When and Where: March 10, 2023 – Worcester, Mass. (Laska Gymnasium)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 65, St. Thomas Aquinas College 44
Records: SNHU 22-7, STAC 21-9
Senior
Adriana Timberlake (Braintree, Mass.) matched her career best with a game-high 26 points, as she canned a career-high six 3-pointers, to lead the second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team to a 65-44 triumph over seventh-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College in the opening round of the NCAA East Regional Championship on Friday afternoon at Assumption University's Laska Gymnasium.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Timberlake – 26 points (10-18 FG, 6-11 3-FG), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Junior Jess Knight (Hanover, Mass.) – 13 points (6-15 FG, 1-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
- Senior Ariana Koivisto (Pomfret, Conn.) – 9 points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3-FG), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
KEY MOMENTS
- Sparked by a 3-pointer from junior Julia Colby (So. Paris, Maine) just 11 seconds in, Southern New Hampshire scored the first seven points of the game over the opening 89 seconds. The lead was five near the end of the stanza when Timberlake buried her third triple of the quarter to give the Penmen a 22-14 advantage after one.
- Timberlake made it a perfect 4-for-4 from deep just 22 seconds into the second quarter before a Knight basket stretched the lead to 27-14 just under a minute-and-a-half in. STAC would stop the bleeding and respond with a 14-2 blitz that slashed its deficit to a single point at 29-28 with 1:13 to go in the half. The Penmen would bring a 31-28 edge to the break.
- SNHU began the second half the same way it started the first – with seven straight points that ran the lead to an even 10 at 38-28 a little less than three minutes in. A 6-0 spurt later in the quarter widened the gap to 13 at 47-34 with 2:09 to go. The Penmen would take a 49-37 lead into the final frame.
- Southern New Hampshire held the same 13-point cushion at 57-44 with 13:54 remaining, when back-to-back treys from Koivisto and Timberlake, sparked a game-ending 8-0 run that gave the Penmen their largest lead of the day at 21 points (65-44) with 39 seconds on the clock.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Colby recorded seven points (2-9 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and four assists.
- Sophomore Sydnie DeVries (Monson, Mass.) posted six points (3-3 FG) and six boards.
- Senior Jenna Roche (Braintree, Mass.) tallied two points (2-2 FT), eight rebounds and three helpers.
- Freshman Meghan Gordon (Attleboro, Mass.) chipped in two points (1-1 FG) and four rebounds.
- SNHU outshot STAC, 42.6 percent (26-61) to 26.1 percent (18-69), including 40 percent (8-20) to 16.7 percent (4-24) from long range. The Penmen were also better from the line, 71.4 percent (5-7) to 50 percent (4-8).
- The Penmen captured the glass (48-39) and the paint (30-20), scored more points off turnovers (7-6) and on the fast break (7-6), and received more scoring from their bench (8-7), while the Spartans netted more second chance points (9-7) and featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (10/10-16/18).
NOTES
- Southern New Hampshire, which has won eight of its last 10 and four of five, matches the program record of 22 victories, set in 1989-90.
- The Penmen, making their fourth NCAA Championship tournament appearance, including second straight, win their first NCAA postseason game in the four tries.
- SNHU leads the all-time series with St. Thomas Aquinas, 4-1, including a 71-65 road victory back on Dec. 29. That was the first time the schools had met since 2010.
- Timberlake's previous 26-point performance came in last year's season opener – an 88-65 victory against the University of Bridgeport on Nov. 13, 2021.
- SNHU is now 43-14 (.754) since the start of the 2021-22 season, including 23-6 (.793) away from home.
WHAT'S NEXT
- The Penmen will take on third-seeded Jefferson University (27-4) in the semifinal round of the NCAA East Regional on Saturday (March 11) at 5 p.m.
