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Junior Kelsey Simonds had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in her return to the Stonehill lineup. |
Worcester, Mass. - Stonehill opened their 2007-08 season in fine fashion, using excellent passing and aggressive defense to post an 83-37 win over Concordia College (N.Y.) in the first game of the Assumption College Marriott Courtyard Classic on Friday evening.
The Skyhawks put together an early 22-0 run to build a sizable lead in the first half and then got contributions from everyone on the roster as they held the Clippers to 28 percent shooting.
Freshman Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) led a balanced offensive attack with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y.) added 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Skyhawks controlled the boards, holding a 57-22 advantage in addition to forcing 23 Concordia turnovers. Stonehill also held huge advantages in several categories including points in the paint (42-6), second chance points (21-2) and bench points (40-9).
A 43-16 advantage at the break was trimmed to 19 at 44-25 three minutes into the second half before Stonehill righted the ship and bumped the lead up to 30 at 63-33 at the 11:28 mark to put the game away.
Also in double figures for the Skyhawks were Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) who had 10 points and eight rebounds and Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) who chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds.
Stonehill got solid all-around efforts from seniors Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) and Daryl Cioffi (New Milford, N.J.), as the duo combined for 11 steals and 10 assists. As a team the Skyhawks had 26 assists on their 35 baskets.
The Skyhawks return to action on Saturday when they face Molloy in the first game of the second day of the tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
