Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: February 3, 2018 – Easton, Mass. (Paula Sullivan Court)
Score: Stonehill College 49, Southern New Hampshire University 48
Records: Stonehill 19-2 (15-1 NE10), SNHU 14-8 (10-6 NE10)
Junior Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) scored a game-high 12 points, as the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team stormed back from a double-digit deficit and had a chance to win on the final possession of the game, but 18th-ranked Stonehill College thwarted the scare and won its 10th straight with a 49-48 win at Paula Sullivan Court on Saturday afternoon.
An under-the-weather Lorenzen was held to just 2 of 19 shooting from the field, but went a perfect 8 of 8 at the line, while stuffing the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Samantha Hyslip paced the Skyhawks with 10 points and eight boards.
Trailing by nine with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Southern New Hampshire reeled off eight straight to climb within 49-48 with 19 seconds on the clock. A layup from freshman Gyanna Russell (E. Hampton, Conn.) began the comeback at the 3:39 mark, before a pair of free throws from Lorenzen made it a five-point game with 1:55 to go. One of two at the line 40 seconds later from junior Brianna Camara (Fall River, Mass.) pulled the Penmen within four, with freshman Sarah Deyo (Attleboro, Mass.) sinking a huge 3-pointer to slice the deficit to a single point with less than 20 seconds left.
SNHU immediately fouled and sent Kelly Martin to the line, where she would miss both to give the visitors a chance at the win on the final possession. The Penmen called timeout and had less than 14 seconds to work with, but their final shot from beyond the arc came up short, as a Stonehill defender appeared to get a piece of the ball. Camara pulled down an offensive rebound, but was left with no time at a put-back opportunity.
Deyo posted eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3-FG) and four rebounds, while Camara (2-8 FG, 3-4 FT) and Russell (2-9 FG, 3-4 FT) each finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Four points from Tayler Wornum helped Stonehill build a 10-4 lead over the opening seven-and-a-half minutes of the contest, before Southern New Hampshire scored the final four points of the quarter to close within 10-8.
The gap was still two more than three minutes into the second stanza when the Skyhawks ripped off a 13-2 run – with Elizabeth Grip scoring four points to lead four different scorers – to grab their largest lead of the afternoon at 27-14 with less than a minute to go before the break. Senior Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.) canned a 3-pointer with 15 seconds to go to trim the Southern New Hampshire deficit to an even 10 at 27-17.
The Penmen charged hard to open the second half, using a 14-3 blitz – with six points from Lorenzen and four from Camara – to go in front for the first and only time in the game, 31-30, with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter. A layup from senior Jennifer Shelp (Apalachin, N.Y.) forged a 34-34 tie with 2:19 to go, but Stonehill closed with a 6-2 spurt to take a 40-36 lead into the final frame. The Skyhawks then opened the fourth with a 9-4 run to take what looked to be a commanding 49-40 advantage with 3:53 left.
Stinson contributed seven points (3-10 FG, 1-3 3-FG), while Shelp chipped in four points (2-3 FG) and four rebounds.
Notes:
-The Penmen, who had won three of four entering the contest, fall into a third-place tie with crosstown-rival Saint Anselm College in the NE10 Northeast Division standings.
-Lorenzen's double-double is her 11th of the season and 23rd of her career.
-Stonehill outshot Southern New Hampshire, 37.7 percent (20-53) to 22.7 percent (15-66), including 16.7 percent (2-12) to 15 percent (3-20) from beyond the arc, while SNHU was better from the line, 83.3 percent (15-18) to 63.6 percent (7-11).
-The Penmen won the glass (44-42) and held a 17-4 advantage in points off mistakes, while the Skyhawks captured the paint (32-20) and featured a more impressive assist-to-turnover ratio (18/20-5/12).
Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Wednesday, Feb. 7 (5:30 p.m.) when they play host to third-ranked Bentley University at the SNHU Fieldhouse in a game that will air on both FOX College Sports and WGIR 610-AM.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here.
