

The Purple Knights made their move midway through the second quarter with an 11-4 run that received contributions from four different scorers and ended with a Samantha Delaney layup that put the hosts in front, 29-28, with 1:09 on the clock. A Lorenzen bucket with 41 seconds left in the first half would close the scoring and send SNHU to the locker room with a 30-29 advantage.

The third quarter saw a back-and-forth battle unfold with nine lead changes and three ties before sophomore Jennifer Shelp (Apalachin, N.Y.) sank a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining to put Southern New Hampshire on top, 49-48, heading into the final frame.

Saint Michael's would forge a 55-55 tie 2:04 into the fourth quarter, but would not take the lead until a Burud layup at the 5:21 mark put the Purple Knights in front for good at 60-59. Saint Michael's trailed, 59-56, with six-and-a-half minutes to play when four straight points from Burud – including that go-ahead layup – triggered a game-closing 15-0 landslide that featured eight points from Spencer and guided the hosts to victory.

Sophomore Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.) tallied eight points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3-FG), five rebounds and three assists. Freshman Brianna Camara (Fall River, Mass.) finished with six points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Olivia Conrad (Hanover, Mass.) added six points (2-6 FG, 2-2 FT) and three boards. Ryan registered five points (1-8 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and three assists, with freshman Aaliyah Paxton (Hainesport, N.J.) chipping in four points (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT) and five rebounds.

Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire narrowly outshot Saint Michael's, 38.6 percent (22-57) to 37.3 percent (25-67), including 26.7 percent (4-15) to 26.3 percent (5-19) from long distance.
-Both teams fared well at the line, with Saint Michael's going 16-for-19 (84.2%) and SNHU hitting 11 of 13 (84.6%).
-Saint Michael's held advantages on the glass (43-36), in the paint (34-28) and in points off turnovers (19-7). The Purple Knights only turned it over 12 times, while the Penmen gave it away 18 times.
-Southern New Hampshire led for 25:20 of the game's 40 minutes.
-The contest featured 17 lead changes and eight ties.

Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Monday, Jan. 4 (5:30 p.m.) when they play host to Concordia (N.Y.) College at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.

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