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No. 7 Skyhawks Survive Scare, Take Down Molloy 68-66
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| Already one of the most feared shotblockers in the region, Kelsey Simonds finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks in the win over Molloy. |
No. 7 Skyhawks Survive Scare, Take Down Molloy 68-66
Easton, Mass. - Sophomore Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) scored eight of her game-high 21 points in the final five minutes to help No. 7 Stonehill stave off a valiant effort from visiting Molloy and improve to 12-1 overall with a nail-biting 68-66 win at Merkert Gymnasium on Monday evening.
A little more than 48 hours after knocking off archrival Bentley on the road, the Skyhawks faced one of their toughest tests in the Lions, who entered the contest with a 9-1 record and two wins against Northeast-10 foes (American International and LeMoyne).
Molloy held a 60-56 lead following a three-pointer from Tatiana Lopez, with a little less than six minutes remaining. Rousseau answered back with a bomb of her own but one of the Lions' 23 offensive rebounds set up free throws for Kymira Woodberry. She drained the pair of freebies, but Rousseau responded again, this time racing down the court with a defender attached to her hip and found a wide open Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y.) for an easy hoop.
Clarissa Jones, a 5-foot-6 guard, who did most of her damage (team-high 19 points) on lightning-quick drives to the basket or at the end of the fast break, scored inside again to give the visitors a 64-61 edge with exactly four minutes left.
As she did in the closing minutes of Saturday's win over the Falcons, Rousseau attacked the basket and finished with a scoop shot that banked in off the glass as she was fouled. Her subsequent free throw tied the game for the fourth time.
Over the next two and a half minutes, the game was filled with missed opportunities by both teams to take control of the contest - but the Lions, who shot just 10-for-17 from the free throw line in the game split free throws on a pair of trips to move ahead, 66-64 with less than two minutes left.
Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) was fouled with a minute to go and the Northeast-10's best free throw shooter calmly nailed a pair to even the score at 66 all.
On Molloy's next possession, Lopez had her shot rejected by Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) and E.J. Dreyer wasn't able to convert her offensive rebound. Simonds corralled the missed shot and the ball worked its way back to Rousseau who drilled a jumper from just inside the free throw line with 23 seconds left, giving the Skyhawks their first lead since 51-50.
Jones and Dreyer's final attempts went awry, preserving Stonehill's perfect record against non-conference teams perfect at home under Trish Brown (12-0).
Things didn't seem as if they were going to end the way they did for Stonehill following a first half that saw them shoot 31 percent from the field, commit 15 turnovers and get outscored 20-4 in the paint.
Already one of the nation's best free throw shooting teams, their 18-for-18 performance from the charity stripe helped them stay close and eventually take a 35-34 halftime lead.
For the game, the Skyhawks were a perfect 22-for-22 at the line and raised their shooting percentage to 40 percent (20-for-50).
The rebounding battle was a draw with each team hauling in 42, but the Lions scored 29 points off of 25 Stonehill turnovers and with their 23 offensive rebounds, had 17 second chance points.
In addition to Rousseau's scoring outburst, the Skyhawks got the first career double-double from sophomore Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) who finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while Simonds had a huge game defensively, posting 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. Tighe, meanwhile, had her streak of double digit scoring games come to an end at ten, but still recorded six points, seven rebounds and three assists.
For the Lions, Woodberry had 18 points, 13 rebounds and six steals, and Dreyer totaled six points, six rebounds, seven steals and four assists.
Stonehill returns to action on Thursday when they host St. Anselm at Merkert Gymnasium. Tip time is slated for 5:30 p.m.
